The World Needs Processed Food
The word “processed” has become something of a slur. Say “processed food” and most of us picture unhealthy, cheap junk. Fresh food straight from the garden or the field is good. Once we’ve put it through a processing plant or a laboratory, we’ve removed its halo qualities and added a bunch of bad ones. That means meat substitutes are no better than junk food.
But this perspective is short-sighted. We’re not going to feed billions a nutritious diet sustainably without food processing. The growing backlash against processing is one that neither people nor the planet can afford.
The benefits of processed food
Processed food is more than Coca-Cola, Dairy Milk chocolate, and ready meals. Most plant and animal products go through some form of processing to convert them into something that we can—and want to—eat. We mill grain into flour to make bread. We butcher and debone animals to get meat. We pasteurize milk.
Processed foods have brought us countless benefits, many of which we quickly forget. Iodized salt is just one example; iodine deficiencies used to be common across the world, leading to increased risks of stillbirths and miscarriages, significant reductions in IQ, and reduced cognitive development. Most of the world now consumes salt with iodine added, and many countries have eliminated this deficiency. By adding nutrients to food, we’ve been able to address a number of other micronutrient deficiencies.
We’ve been able to preserve food and increase its shelf life, reducing food waste. We’ve reduced the spread of food-borne diseases. Those with food allergies and intolerances can now eat a balanced diet. We don’t need to spend the day preparing food—this has been particularly important for the educational and career development of women. Last but not least: taste. Our shelves are now lined with great-tasting foods.
Of course, when people talk about “processed” food they’re often talking about ultra-processed food (UPF). These snacks and prepared meals are designed to have a longer shelf life and be more convenient and palatable. Corporations work hard to find the “Goldilocks” flavor profile we can’t resist by adding sugar and fat to make food as tasty as possible. Many describe these finely-tuned combinations as addictive.
It’s true that increased consumption of ultra-processed food has been linked to poor health outcomes. It has been associated with lower consumption of essential nutrients, such as vitamins C, D, and B12. The more of these foods we eat, the more likely we are to be overweight or obese. This puts us at higher risk of health conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. Ultra-processed foods are easy to overconsume.
The problem with most UPFs is that they are higher in calories, sugar, and fat. And they’re lower in protein and fiber, the nutrients that keep us full.
Plant-based diets
Plant-based foods are high in fiber, carbohydrate, and water content, and the feeling of fullness is longer thus helping in better weight management.
The term “plant-based diet” refers to a diet that primarily consists of plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes with the occasional serving of meat, fish, or dairy products. In order to maximize the positive effects on the health of people, animals, and the environment, the World Health Organization (WHO) also supports the transition to a healthy plant-based diet that minimizes or eliminates the consumption of animal products.
It is an undeniable fact that over the past ten years, interest in plant-based diets has skyrocketed. More people are embracing these diets as evidence mounts that they can lower blood pressure and lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.
Many celebrities, including Beyoncé, Venus and Serena Williams, Ariana Grande, and Tom Brady, to name a few, have embraced this way of eating. Going plant-based is the one common thread that seems to be compelling to so many of us, whether one is an animal lover, an environmentalist, or wants to live the healthiest life.
Going plant-based is more of a way of life than a specific diet, it can be of different forms, namely, a vegetarian diet, wherein people eat cheese, eggs, and milk, but they do not eat meat and rely on plant-based protein. A vegan diet, where, people choose to not eat animal products at all (including milk, cheese, and honey) and eat plants and plant-based foods. A flexitarian diet, where, people eat a diet that’s primarily plant-based but also includes animal protein to some extent.
Diets high on plants and low or not having any animal protein lowers the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Plant-based diet helps in the prevention and management of diabetes
Skip Meat Once a Week and Watch Your Grocery Bills Drop
To start with, one of the simplest ways to save some cash and stretch your food budget is to go meatless at least once a week.
You’ve likely heard the phrase “Meatless Monday” before. It’s a simple enough statement to understand: You skip eating meat one day a week to improve your nutrition. But going meatless once a week has many benefits besides lowering your risk of cancer, heart disease and obesity — it can benefit your wallet too.
What is Meatless Monday?
Meatless Monday isn’t just a fad or a snappy phrase created by vegans or vegetarians to get you to stop eating your favorite meals. Meatless Monday is actually an initiative created by the Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2003 to address public health, ecological and global food security concerns.
Reducing your intake of meat or animal products, even one day a week can protect your personal health and nutrition, global health, and the environment.
CLF defines going “meatless” as cutting out all red meat, poultry or seafood for one day a week, every week. These meat-centered meals can be swapped for meals built around beans, lentils, vegetables, whole grains and other plant-based proteins.
While not necessary to make an impact, millions of people globally have opted for diets that cut out meat permanently, either identifying as vegetarian (someone who does not eat meat) or vegan, someone who does not eat any meat, animal products or animal byproducts (meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy and eggs).
Why go meatless?
According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization, nearly 14.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions are due to meat and dairy production. Meat consumption in the US and in other high-income countries must be significantly reduced to mitigate the public health and environmental effects of climate change.
Switching to a vegetarian, vegan or largely plant-based diet can greatly reduce emissions considering the climate impact of plant-based foods is typically 10 to 50 times smaller than that of animal products.
Meat is also typically high in saturated fat and cholesterol, and many chronic health conditions are linked to higher intakes of animal products, especially red meat.
This isn’t to say everyone needs to cut out meat to have a healthier diet, but on average, Americans eat more meat than is recommended by health experts. In fact, Americans eat more than 1.5 times the average daily protein requirement and more than three times the global average of meat consumption, according to CLF.
Simply replacing meats with vegetables, fruits, whole grains and plant-based proteins, such as nuts and legumes, will ease dietary concerns.
How much can you actually save by going meatless?
People on meatless diets spend an average of $23 less on food every week. Though many people may believe buying fresh produce will break the bank, plant-based proteins and meatless diets tend to be less expensive and offer more health benefits than meat. Think about it, rather than buying $18 New York Strip steaks for dinner you could spend $1.48 on a head of lettuce with cucumbers and grape tomatoes to make a salad for significantly less.
Meat per pound is significantly more expensive than fruits and vegetable per pound. Based on current food prices in the US, 1 pound of beef costs $6.19 and 1 pound of chicken costs $5.25, while fruits and vegetables average around $1 to $2 per pound.
Using this figure, if you cut out meat, you could save $1,196 over the course of a year. While you won’t save as much by only cutting out meat once a week, every bit helps.
Plant-based Meat
Products that resemble animal meat include plant-based meats. As opposed to products like tofu and seitan, which were intended to replace animal meat, newer technological advancements and research have come up with plant-based products that imitate animal meat’s taste, texture, smell, and appearance.
Modern plant-based meat resembles traditional meat in appearance, cooking method, and flavor as it also has protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water just like meat derived from animals.
According to research by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, it was found that plant-based meats are a good source of fiber, folate, and iron while containing less saturated fat than ground beef.
As businesses create plant-based burgers and other products that are nearly indistinguishable from traditional meat, the market for plant-based meat has grown significantly over the past few years.
In the United States, the plant-based meat industry has been around since the 19th century, and many of the top companies today were founded in this era.
This really took off with the launch and great popularity of the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger in 2016 by Beyond Meats.
Going meatless is becoming more accessible than ever thanks to businesses like Beyond Meat, Impossible Food, and Laird Superfood.
Restaurants in the US and globally have begun to adopt this plant-based meat trend in order to appease their customers. These plant-based meat products have enabled café managers to attract a variety of diners: those who never eat meat and those who like meat but are curious about the alternatives.
The plant-based meat industry in America is expected to be worth $27.9 billion by 2025 due to the rising popularity of plant-based diets for environmental, ethical, or health reasons.
So what are you waiting for go on and give it a try, you surely are going to love it!