Guide to Meat Alternatives

"It's got a strange texture."

- a life-long vegetarian child

"It's been a great way to help my kids make the transition to vegetarianism and it's so convenient!"

- a parent

"This tastes too much like meat for me!"

- a new vegetarian

"It's so cool to eat food that looks like what other people are eating. I like fooling them."

- another life-long vegan kid

What are they talking about? They're talking about meat alternatives like ,"chiken" chunks, seitan, veggie ground round, and other vegetarian foods that taste and/or look like meat. We'll give you information about ingredients and nutritional quality of these products. You'll have to decide for yourself whether they are appealing or just "too close to meat."

Ground Meat Replacers

Want to make chili, stuffed peppers, spaghetti sauce, and all those favorite foods you used to make with hamburger? Ground meat replacers may be your answer. These products are typically made from textured soy protein or soy protein concentrate. They are completely cooked and can simply be added to a favorite recipe in place of cooked ground beef. They are generally free of cholesterol and saturated fats. They tend to be high in sodium. They contain generous amounts of protein and some have added iron, zinc, and vitamin [B.sub.12]. Lightlife and Yves products are made with non-GMO soybeans.

Product                        Protein   Fat    Sodium     Added
(serving size)      Calories     (g)     (g)     (mg)    Nutrients

Lightlife
  Gimme Lean Beef      70         9       0      240
    (2 oz)
  Gimme Lean           70         9       0      290
    Sausage
    (2 oz)
  Smart Ground         70        12       0      180
    Original
    (1/3 c)
  Smart Ground         60        10       0      170
    Taco
Morningstar Farms
  Ground Meatless      60        10       0      260     Iron,
    (1/2 c)                                              [B.sub.12]
  Burger Style         80        10       2.5    210     Iron,
    Recipe                                               [B.sub.12]
    Crumbles
    (2/3 c)
  Sausage Style        90        11       3      370     Iron,
    Recipe                                               [B.sub.12]
    Crumbles
    (2/3 c)(*)
  Harvest Burger       70        12       0      200     Iron,
    Recipe                                               [B.sub.
    Crumbles                                             12], Zinc
    (1/2 c)
Yves Ground            60        12       0      250     Iron,
  Round Original                                         [B.sub.
  or Italian                                             12], Zinc
  (1/3 c)
Ground Beef,          157        14      11       44
  cooked
  (2 oz)(*)

(*) Not vegan

Poultry Replacers

Maybe you're wondering what to serve for a festive dinner, or maybe you want to add something to a stir-fry. Poultry replacers range from stuffed breast of tofu to chiken strips to diced chik for mock chicken salad. These products are commonly made from textured soy protein, wheat protein, or soy protein concentrate. They can be found frozen or refrigerated, and in cans and boxes. Some products are ready-to-serve while others need to be reconstituted and cooked. As is true for many prepared foods, vegetarian poultry replacers tend to be high in sodium. Most contain little cholesterol or fat and have protein levels similar to poultry products. Now and Zen's UnTurkey has some organic ingredients. Harvest Direct and Tofurky products are made with non-GMO soybeans.

                                             Protein   Fat   Sodium
Product (serving size)            Calories     (g)     (g)   (mg)

Harvest Direct
  Strip Style or Chunk Style
    Chiken (1/4 c)                   41         9      0      275
  Breast Style Chiken (2 oz)        156        30      0      360
Lori's Earth Friendly TVP
  Chicken Chunk (1 oz)               80        15      3        4.5
Chicken-Style Wheat Meat (3 oz)     194        32      0.6    420
Now & Zen UnTurkey (5 oz)           280        21      5      580
Tofurky
  Stuffed Tofu Roast (4 oz)         193         9      5      310
  Tempeh Drummettes (3 oz)          105        11      2      380
Veat Gourmet
  Bites (2 oz)(*)                    90         9      3      400
  Breast (2 oz)(*)                  100         9      4      500
Vegi-Deli Strips
  Chicken Style (2 oz)              100        19      2      340
  Turkey Style (2 oz)               110        17      2.5    370
White Wave Chicken Style Seitan
  (3 oz)                            130        20      0      470
Worthington Diced Chik
  (1/4 c)(*)                         40         7      0      270

(*) Not Vegan

Beef Replacers

These products can be used in stir-fries, fajitas, stews, or other dishes where chunks or strips are needed. They are similar in composition and nutrients to poultry replacers. Heartland Fields, Lightlife, The Bridge, and Up Country use organic ingredients.

                               Calories   Protein   Fat   Sodium
Product (serving size)                      (g)     (g)    (mg)

Heartland Fields Soy Steak
  Strips (1/3 c)                 100        12      1.5    480
Lightlife
  Barbecue Seitan (4 oz)         160        24      2      360
  Teriyaki Seitan (4 oz)         160        26      2      320
The Bridge Seitan (4 oz)         100        18      0      500
Up Country Seitan (4 oz)          70        15      1      600
White Wave
  Seitan (4 oz)                  188        41      1      590
  Vegetarian Stir Fry Strips
    (3 oz)(*)                    100        22      1      200