The vegan meat market is heating up with new products hitting the shelves every day including the super popular Beyond products. With this influx of vegan products hitting the shelves, there is a constant debate as to whether these products are healthy or good for us. In fact, one of the biggest arguments from meat eaters who are skeptical of the vegan meat movement is that the products themselves contain a lengthy ingredients list and also contain high amounts of fat / saturated fats, specifically the Beyond products.

So what's the deal? Are these Beyond meat products good for us or should we be avoiding them? 

The Beyond Meat burgers contains 250 calories, 18 grams of fat, 6 grams saturated fat, and about 16% of your daily sodium per patty. Knowing this, it's obvious that the burgers are not necessarily the healthiest foods available to us, but when comparing to a beef based burger of the same size, the numbers are pretty similar except the meat versions contain dead animals and cholesterol. These burgers are not marketed as health food nor are they marketed as a healthy alternative to anything else, they are simply marketed as plant based alternatives to meat burgers without the animal products. Are they healthy? Not really, but are they supposed to be?

My point here is, for how often we would be consuming these products, should we even care that they are not necessarily healthy? How often are we eating sausages or burgers? They're meant to be a treat we enjoy once and a while but not something we should be eating every day. That old adage, "Everything in moderation" comes to mind when discussing these products because such is the case with anything that's not necessarily healthy. Is anyone arguing that pizza is a healthy food or not? No, because once again, it's a once and a while treat that we engage in amidst otherwise trying to enjoy a varied and healthy diet. 

At the end of the day, the Beyond line is a treat, one that should be enjoyed occasionally without worrying about whether it's a healthy choice. It's not supposed to be, so let's stop arguing over whether it's healthy or not because honestly, they're so damned good that I think we need to let it go!

Have you tried products from the BEYOND line? Which ones are your favourite? 
Visit their website for a list of their products and locations where you can locate them!
https://www.beyondmeat.com/

HAPPY VEG

Going vegetarian or vegan means leaving behind some of the most recognizable and delicious breakfast foods. Sausages, puddings, and bacon are all out of the question which leaves us looking for that extra something to complete our weekend breakfast meal. However, we needn't say goodbye forever because meatless meats have come a long way and we can now find several variations of some of our favourite breakfast meats without any of the cruelty.

YVES and LIGHTLIFE both have veggie bacons available on the market and both are likely delicious, but how do they stack up nutritionally? 

YVES 57g Serving - 70 Calories
LIGHTLIFE 60g Serving - 120 Calories

WINNER - YVES

Neither option is really astronomical when it comes to calories but Yves manages to come in about 50 calories less for an equal sized serving. Those 50 calories saved can be added in the form of glorious potatoes or even an extra serving of eggs / tofu eggs.

YVES 57g serving - 0.5g
LIGHTLIFE 60g serving - 6g

WINNER - YVES

Considering we can safely have between 44 - 77 grams of fat per day depending on our calorie intake, both options come in fairly low but once again, YVES manages to come in as the lower fat option. Those additional grams of fat saved mean we can be a little less strict with the remainder of our choices throughout the day.

YVES 57g serving - 470mg / 20% DV
LIGHTLIFE 60g serving - 750mg / 36% DV


WINNER - YVES

Yves takes the round again with almost 300mg less sodium for an equal sized serving. Too much sodium is a dangerous thing for our bodies, so the lower sodium option is always the safer bet.

YVES 57g Serving - 14g
LIGHTLIFE 60g Serving - 12g

WINNER - YVES

​Both options offer a healthy dose of protein to start the day but once again, YVES manages to pull ahead ever so slightly with 14g of protein.

WINNER - YVES

YVES definitely takes the win in this round. Vitamin C, Iron, B12, B6, YVES offers more vitamins and minerals per serving than LIGHTLIFE which falls short in the vitamin department. Those vitamins and minerals are crucial to our bodies optimal function and a strong, healthy immune system.

Make sure to tune in next time for a new product battle to find out which product is the healthiest option!

HAPPY VEG