Vegetarian Journal's Guide to Meat Alternatives
By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
"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 B12. Lightlife and Yves products are made with non-GMO soybeans.
| Product (serving size) | Calories | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Sodium (mg) | Added Nutrients |
| Lightlife | |||||
| Gimme Lean Beef (2 oz) | 70 | 9 | 0 | 240 | |
| Gimme Lean Sausage (2 oz) | 70 | 9 | 0 | 290 | |
| Smart Ground Original (1/3 c) | 70 | 12 | 0 | 180 | |
| Smart Ground Taco | 60 | 10 | 0 | 170 | |
| Morningstar Farms | |||||
| Ground Meatless (1/2 c) | 60 | 10 | 0 | 260 | Iron, B12 |
| Burger Style Recipe Crumbles (2/3 c) | 80 | 10 | 2.5 | 210 | Iron, B12 |
| Sausage Style Recipe Crumbles (2/3 c)* | 90 | 11 | 3 | 370 | Iron, B12 |
| Harvest Burger Recipe Crumbles (1/2 c) | 70 | 12 | 0 | 200 | Iron, B12, Zinc |
| Yves Ground Round Original or Italian (1/3 c) | 60 | 12 | 0 | 250 | Iron, B12, Zinc |
| Ground Beef, cooked (2 oz)* | 157 | 14 | 11 | 44 |
*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.
| Product (serving size) | Calories | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Sodium (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.
| Product (serving size) | Calories | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | Sodium (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 |
*Not vegan
Other Options
While prepared foods are certainly one way to replace meat in familiar recipes, vegetarian cooks have been using other foods for many years to replace meat. Beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan (wheat gluten), and even bulgur (cracked wheat) can be used to give dishes a hearty flavor and interesting texture. Some of these options are as convenient as commercial meat replacers and may be lower in sodium and in cost. Certainly commercial meat replacers are a wonderful option for many vegetarians and may ease the transition from a meat-centered diet.
Thanks to WH (Dell) Lunceford, Jr., for help gathering product information for this article.
