FOOD OR FAKE: Faux Meat (a breakdown of ingredients in plant-based burgers)
SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE
absorbs water and gives the patty bulk
typically from soy that is genetically modified, treated with pesticides, and known to have estrogen-like effects
PROCESSED OILS
"juiciness" comes from a combination of oils, including seed oils that are highly processed and inflammatory in the body
TEXTURED WHEAT PROTEIN
improves product texture
high in gluten that makes gut lining more permeable and triggers immune reactions in some people
BINDERS
carrageenan, methylcellulose, and gums are added to "bind" the product
there is some evidence that these compounds promote insulin resistance, inflammation, and gut issues
SODIUM
more than an equivalent beef burger
SOY LEGHEMOGLOBIN
the ingredient that makes faux meat "bleed"
although sourced from plants, it is the same type of heme as in red meat that is carcinogenic in high amounts
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References
Kyriakopoulou, K., Keppler, J. K., & van der Goot, A. J. (2021). Functionality of Ingredients and Additives in Plant-Based Meat Analogues. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(3), 600. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10030600
McClements, D. J., & Grossmann, L. (2021). The science of plant-based foods: Constructing next-generation meat, fish, milk, and egg analogs. Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety, 20(4), 4049–4100. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12771
Hooda, J., Shah, A., & Zhang, L. (2014). Heme, an essential nutrient from dietary proteins, critically impacts diverse physiological and pathological processes. Nutrients, 6(3), 1080–1102. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu6031080
Bhattacharyya, S., Feferman, L., & Tobacman, J. K. (2015). Carrageenan Inhibits Insulin Signaling through GRB10-mediated Decrease in Tyr(P)-IRS1 and through Inflammation-induced Increase in Ser(P)307-IRS1. The Journal of biological chemistry, 290(17), 10764–10774. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M114.630053
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.