In 2009, approximately 2.5% of adults in the United States and 4% of adults in Canada followed a vegetarian diet. Additionally, 20 to 25% of Americans reported eating at least 4 meatless meals a week.

Vegetarianism has been growing in popularity due to consumer concerns surrounding the economic and ecological impact of meat-based diets, but what are the alternatives? A recent reader expressed her interest in fake meat, which unfortunately is not the answer to a meatless meal. I’ll spend some time here discussing meat alternatives.

You might be wondering why I blew off fake meat so easily—well…it’s because research is nonexistent. Unfortunately, standards to define what fake meat is doesn’t even exist! It just sounds like a marketing ploy—why are you spending good money on “Meatless BBQ Pulled Shreds” when you can buy cheap legumes?

So let’s say you blow off this post and buy a ton of fake meat, what’s the downside? You’ll be missing some essential nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc or the B vitamins. To minimize the loss of these essential nutrients, make sure you supplement your meal with good quality meats or meat alternatives such as: fish, shellfish, beans (kidney, soy, black), peas, lentils, eggs, and nuts.

According to Dietitians of Canada, one Food Guide Serving of meat equals is approximately:

• 1/2 of a chicken breast or a chicken leg with thigh (without skin)

• 125 mL (1/2 cup) of flaked fish or ground meat

• 3 slices (75 g) of packaged luncheon meat (check the package label for the number of grams per serving)

Where alternatives for one serving of meat include:

3/4 cup of cooked beans, peas or lentils
3/4 cup of soybean curd (tofu)
30 mL (2 tbsps) of peanut butter
60 mL (1/4 cup) shelled nuts and seeds
two eggs

One thing I’ve taken away from my research is there are meatless ways to have protein-rich meals. Just meat-yourself halfway.

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Image courtesy of VanessaLoring

Go Nuts and Beans!