Battle Beef

Today y'all, we're talking about beef, plant based beef obviously! Imitation beef is something I use in the kitchen fairly often, with dishes like shepherds pie, meatballs, and meaty tomato sauces coming together beautifully because of a package of plant based grounds. Admittedly, there's a plant based ground appropriate for every occasion in my kitchen. The Beyond Meat "Beef" is by far the most realistic in terms of flavour and texture, and there's no comparison when making meatballs. However, when incorporating meaty crumble into a tomato sauce, I prefer the YVES brand as it takes on other flavours well and doesn't overpower like the Beyond beef tends to do.
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With that being said, we're here to find out which of these meatless beef products is the most nutritious choice. It's time for another nutritional showdown y'all, let's take a look at the competitors!

LIGHTLIFE
​Plant Based Ground

BEYOND MEAT
​Beyond Beef

GARDEIN
​Ultimate Beefless Ground 

YVES VEGGIE CUISINE
​Ground Round 

ROUND 1
​CALORIES

YVES - 60 Cal / 55g Serving 
LIGHTLIFE - 115 Cal / 50g Serving
GARDEIN - 80 Cal / 57g Serving
BEYOND - 130 Cal / 56.5g Serving 

WINNER - YVES

At only 60 calories per serving, the YVES brand takes the win this round. In fact, you could eat double the amount of the YVES ground and still consume less calories than our last place finisher. Calories add up quickly so adding a lower calorie ground option helps to keep the overall calorie count down.

ROUND 2
​FAT

YVES - 0.5g / 1% DV
LIGHTLIFE - 7g / 9.5% DV
GARDEIN - 1.5 g / 2% DV
BEYOND - 9g / 11.5% DV

WINNER - YVES

Yves takes the second win of the competition with only half a gram of fat per serving. Both the Lightlife and Beyond grounds were significantly higher in fat per serving. A lower fat ground round is the perfect addition to a notoriously fattening dish like a shepherds pie or a creamy pasta dish because it will add texture and protein without contributing to the fat content.

ROUND 3
​SODIUM

YVES - 250mg / 10% DV
LIGHTLIFE - 215mg / 9.5% DV
GARDEIN - 230mg / 10% DV
BEYOND - 175mg / 7.5% DV
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WINNER - BEYOND

Considering the Beyond brand had the highest amount of calories and fat, it's amazing that it takes the win for the sodium round! Sodium adds up quickly in our meals so it's important to avoid adding products that are already incredibly high in sodium which will lead to water retention, bloating, and discomfort. Beyond Beef is the clear winner this round!

ROUND 4
​FIBER

YVES - 3g / 10% DV
LIGHTLIFE - 0.5g / 2% DV
GARDEIN - 3g / 12% DV
BEYOND - 1g / 3.5 % DV

WINNER - It's a Tie! GARDEIN & YVES

Fiber is one of the most important nutrients for us to be taking in and foods that are devoid of fiber are not good for us in general. Both the GARDEIN and YVES brands contain 10% of your daily fiber requirements per serving which is excellent. Unfortunately, the LIGHTLIFE & BEYOND brands don't stack up in the fiber department 1g or less of fiber per serving.

ROUND 5
​PROTEIN

YVES - 9g 
LIGHTLIFE - 8.5g
GARDEIN - 12g
BEYOND - 10g

WINNER - GARDEIN

Protein is always a fierce competition when it comes to plant based meats. The perception that plant based meats don't stack up against the real thing has been shattered many times on my blog with plant based meats providing just as much, if not more protein than the real thing. GARDEIN takes the win with 12g of muscle building protein per serving with BEYOND coming in second at 10g of protein per serving.

WINNER
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​YVES!

YVES Ground Round takes the win for the most nutritious beefless ground! With fewer calories and fat and more fiber per serving, there's no denying that the YVES brand is the clear winner this time around. Flavour aside, the YVES ground is the perfect lower fat ground for already fatening dishes like shepherds pies and creamy pastas. It will add some much needed fiber but won't contribute to the calorie and fat content too heavily.

Make sure to come back again for the next product battle. We're always on the hunt for the most nutritious choices on the market!


​HAPPY VEG

Photos and Information Taken Respectively from;
http://yvesveggie.com/
https://lightlife.com/en-ca
https://www.gardein.com/
​https://www.beyondmeat.com/