Food Trends | Beyond Impossible | Plant-Based Meat Substitutes
Published October 24, 2019
Published October 24, 2019
The term "plant-based" has come into fashion to describe meat or dairy substitutes made from soy or other plant proteins. These products have been around for years; some are great and work well in recipes. Others have strange textures that can be a turn off.
New technology allows companies to create plant-based meat substitutes that taste and feel more like real meat. These products are very popular right now, but they aren't necessarily better for you than meat. People choose not to eat meat for a variety of reasons and these new products meet some of those needs, but can raise other issues.
Because the rules for keeping kosher require separation of meat and dairy products, plant-based substitutes allow me to create meals that include some facsimiles of inherently non-kosher dishes, like lasagna, so this topic is particularly important and interesting to me.
As always, eating a well-balanced and healthy diet requires thoughtful decisions that balance your own tastes and health with cost and environmental consequences.
New technology allows companies to create plant-based meat substitutes that taste and feel more like real meat. These products are very popular right now, but they aren't necessarily better for you than meat. People choose not to eat meat for a variety of reasons and these new products meet some of those needs, but can raise other issues.
Because the rules for keeping kosher require separation of meat and dairy products, plant-based substitutes allow me to create meals that include some facsimiles of inherently non-kosher dishes, like lasagna, so this topic is particularly important and interesting to me.
As always, eating a well-balanced and healthy diet requires thoughtful decisions that balance your own tastes and health with cost and environmental consequences.
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“Kashrut is not a punishment,” Rabbi Yosef Wikler, editor of Kashrus Magazine, told my husband years ago.
“There is a midrash that says for every flavor prohibited by kashrus, one will be provided.” |
Well, that time has come. Two companies, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, have plant-based “burgers” that taste and feel like beef. And they’re parve, so it is now possible to have a kosher cheeseburger that tastes like the real thing. Who wants one?
The answer, apparently, is a lot of people. The popularity of these products, the successful IPO of Beyond Meat, followed by huge private investment in Impossible Foods, and general buzz on the street prove that people want meat alternatives. But there aren’t enough kosher consumers to explain the demand, so clearly there are other reasons people want meatless meat.
Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles have grown increasingly popular in recent years. People have the impression that giving up meat is good, both for the environment and for their health. But the reality is a little more complicated.
The answer, apparently, is a lot of people. The popularity of these products, the successful IPO of Beyond Meat, followed by huge private investment in Impossible Foods, and general buzz on the street prove that people want meat alternatives. But there aren’t enough kosher consumers to explain the demand, so clearly there are other reasons people want meatless meat.
Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles have grown increasingly popular in recent years. People have the impression that giving up meat is good, both for the environment and for their health. But the reality is a little more complicated.
Image by juicy_fish on Freepik
Environment
Global industrial meat production, which includes poultry, uses land that could otherwise grow plant proteins, produces a significant amount of methane (which is hotly debated), and uses about a third of the water used for all industrial agriculture. Politicians and industry analysts can argue about the details, but the truth is that, agriculturally, it is less efficient and more expensive to raise meat for food that to grow plants for food. However, it is also true that Beyond and Impossible burgers are highly processed foods that have their own environmental downsides. In fact, in the financial press, both companies are referred to as “tech stocks,” not food companies.
Global industrial meat production, which includes poultry, uses land that could otherwise grow plant proteins, produces a significant amount of methane (which is hotly debated), and uses about a third of the water used for all industrial agriculture. Politicians and industry analysts can argue about the details, but the truth is that, agriculturally, it is less efficient and more expensive to raise meat for food that to grow plants for food. However, it is also true that Beyond and Impossible burgers are highly processed foods that have their own environmental downsides. In fact, in the financial press, both companies are referred to as “tech stocks,” not food companies.
Health
Beyond and Impossible burgers provide about as much or slightly more protein than beef, but they also contain as much or more saturated fat, which helps give them their more authentic mouth feel. Plus, they have considerably more sodium that beef, even when you account for the slightly higher sodium content of soaked and salted kosher beef. Their lists of highly processed ingredients include oils, salt, binders, and added vitamins. While they ARE partly made from products derived from plants, they ARE NOT natural or real in any way.
Beyond and Impossible burgers provide about as much or slightly more protein than beef, but they also contain as much or more saturated fat, which helps give them their more authentic mouth feel. Plus, they have considerably more sodium that beef, even when you account for the slightly higher sodium content of soaked and salted kosher beef. Their lists of highly processed ingredients include oils, salt, binders, and added vitamins. While they ARE partly made from products derived from plants, they ARE NOT natural or real in any way.
Cost
Note: Prices were updated on July 23, 2024 and show cost/lb.
Kroger ground in-store . . . . . . . . . $4.99
Kroger brand pre-pack . . . . . . . . . $5.49
Kroger Simple Truth Organic . . . $8.49
Kosher ground beef . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99
Impossible burger (frozen) . . . . . .$11.66
Beyond burger (frozen) . . . . . . . . .$13.98
You can see that both brands of plant-based burgers are more expensive than real meat, even beating out kosher ground beef! Beyond Burger is almost three times the cost of the least expensive (and freshest) option - in-store ground beef.
Let’s get back to Rabbi Wikler’s midrash. Is there a desire in the kosher community for an authentic-tasting cheeseburger? One friend, who followed kashrut her entire life, came to dinner when I served a “seafood cocktail” made from “kosher crab flakes.” Although it was entirely kosher, she simply could not bring herself to enjoy it, because it seemed so trayf (non-kosher) to her. Some kosher consumers might be turned off by the authenticity. On the other hand, kosher keepers who came to kashrut later in life might enjoy flavors they used to eat. For me, it’s about the rest of the menu or my guests. Tacos? Real cheese, fake meat. Superbowl? Cheesy snacks, fake meat chili. Hamburgers? Real meat, no cheese.
Note: Prices were updated on July 23, 2024 and show cost/lb.
Kroger ground in-store . . . . . . . . . $4.99
Kroger brand pre-pack . . . . . . . . . $5.49
Kroger Simple Truth Organic . . . $8.49
Kosher ground beef . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99
Impossible burger (frozen) . . . . . .$11.66
Beyond burger (frozen) . . . . . . . . .$13.98
You can see that both brands of plant-based burgers are more expensive than real meat, even beating out kosher ground beef! Beyond Burger is almost three times the cost of the least expensive (and freshest) option - in-store ground beef.
Let’s get back to Rabbi Wikler’s midrash. Is there a desire in the kosher community for an authentic-tasting cheeseburger? One friend, who followed kashrut her entire life, came to dinner when I served a “seafood cocktail” made from “kosher crab flakes.” Although it was entirely kosher, she simply could not bring herself to enjoy it, because it seemed so trayf (non-kosher) to her. Some kosher consumers might be turned off by the authenticity. On the other hand, kosher keepers who came to kashrut later in life might enjoy flavors they used to eat. For me, it’s about the rest of the menu or my guests. Tacos? Real cheese, fake meat. Superbowl? Cheesy snacks, fake meat chili. Hamburgers? Real meat, no cheese.
Let’s get back to Rabbi Wikler’s midrash.
Is there a desire in the kosher community for an authentic-tasting cheeseburger?
One friend, who followed kashrut her entire life, came to dinner when I served a “seafood cocktail” made from “kosher crab flakes.” Although it was entirely kosher, she simply could not bring herself to enjoy it, because it seemed so trayf (non-kosher) to her. Some kosher consumers might be turned off by the authenticity of an almost real cheeseburger.
On the other hand, kosher keepers who came to kashrut later in life might enjoy flavors they used to eat.
For me, it’s about the rest of the menu or my guests. Tacos? Real cheese, fake meat. Superbowl? Cheesy snacks, fake meat chili. Hamburgers? Real meat, no cheese.
Is there a desire in the kosher community for an authentic-tasting cheeseburger?
One friend, who followed kashrut her entire life, came to dinner when I served a “seafood cocktail” made from “kosher crab flakes.” Although it was entirely kosher, she simply could not bring herself to enjoy it, because it seemed so trayf (non-kosher) to her. Some kosher consumers might be turned off by the authenticity of an almost real cheeseburger.
On the other hand, kosher keepers who came to kashrut later in life might enjoy flavors they used to eat.
For me, it’s about the rest of the menu or my guests. Tacos? Real cheese, fake meat. Superbowl? Cheesy snacks, fake meat chili. Hamburgers? Real meat, no cheese.
Eat More Rice & Beans
But here’s the BIG thing . . . the absolute BEST meat alternative is REAL, unprocessed plant-based protein – like grains and beans.
Our bodies need 20 different amino acids to remain healthy, but we produce only 11 of them. The other nine, called essential amino acids, must come from food. Animal protein provides all nine, which is why it has been so important to our diet. Plants provide protein too, but no single plant provides all nine essentials. However, combining plants at the same meal can provide them, which is why pretty much every cuisine on the planet has some variation of rice and beans. They’re easy to grow without stressing the environment, good for us, inexpensive, and – thank goodness - delicious.
Rice and beans, or to be more accurate, whole grains and beans, are called “complementary proteins,” because together they provide all nine essentials. They also provide a bunch of other things our bodies need that animal proteins don’t– fiber being the most important. Diets containing 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day have been scientifically linked to improved digestion and lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. That’s a huge bonus. Grains and beans also provide significant amounts of folates, iron, magnesium, and a host of other vitamins and minerals.
Dried beans are slightly more nutritious than canned, but the biggest difference is sodium. By draining and rinsing canned beans, you eliminate about 40% of the salt, so press the easy button if you don’t want to bother with soaking and cooking dried beans. Grains should be whole, not processed like white rice. Several whole grains are familiar and comfortable such as brown rice, barley, oats, quinoa, and the one in today’s recipe – buckwheat, otherwise known as kasha. Other, less familiar whole grains are becoming more available – amaranth, kamut, freekeh, spelt, millet, and teff. Each one has its own unique flavor, texture, and best uses. They are inexpensive enough to try; follow package directions.
Most experts, both nutritionists and environmentalists, recommend moderation – what they call a “flexitarian” diet. Try to eat meat less often and when you do, eat less of it. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you want to try a Beyond or Impossible cheeseburger – go ahead – just not too often.
But here’s the BIG thing . . . the absolute BEST meat alternative is REAL, unprocessed plant-based protein – like grains and beans.
Our bodies need 20 different amino acids to remain healthy, but we produce only 11 of them. The other nine, called essential amino acids, must come from food. Animal protein provides all nine, which is why it has been so important to our diet. Plants provide protein too, but no single plant provides all nine essentials. However, combining plants at the same meal can provide them, which is why pretty much every cuisine on the planet has some variation of rice and beans. They’re easy to grow without stressing the environment, good for us, inexpensive, and – thank goodness - delicious.
Rice and beans, or to be more accurate, whole grains and beans, are called “complementary proteins,” because together they provide all nine essentials. They also provide a bunch of other things our bodies need that animal proteins don’t– fiber being the most important. Diets containing 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day have been scientifically linked to improved digestion and lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. That’s a huge bonus. Grains and beans also provide significant amounts of folates, iron, magnesium, and a host of other vitamins and minerals.
Dried beans are slightly more nutritious than canned, but the biggest difference is sodium. By draining and rinsing canned beans, you eliminate about 40% of the salt, so press the easy button if you don’t want to bother with soaking and cooking dried beans. Grains should be whole, not processed like white rice. Several whole grains are familiar and comfortable such as brown rice, barley, oats, quinoa, and the one in today’s recipe – buckwheat, otherwise known as kasha. Other, less familiar whole grains are becoming more available – amaranth, kamut, freekeh, spelt, millet, and teff. Each one has its own unique flavor, texture, and best uses. They are inexpensive enough to try; follow package directions.
Most experts, both nutritionists and environmentalists, recommend moderation – what they call a “flexitarian” diet. Try to eat meat less often and when you do, eat less of it. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you want to try a Beyond or Impossible cheeseburger – go ahead – just not too often.