Vegetarianism: Misconceptions about meat substitutes

I'd wager that vegetables are the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of a vegetarian diet, but meat substitutes aren't far behind. When talking with new friends or co-workers about vegetarianism, it usually isn't long before the topic of soy and cooking without meat comes up.

I've heard many carnivores wonder out loud at how vegetarians can "survive" with only that "soy sh%$ instead of "real meat" in their cooking. I've also heard multiple former vegetarians claim that the reason they stopped being a vegetarian was the price of the food (meaning processed food). Both of these groups are subject to the same misconception.

Here is the deal:

Most healthy vegetarians don't live off the vegan frozen food section of their local grocery store. Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Fresh Market, and even Walmart offer a variety of processed meat substitutes like bacon, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and sausage in their frozen food section. These foods (some of them anyway) are a good indulgence when a vegetarian doesn't feel like cooking, but most are just as processed and unhealthy as other meaty frozen foods. Just take a look at the nutrition facts and ingredients. They're high in sodium and contain a host of unpronounceables (usually not a good sign). Many of these foods are
also expensive and many don't really taste like the meat they're emulating.

Vegetarians instead (those that use meat substitutes at all) use ingredients like soy, seitan, textured vegetable protein (TVP), and tempeh to make their favorite meals at home. Some of these ingredients are also highly processed, but making a meal from scratch is usually healthier, tastier, and cheaper than buying frozen foods from the store.

When making meals using these ingredients, there is often no discernible difference between the real meat and fake substitute. It makes sense considering that most meat bought in grocery stores has very little natural flavor.  It's washed in ammonia to kill bacteria and soaked in brine to add flavor (and weight). In the end, this cheap meat only tastes as good as the spices or flavors it's combined with. If you've ever tasted unflavored
chicken or beef, you know what I mean.

It becomes a texture thing. Because meat substitutes have improved, they now offer an identical or similar texture and spice absorbancy. Meals involving ground beef or sausage like tacos, casseroles, or peperoni pizza, can be made with soy or tvp crumbles. Meals using pork or chicken can be made using seitan. My wife makes amazing crab cakes using soy, oyster mushrooms, and bread as main ingredients. It's the old bay seasoning that creates the crab cake flavor more than anything else, not the crab. The mushrooms recreate the seafood texture.

So, don't think for a moment that most vegetarians eat Tofurky and "Smart Bacon" year round or that we're sacrificing taste. It's quite the opposite.

**This post is part of a series on vgetarianism in which I'll try to avoid the cliche topics of the lifestyle. New posts on Thursdays. Click on the "eating animals" tag above for more.**