Question I received on Facebook: "I've just always wondered why eat the meat and cheese substitutes if you're vegan to take those foods out of your diet..."
Answer: I guess it depends on why you decide to go vegan. I became vegan for ethical reasons.
I don't dislike the taste of conventional meat and cheese, but I think the killing of animals for food is terrible and unnecessary (Diet for a New America is a good book to read for more on that).
I honestly don’t think our family would’ve gotten to this point (5 years in) without them.
These meat alternatives saved me during those times when my family refused to eat stir-fry with “just vegetables” and when Elijah (my reformed picky eater lol) wanted regular chicken nuggets with his fries.
Yeah, most mock meat is processed, but hell everything that isn’t from the produce department usually is.
You shouldn’t eat these products every day, but I do think they come in handy
for:
- food cravings
- to add variety
- for simple convenient meals when you get busy (and cooking is the last thing you want to do)
It’s better than hitting a Burger King drive-thru on the way home from work.
I am picky about my meat and cheese alternatives though...
Off the top of my head, I love:
- Field Roast
- Beyond Meat beef crumbles,
- Heido Ho cheese,
- Miyoko's cheese
- Some of the Gardein products
Meat alternatives really can help you start a vegan journey that is simple, delicious and most importantly long-term.
Do what works best for YOU and don't feel like you have to completely dismiss processed vegan food just because someone said you should. Aim for balance, not perfection!
I just watched an awesome video from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau that captured exactly how I feel about processed foods and vegan alternatives overall.
Check it out here....