BBC-"vegan junk food & health"

[LoreD]

Most of us don't eat meat alternatives every day. It is that special treat, or the quick meal when I am too busy or tired to cook. A Beyond burger, tater tots, and a bag of frozen veggies aren't my usual meal, but it is quick and easy on a busy day. I keep some of the healthier quick ramens for a fast lunch.

It would certainly be unhealthy if that is all I ate.

 

[VeganRachel]

BBC article: "Why vegan junk food may be even worse for your health"

This article may have already been discussed here, but in Sept 2020, the BBC posted the article "Why vegan junk food may be even worse for your health." Their inclusion of the word "junk" may say it all, but I'm curious what people here think about the article's claims, such as that eating meat alternatives can make one nutritionally deficient and that it may take some time to notice the deficiency. I'm guessing that they're possibly focusing on the worst meat alternatives that exist purely for marketing or financial reasons and they also use the term "vegan fast food," which seems difficult to define. But it does say that items like tofu, jack fruit and even beans don't deliver the health benefits often claimed. The suggestion of the article overall seems to be that vegan meat alternatives "might" be worse for your health than meat itself, with some conditions I'm skeptical about the article overall, but was curious what others think.

I did not read the article but have read many others. The gist of one study stated that in general, when hundreds of articles about veganism were reviewed, they found that the overwhelming majority of articles were negative. There are many processed foods out there and also vegan one's. I do not think processed foods are "healthy", but if consuming some vegan processed foods helps someone lessen their reliance on animal foods, and it helps them transition, than its' more positive than negative. I had a vegan friend who told me her vegan sister does not eat any healthy plant foods and lives on vegan processed foods. There are also omnivores who live on processed foods of animal origen.