So, you think by buying a Beyond Meat Burger, you’re doing yourself and the environment a favor? Think twice. I took a look at the ingredients and here’s my honest review!
You may have heard about that new Beyond Meat Burger.
This new plant-based burger that tastes and even bleeds like a real burger. If that isn’t enough to weird you out, I don’t know what is.
Weird as it seems to me, I’m much more concerned with the actual ingredients of this beyond meat burger. Especially when the product touts itself as not just healthy, but sustainable.
Is Beyond Meat actually healthy? Is it actually sustainable?
After taking a look at the ingredients, the answer is hell no. Not even close.
Let’s examine.
The original Beyond Meat burger:
The Beast Burger:
There are many ingredients in these products that are both unhealthy and unsustainable.
Soy Protein Isolate
Processed soy is particularly bad. Whereas fermented, organic soy in small amounts (like natto) does not pose serious health risks, eating soy protein isolate will definitely take its toll on the body.
Some effects of soy include decreased libido, mood swings, depression, and several others.
This study from Harvard found that men consuming the equivalent of one cup of soy milk per day had 50% lower sperm count than men who did not consume soy. That includes even counting other factors like age, caffeine and alcohol intake, etc.
Just wait. There’s more.
This study found that soy stimulated the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors found in breast cancer. And this one found the same thing.
This study found that,
“…this pilot study indicates that prolonged consumption of soy protein isolate has a stimulatory effect on the premenopausal female breast, characterized by increased secretion of breast fluid, the appearance of hyperplastic epithelial cells, and elevated levels of plasma estradiol. These findings are suggestive of an estrogenic stimulus from the isoflavones genistein and daidzein contained in soy protein isolate.“
Soy is high in phytic acid, also known as phytates. These phytates prevent the absorption of minerals like iron and calcium (among others). This can be particularly harmful, especially for children.
Additionally, soy is high in phytoestrogen (source). This can block normal estrogen, wich leads not just to hormonal imbalance, but even breast cancer.
Note: this is why my periods were so heavy, painful and irregular when I was a vegetarian as a teen.
The processing that soy protein isolate undergoes is also a huge cause for concern.
Dr. Mercola describes the process,
“Soy protein isolate is not something you can make in your own kitchen. Production takes place in industrial factories where a slurry of soy beans is first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fiber, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution.
Acid washing in aluminum tanks leaches high levels of aluminum into the final product. The resultant curds are spray- dried at high temperatures to produce a high-protein powder.”
Canola Oil
Watch this video:
To sum up the video:
The rapeseeds are first highly pressurized, forcing out the oil. To extract the last of the oil, the canola cakes undergo a 70-minute wash with a “chemical solvent.” This chemical solvent, my friends, is hexane. A neurotoxin.
Then the oil enters the refining phase, in which the oil is washed with sodium hydroxide, a.k.a. lye. After this, the oil is clearer but still contains waxes.
In addition, the oil is cooled to 41 degrees to filter out the wax. After this, the oil is bleached to remove the color. Then comes “a steam injection heating process to remove the odor.”
One tablespoon of canola oil contains 2,610 mg of omega-6 fatty acids and 1,279 mg omega-3 fatty acids. That’s a lot of omega-6, which causes inflammation.
While it’s true that our bodies need omega-6, it’s in everything.
Fans of canola oil love to tout the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, but it’s still a lot of omega-6. Plus, the omega-3 found in canola oil isn’t even beneficial (as opposed to omega-3s found in foods like fish).
The omega-3s found in canola oil are ALA, alpha lipoic acid. ALA does not convert well to EPA or DHA, which are the beneficial omega-3s that protect the brain, heart, and heart health.
So promoting the omega-3 content in canola oil is redundant – the omega-3s in canola oil do not contain the beneficial EPA and DHA.
Caramel Color
Don’t confuse this with actual caramel (made of cream and sugar). This substance contains ammonia and sulfites.
You can find caramel color in soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi. Johns Hopkins did a study on the caramel color found in these drinks and determined that it is indeed a carcinogen.
“Soft drink consumers are being exposed to an avoidable and unnecessary cancer risk from an ingredient that is being added to these beverages simply for aesthetic purposes,” says Keeve Nachman, PhD, senior author of the study and director of the Food Production and Public Health Program at the CLF and an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health “This unnecessary exposure poses a threat to public health and raises questions about the continued use of caramel coloring in soda.” Source
Yeast Extract aka Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG hides under many names and yeast extract is one of them. MSG is an excitotoxin, i.e. it overstimulates the nervous system.
From The University of Toyama in Japan,
“We previously reported that injection of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in ICR mice leads to the development of significant inflammation, central obesity, and type 2 diabetes. To directly address the long-term consequences of MSG on inflammation, we have performed serial analysis of MSG-injected mice and focused in particular on liver pathology.
By 6 and 12 months of age, all MSG-treated mice developed NAFLD and NASH-like histology, respectively. In particular, the murine steatohepatitis at 12 months was virtually indistinguishable from human NASH. Further, dysplastic nodular lesions were detected in some cases within the fibrotic liver parenchyma.
We submit that MSG treatment of mice induces obesity and diabetes with steatosis and steatohepatitis resembling human NAFLD and NASH with pre-neoplastic lesions. These results take on considerable significance in light of the widespread use of dietary MSG and we suggest that MSG should have its safety profile re-examined and be potentially withdrawn from the food chain.” Source
This study linked MSG with headaches and increased blood pressure.
Carrageenan
Carrageenan is a harmful additive that all but says it’s going to f*ck you up. From The College of Medicine at University of Iowa,
“Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1982 identified sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in animals to regard it as posing a carcinogenic risk to humans, carrageenan is still used widely as a thickener, stabilizer, and texturizer in a variety of processed foods prevalent in the Western diet…
Review of these data demonstrated that exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms
…Because of the acknowledged carcinogenic properties of degraded carrageenan in animal models and the cancer-promoting effects of undegraded carrageenan in experimental models, the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered.”
And from the Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago,
“This is the first report of the impact of carrageenan on glucose tolerance and indicates that carrageenan impairs glucose tolerance, increases insulin resistance and inhibits insulin signaling in vivo in mouse liver and human HepG2 cells. These effects may result from carrageenan-induced inflammation. The results demonstrate extra-colonic manifestations of ingested carrageenan and suggest that carrageenan in the human diet may contribute to the development of diabetes.”
From yet another study,
“…carrageenan was supplied in the drinking fluid at 1.2 and 3% concentrations over two weeks to young adult guinea-pigs. Ulceration of the large bowel was produced in 100% of animals, the severity and extent of damage probably being dose-related.” Source
Titanium Dioxide
Yet another carcinogen.
French researchers performed a study in which they gave rats an oral dose of titanium dioxide for 100 days:
“Their results determined that chronic oral exposure led to a non-malignant stage of carcinogenesis, the process of normal cells becoming cancer cells, in 40 percent of exposed animals.” Source
In addition, other studies have linked inhalation of titanium dioxide to cancer. Why would someone inhale an ingredient in these plant-based burgers? It’s also in paint.
A word on sustainability.
How did we get to this point? To the point where people think that eating a “beyond meat burger” created in a lab, with of toxic ingredients – is sustainable?
You know what’s sustainable?
Supporting your local farmers. GRASS-FED MEAT IS SUSTAINABLE. There is a relationship between land and animals. They need each other to thrive. Animals feed the land. They nourish it.
When this happens, farmers can grow plenty of nutrient-rich produce.
Furthermore, this process literally builds topsoil, which is necessary for a healthy environment.
Supporting your local farmers ensures that your food isn’t traveling thousands of miles to reach you. Consider the gas, the emissions, the resources used for this Los Angeles based fake meat product to reach someone in Michigan, Louisiana or Washington, DC.
Soy and canola are two of America’s largest scale mono-crops. Farmers grow them on thousands of acres of land doused with pesticides. There are no animals. Soy is not sustainable.
To sum up this Beyond Meat Burger Review: Here is true sustainability:
Buy your food locally, from farmers. Buy food that is in season. Grow a garden in your backyard. Raise chickens. Buy meat and seafood grown responsibly.
Go to the farmers market. Join a buying club. Do not buy man-made food-like products like Beyond Meat. Cook from scratch. Know where your food comes from.
633 Comments
Well have u actually tasted it? Seems to me like u throw away any plant based alternatives right out of the window. It might have some flaws but it just might be the thing for the future. One thing for sure that is not sustainable is still growing meat consumption.
WHY does the author keep stating how bad soy is when it isn’t one of the ingredients!?
I am vegan and I watch my soy intake. THERE IS NO SOY IN BEYOND MEAT BURGERS!
There is soy in their other products, which I clearly provided proof of.
To Jan Rose here’s why:
“SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE” is Indeed an ingredient. Not sure what you’re reading but you’re wrong.
Soy is listed as the second ingredient under the chicken strips.
That’s it ? Ignore all the information about processing and toxins she presented and just taste it anyway ? You go ahead, and I’ll stay healthy. Good article, but way too many unqualified indoctrinated lemmings out there chiming in. Do yourselves a favor and watch the documentary Beyond Impossible, with an open mind. Do some real research, and stop going by your feelings.
“some flaws”? Ha! They’re not “flaws” it’s freaking poison! Not food. Unless you’re ok with getting cancer or any number of ailments and diseases. Realize you’re brainwashed. Me? No thank you! I’m all set with eating fake food…a concoction of chemicals rather than meat. And “Still growing meat consumption” is very sustainable….you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re simply parroting what you heard. It’s not true. Stop buying into the propaganda (brainwashing) and start thinking for yourself.
Just so we are clear…the author is recommending that eating grass-fed beef is a healthier than the Beyond Meat alternative ?
Scientific evidence has been accumulating for decades that cancer is more common among people who eat red meat and processed meat.
This article contradicts both scientific evidence and logic. I agree that the ingredients contained within the Beyond Meat patties are harmful as well, however compared to consuming actual meats, the risk of contracting a number of diseases is dramatically reduced by maintaining a plant based diet.
Your argument against sustainability is absurd on an encyclopedic level. A overwhelmingly large percentage of the corn and soy grown in this country is used as feed for livestock industry.
I willing to bet Ancestral-Nutrition.com is funded by the processed meats industry.
It’s abundantly clear that I’m recommending that eating grass-fed beed is healthier than Beyond Meat. While I agree that eating processed meat is unhealthy and problematic, there is no legitimate study that proves that eating grass-fed meat in addition to plant based foods (veggies in particular) is even slightly unhealthy. It literally does not exist.
Re: corn and soy grown for livestock – I addressed that, you’re ignoring this I suppose? I clearly recommend avoiding this meat in favor of local, grass-fed meat. Let’s not ignore the fact that millions of plant based eaters are eating this same corn and soy that they complain about being fed to livestock. It’s hypocritical and ignorant.
Also I’d be a lot richer is I were funded by the processed meat industry, but considering how regularly I bash them, it’s idiot to even suggest this.
There’s not enough space in the world to feed everyone with grass-fed beef. For the US alone, you’d need the whole US, parts of Canada and Mexico to feed the US with grass fed beef, so that doesn’t fit at all. That’s why factory farming is a necessity if you want to feed people meat –> 80% or sth from the worlds soy and corn. Emissions from cows especially are crazy in terms of methane and CO2 and water use. How is that sustainable again? 1 kilo of cow protein amounts to 1,000 kg of CO2 emitted (NY Times or the Economist); for chicken and pork these numbers are far far lower. That means that 13.1 kg of beef equals flying to Thailand from the Netherlands. The NY Times states that eating veggies from Argentina totals less emission than eating local meat. So please, please do research on the actual numbers before you state that something is sustainable. Oh, and by the way, red meat is a recognized carcinogen so there should be research on that it is unhealthy, and there’s countless studies that do not find any harmful side effects of soy. And maybe the beyond burger isn’t healthy, but a regular hamburger isn’t either, and it’s definitely not sustainable.
Hi Emma, it’s hard to comprehend this incoherent rambling – some B12 (from grass-fed meat) would improve your concentration.
But let’s break try to break this down. I understand that you’ve watched Cowspiracy and now fancy yourself and expert.
There’s more than enough land for grass-fed beef. There’s 2.3 billion acres of unused land in the US alone. You can put 80 cows to acre per day (fact, from actual farmers who do it: http://rethinkrural.raydientplaces.com/blog/how-many-acres-do-you-need-to-raise-cattle). There are about 94 million cows in the US. You do the math.
Re: grass-fed beef and CO2 emissions, you’re wrong again. Educate yourself, it’s actually really interesting: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/ruminants-and-methane-not-fault-animals
To say that red meat is a carcinogen and soy isn’t is completely false. There is no single study EVER done on grass-fed meat proving it to be cancerous. It LITERALLY does not exist. Whereas hundreds, if not thousands, exist proving soy can be carcinogenic.
See here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11431339
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/why-i-have-beef-with-soy/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/68/6/1431S.long
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/5/10/785.short
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11694625
Literally all of the studies I just provided link soy to cancer.
Not to mention that pasture based farms are AMAZING for the environment. They sequester CO2, they nourish the soil, they prevent and reverse desertification.
You are not an expert. You literally have no idea what you’re talking about. Please do not tell me to do more research when you’ve done none.
Nice government studies & one from this site, lol, credible
I linked to various studies performed by a plethora of organizations so your comment makes absolutely no sense. Glad to see you’re ignoring all of that.
Just thought this was an interesting piece form the World Health Organization that touches on this point:
“…there is no single study EVER done on grass-fed meat proving it to be cancerous. It LITERALLY does not exist.”
The study says all red meats (which includes grass-fed beef) can be carcinogenic; granted this is contingent on moderation, cooking style, etc. I’d like to know your thoughts after you get a chance to read and digest the findings.
Link http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/
Thanks!
that’s funny, are you calling yourself an expert? probably pride yourself on being a grammar nazi too, to feel “smart”. also, idiot, that is not the only way to get B12. this is too funny. Also, nice attempt to be snarky to someone who is much more intelligent than you. You’re the only incoherent one on this page, my dog would’ve understood get a life. speaking as someone who has graduated from Harvard with a 4.0 and honors as a nutritionist (now on salary making probably more than you’ll ever see in your life in the span of a year), you are dead wrong. there are so many academic journals written on research conducted by hundreds of panels of scientists who conduct actual experiments (are you familiar as to what those are? they constitute evidence) but seeing as you are too unintelligent to be able to understand data and scientific writing, here I have posted a link to literally the first website among millions out there finding links with red meat and cancer. You’re so credible. (hope you got the sarcasm love). What exactly are your credentials? Have you conducted or read on research from credible academic sources created from compiled, RECENT data from thousands of subjects per study? If you ever get off your likely large derriere and can muster up the strength without too much meat sweat going on then definitely give this a look and maybe learn to browse academic journals in a database. I’d post links from Harvard, MIT, UC schools, other universities but you have to be enrolled to access a true database. oops.
http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/2015/10/26/processed-meat-and-cancer-what-you-need-to-know/
I’m gonna let this comment speak for itself.
Well said. Thanks for the article!
http://www.who.int/features/qa/cancer-red-meat/en/
When I was curious about the red meat and cancer claims, I went and checked what paleomom had to say. She has a PhD and tends to show a bit of both sides rather than argue for one. I’m going to link to her article on it..it was a while ago but I know I checked in on the research she mentioned and it made sense with what she was saying.
As a final note to anyone who may read this though…the hatred in these comments is shocking. Psyc research is finding that people would rather forgo being given free money than listen to opposing viewpoints….and that things like that are causing extreme separation between people who have different views. Be careful how much you separate because humans only survived due to their ability to socialise and work together. If we lose that over petty internet fights that turn into real life major fights, what kind of world are we leaving for future generations? Every small action has a ripple effect.
https://www.thepaleomom.com/the-link-between-meat-and-cancer/
Wow, how professional of you to be so condescending to someone who – CLEARLY knows more about sustainability than you- disagrees with you. Negativity follows negativity – you won’t keep any cool peeps if you can’t control your need to be “right”. I don’t know where you went to school, but I checked out your Instagram and literally gagged when I saw “heart attack on a plate” over & over again on your feed. A Holistic Nutritionist that promotes ham & bacon? I’m going to help you out here, because I don’t want to see your child become an orphan because the parents can’t control their food cravings: https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/world-health-organization-says-processed-meat-causes-cancer.html
P.S. I’m a Holistic Nutritionist who has watched literally hundreds of documentaries/ read numerous books on health/wellness/nutrition, follow reputable people on Instagram & Youtube, etc. Since graduating 6 yrs ago, I continue to learn & grow. I’m also polite to the people who comment on my food – I’ve never had anyone negative, because I don’t post mis-information.
“Literally all of the studies I just provided link soy to cancer.”
While your statement is factually correct, it is terribly misleading. All of the URL’s link soy to cancer. I believe first and last links (performed by reputable researchers in a University and published in a peer reviewed journal) of the studies provided actually link soy to a REDUCTION in cancer.
Hi Dani, I think your bad attitude is unsustainable. 🙂
Hey Dani,
I’m a little late to the game here. Scrolled through the comments and it gets ugly pretty quickly here. I’m not looking to take sides – you’ve presented some arguments I agree with and some I disagree with. However, I read through that cows per acre link you provided and I think your summary of it is a bit misleading. 80 cows per acre for only 1 day. Or, as they write in the article, 1 cow on 1 acre for 80 days. The farmer being discussed, Joel Salatin, is raising 40 cows on 50 acres. Not 80 cows on 1 acre. Just thought that was an important clarification.
You can put one cow on one acre for 80 days and then take it off that acre and let the grass grow back. Or, you can put 80 cows on one acre with high grass for one day and then take them off for 80 days for the grass to grow back, and let nature digest all that cow shit they deposited in that one day.
The implication that you can keep 80 cows on that acre day after day, is misleading bullshit.
1) It doesn’t take grass 80 days to grow. Even if it did, there’s still enough land for grass-fed animals.
2) That “cow shit” feeds the soil, builds topsoil, sequesters carbon, imparts nutrients into the soil, creates a healthy microbiome, etc.
I found this study interesting, about how beef consumption reduction is just as important as grass fed. I agree about the toxic ingredients but also feel strongly that beef is not a solution to feeding the world. But fake meat may not be a solution either. Thanks for sharing and hope you find this interestingly as well.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aad401
Critiquing people for grammar rather than their arguments makes you look silly, ableist, and does nothing to serve your cause.
You absolutely lost me with the way you handled yourself in replying to every single comment you found a problem with. You’re a child.
Ran across this post the Vege warriors are strong in here.. Do they remember we killed off 30 million buffalo 100 yrs ago to make way for our little farms across the grasslands? Being carnivore now for awhile i’m simply amazed at my health being 51. Don’t even think about food most days. Eat a steak… Pretty easy diet.
IF MEAT IS SO BAD- WHY THE DEMAND FOR FAKE MEAT?
Its in our DNA to eat meat obviously since big fake food is working so hard to re create it in a factory…
Notice we have wild pig and wild deer over population’s? They literally multiply and cause chaos unless they are hunted to control populations… Controlled hunts are part of management.. Why do they over populate, HMM?
PS And go for a hike- Look for a plant to that eat that grows naturally in any abundance. Never ran across a carrot in the forest… Vegetables don’t exist naturally without humans dreaming them up… (Naked and Afraid show also comes to mind)
Not only does the tone of your article come across as self-righteous and indignant, the way you respond to counter arguments in comment replies shows your absurd level of immaturity; the defensive nature of your stances seem to imply insecurity of your choices.
I’ll be pretty honest with you, there isn’t anything ancestral about your nutrition advice – my ancestors that are a actually from this land roll in in their grave.
Nothing must die in order for humans to sustain. As technology evolves further, we won’t have to kill anything to enjoy optimal nutrition levels.
Most of everyone, including meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans all lack critical nutrients. As long as you are supplementing all critical vitamins and nutrients, you will be fine regardless of what you eat. However, spiritually it is poisonous to the soul to kill and eat animals unless absolutely necessary, even then, our ancestors would kill and bless the animal, EACH animal, that they would eat. I highly doubt you kill your own food, you just happily pay someone to do it and feel good about it cause you call it “grass fed”.
Animal meat has linked to heart disease and cancer, the science just hasn’t caught up yet. In 50 years from now, future generations will see us as barbarians, blindly contributing to the holocaust of animals, 3.2 trillion animals being killed every year.
I will do you one favor, however, and it’s called youngevity 90 for life. This is a simple thing, very simple. If you would do some inner work and connect with spirit, you would be able to find these answers. The body naturally heals itself, repairs itself if it is given the right materials and environment. The endocannabinoid system, essential vitamins and nutrients, sun, water and avoiding dead foods, specifically the dead, decaying animal carcasses which rot your soul from the inside out.
Good luck, you will need it.
Dani – very good article. But I’ve never seen so many mis-led and manipulated idiots on one board before. Emma above takes that cake. Talk about being a moron to the media and believing in their propaganda. (you’re actually quoting the NY Times and Economist??) Wow! And it doesn’t stop. Many here are accusing you of condoning eating red meat when all you wanted to do to get through their thick skulls-the difference between real meat and plant based bullshit.
I’m sorry but let these puppets believe what they are told by the same corporations and advertisers that promote plant-based toxins. I do like your point about the vegans being hypocrites as they are against animals eating corn and soy, but they will eat it! Brilliant!
Plus. all humans and animals and plants need CO2 to live. Keep believing the shills who tell you it’s poisonous.
Clearly, Dani is an asshat, clownshoe shill for the meat industry or, just wildly ignorant and stupid. Sure, Beyond Burgers and some other plant-based ‘meats’ aren’t super healthy to ingest. HOWEVER, neither is most meat, ESPECIALLY red meat, grass-fed or not. Dani is LYING to us. Just one example of a VERY balanced take on red meat consumption (of thousands that are ridiculously easily found) that backs this up: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-red-meat#1
Further, Grass-fed Meat-Industry shill and author of this crap Dani is SO ignorant and so disingenuous as to miss, or just flat out lie to us. As bad as some ‘conventional’ crop farming is on the environment (and thus, OUR BODIES, from an external angle inward, just not via the mouth as food), raising animals, especially cows, buffalo, etc is TERRIBLE. Cow methane produces 23 TIMES more pollutant than the world’s autos in use today. And, soy and corn are still plants, still actually perform some small task in cleaning our air while they are growing, at their leaves act as filters.
Further, Dani, you completely ignore the pain, suffering and death of all of the animals you advocate we unleash on every square inch of Earth to feed greedy slob humans who can’t get hip to organic tofu, mushrooms, beans and other much better alternatives.
It’s too bad we have dickheads writing crap articles to prop up a fading industry with lies. This COULD have been a great article to critique what in plant-based land still needs work. It’s true that we need to health-up a lot of the offerings. However, taken holistically (look it up, Dani), plant-based wins almost every time. That’s why the UN just implored everyone to get off animal-based foods to save us and our environment on this planet. Wake up, Dani. Be more responsible and honest. Geesh.
Your anger is a thin veil over your insecurities surrounding a plant based diet. I used to get mad at people when I was vegan too. Granted I was 16 and had better arguments (that didn’t resort to name calling).
Dani you are amazing. Best comment ever. Brilliant.
Please follow this link to discuss with actual ethical Omnivores https://www.facebook.com/beyondmeat/posts/1583728571684357
If you are the author, you’re an idiot who needs to do her homework. Meat of any kind is the #1 source of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer…. shall I go on. Places in the world that don’t eat meat at all don’t even know what these diseases are because they don’t exist, but you go ahead and eat your grass fed dead mutilated cow and we shall see in 10 years how your health is. Time for you to go do some research.
This argument is fairly irrelevant. All food choices should be local. I have plenty of options for local sustainable meat to feed myself while I have no clue how far the ingredients in my beyond meat burger have come from. And if it was so sustainable why is it 2x the cost of beef?
Great point! We should all be buying local!
CO2 is not harmful to man or the environment! It is in fact necessary for all life on earth!!! No CO2, no photosynthesis!!!! CO2 helps facilitate photosynthesis. What is causing warming is the sun! Good luck on trying to turn the sun down! Also, of the greenhouse gases which keep the earth from becoming a cold lifeless rock like Mars, the largest amount of such gas is water vapor!!!!!!! I hear noone calling for the dying up of the major sources of water vapor-the oceans and the rainforests!!!!!
After a couple of hours of eating beyond meat I would experience a headache,gas and I could not consume enough water,my mouth was so dry.
This is the most thorough review I’ve read about Beyond meat. What most people don’t realize is that in summary, highly processed foods are bad for the body and bad for the environment. They take lots of energy and resources to make and don’t break down in a healthy way. Foods taken directly from the land and minimally processed or eaten raw are beneficial for body and the soil.
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS HUMANE MEAT. You’re killing an innocent being for your own vanity. You’re theory. Their theory. This article. That article. You could literally argue and back just about any perspective with enough google links. The undeniable truth, echoed throughout history and in nearly every culture is the concept that violence is wrong. You choose a violent diet. It’s not a “nutritional choice”, it’s a lifestyle.
I bet you have a family pet that you love as well. Just see the hypocrisy! Feed one and eat the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is number one in google because the SEO backers are meat industry lobbyists.
You want to help people? Then quite being a tool and step out of your own arrogant mind for a millisecond and really come face to face with what you’re doing to another createure for your “diet”.
Dani we at Facebook group “Ethical Omnivore Consumer/Producer Alliance” just posted your great article .. thank you for writing it. We have been on “Beyond Beef’s” Facebook page saying just what you are trying here against the uninformed vegan onslaught. Please come here and I will invite your “fans” to as well. We are very well versed in this particular argument. You are not alone.
Sorry the link is https://www.facebook.com/beyondmeat/posts/1583728571684357
Lets just take a breather for a second. Just one moment is all we need…
There, is that better?
Now that our minds have cleared, lets start from the beginning.
This opinion piece has been written with a abundantly clear purpose. To inform about the potential risks a singular brand of beef patty alternative might have. Not every beef patty alternative, not even soy in general. This is just a article of writting expressing one’s feelings towards a single way to avoid the consumption of meat. Although jam packed with numerous links, websites, and videos intended to swaying us to a certain opinion (most definitely the author’s) whether it be right or wrong, it’s our view upon it that is the real culprit here. It’s through our own experiences that we understand thoughts as one way or another. And without our own experiences and thoughts, it would be impossible to come to conclusions, and form new ideas. It is essential for every human to create, to establish, to express their own thoughts and ways, because without it we would lack everything that makes us what we are. Now, that is not to say we can use extreme ways to establish our opinions, because that was never my point, nor should that be what you have gathered from this message. No, what I am saying is the exact opposite. We have been given a great gift. A gift that we take for granted much too often. Our gift allows us to spread our message, our thoughts, our feelings, throughout the world. We can talk to whomever we want to talk to, be as loud as we want to be, discuss whatever we want to discuss. We have been (more or less) given the power to change. Change what we hate in this world. Change all the hate, greed, evil. And this post is not to serve as a naïve out-cry from a optimist. This post is a awakening. Just to tell you that arguing whether to eat meat or a meat alternative (and I’m speaking generally here) is absurd. Yes, absurd. Because all that time you just took to type out a quick and witty response, all that time you took to copy and paste a link to prove someone how wrong they are, how they should be sorry they even challenged your words in the first place, over 200 children have starved. Yes, they’ve starved. Too bad they don’t have the luxury of choosing whether or not it would boost their iron if they had grass-fed beef for dinner, or if they should go with a nice, light salad. Too bad they don’t have enough energy to chew, let alone throw insults at each other over their preferences. Too bad right? While your blood was boiling over how many people didn’t believe what you were saying, over 200 men and women have been brutally raped. Most likely murdered soon after. When was the last good meal they had? By the time you finally send your edgy response, corrupted governments hijack our world, our people, and our natural resources.
I’m not here to make you feel guilty about your strong opinions. I’m here to make you feel guilty about how quick we are to bash each other. How differences in opinion can so, so quickly make us feel such a strong hate to someone on the Internet. Someone who you’ve never met before, never had a face-to-face conversation with, never met their family, and never heard their story. This is what makes us weak. This is what makes us prone to crime, ignorance, and corruption. This might not be the only mistake in our world, but we can most certainly make it our last.
So the next time you feel the need to express your opinions by bashing someone, by making them feel lower then you, think about those children, those men and women, think about them, take a breath, and make a change.
“Like”…no “love”.
Thanks for this article. They are not being transparent about their product.
I don’t know why debate generally devolves into mudslinging between the pro meat and no meat eaters (I’m of the latter). Let’s just stick to the subject.
It is abundantly clear by now that beef consumption is bad for us and is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and, yes, cancer. Potential culprits include the trans fat in meat, the saturated fat, cholesterol, heme iron, advanced glycation end products (glycotoxins) which I admit are also produced by certain processing/cooking methods of plant based foods; animal proteins (especially leucine, carnitine – TMAO formation), zoonotic viruses, and industrial pollutants (perhaps not in pasture fed cows) that accumulate up the food chain.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/cutting-red-meat-for-a-longer-life
https://www.nature.com/news/red-meat-wrong-bacteria-bad-news-for-hearts-1.12746
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261306/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safety-of-heme-vs-non-heme-iron/https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1957
etc
This land you want to use to feed even more cows on is the same land that is being taken from our beautiful wild horses. That’s why the BLM is chasing all the wild horses with helicopters to get them into pens (where there is absolutely no protection for them) and then selling them, usually to people who are going to transport them to either Canada or Mexico. They usually don’t get to either Canada or Mexico, where they are sold to be slaughtered as food, all in one piece. The people that are buying them to these 2 countries don’t care at all that the horses are in excruciating pain. They get paid by the pound so they don’t care… it’s not their pain.
In addition to claiming carcinogenic red meats as healthy, you also print the misinformation that grass-fed beef is sustainable. It’s perhaps worse than factory farms, depending on what you look at.
Yes, less methane is produced than cows eating outside of their natural diet. However, where do you imagine all this beef comes from? Free-range cattle need a lot of space. Do you see them frolicking on farms with green pastures? Maybe a few. Most cattle are free-range on public lands.
With a non-native species in forest lands or plains and meadows come into the environment, they displace native prey. When they displace that prey, apex predators eat the cows because there is nothing else to eat.
Where I live one rancher has been responsible for the deaths of three entire wolf packs (including pups). The last pack to be slaughtered by the state had cows on salt licks planted yards away from their den. He does this on purpose because he hates wolves.
He grazes his cattle on our lands to feed his cattle at only $10 an acre. So taxpayers are essentially subsidizing your meat habit. It gets worse. After predation occurs 3 times by the same pack, they are given a death sentence. It costs taxpayers $20,000 per wolf killed on behalf of the rancher who has had his cattle killed. The state also reimburses him for the dead cattle. That endangered species are killed so people can eat their steaks and burgers incenses me.
Not only are people who eat meat responsible for the destruction of beautiful animals like wolves, cougars, bears and other predators, the taxes I pay are subsidizing the irresponsible, gluttonous diet of so-called paleo lifestyle adopters. I eat a plant based diet because it is the only sustainable diet to eat. People who eat meat have to face the fact that their diet is responsible for species becoming extinct or being pushed to the brink of it. I’m so sick of these blogs with pseudo-science proclamations of what’s healthy for human beings to eat with no regard for the impact of eating meat upon the world we live in and the true costs of it. Some say ignorance is bliss. I say ignorance is privilege.
You have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. You could not be more misinformed.
1 – Cattle are free ranged on public lands? I’m guessing you’ve never been to an actual grass-fed farm or even met a farmer. Cows roam on their farmer’s land. Who do you think takes care of these cows? The farmers. The hard working men and women who care about these animals. They’re not grazing next to parking lots owned by the government. That makes no sense at all.
2 – You think cows are grazing in forests? They graze on grasslands. That’s kind of the point. They nourish the land with their manure.
3 – Your wolf story is entirely anecdotal and makes no sense so I really have no idea what you’re talking about.
4 – The taxes you pay subsidize wheat, soy, corn and canola. This is why processed food is so cheap. This is a fact, something your comment lacks. Americans pay $246 billion per year to subsidize these monocrops that are vegan staples: http://www.pcrm.org/health/reports/agriculture-and-health-policies-unhealthful-foods
5 – You want to talk about displacing native species? What do you think plowing and clearing and adding chemical fertilizers to millions upon millions of acres of land to make vegan proteins and staples does? It takes a lot more space to grow these massive monocrops that vegans gobble up, and I assure you that it kills more animals that eating a local diet that includes grass-fed beef.
6 – Millions, if not billions, of animals are killed every year so vegans can eat while ignoring the fact that their food left a trail of blood they can ignore because they have no idea where their food comes from.
7 – Vegans are so disconnected from their food and nature that you forget a few simple facts: for you to live, something must die. Animals nourish the land. Without animals, we are left with chemical fertilizers that cause dead zones in the Gulf Of Mexico the size of Delaware. These chemical fertilizers destroy the soil. Monocrops, the staples of vegan diets, kill millions of and displace animals.
1. Small, family-sized farms only take up 1% of all meat sales in the U.S.
2. Forests are destroyed to create artificial grasslands. You can literally google, “Deforestation and Animal Agriculture”
4. The taxes you pay subsidize the pharmaceutical industry which sells a majority of their antibiotics to the meat and dairy industry which then gets people sick, and then they buy more pharmaceuticals. It is a very basic economic concept.
5. We could feed the entire planet with all the food that 56 billion farmed animals are eating. We would be able to convert land back to the natural state and replant forests if the world went vegan. Just google “world hunger and veganism”
6. 56 billion farmed animals are killed for food. That doesn’t include all of the animals that die when forests are knocked down for yet another CAFO, that doesn’t include all of the animals that are dying due to water contamination from the runoff of CAFOs, and that doesn’t include fish (there are so many that they are measured in tons). If you *believe* that more animals die from harvesting plants than LITERALLY KILLING animals, you are 100% emotional and have not used any form of rational logic to formulate that opinion.
7. Carnists are so disconnected from their food that they are under the impression that walking into a grocery store and purchasing a perfectly wrapped chunk of carcass is more natural than eating plants. Carnists are so disconnected from their food that they think pumping animals with pharmaceuticals is more natural than eating plants. Carnists are so disconnected from their food that they think its more natural to eat a dead animal that another has killed and gutted for them, than actually doing the dirty work.
7.5. Runoff from CAFOs is LITERALLY the main cause of ocean dead zones. There is more cow and pig shit floating around in our ocean than sealife shit. Animal shit literally destroys the soil, leaving entire parts of our country infertile. You cannot grow crops within a certain distance of a CAFO. YOUR MINDSET kills and displaces millions of animals. No matter how hard and how blue in the face you are, you are wrong. There is a reason more and more people are choosing PLANTS.
Not all cows graze on private land. Lots of cows graze on federal land, 155 million acres to be exact. You can look on the Bureau of Land Management website for more info.
You seem to be disconnected from the fact we’re almost 8 billions people on this planet. Not everyone will have access to your bourgeois grass fed beef and milk.
And we would need 3 planets if everybody started living like this.
Actually I do know a few farmers that raise grass fed cattle. They have about 5000 acres that is used as a hunting reserve and a 10,000 acre BLM (public lands) land lease. They’re definitely hard working men and women but they don’t really care about the animals. You’re uneducated about the details and just want to eat the way you want. Their land is flat farm land but they do indeed graze the cattle in the forest.
That said eating a significantly smaller quantity of grass fed beef would likely be significantly more sustainable than we are now. It doesn’t take more land to grow food on farm land than it does to eat meat it actually takes significantly less.
You’re clearly uneducated on the issues and I ask you to please argue on the side of the vegans so they look bad instead of real responsible meat eaters. If you want to promote sustainability quit eating beef and start hunting.
Wow! Cows do roam the forest and they do roam public land. Its called a grazing lease. This guy has no brains and no sense. Also has no idea what it takes to farm any animal. Coming from someone who actually has cow farming friends and also own my own livestock. You should really find out the facts before spouting off buddy!
The amount of cows in forests and public land are minimal. Incredibly minimal. The vast majority are on farms.
Also, I’m a woman. I’m not really sure how it’s possible to visit my website and not make this distinction.
I love intelligent women! Talking Dani of course
Like I’ve said, someone’s gonna give you a well deserved kick to the head, then maybe you’ll be capable of empathizing with the animals we torture and exploit for our pleasure because you’ll know what a fraction of their pain feels like.
I hope you read this and don’t jut have some poor schmuck filter this shit.
I find it funny how all of these comments supporting plant based garbage ignore all of the facts. The nutritionist above went to a government funded school, being taught old school ideas. Our society hasn’t caught up with the data yet. You need to eat way more plants to fill your belly than you do meat. The amount of space you need to cultivate and level off is huge. That is lots of land to be de forested, displacing animals and cause soil erosion over time. (If you knew how your plants were grown, and the implications on the environment, you would probably not eat them). Also, the fact that many many insects and animals are chopped up in your farmers rotitillers, and killed by insecticide every day doesn’t seem to bug you. So long as you can pretend that no death is involved in the practices used, you can rest easy in the dilusion that you and your diet are superior to others.
If you do some research, it doesn’t’ take much digging at all to understand what anti-nutrients are (the ones found in every plant you eat), because we are not supposed to be eating them. Cucumbers were poisonous only a couple hundred years ago, straw berries were inedible, because they were too small, hard and bitter to consume. What else… I mean i could go on about how basically every fruit or vegetable you eat has been genetically modified. To me that clearly shows that plants were never intended to be eaten.
I am very scared for our population and society in the future. Mental and physical health are at threat to diminishing even more.
And can any vegans answer the question “if you don’t believe in eating meat, why do you need to process plants, into something that resembles or tastes like meat…? if meat is so disgusting, why would you ingest something that. Why wouldn’t you stay the farthest away from anything resembling meat… ?
I think we all know the answer here. Because meat is freaking delicious. Because we are supposed to eat it. Because you are lacking the essential nutrients that only meat can provide. (Yes everything has protein and this and that, but none of those plant based sources assimilate or get abosrbed by the body.
Can anyone else tell me why you think a plastic jacket or couch, that falls apart and is basically garbage in 1 year, is better for the environment than a leather couch. A couch that takes way less resources and lasts way longer… that won’t end up in a landfill in 1 year. ??
Also, one more thing i just thought of. Vegans like to blame meat industry for all of the methane. While i dont disagree, factory farming, and feeding cows things they shouldn’t be eating is the main problem, but have you considered that every thing that dies releases methane? Meaning plants. Plants that are laying around rotting. Hell, do you realise that when you eat meat more, you shit less. All the vegans out there shitting out all of the fibre they can’t digest 10 times per day are probably contributing to all of the methane..
I would say just do some research, but you won’t….
This beyond meat garbage is beyond frustrating..
So, so many good points. One of my favorites:
“Also, the fact that many many insects and animals are chopped up in your farmers rotitillers, and killed by insecticide every day doesn’t seem to bug you. So long as you can pretend that no death is involved in the practices used, you can rest easy in the dilusion that you and your diet are superior to others.”
You couldn’t be more spot on. Thank you so much for this comment!
This is for Brittany, Dani and all the flesh consuming bloggers
Brittany you are a moron….and the diarrhea coming out of your mouth is toxic to the planet…..sorry had to get that out of the way! you are full of Shit…..lol
lets get to the facts
The best lifestyle is synergistic, when done together:
1. whole-foods plant-based diet, low in fat, sugar and refined carbohydrates. primarily fruits vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products in their natural unprocessed forms.
2. Moderate exercise – walking and strength training
3. Stress Management – yoga meditation
4. Love, social support and intimacy
You will reverse and prevent the progression of a wide variety of the most common costly and disabling chronic diseases at any age….You will live life to the fullest and the planet will thank you!
What’s good for you is good for our Planet!
Please read Un Do It! Author Dean and Anne Ornish
For lifestyle changes to be sustainable they have to be pleasurable, meaningful, fun and joyful, and lets not forget tasty in order to be effective.
Most of the flesh eating world consumes processed foods which we all know are not the best for your health. Add flesh to the process and its a toxic cocktail, which causes chronic inflammation which is the base of most of the disease in our world and on top of it destroys the planet due to factory farming. Climate change and health are linked!
Animal agribusiness generate more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined. All transportation worldwide generates only about 13.5% of the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming. Eating meat, on the other hand is responsible for at least 18% of carbon dioxide emission and may count for much more. Livestock also accounts for 37% of methane (which is 23 to 72 times more toxic to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide) and 65% of nitrous oxide (which is 296 times more toxic) The US alone maintains 9 billion head of livestock which consumes about 7 times as much grain as the entire US population. Livestock now uses 30% of all land worldwide and are causing deforestation, particularly in the Amazon, where 70% of the land that used to be forest is now used for grazing.
Besides displacing land that could be used to grow food for humans, more that half of US grain and nearly 40% of world grain is being fed to livestock rather than being consumed by humans…that would feed a lot of hungry people.
Why Beyond Meat? You have to give flesh eating humans something that tastes and feels like meat in order to save the planet…….Its the only way to change the world and we know we must!
Facts…
It takes 10 to 14 times more resources to produce a pound of meat based protein than a pound of plant-based protein. Producing a pound of beef takes almost 2,000 gallons of water.
86% of the $3.3 trillion annual US health care costs goes toward treated chronic diseases which can be prevented and even reversed by eating a plant – based diet at a fraction of the cost…
Eating a plant based diet is more compassionate way to eat. Over 150 million animals are killed for food around the world every day—just on land. That comes out to 56 billion land animals killed per year. Including wild caught and farmed fishes, we get a daily total closer to 3 billion animals killed.
That’s a lot of unnecessary suffering. I believe what goes around comes around-for better and for worse. Take a look at our planet…it scares me.
When we realize that what we choose to put in our mouth each day makes such an important difference in addressing global warming, personal health, compassion, as well as feeding the hungry, it empowers us and gives meaning to each individual life…. Each and everyone of us can make a difference. Choosing to eat a plant based diet frees up a tremendous amounts of recourses that can benefit many “others” as well as ourselves. This is very meaningful and when we can act more compassionately it helps our hearts as well.
Peace and Love to all living.
A lot of vegans don’t try to eat foods that replicate burgers…They eat fruits and veggies. If you eat organic fruits and veggies, pesticides/insecticides are not used. So many on this topic are trying to save face. The Ego is an incredible thing. Meat in general has been scientifically proven to cause many issues with the body and processing it. It is not NATURAL for us to eat flesh. That’s a generatonal lie and programming that goes back to even religious writings. Stop thinking government and university studies are sufficient resources. In many cases, this is where the lie begins. Each of you are bickering like confused slaves fighting over what master told you from the industries master created. MOST of the lifeforms on this planet eat of the land, not the other lifeforms that are on the planet. Notice how often spices and seasoning from the land is required to make the flesh more desirable. There are many who don’t eat much at all because they are not slaves to their tastes buds and chemicals placed in foods to make them addictive. We over consume more than we consume, yet leave others starving that don’t have to. We are WATER based lifeforms. There are technologies and developments occurring outside of your universities, because most of them are funded by those that need you to be confused and bicker as you all are on this forum.
Great comment a lot of great points
When you said…
….”If you do some research, it doesn’t’ take much digging at all to understand what anti-nutrients are (the ones found in every plant you eat), because we are not supposed to be eating them. Cucumbers were poisonous only a couple hundred years ago, straw berries were inedible, because they were too small, hard and bitter to consume. What else… I mean i could go on about how basically every fruit or vegetable you eat has been genetically modified. To me that clearly shows that plants were never intended to be eaten.”
Now, I’m no expert on Health and Nutrition, but if we are what we eat…and what we eat[beef], eats plants…then according to what you said in your comment, technically we aren’t supposed to eat meat as well right? If cows eat plants and we eat cows, then aren’t we getting the same nutrients through the beef we eat? I wouldn’t want my food that I’m eating to digest “bad” food either you know? I’m not bashing either side, I’m just trying to make better health choices for my life and trying to get the facts and opinions from others to help me on my journey. Thank you.
While I agree with most of what Brittany says, we are designed (by whoever or whatever or nature) as OMNIVORES. Look at your teeth. We have molars for crushing and shredding plant fiber, incisors for hard nuts and roots, and canines for tearing meat. I also agree with the author about eating locally. This is the key to sustainability. The key to good health is moderation. You should eat a balanced diet based on what is locally available.
Thank you for that information, Jen. You sound like you have done your homework and you present your knowledge in a mature manner. As soon as I hear somebody needing to insult others while trying to make a point. Shows me that they’re really not worth listening to. They most likely are immature and can only mimic other’s opinions because they are not really educated enough to actually make a clear consences of their own.
so eating corpses of abused and sick animals is way better. What a joke!
Grass-fed where and does that make it ok to support the cruel meat industry?? no..it doesn’t
Grass-fed farmers and the meat industry are two completely separate industries.
I applaud you Dani for your stance on grass fed meat and for supplying so much information but I warn you of the following:
Many people in today’s society are so disconnected from their food supply they’ve become super ignorant. With the internet, many people get fed dumb information they interpret as intelligent information. Then their are the people who are completely fake and just want to sound like they know what they’re talking about yet have no clue whatsoever.
This earth was created way before this new form of anti-meat logic came about and the rules were created way before man set foot on earth. Eating meat has always been a part of man’s history and was as natural as breathing. The phrase ‘eating off of the fat of the land’ is how we existed and never caused any harm to us as humans until we entered postmodern times.
Now humans put their trust in man-made chemicals, additives, simulations, etc. It’s all a joke! You can NEVER go wrong when you adhere to the laws of God or nature for you non-believers. Whenever man interjects problems arise along with confusion.
Eat grass-fed meat, organic vegetables, drink lots of water and exercise regularly and you will be just fine.
P.S. Stay away from foods that are laden with ingredients you can’t pronounce and have no clue as to what they are.
End of discussion.
Oh wait so grass-fed animals don’t have to die for us to eat them?
Where are all these grass fed farms that can feed people. It’s a fact that meat causes acidosis in the body which creates an environment for cancer to thrive in. Soy is also bad. I did notice that the original Beyond Burger you made no mention of its ingredients so I would assume that they are relatively safe in your eyes. I don’t advocate consuming any soy nor do I advocate killing animals for food. The part of the meat that you actually enjoy is the vegan part anyway unless you eat unseasoned meat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study
You may not know about the China Study or Dr. Esselstyn
http://www.dresselstyn.com/revolution.htm
Oils and fats in meats are directly responsible for cardiovascular disease.
https://nutritionstudies.org/2015-dietary-guidelines-commentary/
You talk about cancer but heart disease is a much larger killer
Heart Disease 710,760
Cancer 553,091 (numbers from Dr Esselstyn book The China Study
Some of the findings, published in the most reputable scientific jour- nals, show that:
• Dietary change can enable diabetic patients to go off their medica- tion.
• Heart disease can be reversed with diet alone.
• Breast cancer is related to levels of female hormones in the blood,
which are determined by the food we eat.
• Consuming dairy foods can increase the risk of prostate cancer.
• Antioxidants, found in fruits and vegetables, are linked to better
mental performance in old age.
• Kidney stones can be prevented by a healthy diet.
• Type 1 diabetes, one of the most devastating diseases that can be-
fall a child, is convincingly linked to infant feeding practices.
Dani, just give up. Too many people know red meat is bad for you and you’re going the opposite way. Whoever funds you is gonna die eventually.
I fund me. And I’ll never give up.
“grass fed farmers”.. oh, those farmers wend directly to the field and ate the grass, eliminated completely the intermediary (cows), therefore increasing the efficiency of the feeding process … 😀 And no mercury accumulation either…
I’m a bit sat they eliminated the animals, because I love animals so much…
They are so tasty…
Mark
Here’s what I see, browsing through several years of comments. Quite a bit of sanctimonious hate coming from some folks. I eat meat, but, in deciding that environmental issues need individual buy-in to succeed, I’m exploring options that might assist me in moving toward less meat in my diet. Where I’m, kinda’, landing – after considering the discussion – is that, while Beyond Meat isn’t that good for me, if it means that its’ increased popularity results in a reduction of “factory raised” cattle, then there’s a benefit to the environment.
Really…we should just eat a lot less meat. Seems like a good idea for a lot of reasons.
Haha, best reply yet. Bloggers who wish to speak on nutrition and contents of modern foodstuffs, should do this… go to college, become an MD, and get a PhD in microbiology, a PhD in nutrition, and maybe a PhD in virology. Then you can speak with actual authority and education backing you up. The problem with the internet today? If somebody says something it must be true. This blogger has no actual medical or industry credentials and is just lolled by the reading of her own diatribe.
We’re not eating a damn burger to be healthy. Vegan have a choice to enjoy a burger without MURDER ! That’s the point. So yea fuck it I won’t eat it all the time but at least I’m not eating an animal
This idea shows just how disconnected from nature so many vegans are. It’s a simple fact of life that for you to live and eat, something must die. You don’t consider the amount of animals killed to grow massive monocropping operations, the amount of animals displaced by the sheer volume of land it takes to grow these monocrops, the trillions of organisms killed by the pesticides sprayed on these crops.
I assure you, animals are killed for your meals.
Murder-language aside, the meat industry is inherently cruel. A better author would grant this point and then move on to say that the pros outweigh the cons.
Ignoring the points that drive most vegetarians and having to have each argument benefit your conclusion is Trumpian and undermines your credibility. It’s a shame. You’ve clearly done a lot of work.
PLEASE READ. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS.
Didn’t know where to post this so ill post this here.
All flesh is putrefaction . The cells are dying or are dead. It is utmost unwise to consume dead cells from any animal, wether it was fed corn, soy, grass or whatever. All what cancer is, is a dead cell or dead cells beyond the point of repair. That’s all what it really is and ever was.
Dead meat is acidic to the human body
,causes excess mucus/mucus buildup in the organs, joints, skin, brain, any body part basically, causing disease
, is carcinogenic
,causes rises in cholesterol making it harder for your heart to pump blood to your organs
, is hardly electrical
,and have incomplete and unnatural molecular structures which should not be introduced to the human body. You are also causing a great disturbance and unease in your toroidal energy heart field. Meat from anywhere should not be consumed by human beings, our teeth, digestive tracts, intestines, lymphatic systems, central nervous systems, and toroidal heart energy fields tell us so. Our body’s almost immediately enter a stage of stress after consuming meat, IF one is so mindful and conscious and aware of his/her body to notice. The BEST diet or lifestyle for humans is an organic raw alkaline vegan one. Consuming organic raw alkaline fortified fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains (gluten free) that are greatly electrical with completed molecular structures. This being said, beyond burgers ARE NOT healthy, SOY IS NOT HEALTHY (ORGANIC OR NOT IT STILL MAKES THE HUMAN BODY PRODUCE WAY TO MUCH MUCUS) ALL OILS ARE NOT HEALTHY (ENDOTHELIAL CELL FUNCTION)
If you and your husband are deficient in iron, eat more vegetables that contain iron (and take vitamin d3 or get sufficient sunlight for sufficient absorption), if deficient in b12, take b12 supplements, it’s not hard. I would love to hear your response to this. Love you, Thank you, Namaste and stay hydrated 🙂
Dani, thank you, for your post.
I am an Equine massage therapist and one of the most compassionate caring people as far as animal welfare that I have ever met.
Once a vegetarian, vegan and major supporter of ” go vegan”I was proven WRONG and ALMOST DEAD WRONG!
I became ill and after 6 years of fighting as hard as I could to gain muscle and other connective tissues at 83 pounds I was going to die. To rebuild the disc’s in the spine you MUST CONSUME ANIMAL FATS AND PROTEINS/ Collagen. If your eating supplements to attempt to mimic this you will suffer and die.
The ocean and the forest intelligence penetrated my ignorance just before I died and gave me permission to be apart of the animal kingdom again and survive- THANK GOD, I was worthy of this.
I ONLY consume Co-Op non- GMO- ORGANICALLY ( preferably bug fed chickens ( that are CO2 gas put to sleep before they die) an other well managed grass fed animal products. I thank the animal for the healing minerals-frequency and strength I receive and I do good work with my energy. I am NOT A BAD PERSON FOR DOING THIS.
I crack up at this argument because all the people arguing that consuming the animal kingdom is wrong- are alive because their ancestors did, and before 150 years ago, they did it very intelligently. DUH, they DRANK THE MILK/ Yogurts WITH PROBIOTICS IN IT, THEY CONSUMED EGGS. Most people couldn’t eat as much meat as we do because they needed the products the animals gave them more than they needed the flesh and that might be a good tip. Bone broth made from the animals that did die was an incredible nutrient rich healing meal/ drink.
AND if the family didn’t have enough food- they would consider NOT having more babies. So all this abundant modified food is fucking us up, and has us taking life for granted all over the place.
I am 110 pounds today and developing new functional muscle everyday that there is NO DAMN WAY a genetically modified processed ” patty” could help me build.
The argument is not eat meat or not.
It is what kind, how much and did it have a decent life eating nature with sun on it’s back and able to walk around?
THIS is the only argument.
You are quite literally telling ” GOD” or whatever name you give your maker that it’s all been a mistake- creatures aren’t supposed to eat each other, when saying animal consumption is not important.
Processed ” FAKE” foods are making the Pharmaceutical industry trillions
SO- with knowing quite a bit about the subject on many levels.
Fast food is already crap- go ahead and make it so less animals have to suffer- SO less DRUGS are used on these animals.
Ultimately though, agree that the large herbicide sprayed crops are going to harm animals not help them.
CAN we discuss GLYPHOSATES
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html
So – it’s better for the people and the planet if eat more of this
It’s only better for Mansanto and the DRUGGING INDUSTRY
NEUR- DEGENERATIVE
Means your gut is so destroyed your brain is falling apart- this is happening to children raised on these foods.
Yea we need more people walking around the streets not knowing they don’t have any clothes on looking for more dope to put their non- functioning brains to sleep because it hurts so bad to be alive.
I’m sorry, I JUST HAD TO BACK UP Dani’s VIEW POINT UP A BIT.
BTW- people just don’t pay for animals just because. So when your saying it is not good to consume these animals you are saying we no longer need them and they can vanish of of the face of the planet.
Maybe that is right, but a lot of hunting is going to be going on.
Maybe we need to be eating bugs, more wild animals like squirrels, etc… again?
Because that is whats gonna happen.
Peoples bodies crave meat for the bio- accumulated nutrients from an animal that had a good life.
Until you make us robots ( maybe that is whats happening)
MEN and WOMAN are going to crave meat and other animal FATS and proteins, because they are supposed to.
QUIT making humans feel bad for this. I once did and I was WRONG!
Go live in the jungle for a month and tell me I am not, I dare anyone
Lets figure out a understanding of all truths
not just
“WE need to feed billions of people” more like prisoners
The beyond meat supporters have GREAT points BUT we MUST discuss opening the other points so we can all learn and make good choices for our family’s health and vitality.
I won’t eat it- I would rather eat crickets- but is that bad too?
LOL, you damn birds are fucking up the planet!
GRASS FED
WILD
Or plan on having your blood work come back and scare THE SHIT OUT OF YOU SOMEDAY.
Dani, You’re an idiot. The more I read, the more I dislike you as a person because you’re rude and arrogant to your guests. Go eat your grass fed red meat and prepare to enjoy the same illnesses as your forebearers.
You’re an idiot. Why dont you look and see what is in the beef and meats you eat. I couldnt even read through your idiot bonehead write up. Beyond burgers are still a much better and healthier alternative than any factory grown concentration camp meat product.
What a sound argument.
I am a vegetarian, almost vegan for over 30 years. I am amused by your responses to those on a “soap box” (an expression probably not heard by many) Keep up your dedication to honesty and your sense of humour. It does more to aid digestion than most other things.
Actually, it IS a sound argument. You are uninformed from an education stand-point spouting info you believe is correct. And, just because somebody says something somewhere about how BAD something is doesn’t make it true unless they have the education behind them to give value to their opinions. Your opinions are just based on wild assumptions where cows, live and the lives they lead…..please don’t flatter yourself with you lack of knowledge.
nobody knows what makes up a cow. eve people who have had families raise and breed them for 3 generations
I’m only commenting to add to the numerous voices here calling out your pseudointellectual bollocks. Your method of writing in such certainties about subjects you obviously only partially understand is so counterproductive to any attempt to understand your opinion, it forces readers to dislike everything about your righteous tosh.
Only problem with this is that Beyond Burgers don’t contain any soy whatsoever.
“there is no legitimate study that proves that eating grass-fed meat in addition to plant based foods (veggies in particular) is even slightly unhealthy. It literally does not exist.”
Which study shows that “grass-fed” / “free-range” meats are healthier than conventional meats? Or are you making this assumption because you read about it on a paleo broscience blog somewhere?
This author is a complete idiot!
eating grass fed is not better than eating beyond meat, its the same…
According to “The China Study” (the most expansive medical research document ever to be conducted in the history of modern medicine…ever) consuming animal products are incredibly unhealthy for you and pose many different health risks. I highly recommend the author do more extensive research.
I’m a vegetraian because I don’t think an animal smarter than my dog should have to die for me to eat a burger. But I still crave burgers. So I mix in Beyond Meat every once in a while. It’s great.
Your “grass-fed beef is sustainable” riff, even forgetting the ridiculousness of it, fails to address this CENTRAL premise.
Hey Dani!
I completely understand where you are coming from, and I used to feel the same way, till I did some research.
Incase you are interested, here is the water footprint and carbon footprint of raising one cow (local or otherwise) –
https://waterfootprint.org/en/water-footprint/product-water-footprint/water-footprint-crop-and-animal-products/
http://www.greeneatz.com/foods-carbon-footprint.html
As you have mentioned, soy and corn is also mostly grown for animal consumption, so to say that ‘soy is unsustainable’ is a misconstrued statement. It’s only unsustainable as we are consuming it now – I agree that we need to shift towards a more sustainable way of consuming, and research shows that plant based consumption is the way forward. Since we will be producing far less soy to feed humans, than we do animals.
Raising cows locally does not decrease the amount of food a cow consumes, and there is very clear research to show that plant based sources of protein are far more sustainable that animal based protein (specifically beef).
I’m happy to change my mind if you have any facts to state otherwise!
Also not looking for an argument, so please do not be offended by what I’m saying, even though I disagree with you.
“Buy meat and seafood grown responsibly.”
Good luck with that. This is seriously nearly impossible. 99% of meat comes from factory farms and a good deal of the other 1% isn’t much better.
And I seriously doubt any meat is healthier than the ingredients in this product.
It’s best to just eat fresh organic fruits and veggies rather than trying to eat meat or meat alternatives.
But I would eat this product over real meat, if simply for the sake of the animals.
Your replies to people critical of your article sound very Trumpian (“you’re an idiot,” “you don’t even know what you’re talking about,” etc.). That is revealing. Who paid you to write this? I am guessing someone in agribusiness.
In any case, I am concerned about this article spreading misinformation to those curious about living a plant-based, ethical (both environmentally and towards animals) lifestyle. Top health institutions—including the World Health Organization and Harvard Medical School—have endorsed a plant-based (read: vegan) diet for optimal human health. Beyond Burgers, while not the healthiest option for daily consumption, are fine as a sporadic treat. They are certainly better than beef, 99%+ of which comes from factory farms, the antithesis of “natural,” and which is often marketed as “grass fed” because USDA regulations are lax and usually not enforced.
“even slightly unhealthy” Oh really, there are literally DOZENS of studies that show meat consumption is the main cause of heart disease and diabetes as well as a significant cause of cancer, stroke, alzheimer’s, auto immune diseases and more. This article is complete BS! Check out the link above from the foremost Doctor in the world on nutrition: Dr. Greger
And yet, you’re unable to provide a single study that demonstrates how grass-fed meat is in any way even slightly unhealthy. Lil’ tip: that study does not exist.
this article is 2 years old and youre still replying to comments with your attitude. this is the saltiest blog of all time. might want to check your sodium.
Forever salty on this topic.
Oh man, the comments on this article. I’m so sorry to the author. These people are insane.
Dani,
I am in total agreement with you regarding beyond meat. If you are a vegan I wouldn’t recommend eating beyond meat products. It’s always better to eat fresh fruit and vegetables than eating this stuff. If you want to eat meat such as beef be sure it is grass fed and grass finished and organic. Many benefits from eating grass fed and grass finished beef.
Yes! I only recommend grass-fed, organic meat from local farmers. Something that a lot of people apparently did not read in the article (I’m lookin’ at you, angry vegans!).
Here’s the thing about fake beef. The vegetables this stuff is made from have been around for centuries. If it were possible to make meat from plants, I’m confident someone would have done so, well before now. So, why now? The kicker is in the chemicals. Any natural mixture of vegetables will taste like vegetables. To have a meat-like taste, there has to be a chemical intervention. If the ingredients in this product don’t scare you, then the process for producing them surely will. At the end of the day, you still can’t weave straw into gold.
DANI Keep up the good work. It is obvious the naysayers don`t truly read what you write. They all seem to miss the fact that you are telling them to eat truly organic meat, not the crap fed animals. They only see and retain what gives them an opening for an argument. I keep reading and hearing (from various sources) that the world produces enough food to feed the entire world and still have lots left over. I imagine that if all the food (vegetation and meat)were grown without all the crap, the earth would be able to feed the entire population using less space because of the land not getting destroyed by various chemicals. What frightens me is the inability for the people who eat all these chemical laden foods to grasp the truth….peoples mental abilities are being `dumbed down`.
Anyway, thanks for your research and caring enough to share. Keep up the good work.
Yes! So many people haven’t read the article at all. It’s incredibly frustrating. There’s a HUGE difference between factory farmed meat and grass-fed, small, organically farmed cows. Thanks for your comment!
I recently watched the documentary on Netflix called, “What the Health”…If you have watched it, what are your thoughts? If you haven’t checked it out…I recommend watching it. Very informative on new information on health and what we eat. 🙂
All right, the first comment besides Dani’s that I have read that speaks truth. I’m going to stop here and not read the rest of the comments, as I’m in total disbelief that people are so uninformed. Wait.. not uninformed as that is something I could handle, what these commenters believe is actually the complete opposite of what is true.
My family will support are local grass fed family farm, I knows the government or most of these zombie commenters won’t.
Keep up the good work Dani.
For Sustainability can anyone tell how many lbs of edible plant material it takes to make 1 lb of beyond Meat? What happens to the waste material? Then the question has to be asked: Are we taking food away from the poor to feed to the elite?
Great points and very thought provoking!
I’m not claiming either one is more healthy, or even sustainable, than the other. My question is why you feel we have the right to breed and raise for slaughter living animals? I would rather one go out and hunt their own wild animal, skin it, and eat it.
NOT QUITE. There is hard scientific evidence that eating slaughtered animals causes cancer in humans. You must be sitting there with a giant GUT from all the cancer causing agents now in your blood from consuming the flesh of animals. There is no soy protein isolate in the beyond meat burger. Also, the innocent animals you slaughter are fed with soy and corn products, plus chemicals and the hormonal responses to them being gutted alive while their children are taken away.
more fake news than CNN in here. plant based ingredients will be better than artery clogging meat. digesting, health wise, weight management wise, the list goes on lol …trash bloggers are hilarious
I love a good burger, but just the diff in ingredients and the way you feel is enough … grass fed meat may be better but is still meat and can cause the same problems for people…it is better than regular beef, not as good as lean elk etc… but you cannot even compare the current beyond burgers ingredients in the stores, no soy no gmo just plant based patties they shouldn’t even be compared to beef…its just a meal option more satisfying than some PB options
Article was great until the recommendation of meat was introduced. All meat causes cancer and is not meant to be put into the human body.. all.. there are no exceptions. Grass fed or not you are taking a life, digesting ligaments, flesh, veins, etc. why do you think cancer rose so much after 1930? Meat. These fake meat products are bogus too . Stick to whole, organic, fruits and veggies for a based diet. Argue how you want… eat your meat.. but the price will be paid, that I can assure you. Tested all foods in my system by themselves for over 5 years, analyzed countless combinations DYOR. Can’t save you.. but I can save myself..
Please come to this link and discuss with some ethical Omnivores https://www.facebook.com/beyondmeat/posts/1583728571684357
Yes! yes! Yes! Eating grass-fed beef is far, far healthier. This is a great and well researched article. You may not agree with the author but she is saying important things. Scientific evidence shows consumption of poor quality meats is worse than consumption of high quality foods. Cancer is caused by chemicals, poor eating habits, ill health and poor mental hygiene. Matthew, I just do not agree. My research points to a hunter gatherer diet as being the healthiest. Wild fruits, vegetables and animals. The livestock “industry” is responsible for environmental degradation. We can do far better than that and many people do raise beef in harmony with the environment. There is so much to be done. Let’s work together to improve the worst of industrial agriculture and return to balanced and wholesome foods
I think she is right there is something in them that is unhealthy. I have 4 stage kidney disease. Every time I ate a burger my blood pressure spiked. The ingredients show 380 mg of sodium which is low enough that I should be able to eat. But something is wrong because my blood pressure is through the roof and I am swollen up. They need to take them off the market.
MSG in the will do that!
I will agree, beyond meat, is vegan junk food. Not healthy at all. But for you to blame it for your condition, is ridiculous. “They need to take them off the market”. Are you serious? In that case, they need to take coke, Pepsi, captain crunch, ritz crackers, Breyers ice cream, top ramen, twinkies, little Debbie, Kraft, Post, Heinz, and I could go on. If you have stage 4 kidney disease, that’s a sign your body has had enough of the abuse from all of the foods and drinks you’ve consumed throughout your life. You can’t damage the body for years, then jump on a product that just hit the market and blame it for your health issues.
With your condition, you don’t need ANY junk food. Go plant base. Any junk food is liable to take your health over the top.
Tina, are you referring to the Beyond Burger which spiked your blood pressure? Can you tell me a little more about this. I became vegan (in diet) a couple of months ago to continue to be a good candidate for a family member who has kidney disease. My last evaluation for match showed my own kidneys not operating at a ideal level for a donor. I changed my diet to vegan and significantly increased my water intake and retook the test with flying colors. So I maintained the diet adding a Keto/low carb aspect (I noticed vegan cuisine having a lot of carb ingredients). I’m exploring various alternative meat products and found beyond burger to taste far better then anything else I’ve had even more then the Impossible Burger and it’s relatively low carb. Reading this article makes me a bit concerned and especially your comment.
Listen, grass fed meat is not necessarily bad for you. I am a vegetarian and I know this as a fact. Most Americans eat meat with/for every meal of the day. If you have meat once a week or a few time in a week then it definitely has beneficial aspects to it. Consider that meat has necessary B-12 vitamins that otherwise would have to be extracted in a lab to be added as a supplement. You can buy sustainable meat products but like the author said, it should be local. Nearly all of the meat sold in stores come from a factory farm thousands of miles away from your home and are given hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives and are processed to be unhealthy. Factory farms also ruin topsoil, emmit methane that is a major cause of global warming, and usually intale very inhumane practices. Look into local farms that slaughter humanly and feed healthy diets to their animals.
Yes!! THIS.
First of all, let’s get something right here. Meat is NOT the only source of B-12. I get my B12 from Bran Flakes and other cereals. So please stop with this ridiculous misconception. Second, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HUMANE SLAUGHTER. Murder is murder is murder.
I DO hope you are joking about getting your B-12 from your bran flakes. B-12 is not naturally occurring in grains. Are you not aware that it is most likely a SYNTHESIZED B-12 “supplement”(Synthetic Vitamin B12 – Cobalt and cyanide are fermented to make cyanocobalamin. That’s correct. Cyanide. It is in miniscule amounts, but it is still cyanide.), unless it is the natural desiccated liver powder B-12(cobalmin) supplement, that is ADDED to your bran flakes(even higher amounts are ADDED to vegan fetish-flakes because vegans are more deficient in B-12 than people with a balanced diet)? Enjoy your cyanide or liver bran flakes. CHEERS!
Hahaha, humanely slaughtered. Really? How about I kill someone you love or that is close to you by putting them to sleep. That’s humane. Taking the life of an animal isn’t humane. It just isn’t. There are arguments for both sides but let’s not be ignorant of facts.
Also the author of this blog responds like a little child being told off. It’s very off-putting…
Steve, what you fail to realize is that whether you eat vegan or you eat meat – something dies. Do you eat tofu? What about wheat, corn or canola? Entire species of animals have gone extinct from the growth of these crops. Millions upon millions of animals have been displaced because of these crops. Entire deadzones in the Gulf have been created because of these crops, killing off billions of sea life.
So yeah, I choose the humanely slaughtered cows. You choose the inhumanely slaughtered species that you don’t see, so you can ignore where your food comes from and assume you’re not participating in the death of animals because you have no connection to nature or where/how your food was raised.
My responses are “off putting?” Clearly you’re not used to a woman standing her ground and fighting for what she believes in.
As a woman myself, quite used to standing my ground and fighting for what I believe in, I’d just like to note that I also find your responses childish and “off-putting.” Also, remarkably rude.
If you have to be this defensive and hostile about your food choices, perhaps you’re not as confident in them as you suppose?
The soy and corn is being grown to feed livestock!!! Not people. The percentage of these crops grown to feed people directly is small. Yes, growing all these crops is damaging the environment, but that is just another argument to eat plants directly, instead of feeding 6×12 as many crops to animals to get meat… Yikes I am sorry I wasted my time reading this blog..
that is why frutarians exist. I would say “eat like a Jain” but they use dairy from cows because of the believe in sacred mother cow
I was holding back from responding, but I just can’t help it at this point.
Look ma’am, if I eat an apple off a tree, the tree does not die; but continues to provide more apples for me to eat. Same goes for the corn and wheat, the stocks don’t die, they just replenish the food. Futhermore, if no one eats the food, it falls off the stock and rots anyway.
By your logic, the corn and wheat stocks commit suicide several times throughout the season and must be stopped, and Autumn kills billions of leaves every year and we should do away with it…
Look, eat your meat! We don’t care, just don’t lie to people to try and get them on your team. Mind your business and we’ll mind ours. I think every person who eats a beyond burger knows good and well they aren’t healthy. Same can be said for an Oreo cookie, they’re vegan too ya know.
I could go on and on about this article and your responses, but I’ll get back to my life. Hopefully some vegans took my response to heart.
@Matthew Pickering Thank you!!! This study is CLEARLY bias, and most likely low key funded by the meat/dairy industries. SMH! While I agree that eating Beyond meats may not be healthy, I’m POSITIVE it’s better than consuming dead, rotting cow ass, whether it’s grass fed, grain fed, rbst or whatever toxic crap they may or may claim to not be injecting into the animals. I don’t buy these burgers often, but if I’m going to indulge, I’d much rather eat this, over defensless, enslaved, tortured, and raped animal flesh.
Exactly!
This is clickbait. The article speaks of the BEYOND MEAT BURGER yet, the ingredients being discussed aren’t in the beyond meat burger. It contains PEA protein isolate, there is no soy in the beyond meat burger. It also doesn’t have the titanium dioxide nor the carrageenan she mentions. Again, clickbait.
The facts of the beyond meat burger from an actual vegan, living a real vegan lifestyle to a high percent:
The bleeding factor is creepy, to a vegan it smells like blood and I don’t like it, to a meat eater it smells like a spice and salt.
The texture is extremely realistic, it makes me uncomfortable so I can never finish one anymore. At first, when I was a new vegan, I liked it. But now, It makes it difficult to finish because my mind gets the better of me with images of carcasses, tortured mother cows, and the environment going to waste.
the blood factor is from BEETS. Beets are really good for the human body, and they’re delicious once steamed and sliced. Our society doesnt eat nearly as many beets as it should.
Overall its a good burger, my roomie is making us some right now
any meat is a group 1 carcinogen, so we should eat carcinogens instead carcinogens? seems like you don’t quite have the whole picture, although i do agree these ingredients aren’t great, you also are recommending poison (raise your own chickens)… Its like saying don’t eat sugar its bad for you, hear have this soda. You should educate yourself before you try to attempt to educate somebody else, lest you seem foolish..
Much prefer my Beyond Meat burger. For me its about being ethical and compassionate to animals. Ancestral Nutrition design presents itself as Native American, earthy…but meat is just the opposite. It is destroying our environment and earth which is in opposition to “ancestral” native american.
http://www.pacificcoastcanola.com/expeller-pressed-process/process/
This process doesn’t use the solvent process you describe in your article. Can you confirm that beyond meat uses the process you say they do or do they use this process. I suspect they use this one.
If you read the first lines, then you’ll know this author is bias and just running on his/hers primitive impulses “me want meat, meat is good”…sigh
Could not agree more.
Careful taking any advice here. It is widely biased and based on some highly contentious findings.
I’ll stick to real science. On a side note the authors instinct to attack anyone who disagrees is appalling. Grow up dani.
This article needs to be updated! I love this product and was kind of surprised to read about some of these ingredients so I contacted Beyond Meat and they said:
Thanks for your interest in Beyond Meat. While we certainly stand by our products and their ingredients, we’re always striving to improve upon them. Looking through that article, I noticed several bullet points focusing on ingredients (caramel color and carrageenan among others) that we have removed from our ingredients list. We can’t speak to the motivation of the article or the amount of research done by it’s author but we will always try to be as transparent as possible with all of our products and the ingredients in them. Take a look at our Products page: http://beyondmeat.com/products, and I’d be happy to explain any specific questions you might have about our products or how we make them. I hope this helps!
totally agree with Matthew
You’re both entitled to your wrong opinions.
Arrogance is off putting, yes. Opinions are just that. Neither right, nor wrong. You might learn to disagree without calling someone else wrong, Dani. Maybe you could stand your ground with a little humility and grace.
There is no soy in this product and this article contains so many falsehoods that one can only suspect it was sponsored by the beef industry.
This accusation is so asinine. How exactly would the “beef industry” sponsor me?
ALSO if you even read the article, I do not support or encourage anyone to eat meat from factory farms. I am vehemently against factory farmed, industrialized animal production. Did you not bother to read that part of the article?
I clearly state people should be buying meat from local, organic, grass-fed, family farms. So is it small families who can barely afford to get by that are
“sponsoring” me?
This should go without saying, but please have the mental wherewithal to actually read the article in its entirety prior to commenting.
It is hilarious that you are accusing everyone here who doesn’t eat meat of being ignorant to the effects of monocropping and telling us that we are killing animals too, we just don’t see it. You advocate for local grass-fed beef consumption but have you taken a moment to consider that perhaps most of us who are vegetarian because we care about the environment and the humane treatment of animals are also buying local and organic produce that is sustainably farmed? I grow my own vegetables, no animals are dying to feed me in the summer. In the winter I buy local fruits and vegetables. I don’t believe another animal has to die to sustain my family.
Betsy, I sincerely doubt that you are consuming a diet entirely made up of your backyard veggies in the summer and locally grown fruits and vegetables in the winter. Although I do commend you for growing your own veggies and buying locally in the winter, that’s awesome.
It does indeed have soy.. this is from Beyond meat’s FAQ page “WHAT ARE YOUR PRODUCTS MADE OF?
Our products are made from 100% plant-based inputs such as proteins from peas, faba beans, and soy. They are free of gluten and GMOs.” it’s a MAN made product.. it is the height of processed..as it is a Process to make it.. Hence processed!!.. so in this light its no better than any other man made crap with Added nutrients?? Just a thought.. I think there needs to be a little bit of due dilligence from the people commenting.. This lady posted several links on studies done.. they are RIGHT there within the body of the post!.. she did her due dilligence.. Hmm.. and Sooo many angry people, Near as I can tell this poster that posted this article.. Dani.. are comin off to her as if SHE is the one making this product she just looked into the ingredients each one listed.. and there are a few.. and broke them down and provided studies on each one.. and Just remember.. when the Name calling begins. all intelligent conversation has Left the building it means you have Nothing intelligent to say.. OR you lack the vocabulary to pull off an intelligent coversation.. I just think it’s CHILDISH to attack the poster.. it would seem this is a text book “everyone has opinion’s & Most of them stink”..” or “Opinions are like assholes everyone has one and they ALL stink”.. Either way.. I will NOT be eating Beyond Meat!!
Thank you for your insightful and knowledgeable posts. As a person that grew up on a farm 72 years ago I know you are correct. What I am amazed at- the negative and nasty comments boarding on a type of bullying. We are seeing this like never before in our society. What ever happened to civility? Again thank you.
Thank you Ralph!
because animals and veganism. they are the most bully types, even though they claim meat eating makes one agressive, and claim that is why carnivorous predatory(not scavangers like vulture) animals are “mean”
Everything you said, thank you.
And yet neither you nor Matthew can provide studies demonstrating that a well balanced diet of grass-fed meat, wild seafood, healthy fats and a ton of organic veggies (aka the diet I recommend) causes cancer. There’s a reason for that: they don’t exist.
Of course, they can’t provide you with a study that says “a well balanced diet of grass-fed meat, wild seafood, healthy fats and a ton of organic veggies causes cancer.” This is coming from a vegan. Yes you can eat meat sparingly and live a relatively healthy life. People have done it for centuries. I agree with you. I also agree with you processed foods even “Beyond-Meat” should be eaten sparingly.
That said, is it sustainable for us to support the US population with grass-fed meat? No it is not. Also, just because we have done something for so many years, is it morally justified? No, it is not. Is the production of meat detrimental to the environment? Yes, it is. The American Dietetic Association said that a well-balanced and supplemented Vegan diet is adequate for all stages of life. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19562864.
To present an argument against Beyond-Meat as means to bash Veganism or plant-based living is straw-man argument.
thats because all those studies used a SAD containing both grain fed meats and processed food !!!there has been ZERO study on a whole food, local omnivore diet!!!! EVERY. SINGLE. blue zones group eats animal products- and in large amounts!
Beyond meat ingredients are absolutely terrible, but red meat is cancer causing and is destroying the earth. Neither are good choices for sustainability and neither are healthy so please don’t draw dangerous conclusions like this.
Hahaha, great comment. When I clicked on the article I thought it might be ran by someone that has aboriginal roots but nope just a blonde woman woman with an opinion on a burger that is better for the environment and doesn’t kill animals. So I wasn’t surprised by the article.
Yeah, being a blonde woman means I can’t possibly provide a legitimate argument full of scientific information and ten years worth of experience in nutrition.
According ti everything I read here I won’t live to see forty. I’m eighty and my heart, liver, kidneys and everything else is remarkably healthy. Sorry. I don’t buy any of it.
Dick.
I don’t understand. You lost me when you began to talk about Soy Isolates are bad for you yet I do not see the ingredient mentioned. Do you mean to collapse soy isolates and pea protein isolates as being the same? I am seeking a soy free diet.
I’m confused. Your main argument is about soy protein isolate and how that makes meat substitutes like the “Beyond Burger” bad for our health, but the actual Beyond Burger doesn’t contain soy… I haven’t found anything wrong about eating large amounts of pea protein as long as it’s not genetically modified and sprayed with huge amounts of pesticides. Just not sure why your title is why beyond meat is beyond unhealthy when your main argument regards an unhealthy ingredient that’s not in the primary product discussed. I agree soy not consumed correctly can cause many problems but don’t diss one thing just because of a completely separate non-meat product or products
I will also note that there isn’t any soy in the original Beyond Meat which is the product referred to throughout this post, with Soy being the main focus as a toxic non-sustainable ingredient..
Any who.. this is definitely processed food, I wouldn’t recommend anyone eat this all-day-everyday.
Good day to you all!
Matthew wrote,”Scientific evidence has been accumulating for decades that cancer is more common among people who eat red meat and processed meat. But Correlation is not causation. People have been eating red meat for hundreds of years, yet cancer has been occurring at greater rates than ever before. I don’t know what other foods these red meat eaters are eating, but I think we need to look there instead of what we have been eating for centuries.
Yes! Wonderful point, Ralph!
The cancer is probably coming from wheat as they spray it down with glysophate right before harvest.
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!
One must be extremely ignorant and lack the sense to do thorough research on the issues that are being debated here.
First of all, Beyond Meat products do not contain Soy protein isolates, they do however contain pea protein isolates.
And if you conduct enough research, there is no data stating that eating grass-fed or any other form of beef is healthier. On the contrary!! no plant based meat substitute contains carcinogens such as the ones that beef contains and let’s not get me started on the devastating environmental impact the meat industry creates.
Folk’s delusion about attempting to educate themselves about healthy and not healthy. I for one agree with the author, that processed foods are inherently not as good for you, or the environment, as farm fresh foods from a local farmer. But all of the arguments back and forth miss the biggest point of all – amount of consumption. Red Meat is not going to give you cancer if you eat a properly portioned meal, we consume too much. I take a lot of academia with a grain of salt and look to my elders for clues. Had an aunt that ate eggs, beef, chicken, all the bad veggie recipes, she cooked on a wood fire stove and kept a 5 gallon tub of lard next to her stove. Lived in her house and died at 87. She worked, no toiled, everyday in her garden to sustain herself. She could eat that way because she lived that way. You CANNOT transpose that way of eating to a modern suburban life that ‘works’ at a computer. Exercising an hour a day and resting the rest is not the way we were built. So I try and live the best way I can and sustain my family the best way I can. You want to eat less, be a part of the food chain. Hunt and process your own wild game. Its work, you will not waste anything. Raise your own cow, even if it is for meat, that cows life will be better than any on a feedlot and will taste better. I am a little biased, but I firmly believe that most self proclaimed vegans and vegetarians are bored people with no real purpose in life or they are angry trying to fill a void that modern life has created. If you choose not to eat meat as a personal choice by all means do so, but trying to change culture to reflect your viewpoints, that’s where I lose all respect. Everything in moderation – Be Healthy.
Not all meat eaters eat processed meat. The argument here is for the type of diet we have been farming and eating for tens of thousands of years NOT for modern processed meat. Nor is the argument that you should eat red meat all the time it clearly says to eat a local and seasonal diet.
You have pigs for food waste, chickens for eggs, meat and veg garden pest control. Local game during season, same with fish. Seasonal nuts too. The amount of actual red meat you eat is very limited. Processed meat would be almost non-existant and traditional such as bacon, sausages and salami to use up by product waste or longevity.
Why on earth are so many people not getting this. This is how the Victorians lived and they recycled 99% of everything without producing by products and polluting whilst they did it. The industry was seperate. There is enough space too. Do the actual maths of the number of people and the amount of arable land. Use a traditional 4-8 acre plot per extended family. The land is hidden by the rich, its all public knowledge. In the UK 17% of our country is covered by shooting ranges! DO NOT use industry standards for farming thats not how we should live.
Vegans are lazy and want a quick fix, there isn’t one. We all need to do more and that doesn’t mean spend more on nonsense products that don’t follow sustainable farming models. It means growing and rearing your own food like a natural human being, the same way we have since the stone age. But by all means say that thousands of years of humanity across every continent are wrong and that we are living in some miraculous enlightened period of history and technology.
This is an obvious hit piece by the meat industry. And the contents is highly inaccurate. It was coddled together looking for the absolute most negative context and tried to come off as being written by someone who is am expert. I won’t point out the fallacies because the author will just then correct them to cover up the fact that again this was a cobbled up hit piece. Someone’s feeling threatened to write such a flim flam article. But the idiocy and non scentific and non medical background stand out. For example, I’ll give a hint to one example, omega 3s. Those that know the science will identify immediately this guy is just cobbling together information and doesn’t himself understand it. The errors are egregious and make it clear that this guy is a sham.
Soy boy!
Why is the author commenting on replies calling people idiots.
I believe the take away here is that Beyond Meat, as well as Impossible Burger and other “fake meats” use ingredients that are or require the use of harmful chemicals during processing. This alone degraded that perceived health benefits one would otherwise assume from a non meat food. I will also note that many common foods, be it drinks, deserts, or meat products also use these ingredients, though generally in lower quantities than meat substitutes do. Noting past research that suggests a diet high in red meat may increase your cancer risk, let it be observed that first, eating vegetation is of course safer than eating anything chemically processed, and second, vegetation and meat products, regardless of red meat vs other meat introduce varying risk dependent upon their exposure to harmful chemicals. Sweet Corn, for example, utilizes pesticides that during normal field use are quite safe, yet when sprayed just before harvest (to aid in the drying process, to avoid molds and fungi) introduces undiluted quantities (both from heavier coverage and from the lack or normal dissipation and natural rain and dew rinsing) often more than 80 times the limits federal safety standards allow. Similar contamination is introduced as feed to many of the meats sold as food as well as affecting many fruits and vegetables. Food, especially from the US, is rarely the safest source, though some other countries use some nasty stuff that we don’t allow here. In short, no one is perfect and we need tighter controls on everything used within food raising and processing environments, as it is the more from the compound effect of contamination that harms us, rather than one individual layer, which in itself often passes the existing safety checks.
After reading your article and the comments, I have respect and will come back often. I want to commend you on your patience. So many ‘true believers’ who I doubt will ever learn anything of value, yet will never doubt their ‘virtue’….smh.
ahh so you get to the end and realize that this is one hell of a biased article.
Thank you Matthew. What a ridiculous article that has not shown one fact on why or what causes cancer in Beyond Burgers. And I guarantee 3 yrs later since she blogged this ridiculousness, she still can’t find any real reason. Sounds like a paid opportunist for the Meat Industry that is an actual carcinogen. SMDH.
Beyond Meat doesn’t use msg. Look at their FAQ’s before trying to advocate for eating a living being: a mom, a daughter, a being that has feelings & is slaughtered for your taste buds. Try watching What The Health.
Xo
What The Health is the most ridiculous, inane, inaccurate pile of garbage I’ve ever seen.
https://robbwolf.com/2017/07/03/what-the-health-a-wolfs-eye-review/
Also they LITERALLY list autolyzed yeast extract, which is MSG, on their ingredient labels. Are you just choosing to ignore that fact?
Also – a mom, a daughter, a living being was slaughtered for your tastebuds too. Millions of animals are killed a year to create these fake meat products. Entire species have been displaced to grow coy, corn, wheat, legumes. Millions of field mice are murdered every week to plow the fields. There are entire dead zones, one of the size of Rhode Island in the gulf, because of the runoff of fertilizer to grow the soy and corn and wheat and beans you so arrogantly eat, while you look down your nose at people who acknowledge the fact that for us to eat – something must die. We just choose to eat in a way with the most realistic compassion. I’d rather eat an animal raised with respect and love from a local farmer, that was killed honorably and painlessly – than eat a fake meat burger that killed millions of animals in its production.
Try reading The Vegetarian Myth.
This is the most fake answer and pile of garbage I have read about veganism!!!!! Arguing against vegetables growing!!! Which planet are you from?? Who pays you to write this?? You are completely weird!
I am weird, but I’m not arguing against vegetables growing.
This article was listing things that were not on the ingredient label
The ingredient labels are clearly listed above. Everything I discussed was on the Beyond Meat ingredient labels.
childish vegan
I find you a disgusting person. While I dont agree with your views I would at least respect them if you would argue your point of view properly. Instead you are just writing lies upon lies over and over.
Are you seriously using the argument that animals die while we plow the soil as an argument in FAVOR of meat? I understand its hard when you have not opened a single book on biology, but animals have to eat too.
The MAJORITY of soy grown are used to feed the animals that go into your beef. So claiming that veganism/vegetarianism is bad because you have to plow some fields tell me you either dont care about what is true at all, or you are simply too stupid to understand how the world works.
Everything you listed in your post happens to make room for beef production, but somehow you are incapable of honesty, and have you lie and say somehow those choosing NOT to eat meat is reponsible.
You’re really going to use this stale Rob Wolf stuff? common? this really made this a remedial thread of anthropometric BS.
would you kill them yourself if it came down to it? be honest? Ever read the book ‘Sapiens’? might help
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/myths-and-misconceptions-msg
Yeast extract IS NOT MSG!!! And you do realise that these products are made to replace sausages, hotdogs and burgers?? Not grass-finished steak? Processed meat is utter garbage and is listed as a class 1 carcinogen on WHO. You are so so confused…
“..grow the soy and corn and wheat and beans you so arrogantly eat, while you look down your nose at people who acknowledge the fact that for us to eat..” Says Dani, arrogantly. lol, I had to make a joke before writing more.
Have you thought that it’s possible other people are ignorant of the facts you know? Speaking down to someone to let them know they’ve been speaking down to you or others is equal to encouraging the behavior continue.
The real issue isn’t about whether processed vegan food is more healthy than unprocessed or humanely treated animals before they’re slaughtered. That’s going to lead to a big disagreement,to more separation,to more conflict. That’s the kind of spirit that war is created from.
I landed here because a fellow Chef friend of mine sent me the link. I had reposted an article about vegan products going up in sales recently and was excited about it, and to me that served as a slice of proof that people as a whole were moving towards a more healthy diet. I found this article informative (def. biased) but didn’t hold much I didn’t already know.
I personally don’t indulge much in processed foods, sometimes I give myself a little treat of things I crave from when I was a kid. My goal is to one day eat all natural. I hear you with all you wrote. You have some well formed ideas.
Your tone though..
I feel that processed foods in general are not the healthiest option all across the board (veg and animal). Do you purchase every single piece of animal product from a humane source? And what do you consider “humane”, are you referring to the label or are you visiting these farms and seeing for yourself?
Have you ever heard the phrase “food for thought”? Well how about this one.. We take in, not only food, drink and air, we also take in thoughts, words and energy. By the energy you’re putting out in this message, I can tell the kind of energy you’re consuming (whether it be through your food, your water, emotions or your thoughts – or a mix of it all).
Wishing you well.
This is a topic I’m really passionate about and I implore you to ask yourself if you’d have this same response to a man. I think your comment has a lot of great points that I will definitely consider.
Are you seriously playing victim now that someone exposed you? Pulling out the woman card, pathetic.
What the health has even been debunked by vegans lol Head over here to continue this discussion https://www.facebook.com/beyondmeat/posts/1583728571684357
Just the oils and soy they use are toxic altogether trust me I was excited to try but honestly grass fed beef is better since u can control what good oils u use
So your own research and u will see as I have the oils and other ingredients on this article are not better for u. But to each his own. I know it’s tasty but think twice
MSG is in almost 100% of processed foods. It has many names. Do you think that every carnivore on earth who eats another living animal is a monster? Do you also think that the plants herbivores eat are not also alive? Listen, the root of most of the problems on earth are overpopulation. When are we going to address this issue??? There is a lot of truth to the movie “Idiocracy”.
Now this is where I draw the line. Animals have feelings yes, but to view them as mums, daughters is just been silly. Am guessing you are the product raised on Disney, everyone holding hands and skipping along in buttercup fields. Look to your ancestors, no diabetes, very low cancer rate and they ATE MEAT. The answer is moderation, moderation, moderatio. Person A may eat meat but eats meat once a week, does not drink alcohol does not smoke snacks on fruit and nut, works on his/her farm and this is the routine all their lives. Then person B does not eat meat (like yourself) because they have feelings for cowlina and her family. but they drink alcohol (always claim to have had 1 unit or 1glass of wine) smokes, lives in a polluted environment, does a desk job, has other stressors of modern city life, now tell me which would have a better health.
Fyi, ‘grass-fed beef’ is only ‘finished’ by cows eating grass. They’re taken out to eat a few meals of grass before they’re slaughtered, but are fed corn 90% of their lives, and living in squalor immediately prior to that. do some homework on that. Real homework. Not stuff funded by the beef industries themselves. Those cows are unfortunately not roaming freely in pastures for years an years. This is one of those fairytale buzzwords / images we glom onto….’Grass fed beef’. Its all marketing to sell you crap that’s still awful for you, but just sounds better. Trust me. i was an Art director in advertising for 14 years in NYC. I’ve been privy to shit I wish I never saw or heard. Its all the same garbage.
That’s not only wildly inaccurate, it’s idiotic. I’d use the term ignorant, but clearly you have every means to educate yourself on the topic and choose not to.
Grass-fed meat from local farmers, as I discussed in the article, constitutes cows actually fed grass and out on pasture. Being an art director in NYC has literally nothing to do with this topic and shows the depth of your ignorance on it. This comment actually infuriates because it’s so unintelligent and disrespectful to farmers.
I have met so many farmers that have family run businesses, they work their asses off from dawn till dusk taking care of their animals. These animals live on pasture, they’re outside everyday. These farmers occasionally give the animals feed that may include grains (like in winter), but the vast majority of their lives – they’re out on pasture.
These people don’t have money for advertising budgets. They don’t advertise outside of their family run Facebook page, or linking up with other farmers in the community, or farmers markets. They couldn’t tell you what a “buzzword” was – and they don’t care. They’re not the beef industry, which you would know if you had even the slightest idea of what you’re talking about. They are small, family run farms. They’re doing good work. They’re doing hard work that you could never even begin to imagine at your cushy art job, with the audacity to think you have any idea about these people.
You, a woman who has never met these hard working people. Never cared to know them, to find out where your food comes from. Never participated in the process of growing food. It’s arduous. These people work hard. This is their lives, it’s their livelihood, it’s how they take care of their children. And you dare make up this ridiculous narrative that they don’t feed their cattle grass? That they mistreat them? That they’re not actually out on pasture? Go to any farmers market and talk to the mothers and fathers selling their meat to put their kids through college. They’re going to laugh in your face.
I don’t say this lightly, you should be ashamed of yourself.
No one is doubting the integrity of “free range” farmers. It is apparent you have some relation to them, your family assuming, as the cloud of personal bias is looming largely around your words… There are enough non government sponsored replicated studies out there to make it easy to ignore opinion pieces clouted in personal attachment heh..
The only relation I have to farmers is that they FEED ME. Which I think is pretty important. My family are city people.
Unlike most people, and people commenting on this article in particular, I have met the people that grow my food. I’ve seen the process, the animals, the farm, the work. I’ve even seen my previous farmer get shut down by the FDA for selling raw milk. They raided his house in the middle of the night and woke up his eight kids, one of which was just a few weeks old.
It seems like I can’t win with you guys. You want studies so I provide them, then you bash them for being “government sponsored.” Which doesn’t even make sense. I also provided studies from Harvard and other various institutions and showed how canola oil is made – guess you’re all just going to ignore that?
90% of their life in a feed lot? Really? This is the most idiotic comment I’ve ever read on the internet. It takes about 60 seconds of research to realise that even grain-finished cows spend about 80% of their life in the field eating grass, and are only moved to the feedlot in the last few months to fatten them up. Grass-finished is exactly the same (often with better grazing management), except the feedlot is skipped entirely, and they’re left in the field to eat grass for a few extra months until they reach the desired weight (except in colder climates, where alternate grain-free feed is sometimes required for a few months in winter). How do I know this? I hop in my small pickup, drive to the lake to do some fishing, and on the way home I stop at a farm where I fill my cooler, see the cows, and talk to the fucking farmer. How do I know the farmer is telling the truth about what the cows eat? I buy suet once a year, which I then render into tallow, for use in cooking. It renders out to be a rich yellow once hardened. That only comes about when the cow eats a diet of mostly grass, which is rich in beta-carotene. Grains are low in beta-carotene, so fat from grain-finished beef renders out to be pure white when solidified. I know because I’ve also rendered grain-finished tallow when I was in a pinch.
Thanks for the article on The Beyond Meat products. Seems as though you’re caught in a vicious cycle of supporting sustainable farmers who produce high quality meat, while maintaining ethical practices in caring for their cattle versus the vegan community. At no point did I see this article as being against vegetables. But somehow it’s quickly gotten muddied with black and white verbaige debating Grass-Fed versus Vegan Life-Style, as if the two are opposing. I literally read the article to figure out why I developed a major stomach ache with cramping and bloating after consuming The Beyond Meat Burger, which I assumed was healthy. I wanted to know if others had experienced similar symptoms. Thank you for the detailed ingredient list. I now see why I had such a bad reaction to this fake meat. I’ve never had the same physical reaction from grass-fed ground beef, thus I will continue to eat grass-fed, when in the mood for a burger. I rarely have stomach problems when I consume non-processed vegatables as well (broccoli and corn can cause some pain though.)
Furthermore, the fact that I occasionally eat beef does not negate in anyway the importance I place on the consumption of plant based foods. More importantly, NON-PROCESSED FOODS. Let’s focus on what the article initially meant to impart, to shed light on The Beyond Meat products, and what actually goes into them and the process in which they are made, to a degree. To comment on the misrepresentation of the author’s intent seems to be a bullying tactic or merely a distraction. What is the reason for the distraction? To support the continued sales of The Beyond Meat products possibly?? Hmmmmmmmm……
That was supposed to be a thumbs up.
I agree with Dani and not with the author.
So I’m your opinion we should just eat dead rotting flesh?
No, we should eat the fresh flesh of animals grown in a healthy, respectful manner from local farmers. Eating anything rotten isn’t a good idea, obviously.
Animal flesh starts to rot seconds after it’s cut. Grass fed or not. Frozen or not. I’m sure you’re gut really loves that.
Yeah, that’s not how food works.
why do we have to cook it, when other carnivores and omnivores don’t?
Umm where does it say soy protein?
Also you’re dreaming if you think there is enough loca grass fed cattle or land to do so to feed the whole world’s population..
But mostly vegan meat is for not killing animals…
Literally says “soy protein isolate” on the ingredient list for the grilled chicken strips. Glad to see you didn’t actually read the article.
There’s not currently enough local, grass-fed cattle to feed the world but if we switched from a CAFO model to grass-fed model, this is not only possible, but AMAZING for the environment.
Vegan meat kills thousands of animals. Millions, even. Entire herds of wild buffalo have been displaced for your soy, wheat and corn. Field mice are killed when those fields are plowed – millions upon millions of them. Just because you don’t see all the animals killed to get your fake meat, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You’re just arrogantly blind to it.
Okay, I think you need to calm down. You keep coming out with ‘Vegan Meat Kills thousands of animals”.
You do know what most soy, corn and wheat is grown for, right?
You would need an awful lot of vegan-animal slaughtering individuals to even begin to account for about 1% of the crops you are talking about.
I think calling everyone who posits a counter point to you as blindly ignorant is a bit unnecessary.
I have studied extensively food production and am a dear friend of Professor Colin Tudge, who I’m sure you’ve read. And we actually had a chat about your positions on this and they are wildly mixed-up.
There are a lot of possibly unnecessary ingredients in the beyond products, that’s for sure, but to extrapolate that a vegan lifestyle is responsible for the industrial mono-crops that are killing eco-systems is insane. The destruction of the rain forests was initiated by that vegan MONSTER McDonalds back in the day and then continued by Palm Oil growers, Corn mono-crops and soy.
A large majority of this was a mis-guided attempt to come up with replacements for fossil fuels, corn for ethanol and biofuels, Palm for pretty much any soap and cleaning product and soy for animal feed and paints, rubber, plastics glue I think as well. I think about 5-6% of the soy crop is used for human food.
You cloud your other health point by this absurd tack about the vegan destroyers of habitats. And of course you don’t really deal with the ethical issue of breading cattle, which is kind of against nature (cows are in some sense genetically modified to be so) in the first place.
Re: “You do know what most soy, corn and wheat is grown for, right?”
Which is why in the article, and numerous times throughout the comments section, I only recommend and encourage people to purchase grass-fed beef from local farmers. I feel like I’ve made that abundantly clear.
Re: “You would need an awful lot of vegan-animal slaughtering individuals to even begin to account for about 1% of the crops you are talking about.”
Oh yeah? Where’d you come up with that statistic?
Re: “I think calling everyone who posits a counter point to you as blindly ignorant is a bit unnecessary.”
I do not do this. Just some people. The blatantly ignorant commenters.
Re: “…but to extrapolate that a vegan lifestyle is responsible for the industrial mono-crops that are killing eco-systems is insane…You cloud your other health point by this absurd tack about the vegan destroyers of habitats.”
Actually, it’s reality. The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is caused by runoff from soy, corn, wheat and canola crops. Staples of vegan diets. The nitrogen and phosphorous from the fertilizer used on these monocrops has literally created a dead zone.
https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/deadzone/index.html
https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/areas/gulfofmexico/explore/gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone.xml
Your argument against me would potentially be relevant if I were arguing in favor of all meat, which I’ve made abundantly clear that I am not. I support small, local, sustainable grass-fed farmers. Not CAFOs. You really have no argument against me.
‘Re: “You would need an awful lot of vegan-animal slaughtering individuals to even begin to account for about 1% of the crops you are talking about.”
Oh yeah? Where’d you come up with that statistic?’
Okay, just tidying up some of your points. The 1% is a bit of a guess but probably an over-estimate. It is estimated that direct human consumption of soybean production is between 5-6%. That’s all human food that is derived from soy production, tofu, soybean themselves, soy milk, soy sauce etc. 70-75% is animal feed (“BUT I DON’T ADVOCATE THAT I ONLY WANT PEOPLE TO EAT GRASS-FED….”, I know, that’s really not my point). The rest is soybean oil for biofuels, or soy which is used in other industrial processes.
Of that, given the fact that estimates of vegetarian diets across the world is about half a billion (there are many estimates out there, they range from 375 to 600m or so) out of a population of 7.6bn, vegetarians (which includes vegans) are 15%.
So 15% of 6% is about 1%. I did say ‘about 1%’.
So, if you are still with me, to say that it is vegetarians that are responsible for soybean mega production and the associated nitrate etc run off, is blatant lunacy.
It’s profitable and it happens mainly because of the biochemical and livestock industries. So if, everyone started eating the Beyond Meat burger tomorrow (something I am obviously not advocating, the only product of theirs that contains soy is the chicken strips I think) instead of beef these soy crops would disappear.
You keep conflating different strands of your arguments.
Anyway, I just thought I’d answer where I got the 1% from.
“purchase grass-fed beef from local farmers”
Again, why suggest something that is nearly impossible? Such a tiny percent of the population has access to this kind of meat that it’s a ridiculous suggestion.
Your correct that animals die in the harvesting of soy, wheat, corn etc. But the vast majority of all that is feeding the animals that you eat. It would be far more sustainable and economical if that food was used to feed people instead of animals.
Did you even read the article? I don’t eat animals fed soy, corn or wheat. I exclusively eat beef from my local, grass-fed farmer. This is what I encourage others to do as well, which makes your entire argument invalid.
And the lies keep coming. You have already been told multiple times here that there simply isnt enough room that local grass fed animals are even remotely a viable option. But you just keep repeating yourself.
In other words, you are just a dishonest person not interested in truth.
I admit upfront that I am far from an expert, but I think some wires are getting crossed here in the debate within these comments. On one hand we have an author who is encouraging people to eat locally raised, free-range, grass-fed beef. On the other hand we have a majority of responses from people who wish to eat no meat. The author and the responders are at times blurring the line a little between beef, and other forms of animal farming. The author is claiming that the responders are overlooking her disapproval of factory farming, by indicating that corn and soy crops are problematic and primarily fed to livestock. Lets step back one second. Soy enriches the soil with nitrogen, which corn strips the soil of. The soy subsidy is there, but it’s a damage control based measure because the corn subsidy is much higher. This is why Kellogg’s created Morning Star, is it not? The author took at least one cheap shot at a commenter who pointed out that vegetarians are not responsible for the vast majority of corn being grown (let’s set aside soy for one moment), because the commenter used a vague statistic. The point of the commenter was to say that vegetarians are nowhere near the primary reason so much corn and soy is grown in the US. The point of the author was to say that grass-fed free-range locally grown beef is ideal for health. These perspectives are not necessarily opposing. However, the elephant in the room is pig farming. Pigs are horrible for the environment, even wild boars in their natural habitat, and they are the main consumers of all that corn. All this argument boils down to is the question of which is worse for our health and the environment, processed food or meat. The author wants us to see that there is a good-to-bad meat spectrum, if you will, but her breakdown of all these chemical processes has brought about a lot of bad blood and made people question her sources, although it’s more her conclusions which are most questionable, along with her blaming vegetarians for all that hog corn. Now, simmer down…lets continue…
FYI, the chicken strips are discontinued, so the soy point is mute, but at the same time, give them a break! Meatless options are a new concept, that they are developing and re-developing to bring balence to health, taste, sustainability, and environmental impact. That’s more than the meat industry can say, when they have been around WAY longer, yet meat is getting less healthy (all the horrible things they feed/pump into animals these days), it’s not sustainable (uses to many resources and doesn’t can’t even feed everyone), doesn’t always taste good, and is HUGELY hard on the environment…what are they doing to change some of these things, not a heck of a lot, and they have had way more time! So instead of being so critical of a company trying to offer ethical/tasty/sustainable alternatives, maybe be more critical of long term industries who are hard on our health, ethics, and the environment, and are doing little to correct that…
Stop with the bullshit. You idiots are obviously trying to discredit the plant-based/vegan industry with the fluff piece. Please, stop. It’s pathetic.
Sure, legitimate scientific research and years of common sense be damned!
“legitimate scientific research”
BWAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAAAHAAAAA!!!!
Collaborative discourse is educational, anger is fear. Every argument thas a counterpoint, here are the details on MSG or what you believe to be yeast extract.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/yeast-extract/
I was vegan for 12 years. Vegans are so stuck in a certain zealotry mindset. With all these horror snuff documentaries about Industrial meat/dairy farming coming out, you are buying into one sided narratives and are suffering extreme cognitive dissonance when it comes to anything outside your beliefs and what is constantly being rammed into your heads by all this pain and suffering…. Imagine if we made snuff films like these to “tell the truth” about child abuse or domestic violence so we could all be aware of what really goes on? But its ok for us to show snuff films about animals being abused? Speciest much? Maybe ppl should visit some small farms and actually see how well animals are looked after. How they frolick and are kept warm at night, fed and patted. How veternarians come to check and care for pregnant moms. All agriculture is a bit weird I must admit. But at this time in the world its what humans rely on for food. These ruminant friends would die in the wild and or get diseases. They would have their bodies teased and ripped apart by other wild animals. Constantly in survival mode as they are prey…Or barely exist as they do today if we hadn’t bred them over thousands of years from wild ruminants…Being on a healthy farm is a lot more of an easy life. I’m also not for the killing of wild animals to protect farm animals. Not all farmers do. One size will never fit all. Stop using your one sided narratives to plaster all over everything. Allllllll food production comes at a price. Nature is incredibly cruel and also incredibly cooperative. Humans are nature too! We have eaten meat for a recordable 2.6 million years! Suddenly all meat is bad?! Hahahahaha please… get outside your idealism. There is a huge picture to fathom here. Peace
Why are they talking about soy! There is non in thee burger! Wow this has so been sponsored by the meat industry! It has pea protein! Not soy!!!!
I am taking about soy because it’s very clearly in the chicken strips, which you’d know if you bothered to read the article.
Saying this is sponsored by the meat industry is not just ridiculous, it’s straight up dumb. I clearly bash the meat industry and CAFO farms and recommend eating grass-fed meat from local pasture based farms.
This article leaves people at minimum, misinformed and at best, confused.
If you are going to talk about Beyond Meat and begin the first sentence referring to the burger, with a image of the burger packaging, followed by the ingredients of the burger, it makes no sense to then dedicate the post to trashing things that actually aren’t in the burger.
If you are going to trash a food, whether it is canola oil or anything else, you need compose sentence structures that state what it is and why it is bad. Its great you think canola oil is bad. In some was it is. In other ways its not. Context matters and you provide none.
Processed soy – lay it out! You had a great shot here aside from focusing on a product that doesn’t have it. I agree, but not because I found your blog. You make no real case other than to give your own opinion and some anecdotes with casual references. There is great science on this. Quote it.
In closing, I don’t get it. Aren’t you marketing something? I LOVE vegan food that tastes like meat. Why are you judging that as creepy? Its not.
Soy is not terrible for you. Tofu is eaten a lot in Japan than they have a longer life expectancy than most of the us, except for the seventh day Adventist. You have to eat 11 blocks worth of tofu a day for months to show any growth of cancer cells.
Why are you so angry? Insulting anyone with a different opinion than you. If you were afraid of feedback, or couldn’t handle it, just delete your post instead of being nasty.
Also, fyi, soy is grown a lot on the same soil as tomatoes, corn, etc. Because it replenishes the nutrients in the ground. The amish have been doing it for decades. It doesn’t take up extra space at all.
vegans are so blatantly dumb it is insane
Perhaps you should add a description of the pros and cons of pea protein isolate, that’s what the burgers are made of and that’s what’s in the news. It seems cowardly not to do so. I personally won’t touch anything with pea protein as because of detrimental effects on gut health of legumes, also soy. Yes, I full heartedly agree with you on grass fed/grass finished, wild caught, etc.
I hadn’t thought to do the pros/cons of pea protein, that’s a great idea. Not sure how that’s cowardly, maybe you meant to use a different word.
I agree that you should discuss the “Pea” protein isolate. Good? Bad? Neutral? Yes, soy is bad but it was the main ingredient in only 1 of the 4 products you listed (the Chicken strips). Thanks.
The first rule of nutrition probably should be, never speak in absolutes.
To quote the author:
” there is NO LEGITIMATE STUDY that proves that eating grass-fed meat in addition to plant based foods (veggies in particular) is EVEN SLIGHTLY UNHEALTHY. IT LITERALLY DOES NOT EXIST.”
Wow. You are dead wrong.
And while neither you, nor I have or ever could begin to crack the surface of the number of nutritional studies published in a given year, let alone, in all existence, we don’t have to.
There ACTUALLY IS a non-profit organization that does exactly that: https://nutritionfacts.org.
I sincerely, request that you, Dani, spend even ONE HOUR reviewing this website and the information presented on the ACTUAL STUDIES that DO EXIST and refute your sometimes outdated and selectively reviewed, claims.
Before you dive into THE FACTS, though, I want to point out that your blog post began by excoriating, very specifically, the Beyond Burger. And since I love the Beyond Burger, specifically, and since your whole post was aimed directly at the Beyond Burger, I find it interesting that your first “beef” is with, soy.
And while your argument against soy MAY be valid, IT ISN’T EVEN LISTED as an ingredient in the Beyond Burger.
You included the ingredients for the “chicken strips”, to validate your #1 supporting evidence for why the Beyond Burger is beyond unhealthy. Meat advocates probably didn’t notice since meat wasn’t the first ingredient.
You quickly moved on to canola oil. Everything you reference can be corroborated by scientific studies. Yet, the Beyond Burger contains, EXPELLER PRESSED canola oil. EPCO is not processed the same way as the highly refined canola oils found in mainstream grocery stores. Maybe you knew this, maybe not.
Yeast extract. Your argument is a bit misleading and beyond the scope of my lunch hour to debunk.
The very complex debate surrounding glutamates and whether or not yeast extract is Monosodium Glutamate in disguise NOTWITHSTANDING (shall we throw in the highly concentrated glutamates found in meat, mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, etc.?), millions of people are still clinging like a lifeboat, to one particular study, that was published when Duran Duran was still topping the charts.
See the first rule of nutrition mentioned above. Time marches on.
The great MSG debate has undergone a DECADES long tug-o-war in terms of scientific research.
Check the facts: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/update-on-msg.
While I have eaten a strictly vegan diet for a little more than a year, I do not pretend to have perfect health. I have Celiac disease and suffer from gastrointestinal inflammation on a daily basis. I try to eat whole, unprocessed foods at every meal.
Then again, I don’t write books or blogs denouncing grass-fed beef and how it ravages your body. Why?
Because, while the longevity and nutrition science currently favors veganism, more and more research is pointing to the unhealthy balance of flora in the microbiotic biome of our digestive systems as the catalyst for pretty much everything deadly to humans.
Check out nutritionfacts.org for a non-biased analysis of EVERY nutritional study published annually.
To quote you,
“” there is NO LEGITIMATE STUDY that proves that eating grass-fed meat in addition to plant based foods (veggies in particular) is EVEN SLIGHTLY UNHEALTHY. IT LITERALLY DOES NOT EXIST.”
Wow. You are dead wrong.”
Okay – if I’m dead wrong, provide me with that study. You didn’t because you can’t.
Nutritionfacts.org is a joke. It’s also the opposite of unbiased, it’s run by a vegan doctor who cherry picks his studies and information to fit his agenda – while ignoring a large body of research indicating otherwise. It’s should be renamed veganpropaganda.org because that’s all it is.
Re: MSG – I can’t. You have no idea what you’re talking about concerning glutamate, naturally occurring glutamate, monosodium glutamate, etc. Just so you know – glutamate in tomatoes is fine – monosodium glutamate created in a lab is bad. I can’t have a debate with someone who has no understanding of basic nutritional information.
I mean this in the nicest way possible and I hope you take my advice, if you are suffering from GI inflammation on a daily basis, it’s absolutely because of your diet and you need to change it. Veganism is clearly not working for you AND THAT’S OKAY. You’re not a failure or a bad person if it doesn’t work for you. I am happy to chat with you about ways to improve and reduce your inflammation and heal your GI tract. Seriously. I’m here to help.
You’re such an ignorant person yourself. Everything you said to ‘refute’ his claim she can be said about you. Vegan doctors cherry pick their studies and carnivores cherry pick their studies. This is just human nature. In the end you pick your battle. As far as GI, Ive had problems all my life and I ate a lot of animal products. Since I’ve gone vegan my symptoms lessened. Most of your arguments are not well thought through and I can literally smell your bias. Just think about what you’re saying. If grass fed beef is so sustainable tell me why we have so many factory farms around the world? Oh and in terms of health, why is it that people who suffer from gout are advices by their doctors to abstain from red meats in particular? I guess they’re all dumb right? If meat is so healthy how come other cultures and even tribes who eat very little to no meat don’t have our western problems? Why is it that even the FDA warns for too much meat? I don’t see a warning against too much broccoli and legumes. furthermore there are numerous of studies that stars that phytoestrogens in soy does not interfere with
In soy products do not interfere with human estrogen . That said there’s is actual estrogen in animal products. I bet you didn’t think about this. The said Asian countries have been eating soy for thousands of years. Overall breast and prostate (which are hormone driven cancers) cancer rates are lower compared to western countries. Interesting isn’t it? So soy doesn’t seem to be a problem. Maybe if you eat 2 lbs of soy every day the phytoestrogens might interfere with our human estrogen. Moreover when you heat up meat, which is the only way we humans can tolerate it, it becomes carcinogenic. This is a fact. It’s a fact and not some vegan pushed agenda. Conventional science has known this fact for decades which is why doctors always say don’t eat too much meat. No one ever said don’t eat too much plant based products. As to the beyond burger yes I agree it’s unhealthy junk food.
And before you start replyOmg think about this:
Imagine someone would open a dog meat restaurant. Wouldn’t you agree that people would be disgusted? Why is that? It’s just meat. Pigs and dogs and cows are all the same thing – sentient beings. I cannot for the life of me understand how one can promote eating meat after carefully thinking about this. We humans literally raise animals just to kill them. This is not symbiotic this is exploitative in this day and age where we have access to alternatives. Imagine an alien race enslaving your family, feeding them shit food so they can kill them at some point to have a nice dinner. Would you like it? We would be regarded as inferior to them just like we think animals are below us and somehow this is an excuse for enslaving and killing them. Dude use your brain and think critically. I don’t care what one eats really but at least be honest about what you’re saying. Stop that cognitive dissonance BS. If I google meat health risks, phytoestrogens soy health risks etc. I get a multitude of studies for and against meat/soy. So whose actually cherry picking? Vegans or meat eaters? Do you see the problem here?
Glutamate consumed in foods is not an excitotoxin (except in really high concentrations) and doesn’t penetrate the blood brain barrier.
“Glutamate concentration in brain interstitial fluid is only a fraction of that of plasma and is maintained fairly independently of small fluctuations in plasma concentration.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10736373
“The fundamental reason is that glutamate is metabolically compartmentalized in the body, and generally does not passively cross biologic membranes. Hence, almost no ingested glutamate/MSG passes from gut into blood, and essentially none transits placenta from maternal to fetal circulation, or crosses the blood-brain barrier. Dietary MSG, therefore, does not gain access to brain. Overall, it appears that normal dietary MSG use is unlikely to influence energy intake, body weight or fat metabolism.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24927698
“Glutamate in high doses as gavage or parenteral injection have been reported to produce neurodegeneration in infant rodents. The neurodegeneration was not produced when glutamate was given with food.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18341218
“This organization does not allow net glutamate entry to the brain; rather, it promotes the removal of glutamate and the maintenance of low glutamate concentrations in the ECF. This explains studies that show that the BBB is impermeable to glutamate, even at high concentrations, except in a few small areas that have fenestrated capillaries (circumventricular organs).”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136011/
“Infusion of glutamate to create high plasma concentrations did not result in greater spread of [14C]glutamate beyond the immediate vicinity of the circumventricular organs.”
https://link-springer-com.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/article/10.1007/BF00583389
Since you will certainly toss out some super reactive and condescending response (does this blog get hits purely because you’re a jerk?) about the circumventricular organs (CVO) being affected, they are protected from neurotoxicity (although they don’t know quite why):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4342738/
Although, apparently injecting msg in the amount of 4/mg per gram of body weight in newborn rats caused damage and alterations in the CVO organs, but if you do the math on that, (453 grams in a pound, average human weight is 137 pounds, multiply those and then multiply that by 4) you get an equivalent dose of 248244mgs of MSG – big surprise that consuming half a pound of MSG might cause some damage in your body.
https://link-springer-com.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/article/10.1007/BF01929919
Anyway, just some studies for you to peruse when you’re not too busy freaking the fuck out on people in your comments section. I’m not saying MSG is good for you (too much seems to be bad for your liver and pancreas), but as far as the research shows, it’s fairly safe in modest amounts.
i have GI issues too almost every morning and they are on the increase. I do not prefer to eat animals or animal products though. What do you suggest?
I’m suffering from GI inflammation due to UC and I have tried WPB and vegan but nothing is working for me. Please advise on how to improve my GI tract?
Wow I’m very surprised by this review of Beyond Meat. I am a huge supporter and have followed their work since the beginning in 2009. I’ve embraced every product that they’ve ever brought to the people. Yes their products are created in a lab but these are plant-based products and plants will ultimately feed the world — they are truly the only thing that can, in terms of sustainability and finally putting an end to world hunger; but the masses must demand and want this change in order for it to happen. You cannot eat meat and consider yourself an environmentalist — as a matter of fact, it’s absurd to even use both in the same sentence.
Dani, your arrogance itself would make me turn my own nose up at your offer to help me decide how to feed my body. I’m sorry, but no one has all the answers- even you…shocker, right? Nutrition is way too complex to be black and white. If you’re going to post about something controversial, you probably should expect controversy and opposing views, and more importantly, learn how to respect others’ choices and take the criticism. I shall take my research elsewhere. Just as you put it:
“I can’t” with the arrogant, pompous, and immature attitude.
Also, the word “literally”. seriously, enough already.
Ugh, you’re right. I get so fired up and use “I can’t” and “literally” way too often. Especially “literally.” I blame Chris Traeger.
I do expect controversy, I just wish it came with common sense. I don’t think I know everything and I don’t think nutrition is black and white, I think quite the opposite in fact.
I encourage you to take your research elsewhere! Everyone should research the hell out of nutrition, land management, soy, grass-fed farms, etc. Although I did provide a lot of good and legitimate research so you should probably at least take it into consideration.
The carnist gets real defensive when confronted with a product that challenges their meat addiction. End of story.
Carnsplain. Carnsplain. Carnsplain.
I just recently became a vegan and I maintain a 16 hour fast while trying not to consume any grain , if I do consume a grain like substance it is quinoa. This lifestyle is not easy but it is best for me as I am an athlete who feels more capable of achieving my athletic goals while living this way. I think as proud human beings we tend to be stubborn and close minded to others opinions. I believe this article was well written and in her mind is what she believes to be correct, Comments are not meant to be demeaning but constructive. How about respecting her for the work she did to write this piece and merely praying for her health journey to be productive. Great article while I do not agree I definitely enjoyed reading.
Hi Dani. I’m curious, are you against the vegan movement because they advocate that veganism is healthier (and you believe otherwise) or because you just don’t agree with the diet type in general? Not trying to attack but I’m just wondering. I’m considering going vegan for ethical reasons, not for health. I also don’t care if other people are not vegans because it’s not my place to cram beliefs down someones throat and hate them because of their dietary choices. I’m just doing it for me. I have watched so many documentaries and read so many research articles against both sides and just came to the conclusion that I believe humans are omnivores but in today’s world we can adapt to veganism with supplements. I know that fake meats are unhealthy but I feel too guilty knowing about the torture that animals go through. This was an interesting piece though, since I have heard a lot of things about beyondmeat.
All I want to say is you can say meat is more sustainable than fake meat, I got that, but you cannot 100% tell me that meat while alive wasn’t living in deplorable conditions, tortured, hurt, and that to me is wrong. This is why being vegan works for me, though yes I know? fake meat isn’t good either.
Thank you so much for your insightful article. Knowledge is, “can be,” powerful if used in the right way. When people do their own due diligence, as you have done, not only do you educate yourself, you empower yourself to make choices in the best interest of self…and can share your insights. I tried beyond meat and purchased a large quantity of what they have to offer. I made a “faux” chicken dish which turned out really good. In fact, it was delicious, but there was something wrong.
From the onset, the ‘natural flavors’ listed on the label raised an eye brow. That can be anything naturally synthesized with chemicals. Mushrooms are one of the many foods that contain naturally occurring MSG. So do peas, soy, tomatoes, corn potatoes and many more veggies. So, the mushroom extract didn’t bother me. And as I looked at the label for the thousandth time I realized what it was. Beyond Meat, is simply too processed for me.
And to the other readers of this article, just so we’re clear, my next statement is not pertaining to any other foods that we consume; animal, vegetable or mineral. I am speaking about Beyond Meat. From my point of view, personally and with the research that I have done and explored, processed foods create health issues, major health issues. From diabetes to heart disease; skin disorders to mental fatigue; linked known carcinogens, hormone disrupters and the list goes on.
I’ve also predicted that vegans are going to be targeted by the food industry. Veganism isn’t synonymous with vegetarianism. Veganism is all about not eating anything with a face. That leaves a lot of scope for the processed food industry to support them in their own special way…creating processed foods like Beyond Meat. In my practice, I have met many vegans who are unhealthy and suffering from many of the diseases and disorders mentioned above.
Incidentally, I dumped about $150’s worth of beyond meat. While I won’t say that I won’t eat beyond meat again, it’s not on my menu for the foreseeable future. One other thing, Beyond Meat is trying to position themselves within the government as a provider of meat alternatives to low income families and people receiving government assistance. I’m not sure that the agricultural industry will go for that, because at the end of the day it comes down to the bottom line, dollars and cents, but we shall see.
Hi Dani.
After reading your article and reading everyone’s comments, I’m glad you’re standing strong in your beliefs. I’m not sure why people can’t share comments in a non-defensive manor.
In any event, I read about the Beyond Meat product many months ago and was excited to give it a try. So I went to WF and bought an expensive package.
To be honest, I hated this product! First, it has a very in-natural fragance in its raw form, but after it was cooked it created a horrible smell in our kitchen. I had to sauté some onions to mask the smell.
Then the product tasted fake and artificial. I was very disappointed and plan on heading back to WF for a refund.
It’s kinda sad because I’m all about food! I love to cook and have worked in the food industry for a long time, so I understand the differences between fake and real food.
Thanks for your article and keep sharing.
I’ve tried the Beyond Meat burgers and was overall pleased.
I’m a meat eater…love grass fed beef like the next guy…but I think these are a great alternative in moderation. They fry up, taste and have virtually the same texture of a hamburger, without all the cholesterol. My only gripe about them? They kind of smell like cat food right out of the package. 🙂
Dang, I get that sometimes people’s comments are a bit nonsensical or lacking in facts, but your responses are straight-up rude. Let people be lame in their comments to you if they want to, but responding condescendingly, as you often do, makes you seem petty and immature.
Just my two cents.
Thanks for your input, Brooke. I just get really fired up – I’m like this in person too. My husband tells me I need to chill all the time. I definitely see your point and it’s something I’m really trying to work on!
Brooke is right. You seem like a mean person. I understand it’s frustrating when people have different opinions but resorting to insults and belittlement over it is really depressing coming from an adult. It seems like you want to change people’s minds but the way you are approaching it is not effective. No one wants to listen to the opinions of someone who openly disrespects them.
This article is pure trash and not well researched by unbiased sources at all. Big lose on convincing people red meat is better for you! Try reducing your risk of heart disease and cancer by 50%
While this burger isn’t the healthiest, the chinese have been eating soy for probably thousands of years and it wasn’t until they were introduced to the standard america diet did they encounter diseases like cancer.
Unfortunately, you have fallen for the junk science that soy is harmful. It is quite the opposite.
You should follow the money on the studies you refer to. The meatand dairy and egg boars have funded thousands upon thousands of studies to sway the public to eat their products. Nutritionfacts.org is a very reputable point of reference. I work in the science and research industry. I find you to be sadly very rude and incompetent and too angry to actually see things clearly. If you like meat so be it, then eat it. Please don’t go trashing people who wish to get away from meat. And by the way, meat eaters should also take B12 as the farming industry has overfarmed our soils, chemicals have destroyed nutrients in the soils and even meat eaters are showing to have low levels of B12 and should be supplementing due to low levels in meat.
I feel sorry for people like you who can’t live in a happy world. Perhaps your B12 deficiency has cause some brain damage.
Peace.
And whole foods soy is the way to go.
I agree soy protein isolate is not something that shoulf be consumed regularly. Processed foods are just that and contain very little of the nutrients from the whole foods. The oil is of concern as it contributes to heart disease, even oils that are unrefined or cold pressed- they are pure fat with no fiber and provide zero value other than fat and calories.
Still- we can’t sustain the standard american diet on factory farming.
Americans consume too much meat, it is the country is fat, sick, and riddled with diseases that dont exist elsewhere. This burger has it’s issues, but it can provide a transition period to those who wish to transition to a whole foods plant based diet.
I feel the pain of meat eating in my wallet when my insurance premiums continue to go up and I am paying insane deductibles…
Americans are a huge problem and eating meat from a happy cow that ate grass for 10 weeks and then had corn shoved down its throat to fatten up before slaughter-
Well that’s not lowering my insurance premium.
I should correct above statement to say we can not sustain the standard american diet with factory farming let alone grass fed pastured cows.
And let’s not even touch on the other mears…
Thanks for the article.
Try working on your responses to people
This is ludicrous. For starters, the study you linked about decreasing sperm count used sperm CONCENTRATION as their main measurement. There was no statistically significant change in sperm number because the ejaculate volume was higher in the soy consumers since soy isoflavones stimulate the prostate to secrete more fluid.
Also, when you highlight that soy isoflavones stimulate breast cancer, you’re again citing poor research. The NAF (fluid being aspirated from the nipple) increases, yet they measure the total number of hyperplastic cells they find instead of a volume here. Kind of the opposite of the first study I mentioned. Not to mention the tiny sample size.
And the last study on Soy was a rat study using soy isolate in varying (some very high) concentrations of isoflavones….. A RAT study….. Rats don’t do well on soy…
I have a sneaking suspicion that you don’t actually read the research beginning to end because it’s too much work for you. Your readers deserve better than that. The whole paleo movement is based on broscience and lack of research. You support grass fed or wild meats, yet all the research that’s ever cited is looking at isolated CLA or the composition of the meat. How about the effect of the meat on your actual body? Oh here’s a good study looking at wild kangaroo (extremely lean meat) vs conventional beef when you ACTUALLY consume it. Guess what? It still causes inflammation. Less so than conventional meat, but it still does. Even grass fed meats feed cancer, cause heart disease, diabetes, etc.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20377925
Dani, it’s clear you guys are threatened by the ever increasing vegan population and the shutdown of dairy companies. The cows and bulls you keep talking about that have to fed soy and corn are not naturally born so your cognitive dissonance derived rebuttals are ridiculous. Funny that you guys keep talking about how dangerous soy is but I know vegans who are vegans for decades (like 40 years) and they laugh about the sexual health problems you guys keep shoving down our throat. Hilarious af! Also that the “grass-fed” animals won’t add to global warming is a naive thing to say. Your ancestors and ours have almost killed the planet, the only home but you guys want to end with your greed for meat and dairy. Ffs grow a grass-fed brain for crying out loud! Killing mice for growing crops? That’s so 2010. Still classy, rational and matured. You kill them more to feed your animals and then kill the animals too. Wow.
Your post is ridiculous and hilarious!
One thing’s for sure, a living creature will not get a bolt in the forehead and have its flesh ground to make a veggie burger. So there’s that.
Dani – I’d like to take you seriously, but your so incredibly rude to people questioning your research its impossible to. I came across your article because I bought the hamburger a couple nights ago and thought it tasted fantastic, but did question its lack of actual vegetables and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. Your writing comes across so biased and really isn’t helpful to a person who truly wants to be vegan or vegetarian for whatever they are choosing to do so. Your advice is to buy from a farmer – grass fed meat? Seriously – that’s not why people are buying this product. It’s exactly opposite why people are buying this product and you come across like a lobbyist for the meat/farm industry.
Regarding soy and sperm quality, the study mentioned is a small observational study. There have been several interventional studies on soy and sperm where participants were randomized to receive soy or placebo, and none have found any relationship between soy and sperm quality. These types of studies are much more trustworthy than simple observational studies. Here are 2 examples of these interventional studies:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11352776
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19819436
I feel sorry for the author… tried so hard just to prove consumption of flesh, even if it’s grass-fed, is actually good for health.
With all the research done… I’m just surprised why the author is not vegan, smh.
I was plant based for five years before it ruined my health: high blood sugar, hormonal imbalances, low vitamin D, low B12, low iron, etc.
My husband was vegan for ten years before he realized it was wrecking his health. You can read about our stories with veganism here:
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/how-vegetarianism-ruined-my-health/
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/what-a-vegan-diet-did-to-my-husband/
And you can read which nutrients are literally impossible to obtain from plant based foods here:
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/dont-recommend-vegan-diet/
So you did a plant-based diet incorrectly and you’re blaming the vegetables? Why didn’t you just consume b12 an iron then? There are many people that do a plant-based diet correctly and thrive.
Just came across this a year late… oh well.
Your health issues likely had nothing to do with veganism itself, moreover how you in particular approached your diet. As a vegan of several years (always for the animals), I routinely check my blood levels and have never had an issue. I eat well and don’t take any vitamins – that’s it.
To address some common misconceptions:
Low vitamin D has to do with climate and how much time you spend outside – not veganism. Most people are deficient in Vitamin D. For example: EVERYONE in Canada is low in Vitamin D due to our long winters and short summers.
The higher B12 levels in meat are fortified. It does not naturally occur at such levels in meat, nor does it in other foods.
Iron is also available in many legumes, which is a staple of a plant-based diet. You do not require animal products/by-products to consume a healthy amount of iron.
Tldr; Eat healthy and eat plant-based.
That was my experience too. I followed a plant based diet for decades as that was the published advice by “experts”. Now I have absorption problems and severe osteoporosis as well as a seizure disorder. I have been able to manage my health better since finding doctors and surgeons that have changed my diet and put me on lean grass fed beef, no msg and gmo foods, as well as fixing the B, C, D vitamins deficiencies and anemia. I don’t have an extended lifespan now, but at least I’m not hungry every two hours and am more mentally clear.
My point? Research what happened to Jim Fix, look at the recommended advice on an aspirin a day, Roundup… These guys have to make a living. Take advice with a grain of salt, research and make your own decisions, because you’re the one who is going to have to live with the consequences of your decision. Oh, and your family, workmates, community, healthcare system, etc… Things change and so does advice. It’s a very fluid environment, especially over decades
“Western men more susceptible to phytoestrogens. One possibility is that excess body weight modifies the relation between phytoestrogen intake and semen quality as our data suggest. ” from your studies.
Also, only one beyond meat product contains soy protein isolate, which is seems all the other studies were about. Do you want to read studies about soy that negate all this?
Your life focus is lacking moral priorities. Yikes.
My life focus is lacking moral priorities because I pointed out the fact that numerous ingredients in these products are unhealthy? Sure, that’s completely sane.
So I found this page by doing a google search as I’ve been questioning the healthfulness of these up and coming “tastes just like” meat burgers. As vegans my girlfriend and I have yet to try these creations and frankly may avoid them all together. Reading through your comments and article I like how it started but sadly it devolved into a straight up heated argument between yourself and passionate vegans. I see you’re a nutrition consultant and trying to do the right thing so rather than point to articles or even introduce science into this I’d rather just tell you our experience. For years my girlfriend and I were eating what most would consider a very healthful diet, we ate lots of fruits and veggies, many from our own garden, we always sought out organic when possible and our meat and seafood was often better than even grassfed. Much of the red meat we consumed was from locally hunted deer that I butchered myself, in fact one year I was brought 7 deer which lasted frozen for a few years. When we ate fish it was always wild caught (often by myself) and we avoided high pcb and mercury species. Eggs were sourced from a customer of mine that had chickens not for business but as pets and not only were they free roaming on many many acres of land but they even had air conditioned housing in the summer! I must say the eggs were delicious and they had a dark orange yolk color that looked and tasted nothing like the best pastured eggs whole foods had to sell. The chickens ate a wild diet of bugs and what they foraged. Ok, so now that I established what were were doing for many years of our lives about 3 years ago we decided to try the vegan thing one weekend. Our health wasn’t bad by most standards but blood pressure was on the higher side, cholesterol was somewhere around 170 and of particular concern especially for my girlfriend was her A1C levels which can be indicative of the onset of diabetes which is very prevalent in her family. My blood tests were better but I still had higher than ideal blood pressure, I struggled to keep my weight where I wanted it despite exercising 10 hours a week and I also suffered from heartburn and gastro intestinal problems. Hard exertion also gave me chest pains days afterwards, not sure why but no test ever found a cause. At any rate, that weekend turned into a permanent change, we simply never went back and totally avoid any meat, dairy or seafood now. How has it affected our health? If we look at blood tests the change was dramatic, my cholesterol is now at 117 total with an excellent ldl/hdl ratio if you believe in that measure. My girlfriends triglycerides dropped to 1/3 of what they were and her A1C is now at 5.4, exactly what mine is. I lost about 30 lbs, my reflux has went away and I no longer get chest pains after exercise. Mind you this didn’t happen overnight but even after 6 months we saw changes in our blood work and bodies. Prior to going vegan I had huge arguments with some friends that are vegan and my stance was with a healthy lifestyle and enough exercise I would be just as healthy and the ONLY was I would be convinced was first hand seeing these changes in my own body (which happened). Ok, so going back to these plant burgers… I do have to agree with your take on them being quite possibly dangerous, things like pea protein isolate or soy isolates I’d like to call Frankenfoods. Are they better than the meat they replaced? Good question, maybe, maybe not or more likely better in some ways but worse in others. I don’t think we’ll fully appreciate this until they’re on the market for years and people have consumed them. We chose to avoid such products as much as we can, at home we use them very sparingly but may eliminate them entirely. I did noticed once we “figured out” vegan options like these we weren’t as healthy as when were were just eating the real stuff. The only reason I think a mostly plant based diet with some meat or dairy is problematic is much like smoking, if you tell a 2 pack a day smoker they can have only 2 cigarettes a day that will soon become 5, then 10, etc until they’re right back where they started. By totally avoiding any meat and dairy there is no cheating. I’d like to challenge you to trying a vegan diet for only 3 months but get blood work done before and after and make sure it’s a vegan diet done right without things like coconut oil and fake meat products. If you’re not sensitive I’d say grains are just fine too, we eat them with no issues but there’s a real trend to avoid them. I think you may be surprised but until you try something you can’t knock it.
I was plant based for five years before it ruined my health: high blood sugar, hormonal imbalances, low vitamin D, low B12, low iron, etc.
My husband was vegan for ten years before he realized it was wrecking his health. You can read about our stories with veganism here:
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/how-vegetarianism-ruined-my-health/
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/what-a-vegan-diet-did-to-my-husband/
And you can read which nutrients are literally impossible to obtain from plant based foods here:
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/dont-recommend-vegan-diet/
Hi Dani,
I just wanted to write that I’m very impressed with the article and your clear responses to other peoples comments. Yikes, it must be hard to do when people can just write anything they want without really thinking about what they are writing. Even if someone doesn’t agree with your responses at least they are thought out and intelligent and look to be backed up by facts. Keep up the good work. I googled Beyond Meat to see if I should buy the product but based on your article I don’t think I will. I hate all the small print ingredients that I don’t understand and you were able to break it down. Thanks and have a good 2017.
I agree with you.
I really wish they had hit a home run with their products and went full circle – cruelty free, healthy AND sustainable. But, I do have to say thank you to them and other companies for trying to make lives better for animals on this planet and promote this lifestyle to others. I sincerely hope they continue working on refining their company goals to include not only vegan food but healthy and sustainable food.
Keep your fire going – stay fired up!
It takes radical thought to bring about radical change.
We need a radical change.
Ruthie
Texas
oh screw it… I’m not gonna eat a thing anymore! I’m so sick of not being able to eat this or that! Being a full time mom, working, and in school I wish I had the time to make ANYTHING at this rate!
Really thorough research into this, Dani. I’m surprised by their claims of healthy and sustainable.
***Caramel coloring: Beyond Meat only uses Class I (specifically Class I – E150a) caramel coloring that is ammonium & sulfite free.***
This statement is straight from the Beyond Meat website in the FAQ section talking more about their ingredients. So please change this “fact” from your blog post, as what you stated is untrue.
ALSO – They use expeller pressed canola oil, which does NOT get washed with hexane or go through the process you state above in your blog post.
Very good and detailed article.
Vegans just read what they want to read and hear what they want to hear. One of our vegan acquaintances thinks that cows are injected with B12. Unbelievable.
Anyway, they can talk all they want but these huge amounts of processed shite in something is definitely not healthy or sustainable.
That is a dirty marketing ploy.
Just like the big advisor of Conspiracy, a dentist mind you (sic!), has his own set of vegan products. Free advertisement by proxy.
The only ones benefiting from this are the producers, Monsanto and the fossil fuel industry.
We’re talking about having enough un-used land in the US for everyone to be able to eat grass fed meat? While seriously ignoring the fact that many major cities have abandoned homes & yet still have homeless people. Is it not obvious that we have bigger problems than grass-fed meat?
Vegans are more informed and know food propaganda when they see it. This is meat-industry propaganda. OK so the product is garbage. But so is drug-filled murdered bovine, another carcinogen. Big Meat is afraid of vegan market growth. I’m leaving animal and Beyond Meat alone.
Wow, after reading your responses to the comments people made, you almost make me want to be a Vegan the rest of my life just so I don’t feel like I have anything whatsoever in common with you. I can see the importance of passing on nutritional facts about the state of world nutrition. But you are acting and sounding like you take everyone else’s opinions personally, and if they don’t agree with you, they are all rambling, stupid, idiotic and ridiculous. That being said, I think I’m going to borrow this quote from you in the future when I’m in a discussion with someone who doesn’t agree with me: “I encourage you to take your research elsewhere!” PRICELESS!
Seriously? BEEF over a plant-based burger? Healthier? LOL, this author is an idiot. How about that.
I find that those who have no actual argument against me usually result to name calling. And yes, it’s a literal fact that a grass-fed burger is healthier than an overly processed plant based burger full of carcinogens, MSG, additives and preservatives.
All this because of a Plant Based option for people who enjoy Burgers. Burgers are not the healthiest item in anybody’s menu. Rip apart the health aspects of meat burgers at same time and we have truth.
It’s weird if a beyond burger “bleeds” beet juice gross! What you need is a dead red piece of animal flesh bleeding real blood. Because there is absolutely nothing creepy about that! Especially if have no care or concern for an animal’s will to live.
Ive just stumbled across this article and love it and all the comments.
I totally agree with the author about the benefits of using land better and getting the most from it and grass fed animals is a part of this. I believe that studies showing vegan diets to be the healthiest are in some cases biased but if you think about it eating lots of nutritious veggies each day is going to be supper healthy but i think that the healthiness of this diet can be improved by the occasional fish, meat, eggs etc..
The reason that meat eaters diets are often seen as unhealthy is the make up of the total diet, not just the meats – poor meat quality, processed foods, lack of veggies, too much eating etc.
Is it not possible that some health benefits are seen from a vegan diet may be more down to reduced calories and increased nutrients from vegetables / plants. i have seen some terrible vegan / vegetarian diets which really were not doing too much for their health.
Both meat eaters and vegans can have poor diets (which can lead to poor health) and its not just about eating meat or not.
I am a meat eater and believe that it is healthier to have some animal products in your diet, if you take a combination of them both = a plant based diet (vegan)with plenty of good fats and some added responsibly sourced naturally reared and fed animal proteins then the health benefits are increased. The problem is many meat eaters don’t often eat as many veggies and plant based foods as vegan, and not the fact that they eat meat (where health is concerned)
Our main problem today, alongside the processing of foods, is the rising population and the amount we eat TOTAL. If we eat naturally and LESS (meat and other foods) and waste LESS then it is likely our health and the environment would benefit
As for the author being aggressive and arrogance, i understand where people are coming from but i also like the passion and ability to stand by her beliefs
Finally! Someone who sees the insanity in All the processed vegan “food” made with overfarmed veggies that are mass produced.
Huge fan of veggies, and huge fan of ethical, humane farming for meat, in moderation. Amen.
I think most people would benefit from increased veggie intake, but I don’t feel that true science supports a totally vegan diet. Things like What the Health and Forks over Knives make me crazy. When you try to dig deeper for the actual, unfiltered data – it’s generally contradictory to the points made by the vegan evangelists.
I have a hard time keeping myself polite with vegan friends. ?
But Dani, they have elite athletes on their website that told me it was healthy. Would elite athletes paid by Beyond Meat lie to me? Funny that there is no mention of bio-availability or absorption rate on the website when they speak of how plant-based proteins are better than animal proteins. Just another company catering to the “I get 10 grams of protein a day” vegan crowd who believes eating broccoli will suffice as a protein source.
Some of us are vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons and still want to enjoy a good tasting burger.
As a vegan and a lover of Beyond Burgers (until I read this article and all the comments) I actually love Dani’s replies. Dani you are hilarious – don’t stop – I do appreciate the information (as much as I hate to hear it) and people need to be more open to having discussions and being wrong. Its important we share our thruths and mistruths and fire each other up. I know I have LOTS to think about. We really don’t know anything.
Oh and I found this stuff about canola oil causing dementia which really alarmed me ( a mani ingredient in the best burgers in the world – beyond)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17373-3?error=database_circuit_open&error_description=Database+is+temporarily+unavailable
By the way, I just wanted to mention, I did some research on this burger alarmed because I just consumed one, and found that they actually don’t use MSG, nor is their Yeast Extract MSG, they clearly state, but rather an amino acid profile that does not contain any aminos linking to MSG.
Also they use a form of canola oil (which I am not a fan of) that uses none of these methods in processing, no saturated fat, and extracted with no chemicals.
The form of caramel coloring Beyond Meat uses is a class 1 E-150a that is ammonium and sulfite free.
The product is free of GMO’s.
This isn’t to negate any other claims you’re making about these unhealthful ingredients in general, or food ideologies or arguments for against any type of diet. I just wanted to clear up some of the confusion about the effects of the ingredients specifically targeted towards this product. Hope this helps!
But also, I learned a lot about the processing of these oils and ingredients in general from this post, so I am grateful to have learned about these practices, and will look to avoid these foods as best I can in the future!
You really should remove the bit about hexane as it is irrelevant and irresponsible for you to include it in a discussion about expeller pressed canola oil. Remove also the entire section about caramel color. If you’d read the subtext that the little cross next to the ingredient on the packaging points to you’d see it doesn’t contain either of the ingredients you say that it does and isn’t the same product that was researched in the Johns Hopkins study. Once again, very irresponsible. These mistakes undermine any authority you may have here.
It is abundantly clear and science demonstrates this that the healthiest way to live is on a whole foods low fat plant based diet. The kindest way to live is as a vegan. I am so grateful to companies that make innovative ‘meat’ products such as Beyond Meat for those people who insist on animal flesh. I would rather eat Beyond Meat products any day than anything from any animal. Plants versus flesh that suffered miserably and died violently is a simple choice for me.
Actually, science, history and anthropology have demonstrated the opposite. The healthiest and kindest diet is a seasonal, local diet that is rich in organic, grass-fed animals as well as organically grown produce. A great book to read on the topic is The Vegetarian Myth, which explains how many animals are killed for these plant based products to read your plate. I assure you, hundreds, if not thousands of animals have given their lives for your vegan diet.
I go into further detail in this article:
https://ancestral-nutrition.com/dont-recommend-vegan-diet/
This argument equates to killing protected species in gaming reservations for “conservation”.
I don’t see how.
Okay. Well, there are probably some ‘bad’ ingredients in just about everything we eat. But meat is so concentrated with not only the pesticides used on the *highly* processed plants they eat, but also concentrated with the antibiotics and steroids a lot of the larger meat producers use on their animals. Now before you tell me there are some natural alternatives, it doesn’t change the fact that 90% of the meat people eat is the cheapest meat that does use these antibiotics and steroids.
We can argue all day about how much “free” landmass there is to raise cattle and the feed for them, but the fact is that they consume so much that it is extremely inefficient to eat them. Whereas simulated meat, which is grown in the exact same manner just without the animal, is far more efficient. I honestly can’t see how the two compare. Real meat is very unhealthy for you and highly inefficient, simulated meat is far more efficient and probably healthier since it doesn’t have antibiotics or steroids concentrated in it.
Did you even read the article prior to commenting?
Because I clearly only recommend 100% grass-fed, organic meat from local, pasture based farms. Which makes your entire argument irrelevant.
Yes… I read it. And I said 90% of people are still going to buy cheap, non-grass fed meat for most occasions. Most people do not want to sped $10+ a lb for meat. Not to mention most ‘organic’ or grass-fed farms STILL use antibiotics and steroids. No matter what kind, meat is ridiculously inefficient, takes up massive amounts of landmass, takes tons of resources and water to cultivate, and is riddled with highly concentrated chemicals. I’m not saying this simulated meat couldn’t do better because I’m sure it could eventually, but its still a far-cry more healthy than *most* meat.
representing a meat based diet as healthier than a plant based diet shows severe ignorance of dietary needs of the human body. There is NO MEAT that is healthy, NONE.
Except for grass-fed beef, venison, bison, wild salmon, rabbit, chicken liver, chicken, etc. Gram for gram, liver is the most nutrient dense food on earth. So maybe educate yourself before throwing the word ignorant around.
I love how your answer to everything is “educate yourself” while refusing to point anyone in the right direction.
Shows you clearly know you are wrong.
meat literally has no vitamins or minerals beyond iron and protein, thats a fact not an opinion. You may want to then say “but organ meat” which is yes, high in some vitamins and minerals, but still ridiculously high in LDL cholesterol and too high levels of saturated fat.
You literally have no idea what you’re talking about.
Did that guy literally say that meat has no vitamins in??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA….hahahoooo.
Like Taurine, Creatine, B12, K2, D, E, A, and on and on are all found in nutritious grass-fed animals in their tissues. And I say animals because even if beef were unsustainable (which it really isn’t) goats and sheep are totally sustainable on a small or large scale to feed whole communities easily.
Dani, great article. People want to believe that food sources of grass-fed ruminants that took us to the top of the world and gave us brains is now too unhealthy for us. Right. Trust your MyPlate folks. Just wait till the diabetes hits you.
Actually it’s your argument that’s irrelevant.
Your “grass fed beef” still gets hormones and antibiotics.
Don’t confuse grass fed with organic.
Thanks for the breakdowns on potentially-harmful ingredients in these burgers. While I eat them on occasion, I will be more thoughtful about how frequently, as I have stuck to grass-fed local beef for many years prior.
That being said, I have to echo what a previous commenter here said: You are incredibly rude in your replies to people commenting here. You seem smart and I was going to share this post with friends until I read the comments and my jaw dropped. You can disagree with people and have impassioned debates while still being respectful and kind.
Best of luck to you.
I feel that I’m perfectly respectful in my responses. I was raised to be very honest and straight forward. I don’t feel the need to mince words.
Additionally, for anyone else reading, I’ve seen way worse things said by men in my position and I have never, not once, seen them held to the standard I am. Just because I’m a woman does not mean I have to be gentler with my responses.
Your post suggests a severe lack introspection if you think your comments are not coming off as rude and arrogant. Calling people idiotic for having opposing viewpoints is not respectful in any book. I suggest you take a deep breath before responding to future comments and understand that most people are not “out to get you” or “prove you wrong”, and many are just trying to engage in constructive discourse to better understand the complex issue at hand.
You were questioning the content of the burgers as being overly processed and questionable, which is totally valid for a strange and relatively new product. However, you then made a huge leap from “this fake meat product is bad” to “eating grass fed beef is better for you and the environment than this plant based product”, of which you provided no objective proof, just pure opinion.
This is echoed elsewhere in the comments, but it’s a cold-hard fact that eating a plant-based diet has a smaller footprint than a meat-based one, regardless of where your cattle is from, and studies of thousands of cases showing a diet high in red meat can lead to cardiovascular disease and cancer.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/whats-the-beef-with-red-meat
You’re not respectful in your responses at all, you’re a cunt, and that’s why you get rude responses in return. You’re probably like that in person too so I’d be surprised that anyone would want to be around for very long being like that..
Hi Dani – I just came across this article and know very little about you, but I wanted say – please never succumb to the nice-shaming, which is really so silly and irrelevant to your mission. The fact that a fellow woman (which Cate presumably is) would consider censoring her loved ones from this post because her feelings were hurt by your directness and unwillingness to fulfill the expectation of “be a nice girl” is asinine. This is your blog; you should respond to people how you see fit; you are leading with logic and it’s okay to be angry. It’s okay not to respond with smiley faces and apologies when you receive the digital equivalent of heckling. Doesn’t take away from the meaning of your message and doesn’t mean you’re a lesser person. You should be judged on the quality and accuracy of your work, not on your tendency to say sweet, charming things to people who are doggedly attacking you on the internet, on your blog. Being PC is overrated. And don’t underestimate women who have been socialized to always be nice and polite and then try to bring you down with them by policing your words and expressions because they feel threatened by your bold autonomy in stepping outside the lines of the very myopic world they inhabit.
I seriously think I love you. This is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent comments I’ve ever received.
I think because I’m a woman I’m held to a different standard; a vast majority of the comments I’ve received on this article aren’t in response to the article or my work, but about my responses in the comment section. I am passionate, I am fiery and I do not censor myself to make others comfortable – as women have done and are expected to do.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for this comment. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it!
Dani,
Just want to let you know as a nutritionist I agree with you. I wish people would realize how many horrible ingredients are in these highly processed fake meat burgers. This country is full of idiots, don’t let the bastards get you down.
Thanks Sarah!
Loved your article! I come from a long line of beef eaters who lived to be in their late 90’s! I’d rather trust a grazing cow to be more planet friendly and give me a product that has ONE ingredient than all the chemists in the USA who want me to eat something that has been “concocted” out of chemicals and slurry’s of soy!
Good argument both sides. Some one explain to me if we look back at all countries that ate only plant base foods and didn’t have access to any meat as in North and south africa, japan, China before they started eating the standard American diet . had rarely any cancer, high blood pressure, heart problem.
There is no traditional plant based culture. It literally does not exist. The earliest plant based eaters chose to eat plants due to religious reasons, and even that was fairly recent.
In regards to your previous comment that stated the following:
There’s more than enough land for grass-fed beef. There’s 2.3 billion acres of unused land in the US alone. You can put 80 cows to acre per day (fact, from actual farmers who do it: http://rethinkrural.raydientplaces.com/blog/how-many-acres-do-you-need-to-raise-cattle). There are about 94 million cows in the US. You do the math.
Your statement seems a little misleading.
Your referenced article was written by an east coast cattle raiser.
Please refer to a scholarly article that concludes a rancher can raise 80 cattle on 1 acre per day in the western U.S., where the major of the 2.3 billion acres of “unused” land resides.
I’ve heard, in Utah for example, that it takes anywhere from 25 to 50 acres to raise one head of cattle.
Hi,
Can you provide any substitutes for the beyond meat products other than the recommendation you made at the end of your article?
Thanks,
Cory
Reading your replies to comments shows how fucking stupid you are.
And yet, you have no valid argument against me.
childish vegan
Additionally, please check out these wildlife statistics, with regards to the USDA’s Wildlife Service’s division. Please note that these wild animals were primarily killed on behalf of the agricultural industry, and not because the wildlife were eating on a tomato patch, this is predator defense.
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/wildlife-services-03-14-2017.php
While I appreciate your perspective (a perspective that everyone is entitled to), you’ve provided some misleading information. Specifically, when you say that the caramel color “is made using ammonia and sulfites under high pressure”. On their website, they specifically say the caramel color they use is class 1, which does not allow ammonium or sulfite compounds.
Humans are frugivors or herbivores. Characteristics of a human says everything, unless you pant like a dog on those hot summer days.
The scientific community acknowledges that we are in fact omnivores. Even vegan scientists acknowledge this fact:
https://veganbiologist.com/2016/01/04/humans-are-not-herbivores/
And also:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/23/how-humans-evolved-to-be-natural-omnivores/#3241e43f7af5
You say we are frugivores/herbivores, and yet not a single human culture as far back as we can know did not revere the animal for its food and that they could raise them and eat them. The fact that even further back we know that early humans, neanderthals, and every primate before us that stood up was eating more meat and scavenging/hunting for it.
TRUTH
I’ve been looking into the beyond meat products and this article really was an eye opener. Is Soy bad in general, I drink Silk Soy milk everyday, about 2-3 cups of it?
I actually enjoyed this article, and it was making me think twice about eating Beyond Meat…until I read the author’s replies to other’s comments; all credibility went out the window. This is all just a matter of preference really. Some people love animals, others don’t care. Both Beyond meat and beef likely aid in the development of cancer. But besides all of the “studies,” facts, and good/bad information posted here…being defensive and just outright lacking class makes me never want to read anything you write about ever again. Good luck with that attitude. Your responses should be as eloquent and well-written as your article; you’re not a rebellious teenager with a chip on their shoulder…or are you? SMH
A large part of me feels like if I were a man no one would slight me for being less than eloquent or “lacking class” in my responses. This is not something that is often required of or even said to a man; and I’d like you to think about this. Would you ever require a man to be eloquent, or fault him for lacking class – as long as his research was valid and scientifically sound (as mine is)? No, I don’t think you would. I don’t even think you’d use terms like eloquent or lacking class when having a discussion with a man.
I sometimes feel like a rebellious teenager with a chip on my shoulder, but I’m just a mom and a business owner and a wife trying to educate people on the impact of the food they consume.
I’m a writer myself, and a YouTuber, so I understand all too well how it feels to get negative comments. Maybe I was a bit harsh. After further thought, I remembered how irritating it can be to have readers try to counter something you spent so much time writing and researching. Sometimes we just lose our cool. I apologize for my original comment. Thank you for doing what you do, sincerely. I still love Beyond Mest though! Lol. Keep up the great work!
Will you write an article then on veggie burgers that ARE healthy?
I know that some of the comments may come off as rude.. but frankly so did the initial commentor.. Very rude.. name calling etc.. I know also that two wrongs don’t make a right but some folks just try the patience of Most people they come in contact with . It Is a good article..and should be seen in the light more like.. Information vs Gospel.. I eat meat.. I eat veggies..I eat potatoes or some kind of starch a salad of romaine avacado and tomato with basalmic vinagret for dinner most nights unless I treat myself to a NICE thick NY strip.. or Rib Eye steak from my local butcher… guess what.. my cholesterol is good, blood sugar is good Blood pressure excellent.. so aside from having breast cancer I am the fittest I’ve ever been at 5’1″ and 120 lbs.. NO FAKE MEAT!!.. Not even remotely interested in eating that crap.. Eating MEAT is why God Gave us Sharp Teeth!!!!..
While I came here by accident to read if I could freeze these bad boys. I was sucked in, and I’m also a sucker for reading comments.
What I gained from all of this is and my 40-years on this planet is, you are all are probably right and wrong at the same time. Now, before the author jumps down my throat, because all of your replies are very argumentative defending your post like the USDA is in your pocket, let me explain.
NO ONE knows anything for sure. Yeah, NO ONE. Do you know why? Because the government doesn’t give two cents about the people who live here, including you and me. So, you can post all the “back up” you can to prove your point, and someone will still manage to find something just as “reputable” to contradict it. That is a fact.
While our government claims that human experimentation is illigal, we are still being experimented on every single day that we breath the air, drink the water, eat the food from a store, take medication/supplements slather our body with chemicals and what ever else. You can’t trust anything you read. All you can do is live your life the way you see fit and let others live their life. You can post all of this, but it still comes down to not really knowing the truth.
Just like a ozone layer. Are you old enough to remeber that BS? OMG, come to find out, it’s supposed to be like that. Stanford Prison Experiment, while they cut it short a d it’s illegal to experiment on humans, what you don’t see behind the curtain is that it is happening right before our eyes and we are going along with it.
Lastly, how many Beyond Burgers are we talking about when it comes to consumption? 1 a year, 1 a month, 1 a week, a day? Everyones body is different. I have meet life long cigarette smokers who have never had a health realted issue and lived until their 90’s and nonsmokers who have eaten healthy and worked out their whole like die at an early age of cancer. Riddle me that?
All very good points, April!
First non-condescending comment! You are obviously very knowledgeable on the subject of nutrients and you would be able to reach a much wider audience if you show respect for those who are less knowledgeable than you and may find their teachable moments.
Have you followed and read the research of a great pioneer Dr. Dean Ornish (UCSF prof)? He suggested that CVD was reversible when all his MD colleagues believed he is nuts! He has done many research in health diet and lifestyle since, and his latest is on, up and down regulation of genes, the extension of telomeres through the activation of telomerase, fascinating research I believe you will be fascinated as well!
Did you know that animal supplied iron is the heme-iron and what are the risk of this kind of iron?
Not sure what you eat as a vegan that gave you the problems you described. Have you also read the Adventist Health Study 2 results?
I resonate with Robert Wasilewski’s comments and have seen many like him who were changed by the result of WFPB diet on chronic diseases to the extent that it sounds unbelievable.
I wish you well in your endeavors and since you are smart and very much on top of new studies you will find the truth and hopefully be able to help many others along the way.
I am still reading support and contradictions on the MSG and Yeast Extract as well as some other ingredients. I guess we will truly never know to truth unless we all become scientists and do the tests yourself. Guess I am sticking to making sweet potato and bean burgers just incase.
That’s definitely a healthier option!
I was sucked in reading all these comments. I just had to pipe in and say that I love what you wrote, April! We will never know what is truly good or truly bad for our bodies unless we actually do the scientific studies ourselves!
I’m disappointed you have chosen to leave my comments, posted 3-4 weeks ago, in moderation.
None-the-less, here’s a great watch regarding wildlife services and their work on behalf of the ranching industry:
http://www.predatordefense.org/exposed/
Additionally, I suggest you look into the center for biological diversity (CBD) regarding ranching and wildlife conflict. Please keep in mind, CBD and their employees are not conspiracy theorists. Their organization consists of scientists and litigators, many of which are ivy-league educated. They have a plethora of information regarding wildlife and cattle ranching.
Cheers,
Hunter
I feel like we’re losing the ability to centralize.
I’m a vegetarian because 1) I have a personal issue with killing stuff. I don’t even like picked flowers, or real Xmas trees. All of that feels unnessecary to me. Repeat, TO ME. I don’t expect anyone else to feel and do exactly what I do.
I’m a vegetarian because 2) there’s too many people who eat beef and it’s negatively tilting the eco scale. I could give you fifty websites that will scientifically support this, but honestly common sense and the eye test should be enough. I’m not asking or saying people shouldn’t eat beef. I’m saying I’m just trying to do my part in balancing the scales.
Anything in excess is bad for you. Everyone’s diet should be as varied as possible. And if you can help it, the less processing the better. If you’re a vegan and not feeling well, your body is trying to tell you it needs sustenance in other forms. If you’re a beef eater and completely ignore that the majority of our meat comes from unsustainable practices with serious environmental impact, the pendulum will eventually swing too far the other way and it’ll become over taxed and over regulated to the point of being too expensive for all but the super rich.
The Beyond Burger is not a patty of death. Nor is it a superfood to save us all. It’s a fine alternative. If it becomes over popular and they ramp up production to a few million patties a day, then it won’t be.
Common sense.
More thinking things through and less shouting would be a benefit to everyone.
Dani, you seem like an awful person, truly hahahah I’m glad I didn’t have to make an account to say that, but I was willing to!
Stop being such a cunt yea? Cool.
Yes, clearly I’m the awful person here.
This very good article and the vegan nut job responses sum up nicely why the world is in the state it is in. I thought you were quite polite Dani to people so stupid they will argue in favour of eating novel toxic crap rather that highly nutritious food people have thrived on and worshiped for millenia.
Hi Dani, I suggest you do not listen to anyone who tries to demean what you say. The fact that they’re arguing over some movies or documentaries they watch do not take into account optimal nutrition. I’m sorry to say that the easiest way to get calcium (raw dairy, sardines with bone and chicken with bone), copper (liver having ceruplasmin, copper binding protein), heme iron, zinc, sulphur, phosphorous, selenium (due to low variations in their bodies), Vitamins A,D, K2, all B-Vitamins, even Vitamin C (as animal adrenal gland is far richer than most produce, although this isn’t that critical), add in nucleic acids, add in Preformed DHA, even preformed AA (omega 6 fats). So I’ll present what you present and watch people in their ignorance.
Organic farmer raising grass fed beef and lamb here (and more, some of our other products are: improved soil, nutritious veggies grown in that soil, preserved habitat for songbirds/native pollinators, riparian preservation, children that know how to work hard and understand how the natural world works…. I can go on. And on.
Just wanted to post one positive comment and thank you for your good work . I really appreciate your willingness to go to bat for farms that are working hard to regenerate their land and feed people as a bonus. Pleas keep it up. We need you.
Thank YOU for the amazing, necessary work you do for the land, soil and our environment!
Interesting that you choose to post and respond hateful comments from your readers that really add nothing to the discourse.
However, you choose to ignore comments that actually spur intellectual conversation / debate. Scary in my opinion.
For example, you ignore comments that are contrary to the opinions you post on subjects such as cattle ranching. I use the word opinion here, because, at this point, that’s all this blog post seems to contain on the subject.
Let me know when you choose to allow your readers to observe all comments.
Good luck.
I’ve engaged in discussion with over 50 commenters who disagree with me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Everytime someone mentions that the beyond burger doesn’t have soy, you keep saying their other products do instead of evaluating the burger on its own.
I read the Vegetarian Myth btw, which you keep coming back to. She’s certainly an interesting outlier, but most of her sources aren’t peer-reviewed journal pieces (there are a few about 30 or so). And she simply makes things up – so many of her claims about vitamin content in foods is chemically empirically wrong, much of her claims about vitamin creation and absorption in the human body is biologically empirically wrong.
(There is an extraordinary bit about early man not having heart disease, diabetes, or getting cancer. Most people develop cancers a little bit later in life – early man never got to later life so we don’t really know.)
It’s hard to take much that she says seriously when she throws out claims like ‘meat is 100x more nutrient dense than vegetable matter’, quantifiably, demonstrably nonsense.
Some of the other studies you cite are credible and do back up some of your claims regarding some of the ingredients, but by using TVM as your source it rather calls into question much else of what you write about.
Organic, grass fed, free range animal rearing mainly helps us feel a little bit better about subjugating animals to our whims. I like meat, and I always buy as free range as possible, but I know I’m kidding myself. The only truly ethical route is not to steal chickens foetuses, not to force cows to permanently lactate, not to act as pimp gods to cattle and to allow those animals to evolve naturally in the wild. I guess deer meat is probably okay by that metric!
Actually James, I think you’re the one who’s making things up. Ie: your random stats in your other comments, and definitely what you’re saying about The Vegetarian Myth, which is loaded with legitimate scientific information and factually correct biological and nutrition info.
Lierre Keith doesn’t say meat is 100x more nutrient dense than vegetable matter. You said that. Just now. Nowhere in her book or writings has she said this. She has said meat is more nutrient dense than vegetables – which is a simple fact. There are nutrients that are impossible to obtain from plants alone (B12, retinol, EPA, DHA, etc.).
Unless the other numerous comments you’ve left are actually legitimate, I will not be responding to them. You have literally made up information and it only clouds the conversation.
“Lierre Keith doesn’t say meat is 100x more nutrient dense than vegetable matter. You said that. Just now. Nowhere in her book or writings has she said this.” – semantically you are correct, as far as I know, it’s not in her writings, however she actually ‘says’ it here:
Listen to Lierre Keith at 11:22: https://youtu.be/oMuxgAbHgJA
This is my favorite comment ever, James. I wonder why the author hasn’t replied… 🙂
To the article’s author- It’s ok to get things wrong sometimes. That’s how we learn. Insisting everyone who disagrees with you is factually incorrect is intellectually dishonest and undermines your credibility, not James’s. We can agree on facts and disagree on the conclusion.
oh, and a couple of things I would like to hear your specific answer on hoping that you might correct the mistakes in an update to the article.
1. The Caramel Colour used in Beyond Meat products is Class I – E150a (I emailed the company about it and then cross-checked with a nutritional PhD friend of mine at Manchester University) contains and uses no sulfites or ammonia in its production.
2. The Canola Oil thing. I think someone mentioned this to you and as it’s Expeller Pressed, the video you have above is totally misleading in this case, it bears no relation to how this form of Canola Oil is made. No chemicals are used in this form of Canola Oil. I use it all the time, it’s lovely.
3. You are just completely wrong to correlate the chemically and artificially manufactured MSG with Yeast Extract. I’m sure you know this. It’s an easy thing to verify. Whether MSG is or is not a good thing has no relevance to the Beyond products as far as I can tell, unless they are just lying and stick it in anyway. But Yeast Extract is definitely not MSG.
Regarding Carrageenan, you are citing quite an old study which Helen (my PhD friend) says was largely debunked by a more recent study by Dr James M McKim, Jr. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25640528
“Not only was McKim unable to replicate the negative effects Tobacman has reported, his research showed carrageenan has no measurable effects on cells and provides strong evidence that carrageenan consumed in foods and beverages would not cause inflammation in humans.”
So for this maybe a slight modification of the “all but guarantees it’s going to…” line might be helpful in the interest of balance for your readers.
That leaves Soy (which is highly debatable but there are many studies that do question it’s health benefits) and Titanium dioxide, the danger of which is dependent on the size of the particles. I’ve emailed Beyond Meat to see if they can give us some clarification on this, but haven’t heard anything back yet.
I stumbled on this site because I’d enjoyed the Beyond Burger patty and decided to try the Beyond Beef Crumble. The burger patty by far was more tasty and savory. I am not a vegan, or vegetarian, but I enjoy eating all types of healthy food without offering too harsh a judgement or the emotional baggage. I enjoy supporting local organic farmers meat or veggie … ?. Truth is … your body will except the foods your spirit will allow, thus the reason some people flourish with meat and sone without. We’re spendfing far too much time on what WE think others “should” be eating … when each of us knows deep inside what works well enough to our own liking. If organic farm raised eating makes one feel great then that is the true path set for that individual … however if that same person feels unwell or unfullfilled physically or emotionally, they can rest assured, there is another food solution. I respect it all … and enjoy my marvelous relationship with food and the universe.
In General, society is scared of disruptors, like Beyond Meat, and this is a perfect example. Beyond Meat is changing the way we think, and eat. The investors behind this are disruptors and are changing the world. They are not doing it by stale ideas ie “grass fed beef.” Grow up and evolve, if you have a small child they may need science to create healthy foods when “grass fed beef” no longer exists
So we should grow our food in labs instead of nature? This is the ignorant, disconnected way of thinking that absolutely scares me.
Food should come from local, sustainable, organic farmers. NOT the food industry, not labs, not scientists, not Beyond Meat.
Dani, I can promise it is them not you. I personally find your article and subsequent comments reasonable. You are frustrated at the bizarre reaction and comments. Sorry about that. It looks like you got bombarded by the Vegetarian version of Antifa.
And many people do not. So it’s not an us and them situation. It’s just a difference of opinion. There are many meat eaters in the respondents, I am one too, I just don’t do it much any more. I suspect we are all a long way away from being “The Vegetarian version of Antifa” whatever that might be!
This the trap our leaders are wanting us to fall into, distinct, non-overlapping, defined groups, finding the differences not the commonality. Divide and conquer, there is only one true path!
Ya know, when you write a piece like this and get zero support rom your readers, you might consider it to be an opportunity to expand your thinking rather than evidence that you’re smart and we’re idiots.
I wrote and published a book on food additives and it’s clear that you’ve cherry picked your citings to support a hypothesis. To be taken seriously – and to grow as a writer and critical thinker – I recommend taking the approach of doing your research to disprove your theories and predetermintations. Both you and your readers will learn a whole lot more. Now gobahead and slam me 🙂
I’ve received a lot of support from my readers. I don’t think I’m smart and you all are idiots – I don’t think that at all.
If you’ve published a book on food additives, you would be able to recognize that there are numerous, and harmful, food additives in these products. That is a simple fact that I backed up with a lot of legitimate information.
I’ll jump on the bandwagon when they come out with beyond pork chops. Everyone should take it easy on Dani, she provided important facts that do need to be addressed & we all should have some appreciation for her time and effort needed to put this significant forum together. Plus she acknowledged the fact that she needs to work on belittling people without them knowing, LOL, keep up the good work Dani.
you are one dumb bitch lol
sorry, I won’t waste more time on your gibberish
Eloquent.
You have been accused more than once of being paid by the meat industry to write this, but you have never denied it?…Just wondering why…unless I missed it somewhere.
I don’t even know how the “meat industry” would pay me to write this. The billion dollar corporations I bash and say you shouldn’t buy from? The massive CAFO farms that treat animals poorly and destroy the environment? You think those dudes are paying me?
Or the small, pasture based, family farms that can barely get by because people mostly buy cheap meat or fake vegan meat? Because they’re too busy saving the world with their farming methods and just trying to get by.
The accusation is just so asinine.
So why do you not come out and flatly deny it? You’ve responded several times to the suggestion that you were paid by the meat industry, but danced around the question without actually denying it. The beef industry, in particular, is surely threatened by the rapidly growing interest in plant based meats, so, yes it does make sense they would pay for an article such as this. I’m guessing it’s why you placed soy isolate at the top of the list without indicating it only applied to the chicken type product.
Your arguments about the relative impacts on wildlife from the meat industry (cattle ranching in particular) vs agricultural operations that produce plant foods for humans, are wildly incorrect. There is no comparison to the harm done to wild species and entire ecosystems, here and abroad. Livestock ranches are not natural ecosystems, but biologically diverse deserts. Because food animal production requires 7-10 times the amount of plant biomass, water and energy for every pound of meat produced vs same value of plant protein, meat consumption drives a far greater take of small mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and aquatic life than a plant based diet. Add to that the incredible pain and suffering inflicted on wild animals, using our tax dollars, to poison, trap and shoot millions every year, plus the never ending acquisition of habitat driving species like the sage grouse to extinction. Now add in what the 6th major extinction event is doing to wild species, driven in no small part by meat production’s contribution to climate change, and the destruction of wild animals (and plants) is nearly beyond imagination.
For these reasons, it’s incomprehensible that grass fed beef, hunting and fishing is the solution for the 350 million plus in this country, never mind the 7 billion and growing global population. If it were, somehow ignoring all the above, it’s obviously not economically viable, else that’s what we would have versus factory farms.
Our health and safety in the big picture simply demands we cut our meat consumption and a better cow isn’t the answer. Products like Beyond Meat, that work to replicate actual meat (and can surely be improved upon) are clearly a solution and viable alternative to reducing meat demand. My question to you is, why would your piece neglect such suggestions as improvements to some ingredients, if that’s the issue, recognizing there’s a lot of potential with the concept. It very much reads as if it came from the meat industry, which absolutely would push grass fed beef over plant based meat to health conscious consumers. After all, small time ranchers are usually members of the same industry groups that represent all ranchers, and there’s not much of a chance that expensive meat will replace cheap meat on a meaningful level to harm the big operations, certainly not when the global population is growing.
I’m a proud omnivore that enjoyed your article. It’s important to be mindful of what we eat and where it comes from. I enjoy meat substitutes like beyond meat, seitan, tofu, tempeh, etc, but more for a change of pace than a nutritional reliance.
Reading some of these comments has led me to conclude that vegans are missing chromosomes and that they should have been naturally-selected out of the gene pool.
You seem to pick and choose parts of studies to promote your way of thinking. Just looking at the first study you linked under “Soy Protein Isolate” https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/23/11/2584/2913898 you leave out everything that doesn’t fit with your agenda. Examples below.
“Soy food and isoflavone intakes were unrelated to total sperm count, ejaculate volume, sperm motility or sperm morphology in these analyses.”
“The association between isoflavones and sperm concentration was similar but did not reach statistical significance in these analyses either. As was the case in the univariate analyses, there were no associations between soy foods or isoflavones and total sperm count, ejaculate volume, sperm motility or morphology in the multivariate analyses.”
“The most important limitation of the study is the fact that it is a cross-sectional and observational study which limits our ability to determine causality.”
“The clinical significance of these findings remains to be determined. Owing to the scarcity of human data in this area, it is very important that this issue is examined further, ideally in randomized trials.”
Give the full facts, not just the ones that fit your agenda and let people decide on their own. I’m sure I could find omissions and falsely drawn conclusions from your other segments but ain’t nobody got time for that.
And yet, the scientisist concluded that:
“There was an inverse association between soy food intake and sperm concentration that remained significant after accounting for age, abstinence time, body mass index, caffeine and alcohol intake and smoking.”
and
“These data suggest that higher intake of soy foods and soy isoflavones is associated with lower sperm concentration.”
Studies cannot account for every aspect of what they are examining. Which is why I provided numerous studies. And also this one still clearly supports my “agenda.”
Pete.. Not to be rude.. but the only thing your coming down on is sperm count.. did someone threaten your manhood here.. and I am not being sarcastic.. it has for instance been proven that Soy can cause breast cancer.. Guess what.. I have breast cancer.. I drank soy milk .. go figure.. I don’t do soy.. it’s that simple.. I honestly am asking a question here not besmirching you in anyway.. And also.. it could depend (like most things in life) on the individual!.. just a thought before slamming the author for cherry picking just because you didn’t like the result of her research
First time I’ve come across a “nutritionist” who was so adamant about meat consumption… And attacking posters. I would recommend reading The China Study, which is required reading for anyone who has studied nutrition comprehensively.
I’ve read it, and it’s kind of a joke among people who actually know about nutrition. Here is a good analysis of it: https://deniseminger.com/the-china-study/
I’m all for new information but curious how you came to this conclusion? None of the ingredients listed that you attributed to beyond meat or the beyond burger are actually in the beyond meat product. They are soy free. Gluten free and carageenen Free products. ??
There are several Beyond Meat Products. This information is all within the article.
Do you have suggestions for alternatives? I am not a vegetarian for the health benefits, I’m a vegetarian for the moral benefits. Trust me when I say, I LOVE meat. I LOVE a good burger, bbq pulled pork, ribs etc etc. My mouth is watering as I type. But I just couldn’t do it anymore. Most of your suggestion is to buy meat locally- okay. I get that. But I found Beyond the Meat because I don’t eat meat.
Is your only suggestion to just buy meats and vegetables, locally? I need a meat alternative, and right now- I was so excited to find Beyond the Meat. However, in your professional opinion if you recommend an alternative I am all ears.
I recommend finding a local, grass-fed farmer who raises animals in a sustainable manner and kills them humanely.
Jenelle posed a good question though, which I am not sure you addressed. I think a proper response would be to suggest a product like tempeh, because it is more of a whole soy, less processed, and fermented product. But I’m just a regular dude trying to use reason.
There is no humane way to kill anything alive.
“and kills them humanely.”
This is an unbelievably tone-deaf response to Jenelle’s earnest question.
Jenelle- like you, I am a veggie for the moral benefits and I occasionally mix in a Beyond Burger because it tastes so much like a real burger. Given how the original author is responding to legitimate criticism and repeatedly glossing over the fact that we don’t want an animal to die for us to have a meal, it’s hard to take this as an honest effort. She’s just dug in at this point.
Author is incorrect on many levels. Grass fed beef is not sustainable. In fact, it takes more water to raise grass fed animals. Also, no matter what your farming practices are, animals and farming practices still produce waste. Where does the waste go? Our oceans — our water! And yeast extract is NOT the same as MSG. What a bunch of bull shit!
Agriculture is what is draining our aquafiers – not grass-fed beef. Please consider how much water it takes to hydrate the millions upon millions of acres of monocrops that are staples in a plant based diet: soy, corn and wheat.
Furthermore – saying waste from the cows pollutes our ocean really demonstrates your ignorance on this topic. Manure from cows literally builds topsoil, while monocrops destroy it and pull nutrients from the soil until it’s completely depleted. Manure puts nutrients into the soil. What pollutes our oceans is the fertilizer runoff from these monocrops, which have created a deadzone in the Gulf the size of Delaware. That’s not from grass-fed beef; that’s from the massive amount of chemical fertilizers sprayed on these monocrops. Something vegans seem to ignore. Let’s consider the amount of sea life killed to sustain this type of plant based diet.
Lastly, it’s pretty well known that yeast extract is another term the food industry uses for MSG. So you should probably reexamine what you think it bullshit.
“Agriculture is what is draining our aquafiers – not grass-fed beef. Please consider how much water it takes to hydrate the millions upon millions of acres of monocrops that are staples in a plant based diet: soy, corn and wheat. ”
So how much water and grass do the cows need?
Yes, agriculture requires water. How many plants have to be produced to feed 1 livestock animal? This is the point. You should research the statistics on how wasteful livestock production is. It’s pretty mind-blowing.
Your dead on Julie!
oh, and a couple of things I would like to hear your specific answer on hoping that you might correct the mistakes in an update to the article.
1. The Caramel Colour used in Beyond Meat products is Class I – E150a (I emailed the company about it and then cross-checked with a nutritional PhD friend of mine at Manchester University) contains and uses no sulfites or ammonia in its production.
2. The Canola Oil thing. I think someone mentioned this to you and as it’s Expeller Pressed, the video you have above is totally misleading in this case, it bears no relation to how this form of Canola Oil is made. No chemicals are used in this form of Canola Oil. I use it all the time, it’s lovely.
3. You are just completely wrong to correlate the chemically and artificially manufactured MSG with Yeast Extract. I’m sure you know this. It’s an easy thing to verify. Whether MSG is or is not a good thing has no relevance to the Beyond products as far as I can tell, unless they are just lying and stick it in anyway. But Yeast Extract is definitely not MSG.
Regarding Carrageenan, you are citing quite an old study which Helen (my PhD friend) says was largely debunked by a more recent study by Dr James M McKim, Jr. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25640528
“Not only was McKim unable to replicate the negative effects Tobacman has reported, his research showed carrageenan has no measurable effects on cells and provides strong evidence that carrageenan consumed in foods and beverages would not cause inflammation in humans.”
So for this maybe a slight modification of the “all but guarantees it’s going to…” line might be helpful in the interest of balance for your readers.
That leaves Soy (which is highly debatable but there are many studies that do question it’s health benefits) and Titanium dioxide, the danger of which is dependent on the size of the particles. I’ve emailed Beyond Meat to see if they can give us some clarification on this, but haven’t heard anything back yet.
1 – Even if it does not contain ammonia or sulfites (which I’m not agreeing with), caramel color is still a dangerous, processed food additive. It may contain 4-methylimidazole (a carcinogen), not to mention the fact that it’s simply a processed food linked to cancer and should just be avoided. Why am I even debating this?
2 – Even if the canola oil is extracted without hexane – it’s still an extremely processed food. It is still bleached and deodorized because canola oil is a rancid, highly processed industrial oil. Again, why am I even debating this? These are clearly food byproducts that should be avoided. These are not whole, healthy foods. Obviously.
3 – Yeast extract is just another name for MSG. This is well known in the food industry. Naturally occurring glutamate, like that found in tomatoes, is fine to consume. Chemically processed monosodium glutamate, not so much.
4 – I referenced numerous studied linking carrageenan to numerous health issues. Just because a study is more recent does not mean it’s more accurate. The only thing your provided study states is that carrageenan does not bind to TLR4 and is not cytotoxic to HEK293 cells. Which I’m not agreeing with, but this is one tiny study versus numerous well established studies linking carrageen to cancer and intestinal issues. Here’s one linking carrageenan to insulin resistance: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25784556
And yet another one linking carrageenan to impaired glucose tolerance and inflammation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22011715
There are tons of others, in addition to what I’ve listed here as well as in the article. There is well established data proving that carrageenan is linked to numerous health issues. At the very least, it’s an easy food additive to avoid. Unless of course, you’re regularly consuming Beyond Meat products.
I’m not entirely sure why anyone would argue so hard in favor of such processed food, especially processed food with well established information linking it to numerous health issues.
I applaude you in yor rebuttals to these stupid comments made by these pro vegan chemical processed- food junkies. I have been eating grass fed beef and organic veggies for a long time and thought about a vegan diet for the animals sake, but what a bunch of garbage they eat. I am reconsidering. And oh wait, why do they wan t to even eat meat tasting items if they are so disgusted by the whole prospect of eating meat, unless of course its for “health reasons” then id say garbage…not healthy at all. These so called burgers are crap! And i find these people to be grainatarians ,too. Yuk.
I’ll just take the one and leave it after that, because this is such bad misinformation I feel your readers need the clarification (if they’ve got this far!)
“3 – Yeast extract is just another name for MSG. This is well known in the food industry. Naturally occurring glutamate, like that found in tomatoes, is fine to consume. Chemically processed monosodium glutamate, not so much.”
No. It. Isn’t. Not that it particularly matters, the main issue with people hating on MSG is that it’s added in over-large quantities to so many foods and takes over any other flavours. But Yeast Extract it isn’t. (And MSG occurs naturally as well). They are similar, sure, but they are not the same thing.
Yeast extract is made from yeast, usually, often brewers yeast.
MSG, as you know, was originally extracted from seaweed. But these days instead of extracting and crystallizing MSG from seaweed broth, MSG is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. This fermentation process is similar to that used to make yogurt, vinegar and wine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires products that contain MSG to state this on the label. Foods that contain yeast extract don’t need to specify that they contain MSG. Beyond Meat clearly states that their products do not contain MSG, they could be lying I suppose, but they’d be wide open to being sued.
I’m not interested in playing the game of my scientists are better than your scientists, all I’m trying to show is that things really aren’t as cut and dried as you make them out to be. This absolutist rhetoric is not particularly helpful for people trying to make an informed choice.
“Vegans are so disconnected from their food and nature that you forget a few simple facts: for you to live, something must die. ”
hey smartass
does a tree die when you pick it’s fruit?
nope. and btw Jesus dying and your sins are completely separate too 😉 just hope you don’t think sacrifice (aka suffering) is the way to survival because SUSTAINABILITY is the way. Ask the Mayans about how that worked out…oh yeah they died out.
and while I’m at it i’m going to repost this right here:
“Yeast extract is just another name for MSG. This is well known in the food industry. Naturally occurring glutamate, like that found in tomatoes, is fine to consume. Chemically processed monosodium glutamate, not so much.”
No. It. Isn’t. Not that it particularly matters, the main issue with people hating on MSG is that it’s added in over-large quantities to so many foods and takes over any other flavours. But Yeast Extract it isn’t. (And MSG occurs naturally as well). They are similar, sure, but they are not the same thing.
Yeast extract is made from yeast, usually, often brewers yeast.
MSG, as you know, was originally extracted from seaweed. But these days instead of extracting and crystallizing MSG from seaweed broth, MSG is produced by the fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses. This fermentation process is similar to that used to make yogurt, vinegar and wine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires products that contain MSG to state this on the label. Foods that contain yeast extract don’t need to specify that they contain MSG. Beyond Meat clearly states that their products do not contain MSG
Just thought i’d post that again even though I didn’t write it. It felt so nice to read that! I scrolled and I saw so many replies and you didn’t even reply to that one. Looks like someone might need to edit your original post if you want to spread accurate information 😉
thank you so much for your work here, these “ancestor” , appeal to nature/tradition fallacy obsessed paleo morons and their views are so misleading and ignorant, borderline dangerous and fanatical, yet veganism is the cult lol. WE FOLLOW SCIENCE AND REASON, paleo’s only care about emotion and fetishize this “ancrestral” way of living, its so asinine its nauseating. i only found this shit show of a page because i wanted some scientific research on the burger.
Yeah…you are leaving several angry, incoherent comments with no scientific information so…
This article is garbage and discusses ingredients not even found in the Beyond Burger. Have you even tried one? Red meat is proven to have carcinogenic risks. Let me know when peas have. Outright misinformation.
This is what I don’t get about this article…the ingredients you list for the Beyond Burger list PEA Protein Isolate, but then you ramble on about SOY Protein Isolate. What’s up with that? Soy isn’t even listed.
BTW, I had my first Beyond Burger today and it was one of the tastiest plant based burgers I ever had…BUT I’ll stick with murdered animals instead. They’re way tastier and sustainable.
Hmmm…Author, you would certainly change your views on eating cows and pigs if you were to die and come back as a cow or a pig. You would think n hurt and suffer. Because they do “think” n hurt n suffer. Also, if the state of our own health and our planet (severe weather changes, natural disasters) and all the scientific reports don’t ring clear enough to you as FACT, then i have to believe you are completely misguided. You have dissected the Beyond burger in effort to expose it as unhealthy. Not so much in effort to find the truth. So many foods out there can be dissected this same way and the findings would result worse health risks than the vegan burger. Eating animals, no matter how they were fed when they lived, is beyond unecessary, cruel and harmful to our own existance. It is clear that Karma is real .. hence the cancer epidemic, clogged arteries from cow, pig and chicken cholesterol causing us heart disease, strokes, tumor masses, failing kidneys and more. Eating grass fed animas is good for no one. Eating the GRASS, well that’s a sensable thing! You are missing the big picture Mr. author.
It’s difficult to read through this post – and the author’s responses to her readers’ comments – and not come away with the opinion that “Dani” is not an actual person but a persona created by the meat industry to attempt to discredit meat alternatives. There’s just too many half-truths, positioning/posturing and self-righteousness to account for.
The beyond burger is just another processed food. We are all from a hunter gatherer genome. We are omnivores. Certainly real beef, grass fed or not is healthier for you than this processed food.
OK, I am thoroughly grossed the hell out! The canola oil video alone had my stomach churning, but this “burger” goes beyond the pale! My man used to work at Whole Foods and the way they pushed that whole meatless agenda…he said it was akin to being in a cult! I’ll eat meat thank you very much!
Nutritionist? No wonder your information is trash. The only credible sources of information in this country on nutrition are RDN’s. Please go away.
I’d rather not eat meat. There are people out there who choose to be vegetarian. Suggesting that we eat meat does nothing. Simple fact is, there are about 8 billion people on this planet. We cannot all eat meat. Cows give off methane which contributes to climate change. Space is also needed for cows which could be used for crops. Cows also require water. We cannot all eat meat nor should we all eat meat.
Any alternatives to meat? I don’t eat meat for ethical reasons no matter how humane I may find a place. I understand that something must die so that i may live, but i at least have control over what goes in my mouth. Do you have any alternatives since you are a nutritionist? Please no meat.
I am also black and following my ancestors diet, we ate more grains and fruit than meat as well.
I cannot agree more with your debunking and deconstructing of the Beyond Burger. I personally eat organic NOn GMO elk and bison and turkey burgers and guess what??…less calories less processed fat and no carbs. And real meat from real animals keeps the body full and energized. I dont eat or like beef or pork but I love venison steaks and burgers for the summer. When I was vegan, I weighed 150 to 180 and now I’m far far less on a mostly paleo diet with the inclusion of organic kamut puffs 🙂 I tried a piece of the Beyond d burger ans its tasty but I prefer a 99% lean turkey burger to that fat fest burger any day!
This article is garbage and most of the “facts” have been proven by research to be false. Please learn to read and analyze academic research papers and not just the abstract.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth
The research also found grass-fed beef, thought to be relatively low impact, was still responsible for much higher impacts than plant-based food. “Converting grass into [meat] is like converting coal to energy. It comes with an immense cost in emissions,” Poore said.
James she’s self serving and self serving is often dumb. Not worth it
Dani,
In your comments and responses to comments, you’ve said things like, “I just don’t know why you would go for food that has been processed, or made in a lab”. I believe this was in response to a canola / expeller pressed canola debate.
I can’t speak for everyone but my personal reason to want to avoid the all natural “grass fed beef” is because I’m an animal lover and I care about the environment. As James pointed out 5 months ago in that last post, animal agriculture is horrible for the planet. And that’s not even factoring in how wrong it is to slaughter all these innocent animals. Have you ever been around a cow? They’re very sweet animals. They don’t deserve what is happening to them, along with all the other animals that are slaughtered by the billions. That’s why I’m willing to try products like beyond meat, because I care about the environment and I care about the ruthless slaughter of animals.
How can you continually eat “grass fed beef” without thinking of it’s consequences? You’ve pulled all these studies from different scientists proving different things… have you looked at any of the data about the impact that animal agriculture is having on the planet? I’m curious.
As an occasional vegan (I guess this proves I’m not a real vegan) and a mostly plant-based vegetarian (who never cooks meat at home except chicken livers) and as someone who tries to limit her consumption of processed anything (except: bread, cereal, pasta, rice, soy milk, granola bars because I don’t know how!) I agree 100% with this article. I wish the majority of those opposed had real arguments against to create an actual debate. Sadly this doesn’t seem to be the norm. The future of the planet is not vegan. The future is sustainable permaculture and edible forests with fewer bankers and more Eco farmers. Animals should live in paradise and have 1 bad day, a quick unexpected and painless death to feed us the meat we require 1-3 times per week. The rest of our duet should be plant based supplemented with local milks, cheeses, etc. Not all dairy producing animals need their young slaughtered nor do we need hormones or rape racks. Of course.., if the world decides to continue to eat like the majority of North Americans without questioning their lifestyle… we’re screwed. I have done so much research because I am starting a vegetable farm that I can’t with good conscience but into the vegan lifestyle as the way to save our health and planet… and I don’t even eat that much meat to begin with and I’m anaemic! Just to show you don’t have to be a die-hard carnist to appreciate the OPs sound arguments.
Hello,
So I went through your article and I am sorry to say that the all part about soy being bad for your health because it can cause cancer is only a huge amount of bullshit. Do you know that Asian people have daily soy-based meals ? Are they all dying from cancer ? Don’t bother to search for answer: the respinse is NO. They are even healthier than westerners. And if you want to play the card of “GMO soybeans” let me give you an answer straight away: it is dedicating to meat industry. But thank you for the waste of time, it was a bless to read all of that poorly structured argument.
Sincerely
Morgane
The number 1 killer by far is heart disease. A whole food Vegan diet is the only diet proven to stop (or even reverse) heart disease. Telling people to eat Meat (even if it’s a better alternative) and regarding it as healthy is actually unethical.
6/22/2018: Just purchased a frozen packet of Beyond Meat Beast Burger 2.0. The ingredients have been cleaned up from the initial posting of this blog, thankfully. I don’t know about the other Beyond Meat products, but the Beast Burger 2.0 now has: Water, Pea Protein Isolate, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Cellulose From Bamboo, Natural Flavor, Methylcellulose, Apple Fiber, Salt, Vegetable Extract Blend (Spinach, Broccoli, Carrot, Tomato, Beet, Shiitake Mushroom), Beet Juice (for color), Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Vitamin A (Palmitate), Annatto (for color.) All are vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and no GMOs. And the taste was great! Even the meat-eaters liked it.
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Everything in moderation. We were not designed to consume the amount of meat we are told we ‘should’ consume in this country. We rape and treat animals so poorly but do it in the name of ‘health.’ I think this area of food production has so much possibility of a happier and healthier future for mankind. The sooner we stop listening to big business who funnel bribes into our government regulators and look at actual facts, we will be better off.
Suggesting that nutrition facts.org and the China study is a joke is just infuriating. Most of the blue zones on this planet are as so due to a majority of these people living off of a plant based diet and data clearly shows they live longer and healthier. You say a vegan diet wrecked your health? Lack of vitamin D? Did you not get enough sun? You can get all your nutritional needs from plants. The only exception may be B12 due to humans no longer drinking from rivers and streams and we now sanitize our veggies. A simple b vitamin pill once a week is all that’s required. You can’t ignore the health epidemic and I know you support grass fed but most people don’t eat grass fed beef. What happens to dairy cows after 7 or so years when they no longer produce adequate amounts of milk? They are sent off to slaughter. If your worried about estrogen intake, lay off the soy and look at the amount of estrogen that’s in the meat of dairy cows due to forcefully being impregnated and always having high levels of estrogen and then eating that meat. I just think that since you had a bad experience with being vegan maybe you could’ve explored this a bit more. I read all the time about people in there 80’s 90’s that are vegan and look decades younger and are living a full life. I don’t see it wrecking their health!!
There are thousands of articles and books, SCIENTIFIC PROOF that a whole foods plant based diet is the healthiest diet. Don’t listen to a word this ignoramous has to say. Clearly she wasn’t eating properly on a vegan diet. I have NEVER heard of any cases of health issues arising from a PROPER vegan diet. When she talks about vitamin d and b12 deficiencies when there are plenty of BETTER plant based sources (including letting mushrooms soak up vitamin d from the sun OR HEY JUST GO SIT IN THE SUN), that just proves her “training” in nutrition has been grossly mislead, which may not be her fault, after all an entire nation believed Hilter was right? There isn’t much of a separation to what happens to these animals except it’s on a much larger scale. Grass fed farm or not killing is murder. All the nutritional science aside think about the ethics of it: every living thing wants to live and will fight through pain and anguish for that right. We’re horrified by the abuse of beloved “pets” yet most people are completely unaware of horrific nature in which their meat has come their plates. And some are aware and say “Oh I can’t watch those videos, how can you watch them?!” Well it happens a whether we watch them or not. So if ignorance is your jam, keep. It. Up. Do you think cancer and diabetes exist only in humans? How would you ever know if your meat has disease? You think this is healthful? What argument do you really have against a plant based diet? Other than your own biases? Do you have any proof that plant based foods don’t contain all the vitamins and minerals we need? NOPE. I’ve seen hundreds of patients loose weight and cure disease and issues that were CAUSED by animal products. There’s a reason that a plant based approach is now gaining momentum, because the power of people wanting the truth and tired of the fear and control that the animal agriculture and big pharma has caused. If a vegan diet irradicates most disease well that’s a lot of money lost for those industries. How do people not see how important this scandal is to protect? It’s evil on so many levels. One day, when you die of a fatal disease you will see the truth, because it’s clear you are hell bent on being ignorant as fuck until then.
This is the mostly misinformed garbage I have ever read. Red-meat is probably healthier, but not for the reasons given. Red meat is also the cause of massive deforestation and release of greenhouse gas, but of course the author doesn’t talk about this at all.
Wow @ most of the comments here. Science is a TOOL for measuring. It’s man made. It is NOT a way to find facts…because a core principle is that something MUST be falsifiable in order to be studied by science. There is currently a HUGE replication crisis going on right now…and that should really mean something to everyone here who is throwing out studies, countering with limitation sections, or being ultra specific about RESEARCHER INTERPRETATIONS. Written components in studies ARE interpretations…they are subject to bias. None of you brought out actual numbers from these studies and analysed how the stats were done. Good scientists need to examine these things for themselves…
THAT BEING SAID: I do eat meat, and veggies. I’m poor, so I can’t afford the good stuff. That means that instead of having full remission for my health issues, I only get to about 95%. I actually hate food and would choose to not eat if we could get away with it. But my life without meat is Hell…and I only learned about these things from blogs such as this one because food in poor families is “you eat what you get even if it makes you sick every day of your life.” I was sick to the point that I thought everyone got sick in the mornings and it was natural…it took eating meat, veggies, carbs, and fats EVERY DAY FOR A LONG TIME to finally realise that it was possible to feel healthy every day no matter what the time was. It doesn’t take a lot of meat each day, but I do need it or else that sickness does come right back. i dont just mesn sick to my stomach…i mean things that no one ever wants to have.
And that’s one of the replies I had to people on here: do you think everyone eats huge Texas steaks at every meal or something if you really think that responsible farming won’t feed the world? And excuse me but when did our capitalist society suddenly become angels interested in feeding people in developing nations (who exist as part of this world that they keep bringing up)? Is it just so they can argue the point that responsible farming wouldn’t work for the whole world? What if it worked for 30% of the world: wouldn’t even that be a really positive thing, if it reduced disease and deficiency issues so thst people felt healthy enough to go out and help the other 70%? What we have now is all we know and research I’ve read says that people aren’t good at predicting things. So if that research is even a little bit valid, then who’s to say that we won’t properly know if certsin things will or wont feed the world until we try a change? Why assume something won’t work just because it’s different than what we have now? Wait a second – we can’t and won’t change because that’s too much money to risk…because capitalism doesn’t work that way.
I’m someone who’s heard that plant based protein and nutirents arent always absorbed efficiently or at all by the body. Obviously, all humans work differently, so maybe some do absorb better than others. But things like chronic illness and autoimmune diseases are on the rise..although so is processed food. where is the resesrch on that? a lot of it is fragmented, but you can clearly see more and more joining support groups and forums. many people manage these things nowadays WITH natural food and limiting exposure to things that cause inflammation. Go read the story of Terry Wahls, who has a phd and who did look through research on food to see what effects things had – she went from a wheelchair to biking to work becsuse of changes she made after looking into research. food is fuel, not a construct based on morality.
i guess what im trying to say is this: the real privilege here is thinking its okay to comdemm anyone to bad health or toxic comments meant to shame, just becsuse of morals. morals differ based on culture and generation, and they are a human construct. they ignore how the world actually works and ask us to be 100% ideal. By forgetting this, and the fact that other people may believe different things, it propagates hate. hate leads to the dark side. thats not to say the light side is any better, but why choose suffering and anger over understanding and compassion? we have time and access to the internet – more people with more experiences – and being hateful is how we choose to use our time here?
No one is saying that a vegan (or anyone else) should eat the Beyond Burger every day, but it is a good option once in a while – while socializing, when wanting to have a burger, etc. Just like it won’t kill anyone’s health to eat a beef burger occasionally. People also seem to trash soy these days, but the Japanese eat a form of soy for EVERY meal and they are the longest lived people on the planet, whether it’s natto, miso, tofu, yuba, edamame, shoyu, etc.
This post has been paid for by animal agriculture. Thank you for reading.
After reading this and the comments it’s clear you wrote this to mislead people. The commentors seem to have done their due diligence and know more than you on said topic tbh. Yes, Beyond Meat is processed. I still think it’s healthier than a dead animal just from watching documentaries and reading the occasional health book. Nutrition is not my profession but always an interest like most people. You are simply too biased to seem to see another side. For example, saying any contradicting study people have mentioned is a “joke” because it does not back your narrative. Also, quit trying to play the woman card. I am a woman and it’s cheap, offensive, and makes you look weak. People are not telling you you are rude because you are a woman; they are saying that because you have made an ass of your character in these comments by leaving any professionalism at the door. Your experience with veganism may have failed but there are many others with a different experience where it has helped health issues. I was legitimately researching whether the Beyond Meat burger is healthy but I did not find your information as helpful as the commentors here. I actually love Beyond Meat even more now.
Hi Dani,
Thank you for the article and all your authoritative and rational comments to some pretty crazy rants.
The problem you will encounter with some members of the Vegetarian/Vegan community is although some are rational people who have made a rational, ethical decision to abstain from eating animal products, others have invented a kinda weird religion with its own pseudo-science and strange conspiracy theories.
It would be foolish to expect rational arguments from such fanatical and deluded evangelists, but I admire you for trying to sensibly reply to their rants.
I would never dream of questioning the right of any person to abstain from eating meat on purely ethical grounds, that’s their affair.
As for the fanatics, evangelists and vegetarian crusaders trying to claim health benefits , environmental benefits etc to justify their beliefs, ( and trying to impose their delusions on others), I say keep your activism to yourself !
I realize the main point of the article was to alert and educate readers to the considerable dishonesty in the claims made by both Beyond burger and Impossible burger !
The terminology employed and duplicity involved would do credit to any marketeer of highly processed food in the 1970’s ! It’s difficult to work out whether the company executives are just cynically dishonest, or genuinely delusional.
Anyway, thank you for your patience and persistence !
Just two more points, if I may;
1) Humans are actually true omnivores. We have all three sets of teeth and our metabolism has evolved to function as omnivores. The human species survived and evolved because they are superbly adapted hunters !
The first major evolutionary change in the human diet was the incorporation of meat and marrow from large animals, which occurred by at least 2.6 million years ago. It was the ability to extract the bone marrow from animals that led to larger brains in humans.
Meat and marrow are calorie-dense resources with essential amino acids and micro nutrients and to a more restricted degree, aquatic fauna offer resources rich in nutrients needed for brain growth. Meat contains V B12 and other essential elements unable to be synthesized from plants by the human metabolism.
2) Raising animals for food, also means we can produce over 600 other products essential for human prosperity. Oh, and we can feed meat to the nearly 4 billion carnivorous pets owned by humans on this planet. ( Cats can’t live on a veggie diet).
You would make a good Fox News commentator.
Wow you are seriously one of the most ignorant and asleep people ever you need to fucking be thrown into seclusion so you can wake the fuck up hahahahha
This is one of the most mis-leading and poorly thought out “nutrition blogs” I’ve ever read. I am tired of “experts” like you mis-informing the public. There are many holes in the logic you used and you are just flat out wrong about a lot of the things you said. The most glaring is that yeast extract IS monosodium glutamate. That is 100% incorrect. As for your argument on sustainability – are you kidding? Don’t you understand it takes a lot more water and resources to butcher up a cow than it does to process plant based ingredients?
Your pretty, but kinda mean!
I’ve felt sick to my stomach every time I’ve tried a Beyond Meat Beyond Burger. I’ve tried on the grill, in a skillet, in the oven, smashed, etc. They are terrible. Something isn’t right. (Could it be just me and my bod? Maybe…) I’d rather eat a rare ground-beef grocery-store burger knowing the risks than this fake processed garbage. Not worth the the stomach issues. Not worth the price. (And I DO eat veggie/vegan burgers on occasion. Even Morningstar is easier on the system and palate.)
This is just about the most ridiculous article I’ve ever read. The author thinks Beyond Meat is bad, so therefore eating grass-fed cows is the way to go? Aside from this disingenuous conclusion, conspicuously absent is the mountain of evidence showing how detrimental eating animals is to health and the environment (but conspicuously present, of course, are the author’s nasty responses to readers who point them out). And for every study cited above, there are an equal amount of ones showing that the studies above are flawed and misleading, that the evil ingredients in BM are harmless. Truly, though: anyone who would fallaciously conclude that BM is bad and to therefore eat cows should not be trusted. Honestly this is the same crap from people who tell you that coconut oil is good for you and all processed foods are bad and vaccines cause autism.
If there are so many studies refuting my point, please go ahead and provide one. But let me save you some time: there is no study that indicates a diet rich in vegetables, healthy fats and grass-fed/wild meat and seafood (the diet I recommend) is harmful in anyway whatsoever. Fact.
Readers should also be aware that Beyond Meat is soy-free, so I’m not sure why the author is attacking soy protein isolate.
You use the word “redundant” incorrectly in this article.
Am I missing something? The article goes on and on about how bad soy is (I agree), yet there is no soy to be found in the ingredients list of beyond meat burger posted in the very article.
Hello, I just came across your site and completely agree with your stance on processed foods. If you’re interested in spreading awareness on emissions data, particularly regarding sustainable protein sources, I think you might find this study a great resource for this and any future articles on the topic: Redefining Protein: Adjusting Diets to Protect Public Health and Conserve Resources https://prhe.ucsf.edu/sites/prhe.ucsf.edu/files/Redefining%20Protein%20Report_4-13-17.pdf
Hahahahaha…..this crackhead bitch is out of her mind…funny read though.
I read this article and was glad I stumbled upon it until I read the comments. The author is incredibly rude and all credibility went right out the window. There is nothing wrong with people having different opinions. Different diets work for different people for different reasons. She should expect that when writing about a controversial topic. But she is consistently name calling…. I have no respect for her now.
I’m a meat eater and had my first Beyond Meat burger today and it was delicious. But, I wanted to see the ingredients which led me here.
I agree, the best way to eat is to access local food that is grown (and treated) ethically using non-gmo, non-processed products. It is clear that the Beyond Burger is a processed product.
Thanks 🙂
“I’m a Certified Nutrition Consultant, health coach, natural mama”
Your four bleached hairs on the top of your head don’t look very natural to me Nancy!
Ok but yeast extract isn’t the same thing as MSG. Yeast extract contains glutamates, but as I’m sure you know, not everything that contains glutamates is MSG. MSG is awful for your body, no question, but glutamates in general are not harmful. Glutamates have an umami flavor, hence being used to imitate the flavor of meat.
And I know people have already pointed this out, but you really are needlessly rude and arrogant. Maybe try showing a little kindness? You can disagree with someone without being hostile.
Last night I ate a Beyond Burger, around 8: 30 PM on a plain whole wheat bun with some lettuce, tomato and ketchup. About 4 hours later I had the worst indigestion of my life. It was lie a poison in my stomach that wouldn’t go away. I took 4 maximum strength Rolaids, drank over 32 oz of water, and still, hours later couldn’t get this garbage out of my stomach. I had to eat a banana and bread and jelly at 3 AM to try to push it out of my stomach. This indigestion lasted the whole night. I admit, my stomach is somewhat sensitive, but only to very spicy foods, or too much garlic or onion. But this burger, which was nothing to speak of in taste, was toxic to me. Never again.
Bud, you almost had me till you wrote…..
” For you to live, something must die”
Personally, I only consume the beyond beef burgers and sausages. The canola oil, I agree, is not the best thing for you, but there is far worse in meat. I would also like to point out that Yeast extract is not actually MSG. If you look into it, you can find a lot of information that shows that. If you would like me to provide links to these, I would be happy to you. I am vey happy you did post this regardless of what I stated above. There are so many different viewpoints on health. One can look up a specific topic and how healthy it is, but without a doubt will find just as many articles and research supporting the topic as well as condemning it. So thank you for sharing this post!
Dani,
What exactly are your credentials? Curious what your background is.
You did not provide any “studies” or “scientific claims” on the harmful effects of meat. Meat production in the US has been extremely destructive to the Earths environment so grass fed or not, and the statement “think of the gas of getting the beyond meat everywhere!!” is utter crap. You clearly have no clue how farming, slaughtering, and meat production works. Grass fed or not those animals still need to be driven to and from, slaughtered, packaged, and delivered using the same gas you claim is being wasted on the Beyond Burger. Furthermore, the actual scale that meat is being produced in the United States and the Beyond Burger production is not at all comparable. Meat, again grass fed or not, is produced way, way more than the Beyond Burger. Simply put, in today’s world, you cannot deliver meat quickly any other way or mass produce it currently without some tax on the environment. You conveniently ignored what has wrecked the environment in recent decades, which is MEAT, and that is the cause to the creation of products such as the Beyond Burger.
I respect your opinion, and I do believe it’s not that healthy in terms of ingredients. But please recognize that there is still gas, production, and pollution when grass fed meat is being produced. When those speak about the environment being damaged from meat, it’s because of the deforestation, greenhouse emissions, waste disposal, heating and cooling buildings. I appreciate you opening up the discussion though, I just think it’s imperative to understand what meat does to the environment.
I think it’s disgusting that you want cows, pigs and chickens murdered for your taste buds, I run a sanctuary for these animals and they are all angels and shame on you a woman that’s wants death and harm to these sentient beings.
” Yeast extract is just another name for MSG”
Seriously? And you consider yourself an expert?
Lots of ridiculous ass vegan weirdos on here.
GRASS FED MEAT IS NOT UNHEALTHY AND NO STATISTICS HAVE EVER SHOWN THEY ARE.
Scientists 40 years ago looked at people who ate red meat and said “Hey they’re all sick”
What they didn’t take into account was that most people eat red meat with BLEACHED WHITE FLOUR BUNS AND POTATOES FRIED IN TOXIC, RANCID VEGETABLE OIL.
On top of that, THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A STUDY THAT SAYS VEGANISM IS HEALTHY. There have been plenty of of studies that prove that veganism is disgusting and unhealthy.
The China study is written by wackos and has been debunked over and over again.
And fuck off with your lower impact. Vast amounts of farmland displace millions of animals from their natural habitats, threshing machines and commercial poisons kill off MILLIONS of field animals each year for your plants. On top of that, because vegetables are so calorically deficient, it takes that much more land to sustain one whiny ass vegan.
Vegans are like drug addicts, you just want to be right when you’re all insane.
Dear Dani. thank-you for your informed opinion on these issues. I’m bewildered at the aggression, even hysteria, within comments which disagree with your views. What’s also amazing is the degree to which absolutely rubbish research is taken on board without anyone actually looking at the research themselves! The red meat = carcinogen ‘research’ for example, can be clearly identified as fatally flawed and utter nonsense, once you look at it carefully, instead of taking some ‘health’ magazine’s word for it. Have those who agree with it ever actually analysed the research findings? Worse than that though, is the very dangerous idea – definitely harmful from an environmental point of view – that as soon as you exclude animals on your plate, they play no part in your diet. This is the thinking of a small child, and it allows really bad industrial farming to continue, because everyone is simply worrying about excluding meat, instead of worrying about the terrifying destruction that ALL mono-crop industrial farming, from livestock to grain, is enacting on the globe. I wish there could be some rationality here. Anyway, like your blog; thanks. Andrea (chef and food columnist, South Africa)
Hi Dani,
I think your bad attitude is unsustainable. 🙂
I am a man that drinks a cup of soy milk and am most definitely extremely fertile. Would love to see how much sperm my bad boys can generate without the “toxic carcinogens” that is soy milk!!!
This is idiocy.
Also don’t know why Google feeds year old articles… Garbage… On my news feed.
Wow, this Dani really comes off badly in these comments: defensive, mean, insulting. Dear, this is no way to run a blog.
Your article is nowhere informative but contradicting, you claim grass fed meat is healthier, PLEASE TOP!! you sound like an Oxymoron with no clue. Just an FYI Author *(your article sucks) MEAT IS ONE OF THE #1 CANCER CAUSING FOODS … Stupid at its BEST!!!
This article couldn’t be more misleading, misinformed, and flat out wrong.
First off the author has pics of bacon on her instagram. Bacon is a type 1 carcinogen stated by the world health organization. In the same category as cigarettes and asbestos. She also follows the paleo diet, its already proven how unhealthy that is.
Myth 1: Eating local meat is sustainable – https://www.theflamingvegan.com/view-post/Vegan-Mythbusting-3-Eating-local-meat-is-better-than-being-vegan
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/local-organic-carbon-footprint-1.4389910
http://www.pnas.org/content/115/15/3804?fbclid=IwAR2uiO3NVhzsXRYtotwmGQfaNgGdPiXZoaXX8pm0IjnrXRD8k0cmB1K4760
https://www.truthordrought.com/the-facts-overview/
https://www.livekindly.co/vegan-diets-better-planet-eating-local-produce-study/
Myth 2: Eating grass-fed beef is healthy – Harvard studies concluded, “Red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, CVD, and cancer mortality.”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1134845
Colorectal Cancer
Both red meat and processed meat increase the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report published by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.
PDF document:
https://wcrf.org/sites/default/files/CUP%20Colorectal%20Report_2017_Digital.pdf
Cancer Tumors + Neu5gc
Neu5gc is a substance acquired only from animal products. Humans can’t make it. Neu5Gc is almost always found in human tumors. “The consumption of red meat (the richest known dietary source of Neu5Gc) is associated with higher risk of various cancers.”
PDF document:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2586336/pdf/cwn072.pdf
The only thing the author got right was that the Beyond Burger is unhealthy. No duh. It’s processed food. It was created to reduce the suffering and death of innocent animals. Take your young son to a slaughterhouse so he can see where his food comes from. If it’s not good enough for your eyes, don’t put it in your mouth.
The article is misleading because of the four products mentioned, only the “chicken” has soy. The “beef” products are made from peas.
Also canola oil, while not the healthiest, is in basically everything.
Lye may sounds scary, but it’s not. It is used to turn the oil solid, into a salt. Lye is used to make soap. Titanium dioxide is in every product that is white in colo.
So. We’re agreed that soy isn’t good for you. But. The rest is a bit dramatic.
Yeast extract is NOT MSG. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/yeast-extract/
Also, they don’t use caramel color and carrageenan any more and other ingredients on this page.
Hard to know where to start. first of all it says a harvard study, it’s actually a ‘European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’ study published by Oxford Publishing. I guess the author of this article should get points for the fact that both schools end in a ‘d’ so it’s easy to see how they might get confused. Also 72% of the 140 men followed were obese, so probably not your typical healthy male and certainly not typical vegetarian or vegan. But most telling is that right in the introduction it says “Data on humans are scarce, however, and often inconsistent with the preponderance of animal data. Thus, whether consuming soy foods during adulthood could affect fertility in men is still an unresolved question. “
Soy Protein Isolate???
I wish you would have spoken about pea protein, the main ingredient. You went on to describe soy protein isolate which is not actually listed as an ingredient in a Beyond Beef Burger. You might want to correct this, otherwise you’re not addressing the main ingredient but another ingredient that is completely irrelevant in this discussion.
It’s in the other products which is why I addressed this ingredient.
Its in ONE of the products. Very deceptive reporting.
Hi Dani,
I’m not against anyone’s opinion here but I keep reading trying to find the truth. Its a roller coaster of info.
All I can add is the fact of what happend to me.
I hated the thought of being Vegan and still fight to be because I travel with my job. I miss meat but cant go back because I fixed everything that was going wrong with me. My cholesterol was over 300 and I could only get a one year on my medcard for my CDL license because of my blood pressure. I was 262 lbs
I went Vegan because I had nothing to lose. After 6 months I had my blood work done to see what’s happing. My cholesterol was normal, liver and kidney normal and lost over 30 lbs. Now its been 20 weeks Vegan, i take B12 everyday and lost a total of 72 lbs. I also drink tons of beer and keep losing weight.
I told my Doctor about the beer and he wasn’t worried about it that much because I fixed so much that was going wrong.
Bottom line, I don’t know who’s right or wrong but I do know what did and is still happening to me. I felt you and everyone else should read a TRUE life story.
That’s great! Many people find initial improvements in health and weight loss when going vegan because it’s definitely healthier than a typical American diet of fast food, refined carbohydrates, processed food, etc. My concern lies in long-term vegan diets, which are both unsustainable for the planet and people. It can lead to severe nutrient deficiencies.
There is no humane way to kill someone who does not want to die. Please check your ethics.
Also farming 101: even GRASS FED spend MOST of ther lives in barns eating the corn and soy thats killing our planet. The animals are eating from most of these crops, NOT humans (or vegans as you claim). You cant argue this point based on your feelings or opinions, “grass fed” cows ONLY eat grass before being murdered. This isnt my opinion, its standard farming practice. Just like how the term “free range eggs” has very specific standards and NO FARMER gives the animals more than they absolutely have to. And forests are cleared to store animals, not to plant corn and soy. If you have a problem with corn and soy, go vegan and dont eat the two. But even your “best quality” grass fed beef is eating GMO soy and GMO corn 95% of its life. They do it to get “marbling” in the muscles and then clear em out with grass. Ive taken many farming classes in Northern California and been insteucted by some really prominent cow farmers up here.
THERE IS NO HUMANE WAY TO KILL SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO DIE. Some of us care too deeply for the innocent to take their lives. Check your ethics.
And stop fucking saying “literally”, it weakens your point every time. You’re irritating.
Thanks for the article Dani. I agree with what you’ve said. Minor error above though, re vegan omega-3: ALA is alpha linolenic acid, not alpha lipoic acid.
OK, processed foods are bad for you right? What in the world is more processed than This? Legumes and gains? an inflammatory one two punch! assuming of course you can’t have your healthy burger without a bun and carcinogenic french fries. Meat is not the issue.
The author talks a lot about soy, but the beyond burger doesn’t have soy. Only one product from the company contains soy. The argument is a bit thin.
Wow
You sound like a total shill who thinks just because you can cherry pick some quotes out of context makes you an authority on the subject matter. You probably don’t even know what a research paper is. A nutritional consultant is equivalent to a hobo fortune teller. Stop drinking the detox shit and go get yourself learned honey. You ain’t gonna be the next Jenny McCarthy with your anti vax bullshit. Go back to listening to Post Malone and bumping into the sidewalls of the freeway on your way to Jamba juice.
When you write a whole section about how SOY protein isolate is so bad for you but there is actually PEA protein isolate in it not soy… Which is healthy. ?
I’m north of 60, was raised on a farm where we ‘split a beef critter’ with the neighbors every season, and grew a huge variety of crops.
So much so I did my school biology project of collecting 20 species each of plants and animals by walking out back.
I can’t remember a time we DIDN’T have beef or chicken on the table…that we or a neighbor raised…for one or more meals every day.
I’ve won cooking competitions with my chili and my chicken fried steak.
So that worked…for decades…until I got sick. Hypertension, add drugs, spike again, add more drugs, lather-rinse-repeat…until the stroke.
10 months in bed, 9 drugs a day, and I gained 40 pounds…and didn’t really improve. Now understand that I’ve always been an athlete and ate well. Taught MMA and competed myself into my 50’s. I never sat around swilling beer and pork rinds. Did have an ice cream Jones, but who doesn’t?
Last September, I did the Ray Kronish bit and went vegetarian/vegan. I could care less about the poor animals…I just didn’t want to croak yet, and the doctors weren’t helping. (I was a medic in Vietnam and did a year of med school back in the 70’s)
To date:
240 > 200 (6’2, so almost done)
Cholesterol 260 > 200 (140-160 is goal)
Resting heart rate 72 > 58 (almost like fighting days)
Daily walk distance 2 miles and rising weekly. (Baby steps…literally)
Drugs: down to ONLY 3 BP drugs, and those are at 50% dosage the last 45 days and I’m due to drop the beta blocker in March.
So while Beyond Meat may not be WONDERFUL…there’s lots of vegan junk food out there…it’s perfectly OK for a once-in-a-while choice. The sodium hit is too high…everything else in their products is not the poison you make it out to be.
Oh, did I mention I have a 5 acre farm…no animals…and we grow a lot of what we eat? We do starters in Aero Gardens and transplant outdoors in season. We actually grow lettuces and herbs indoors year round.
My advcie is to LIGHTEN UP FRANCIS….
🙂
Its refreshing to see someone that has done their research and are not blinded by biased agendas. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of Beyond Meat….would never ever ever touch the stuff. I eat grass fed beef and humanely raised pastured pork products every day, free range chicken, wild caught fish, free range eggs from a local farmer, and some vegetables. Had blood work and GI testing done that showed I have 0% inflammation. Oh and I consume raw whole non homogenized milk, raw cheese, and raw butter on a daily basis.
Hey Dani, Thanks for this article. I think you are right in every way. Vegans are blinded to what they think is environmentally friendly yet local farmers are producing food to countless people while creating a very tiny footprint on the environment in the process. They treat the animals with respect. I get a big crate of frozen meat from a local farmer every month and it is amazing quality and I know that I am not contributing to the factory farming of animals or the destruction of natural habitats by monocrops. I hope that more people like you who educate themselves on the dangers of monocrops would speak out and educate like you are. Thanks.
Thank you, Corey! That really means a lot. These people just have no idea about true sustainability or environmental science. They probably haven’t even heard of a monocrop – and I’m not faulting them for that at all. It’s just dangerous when so many people think being vegan will save the earth when that’s truly not the case.
The fact that this conversation had gone on for so long just shows me what a DISSERVICE to our young/old society that our politicians, health officials, advocates, and educators have done to this society. What a shame! Eating fresh food, either meat or vegetarian in moderation keeps you in good health. Creation tells us that, God gave humanity the dominion over the animals, and in addition, the responsibility to be the caretakers of the animals on this earth. God gave us plants and animals to eat…but along with that gift, the responsibility to treat them humanely, in moderation and wisely. Studies are pretty pointless because they can change with different input parameters or with the societal agenda’s. If you live long enough, you find this point to be right on the money. I hope this helps those of you who find this discussion lacking common sense at every level, on both sides.
Also Dani, I forgot to say that I appreciate you and your fight to eat healthy. Ty.
Can you please reply to me as to what you think about what happend to me? I do know Im better now but don’t have your education. Can you help me with what I’m doing.
I’ve been wanting to carfully add fish but hear I have to take small amounts to start so I don’t get sick. I do get sick if I get tricked into eating animal products because I have been Vegan so long.
Thanks for the article. If I were you I wouldn’t even waste my time replying to these zombie vegans. They aren’t interested in eating food that is actually healthy to them. They are masochists that actively agree that the health and lives of animals are the only thing that matter. A sick and dangerous cult. It’s amazing to see the responses as it’s clear most of the commenters didn’t read the article, refuse to even consider the studies and then refer to movies like “what the health” and “conspiracy” as their proof and motivations behind eaten vegan. Hilarious. These people are dangerous, to themselves and other humans. Thanks again for providing the proof about this disgusting copies of burgers keep pressing on
Thanks Collin! Yes, it does appear that most people don’t want to have an educated, civilized discussion.
Educate yourself on the destruction of the planet due to animal farming.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-factory-farms-and-environment
The pollution from raising animals exceeds the total pollution emissions of ALL automobiles, Planes, Ships, and Railroads.
Plus, grass-fed animals are getting regular doses of drugs that you ingest when eating the meat.
You think eating red meat, chicken and pork is healthier than a plant-based diet?
And animals do have feelings and rights – it’s idiots like you and the author that need to educate yourselves before passing judgement on having a plant-based diet simply because you found one product to be unhealthy.
Please actually read the article before commenting. I will state, yet again, that I agree that factory farmed animals are horrible for the environment (and they’re treated horribly).
Grass-fed, local, organic farms build soil, sequester carbon, are not given “drugs” and are incredibly nutrient dense.
Before telling me to educate myself, which I’ve done for over ten years in this field, maybe you should actually read the article before commenting. You entire argument is completely invalid.
As a side note, to caring only about animals….Beyond Meat states that, 66 billion animals are slaughtered for human consumption. If we curtail this practice, as the vegans wish; how long before the animals run out food, how long until humans run out of space? Culling animals is part of global sustainability.
Tell that to the United Nations’ global urge to more to a meat-less & dairy-free diet.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2nncJE631WM53iYLiSgNeJa1Vcytk6fCu4mzUKBUQtXNQnUL0HwQQKrYM
And tell that to the well over 100 peer reviewed large scale studies by the biggest nutritional organisation in the world, where repeated evidence shows that a well planned plant-based diet is healthier for people of all ages, including infants.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/
Who is ignoring the evidence now?
LMAO YOU TALK ABOUT A LOW SPERM COUNT AS IF THAT’S A BAD THING
EXPELLAR PRODUCED CANOLA OIL, not solvent extracted smh. Please do proper research b4 writing articles if this is your profession.
WE WOULD HAVE TO CONVERT THE ENTIRE BIOMASS TO GRAZABLE LAND AKA DESTROY THE EARTH IN ORDER TO PUSH YOUR IDIOTIC FANTASY OF A “GRASS FED” MEAT SYSTEM TO FEED BILLIONS OF PEOPLE, JUST TAKE ONE LOOK AT THE AMAZON RAIN FOREST http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/amazon/amazon_threats/unsustainable_cattle_ranching/. You are seriously the most entitled, delusional and arrogant human being I have ever had the displeasure of seeing speak, your inability to handle any form of a counter argument, criticism is fucking pathetic, how old are you?. Just because you botched your sad attempt of a vegetarian diet and made no effort to get blood work done or go see a medical doctor to see what you needed (btw, read that article and holy fuck you love to mislead people and clearly did no research yourself before taking on that diet and lifestyle, even though you told people to do research lol, ) does not mean that you or any of your nutritional course textbooks are correct in anyway about veganism, do you have a PHD? Are you a Chemist? Scientist? no, just some bitter person that needs to feel validated.
p.s. in relationto that joke of a “vegetarianism ruined my life” garbage article, b12 aka cobalamin is a bacteria found in soil that is only present in meat because animals eat grass and most farms even have to use suppliments on the grazing animalshttps://www.agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-biosecurity/cobalt-deficiency-sheep-and-cattle. There is also, literally no reason you cant just utilize the suppliment https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-Consumer/
PLEASE stop bullshitting people, you have already unfortunately converted your bf to this nonsense
I’m not sure which is more prominent in your comments: your anger or your ignorance.
Don’t bother with people who have anger issues. They really shouldn’t use caps. Very rude. Some people don’t understand that you are providing your perspective. People may agree or disagree. It’s a choice. Just like eating food. And for those who blast meat eaters and how it is inhumane to kill an animal… Well…i say bringing a kid into this world could also been seen as equally cruel as well. Everything’s arguable.
you are psycho.
Thanks for pointing out the harmful products that are in the beyond meat patty. Will definitely have to look over it all closely.
There are all ready enough people pointing out that a meat-less AND / OR dairy-free diet has been largely peer reviewed & the evidence well established to be healthier that eating meat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662288/
In regards to grass-fed meat being more environmentally friendly, that may be true if there were only a handful of farms but NOT for the entire country or world. It’s completely absurd & impossible for the meat industry to achieve. Hence why the United Nations are stressing urgency for everyone to change to a more meat-free & dairy free diet.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2nncJE631WM53iYLiSgNeJa1Vcytk6fCu4mzUKBUQtXNQnUL0HwQQKrYM
What if someone… doesn’t want to eat meat…?
That’s okay. Totally your choice!
Its funny how on the ingredients of grass fed beef or any meat for that matter, they dont list the massive amounts of drugs and hormones your also ingesting. All of the studies you cited were also the smallest studies ever and funded by the meat and or dairy industry. And if you arent taking a cut of profit then your an even bigger idiot for writing this for free. And wtf species csn you name that was completely wiped out from farming vegetables?
Please, I beg of you, READ an article before commenting. I have stated numerous times that I only support grass-fed, organic meat from local, family farms. These animals do not contain “massive amounts of drugs and hormones.” They eat grass and drink water and sometimes have organic supplemental feed. The ingredient list is: grass-fed organic meat.
Also, isn’t all food bad for you? I’ve been eating nothing but lasagna and muffins my entire life and I feel terrible.
HAHAHA this comment is so good. I’m literally laughing out loud. Thanks Ren!
Thank you for your take, I consider it informational and good food for thought. Initially I was not crazy about the point you made about red meat, but after reading a few of the comments and your reply; I do not think your message was clearly understood. In my opinion I believe you are discussing “real locally sourced foods” to make your argument valid and others are using the “meat is murder” argument to validate their own. I do not consume meat and I am able to get all of my essential nutrients and minerals, but I also do not consume processed foods even if they are “vegan” Personally I would rather discuss the things without getting emotions involved, because I believe the author and the detractors all made valid points we could learn from.
Thanks Larry. And yes, I think people misunderstand me or simply didn’t read the article. In no way to I condone industrialized meat products. I’m talking local, grass-fed, organic beef. There’s a huge distinction there.
Excuse me, Mrs. Andrews, I’m a student in high school and up till reading your article about Beyond Meat, I was entirely in favor of supporting their organization’s goals. However, the issues you’ve brought up are slightly confusing for me to understand. By suggesting grass-fed meat sources would be superior to Beyond Meat products, it seems to me that you are ignoring their ideas behind climate change and land usage. Now, I understand their website may have bias, but 51 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions produced by animals seems quite a bit to me. And by switching to plant-based meats are we not removing this issue almost entirely? Then there is the idea of global resource constraints. I understand your logic behind needing more landmass to support all vegan food sources. As well as the issues behind monocropping. But if we are able to remove the need for livestock production, are we not able to better use our resources in favor of Beyond Meats solution. But it seems to me that the main issue you’re having from the Beyond Meat burger is the healthiness of it. Now I do not claim to be a food expert, but through many reputable sources, there are claims that meats are the sole cause behind many cases of cancers and heart disease. So it seems to me that there is an issue between meat being almost if not equally unhealthy to the Beyond Meat burger. Therefore I would like to know if you think the Beyond Meats ideals while if not healthier than grass-fed beef, would be preferable to provide a more sustainable and overall better way to support our living system? Their ideals being that plant-based meats eliminate the issues discussed in their pages and that while monocropping is an issue, there may be alternative plants that Beyond Meat has not used.
Cameron, thanks for your comments.
So to answer your question, no, Beyond Meat is not more sustainable. For several reasons that are way too complex for me to adequate address in a comment but I’ll quickly try.
First, 51% of greenhouse gas emissions are NOT from grass-fed based farming systems. They are from a combination of industrialized feedlots and agriculture (ie: all the corn and soy grown for these animals). This is a huge mistake people make.
Grass-fed animals are not only amazing for the earth, they literally sequester carbon in the ground, where it’s needed to produce healthy soil. Their manure feeds the soil. This is another point people do not understand. If animals don’t feed the soil – what does? Chemical fertilizers made from fossil fuels.
So while people want to eliminate livestock entirely – they really have no idea how food is grown, how land is properly managed or how nature works. Again, grass-fed animals feed the soil. If we eliminate them, we then rely on chemical fertilizers made from fossil fuel. Which eventually will destroy the soil to the point where no food can be grown on it.
Lastly, as a practicing nutritionist for coming up on ten years, no, Beyond Meat is not healthier than grass-fed beef. Grass-fed beef has never been linked to cancer or heart disease. These studies to not exist. And studies linking meat at all to cancer or heart disease are questionable at best. Grass-fed meat is incredibly nutrient dense (it contains conjugated linoelic acid which is anti-carcinogenic, B vitamins, iron, omega-3s, etc).
Oh, and their website says they create their products “without GMOs, soy, or gluten.” As well as saying the packaging may not line up with their actual ingredients to different distribution times. Sorry, just another thought.
Thank you for this brilliant article!
Finally found one with good arguments not to buy that vegan stuff.
I find it hypocrite that vegans are making fake meat, while condemning those eating the real thing!
A well balanced diet with fish, organic meat, dairy, vegetables and fruits, where you don’t consume more calories than burned, is my choice.
Your answers were well!.
I also find it difficult to discuss with vegans when they speak of moral issues and continue to use fossil fuel as if that’s no problem…
Vegans also use plastic bags and send up balloons falling down in the ocean and polluting the earth with their cars. Seems like a double moral!
Food is also supposed to be enjoyed, not only a nutrition. I don’t take any supplements. If humans were meant to eat only plant based food, why do vegans take supplements?
I make my own bread and grow some vegetables and herbs.
We have wild cod/fish on the menu 3 times a week and we are healthy and happy! The UN just scored the Scandinavians as the happiest on Earth.
Greetings from Norway! A country with lots of quiet, pure nature! ?
Keep up your good work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn5nvZxdXuA
Hello from DC! I want to visit Norway so badly!
I am currently working on getting this post off of page one of Google for the search term BEYOND BURGER. And no, it’s not by asking Google. This post is completely misleading and serves no purpose other than promoting the beef industry, which I am sure who helped pay for the SEO to get this post on page one of the search results. People searching for info on this product should be given just that, factual info.
This comment is great on so many levels.
This article and the comments from the author do not promote the beef industry.
To the contrary, it speaks against it, many times, of the damages to the animals, our health, and the planet from the commercial beef industry.
If you read correctly, it promotes natural grass fed beef grown by local farmers.
I can’t believe the number of individuals posting here that can’t grasp that fact, despite it being repeated countless times. It takes away from the attempt to promote intelligent discussion here
Oh, and I have absolutely no affiliation with the author, commenters, the website or any advertisers. I don’t completely agree with anyone’s opinion here.
I ended up here because of a duck duck go search for these “burgers”. Not trusting google’s search process as being unbiased, I use duck duck go, hoping for some integrity in the process.
I was hoping these products would be a healthy alternative but I can see they’re not, from looking at other info I found before and what I’ve read here.
Thank goodness for freedom of speech and free internet, although I did have to pay for a service provider, which I can no longer afford. Sigh…
YES! Thank you, Tina!
Why are you so hostile with everyone commenting here? Maybe you’d focus better with some plant-based b12, like from Dulse, or Shiitake mushrooms. In all seriousness, you’ve been fighting with people on here for over 2 years and fail to admit that grass-fed beef for all humans is not achievable. It’s an elitist point of view (something meat-eaters love to accuse vegans of) and fails to realize the harm of saturated fat and cholesterol in regards to heart disease (which has been “Beyond” epidemiological proven, and even mechanistically). The environmental damage alone outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations alone shows just how bad pasture cattle are compared to the less-welfare-concerned industrial farmed cattle. In 2050, our projected population is 10 billion. It’s been show by Joseph Poole that the business as usual approach won’t work (only 40% work, of over 200 tests), but that all vegan scenarios work to sustain human life. Beyond Meat is great for people who otherwise don’t watch what they eat, but if you’re concerned with oil or soy protein isolate, than it’s easy to avoid on a vegan diet. But, presenting grass-fed beef as an alternative is just a bad move, because Beyond Meat has not been declared a carcinogen, like beef has, by the World Health Organization. Dani, you’re a woman, realizing the pain that cow’s are put through for dairy (cows who eventually become beef), means that you cannot call yourself a feminist. Of course, you have a vested interest, but you’re a mother – so imagine being pregnant for 9 months only to have your child taken away. Well, that’s the gestation period that cows are put through simply so people can enjoy milk and cheese. You’re putting money before morals.
Your feminist argument is interesting, I’ll give you that. I will think about that so thanks for bringing it to my attention.
I will reiterate that saturated fat and cholesterol are not harmful or unhealthy in any way, shape or form. This idea is based on outdated, poor science. It simply is no longer valid and anyone who believes it has not kept up with current research. I have studied this for years. Our cell membranes are made up of saturated fat. Our brains are made up of saturated fat. Cholesterol is a necessary component in our bodies and we would die without it.
I actually think I’m putting morals at the forefront here. A vegan diet is incredibly harmful to the environment and to animal populations. I recommend the book The Vegetarian Myth.
Your studies about increasing estrogen-dependent tumor growth are misleading and from in vivo studies of mice. Many human studies show the opposite even for genistein. Such as : Genistein intake mimicking Asian consumption patterns improved response of mammary tumors to tamoxifen therapy, and this effect was linked to reduced activity of UPR and pro-survival autophagy signaling and increased antitumor immunity. Clin Cancer Res; 23(3); 814–24. 2017 AACR. source:http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/clincanres/23/3/814.full.pdf
Almost all the studies you put up seem cherry picked. Most are not human trials, don’t include a large control group for the study or lack anything more than an abstract for the study. Almost everything you put up I can find human studies/meta-studies finding either no effect or the opposite effect you are claiming. If you’re going to convince healthy people at least put more effort into your research, not just “long ingredient name=cancer lol”.
I get it, you like meat. But, fear mongering and inferring things from studies they didn’t conclusively prove seems a little low brow yeah?
We love Beyond Burger ! 😀 😀 🙂 😉
Can’t agree more about this unhealthy “meat”. The comments on here are clearly vegan crazies. Full disclosure, I have been on a ~90% meat diet for about three years now and have had zero disease, sickness or anything crazy in my bloodwork. I’m 50 years old, weight lift and rock climb with no joint issues at all. Grass-fed meats are the real deal, not some bunk made-up by vegan online protestors who don’t even know how to read labels. Rant over. Good work Dani.
I was vegan for 4 years and ended up suffering from vitamin deficiencies that eventually lead to anemia because I did not pay attention to what I was doing. I currently am no longer vegan, though I do not eat beef or dairy. With everything going on in the world concerning climate change, with the animal industry being a leading cause, I have to say I am considering trying it again, not because I want to, but because I feel like knowing what I know, it’s the right thing to do. I have read what you said, and I do agree that health wise grass-fed is better then grain-fed and that Beyond Burgers are not healthy. But I do not think in a world of almost 8 billion people that grass-fed is going to help fight climate change, which I think is probably the second largest argument for adopting a vegan diet (moral reasons for some being the first). A grain-fed cow will require three acres of land, while a grass-fed cow requires nine acres. Ultimately, a grass-fed cow will use 35 percent more water and 30 percent more land than a conventional, grain-fed cow. Another debate centers on greenhouse gases, where once again grass-fed beef fails to win the environmental argument. In fact, each pound of grass-fed beef produces 500 percent more greenhouse gases than grain-fed. Grain-fed cows also produce one-third the methane of grass-fed, partially due to their shorter life span, though both contribute to methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Grass-fed cattle also generally reach a smaller maximum weight then grain-fed, so to switch to an entirely grass-fed system would require more cattle, more land, more water and would increase the US total emissions of methane by 8%, which seems drastic considering we should be looking to into lower these emissions instead of raising them. It is true that with grass-fed cattle nitrous oxide emissions associated with grain feed crops would be reduced, but this could be outweighed by increased nitrogen oxidation from manure and leguminous forages. Soil carbon sequestration contributes a potential CO2 sink, however evidence suggests that this sink is unstable and reversible over decadal timeframes. Soil erosion and native vegetation suppression from overgrazing are likely to pose additional challenges. Given the environmental tradeoffs associated with raising more cattle in exclusively grass-fed systems, only reductions in beef consumption can guarantee reductions in the environmental impact of US food systems. So in conclusion, it does appear to me that beef consumption in particular, regardless of how it was raised or what diet you follow, is a disservice to our world and every living creature in it.
There is a recent study done, to back up my argument as well.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aad401
We love Beyond Meat! There’s no antibiotics, e-coli, rotting meat sitting in our gut making us fat and lazy. Beyond Meat taste great. Best plant based burger on market! Once they invent beyond beacon and cheese, we’re having beacon cheese burgers every night !!
Bacon cheeseburgers every night seems excessive but you do you.
So, it’s better to eat grass-fed meat than it is to eat Beyond Meat products. I’m not a nutritionist or a scientist and I don’t have the time to do a bunch or research on the topic. Thus, I’ll take your word for it because you seem to be relatively well-informed and experienced on the topic.
My only question is how or why is it ethical to raise a cow from birth and then murder it so that people can eat it? I understand that some of the local farmers treat their animals well and the cows only eat grass. And I suppose that’s a lot better than what usually occurs on the larger farms.
Do the animals deserve to be killed? They certainly must feel fear and pain. They have emotions and feelings. They are conscious, sentient beings who feel the same amount of pain as humans, or dogs, or cats, or any other living creature. So, why is it better to kill, slaughter, and eventually eat an innocent animal than to choose not to?
I’m aware that animals in the wild kill and eat each other. But, they do so out of necessity and genetic predisposition. So, I question why we, as an intelligent species, continue to kill and eat animals knowing that the animals feel fear and pain? They don’t want to die. Just like people don’t want to die. I think that’s the secret of life for any living creature: Not dying.
If you want to slam me, like you’ve done so many of the other people who have asked you questions, feel free. I’m not here to argue or try to prove a point through scientific research. I’m only questioning why it’s better to kill and eat an animal than it is to eat food that doesn’t contain meat or other animal products? Even if it’s better for our health, as you’ve stated, it certainly isn’t better for the health of the animals.
I suggest reading the book The Vegetarian Myth. It does a far job of explaining the answer to your question than I ever could.
You can get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DFwaeT
found the article interesting based on the recent IPO of beyond Meat yesterday. i tried to read through most of the comments and i have to say Dani pretty much crushed everyone lol appreciate the write up , opened up my eyes a little trying to see both sides (through responses of others) of the debate on sustainability and healthy living.
Yeast Extract is NOT MSG … it has some similarities, but it’s healthier than MSG.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/yeast-extract/
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/is-yeast-extract-bad-for-me#1
Yeast extract is essentially in most pizza / bread doughs, even home made ones that combine yeast with some sugar and a warm temperature.
I loved this article and find myself adequately well-versed on the matter. I am a vegetarian (used to be vegan) and agree with everything Dani says in this post. From a health standpoint, the Impossible Burger is NOT good for you. I said to my mom recently (because I think they are starting to use this patty at Burger King?) I would honestly rather eat organic grass-fed meat (health-wise) than to eat this.
I am 100% not for the killing of animals and from a humanistic standpoint take the Beyond Burger over meat every day of the week, HOWEVER, from a health standpoint – I would take the grass fed meat over the Beyond Burger. There is no real food in it at all and certainly no vegetables. Health-wise – I would argue that it’s just as bad for you as meat.
For me, I’ll just pass on both, stick with my homemade bean burgers and call it a day.
I respect that very much! We may have differing ideologies when it comes to you being vegetarian and me an ethical omnivore, but thank you for providing a rational argument. And good for you for making your own veg burgers!
you do realize, you are brainwashed to believe there is something immoral about killing animals for food, right? meat is not bad for anyone. [grassfed] meat is healthy. meat has always been healthy. it is full of omega 3s, zinc, taurine, iron, b vitamins. it is anti-inflammatory perfect food. if you dont beleive me then watch interview with mikhaila peterson and how eating a diet based on solely meat has cured her of her life-long debilitating autoimmune illnesses. also meatheals.com.
meat is not unhealthy. there are zero actual studies showing that it is unhealthy. stop spreading misinformation.
I agree with the author. Some of the ingredients are not the best for you. I also raised this with beyond meats and a&w. The vitamin b12 cyanocobalamin is the synthetic kind found in lots of supplements. It’s cheaper than the natural version of b12 which is methylcobalamin. Also refined coconut oil is a big no. Virgin coconut oil is the better version. But maybe avocado oil would be a better substitute taste wise. At the end of the day beyond meats has had to cut costs by using sub par ingredients. What u won’t know about ingredients wont hurt you but what hurts your pockets (cost of a burger) will. I have to agree that no matter how healthy ingredients can be, it is still progressed food. It really depends on each person’s digestive system and absorption whether they tolerate this better than a real beef burger.
Dani . Thank You for the information and kudos for sending your ground. Stay up.
“Standing your ground.” Kudos for standing your ground(need b12!)
I took the time to read through article and the comments , and I am amassed that all those who bash the author are so ignorant (understatement), do not pay attention to details and just simply are hung up on their own righteousness of being a vegan or whatever that is. i call it does not see forest for the trees. Dani is right in every aspect of what she claims, anyone who has been involved with farming could see that, unlike those city slickers who claim that they know all about farming by being able to determine cucumber from potato.
There is simply so many topics in the comments are distracting from the mail focal point- Beyond Meat products contain additives. thats it. the commenting people ventured into topics like responsible farming, carbon footprint, kosher animal killing for food, soja, corn, etc. In addition their statements are just screaming with anger. wow. I am really impressed with Dani and her composed responses.
to all vegans all I can say that this is the example of another mania, hybrid cars(like Prius). when paul McCartney wanted to be with the it crowd of the time, he ordered hybrid lexus. got it flown from Japan. that negated the whole point of carbon emittion reduction. besides, making the batteries for hybrids creates more co emittion somewhere else, mining fro lithium, processing , etc. it pollutes in China, vs polluting in California.
Hats off to Dani.I wish I could right like her, let alone think like her.
oh, and what happened to that Harward 4.0 gpa nutritianist, I wonder. 🙂 still high salary from pulling the wool over other vegans..
Good on you Dani. It is impossible to get through to worshippers of the Vegan religion. Their beliefs are based on ideology and feelings, not on logic or seeing the obvious around them (how malnourished do so many vegans look?). I cannot respect anyone who values the lives of dumb animals ahead of their own health. Evolution in reverse. Keep fighting the good fight. 🙂
Dani,
Have you ever thought about the fact that vegetarians and vegans have helped you create a market for Grass fed beef. They brought up the possibilities that we should be looking at the environmental impacts out diets have. Without them the general population wouldn’t be examining how their eating habits impact the environment. Since the vegan movement (which is a small percent of the population) people have come to accept that they should look more closely at where their food comes from. Without this introspection you would not have a market. There are studies all over the place. It is clear meat eaters should eat less conventionally raised meat. It is also clear that these choices are privileges of wealth. Instead of supplementing corn to make processed food cheaper we should be supplementing healthy farming practices including pasture raised beef to make healthy food accessible to the less well off.
Life is Most Important in Life is The Most Important Truth in Life.
I agree that these things are not good for you.
However, for anyone to even suggest to take life irrespective of its intelligence, ability to suffer, potential, what is in the best interest of life in general, and honest need, is evidence that the very person saying it has an herbivorously evolved brain that is being fed blood saturated in the stench of death coming from their closet graveyard they call a stomach and doesn’t work properly. That proves eating the animals for needless reasons is even worse.
Some counterpoints to the “science” cited in this article.
https://blog.aicr.org/2019/02/19/soy-and-cancer-myths-and-misconceptions/
The amount of time you have spent arguing in the comments of this post is ridiculous. Have you nothing better to do with your time? Take a fucking break. I’ll eat my beyond burger when I want a burger and you can kill a fucking cow when you want yours. You aren’t half as smart as you try to portray yourself. Go ahead, get butt hurt and reply. I’ll never check this again so it’s a waste of breathe. Opinions are like assholes and you are basically prolapsed at this point.
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I stopped reading when you went off in soy, since it doesn’t even have soy in it. It’s PEA protein. Good lord.
Some think that they are using stem cells to grow the meat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xfcdHVbO8Q&t=16s
Great article. Very clear and believable. If any meat leads to cancer its factory meat not the grass fed kind. I looked at the ingredients on beyond meat and quickly realized factory meat was probably better. Wish grass fed meat was easier to get around me. Looked into raising my own chickens and was quickly disabused of the idea by my village. However I found out that raising chickens underground was a thriving industry because the local organic garden center was selling a ton of chicken feed to allot of people in the neighborhoods where chickens are illegal. Its sometimes hard to believe that doing something like raising a few chickens would be illegal especially in the current toxic food environment that we live in.
I am someone who cannot tolerate the amount of vegetables and fruit I used to try and eat. I thought it was healthy but it just made my digestive problems worse. The two stints I had of being fully vegetarian were very uncomfortable. I did all the usual elimination diets to try and heal my gut (including low FODMAP) but it wasn’t until I drastically upped my intake of meat and eliminated many problematic vegetables and all fruit (except small amounts of berries) that I started to actually be able to get through the day without rolling on the floor clutching my stomach. Meat feels so nourishing in my gut and all my blood sugar issues melted away. I get really angry at the push to eat plant based. Some of us just cannot process all those vegetables and fruit and soy etc. I support the idea of regenerative agriculture. Sadly, I don’t think you can change the thinking of some people until they see for themselves that plant based eating doesn’t always work forever (deficiencies build up – just type “I stopped being vegan” into youtube and see all the guilt ridden people who have to admit their “sin” of putting animal foods back into their diet due to their failing health. They get blasted by vegans to the point that it is outright bullying.
All I know is, I haven’t eaten pork, ham or red meat of any kind for 19 years and I have had the flu once since then, once. Hmmm. It’s cool though, everyone wants to stand for something and anyone has the right to stand for anything. So there you have it. People will eat what they want, regardless of articles such as this whether the information provided is a conspiracy theory or straight scientific facts. We as humans are programmed to do things even when we know they are bad for us. Fro example, I could write an article about smoking and how bad it is for you and how many studies have proved it has caused cancer with SOLID facts, and someone would most likely go through a half a pack of cigarettes and a half a bottle of whiskey while reading it. Just keep in mind that there are three topics that you’re going to catch hell for writing about any way you look at it; Politics, Religion, and ANYTHING involving the meat industry, grass-fed or not. Keep your head up.
Very good points. Thanks Walter!
Thank you for aggregating all this information and providing it to us.
I had no idea yeast extract is MSG. The information on canola was eye opening. Didnt realize there are worthless Omega-3s out there.
Keep up the good work!
PS: work on your responses to idiots and you’re golden.
Thanks!
These comments are ridiculous!!
THANK YOU DANI for taking the time to write this and spread the truth.
Veganism is not healthy. Veganism is not sustainable. Veganism is colonialist propaganda.
It is f a k e. Not only was I a vegan for TEN years of my life beginning at age 17- I was HIGHLY
knowledgable in nutrition. Iwasn;t one of the ignorant vegans who didn’t supplement with B12, Iodine, Zinc, Taurine, K2. Even still, my health became worse and worse and worse. Supplements are not absorbed by our bodies like fat-soluble nutrients from flesh are. ALA from plant foods is BARELY converted into DHA. Cholesterol is VITAL for the creation of ALL hormones.
The ignorance in these comments is honestly disturbing. And why the hell is everyone acting like the author is “yelling and being mean” in her responses??? every single response by the author is straightforward and grounded and reasonable, even after she was literally called names by vegans.
There is NOTHING NOTHING immoral about eating animals!!!!!!!! God put them on earth to be food! i dont give a F CK what anyone says. AND NO IM NOT TALKING ABOUT FACTORY FAMRED ANIMALS I AM TALKING ABOUT GRAZING ANIMALS. IF WE DID NOT NEED TO EAT ANIMALS THAN WE WOULD NOT NEED SUPPLEMENTS.
vegans need to get over themselves. all their pride and arrogance. if you really want to be close to nature then go live on a farm, grow some vegetables and kill a cow, just like all of our ancestors did.your vegan diet is literally doing nothing beneficial for the planet at all, hate to break it to you.
just go re-watch what the health to make yourselves feel better abut your choices.
ah, lastly. there are literally zeros studies proving meat or cholesterol are bad for the health. every single study is using GRAIN-fed meat in conjunction with Omega 6 plant oils + processed flours + sugar AKA a S A Diet. There are ZERO, ZERO studies on organic, local, whole food, omnivorous grass-fed meat diets.
Please read UnDo It by Dean Ornish and Anne Ornish
they will satisfy with all the studies you claim do not exist….get over yourself…
You feel guilty because you couldn’t get off the meat…..
So then what do you suggest to be done? Obviously we don’t want any more animal suffering just like you wouldn’t want to kill your own baby why should we kill another life’s baby? This is a sad world to fight for survival but since we are so highly intelligent and know so much and have a conscience then why kill a life who cries to stay alive?
You do kill animals, you just don’t see them being killed. Animals are killed, millions of them, to produce food. Whether it’s animals being killed from plowing down fields to grow soy, marine life being killed to grow soy/corn/wheat and the runoff that has created a deadzone in the Gulf the size of Delaware – animals are killed for you to eat. I just choose to acknowledge this fact and eat in a way that kills the least animals – ie: local, sustainable, from my pasture based farmer.
Thank you for this article, you’ve reminded me of several things I had researched and learned myself, but had forgotten in the cacophony of “HEALTHY” “SUSTAINABLE” “GOOD FOR YOU” nonsense programmed into us day by day. Ignore the haters, they drink hatorade™ and live on soy. Thank you thank you thank you for writing this article. They can all eat carcinogens for ‘color’ and ‘texture’. As for me, I’m going with food from my garden, eggs from grass fed pastured chickens, and beef pork lamb and chicken from local farmers. F this factory shit. This is garbage.
I’m sitting in the toilet and searching for Beyond Meat gave you diarrhea. I had it first time yesterday as my husband persuaded me to try. So, I gave it a try and 5 hrs. later I ran into the toilet. Now, it is 4pm in Hong Kong, I’m still suffering from diarrhea, stomachache. Furthermore details, I found out the cooking smell was so horrible, it smelled like cooking rubber or something which is not human food.
Beyond Meat, beyond unhealthy.
I have to think these made me sick for about 24 hours. They tasted pretty good and looked kind of like meat. But I developed a tummy ache, diarrhea, and vomiting. So bad that I went to the doctor. I tested negative for the flue and my white blood cell count was normal. I have CKD so maybe something with that.
Tip to the author: It’s hard to take an arrogant person seriously. Belies some underlying issue. Work on responding to people without resorting to name-calling; it would improve your credibility.
I haven’t name called a single person on this thread. I don’t name call literally at all, I never have in my arguments and I never will. Responding passionately in something I believe in isn’t arrogance, it’s confidence. I know it’s hard to swallow coming from a woman, but I this is something I’ve studied for ten years and I know my stuff.
Great points in the article and some comments. I wasn’t able to financially afford organic produce or grass-fed meat, or even pastured-raised eggs that cost a whopping $8. And yes, support local farmers but the farmers’ market hours just don’t work for my schedule. I’ve slowly made some changes, and hope to frequent farmers markets in the near-future.
I was apprehensive about Beyond meat when it first debuted in fast food chains. Like really though, fast food has never equated to healthy food so I figured Beyond Meat was no different. I just wanted to read about the impact of eating Beyond Meat on the body. We all know sodas and candy are bad for us, and yet, so many still choose to load their bodies with sugar, which leads to an addiction whether you know it or not.
Reading comments like these crack me up, especially the one where someone yelled about how would we like it if we were pregnant and our babies were suddenly taken away from us to be slaughtered for food. Does this happen in real life? Is baby meat sold in grocery stores? What a lame argument rooted in pathos. It’s akin to FUR IS MURDERRR.
Agree that people will inevitably do whatever they think is right , but the mighty few who are conscious about the impacts of their lifestyles will be the ones who create change. I agree with some commentors wrote about how eating real foods will always be their choice. It’s pretty much the same for me. I see a lot of vegans buy processed foods and Starbucks everyday, and bottled water galote, who have an air of superiority simply because it’s not meat. Well guess what, your plastic use may contain traces of animal, and if you’re not aware about that, your veganism is, like someone else wrote, rooted in vegan colonialism. Furthermore, your use of processed foods are contributing to our excessive waste problem that largely ignored.
To the author: You’ve found a new follower in me!
I was always told that You can catch more bees with honey. I am hoping that people on both sides remember that. Often times I feel like vegan are very aggressive and this author has responded in a similar way. Ultimately we all want the same thing; health. I was raised vegetarian, have gone vegan and eaten meat at times. I wish I could say that I have had no health issues being vegan/vegetarian, perhaps there are many things that I need to do more research on. I looked up this topic because of the recent information that the impossible burger contains pesticides. I am glad that the author has highlighted the fact that any “fake” meat mass-produced needs to be researched. I am 47 yrs old and was raised on Loma Linda, Morning Star and Worthington products. Many of my church religious community are being seen to have health issues from these type products that we have consumed all our lives. I LOVE eating these products but I know now that this is not the best thing for humans because of being processed. I am striving to grow my own food and eat less of these meat substitutes and closer to the whole clean food model. I appreciate all information. It is up to us to research behind everything that is posted and not everything is for everybody. Wish either the author or one of the commenters would post a healthy/ tasty vegeburger recipe!!
You’re right, that’s a saying I use too! I swear I’m a nice person, my writing can come off as harsh. And honestly, I know I can come off as harsh in person as well when this topic comes up. I’m just fiery about it. It’s something I’m incredibly passionate about. Thanks for your comment and while I’m not the best person to make a veggie burger recipe (just not my wheelhouse) I’ve heard Pinch of Yum has really delicious ones! Check them out here:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pinch+of+yum+veggie+burger&oq=pinch+of+yum+veggie+burger&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4652j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Hi Dani,
You should rewrite this article or delete it entirely. That’s the most honest thing I can think of when I think about it. It is dated, inaccurate, and misleading. You can’t even see the ingredients in the Beyond Burger if you are viewing on a small device, which leads anyone to read the Beast Burger ingredients.
Beyond has not made the Beast Burger which has 2 of the 6 ingredients you are talking about in its list. Yeast extract is like MSG, not MSG and you should also keep it just about the Beyond Burger and not the chicken strips, beyond crumbles, or the beast burger which again doesn’t exist anymore. Once you do that, you should probably just delete it all together. I did some research about land in the USA and your comment, “2.3 billion acres of unused land in the US alone”is also incorrect. The true statement is there is 2.3 billion acres of land. Much of which is being used to grow corn, soy, and canola for factory farmed animals. I’m having a hard time understanding your angle, there is no way that the world can sustain everyone eating farm raised beef. If everyone ate a small portion of farm raised beef once a month, perhaps, but you didn’t say that either. Its products like the beyond burger that are going to help get us out of this mess. So if you don’t have anything positive to say or contribute, please get out of the way, so the rest of us can get to work.
-Kerry
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2014/Highlights_Farms_and_Farmland.pdf
Further more. I just ate 35 beyond burgers and 35 beyond sausages in the last 35 days as Beyond Meats hasn’t done any tests like this yet. I feel great, I haven’t put on any weight and Im getting my after blood work done next week. I look forward to sharing it with you and perhaps then you can apologize that this article was misleading, contained inaccurate information, and write the “honest article” that the Beyond burger deserves.
I think I read every comment. If you weren’t so whip smart and fun in your replies I don’t think it would have been doable. Thank you for getting this important message out! IMHO, I feel you’ve left off the most important and obvious way that growing crops kills more animals and even more inhumanely than grass fed beef (and eggs from pasture raised chickens for that matter). Pesticides are literally killing Caterpillars and Butterflies (slowly and horrifically). That is their purpose. That is how they do their job. Don’t vegans think bugs are animals too? Lastly the pesticides have reduced the insect population so severely that it is causing the bird population that feeds on them to plummet https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/catastrophe-as-frances-bird-population-collapses-due-to-pesticides?
I won’t try to argue against all your comments but some of of them I want to comment on. I’m not even vegetarian or vegan, but think it’s very important for the environment and ethically, so I’ve been trying to give it a go.
1. You say millions of animals are killed for vegetarian food. Where do you even see this from? You know how many are killed in factory farming? Over 50 billion chickens alone. In a single year. I’m sure the farms created will kill much less animals. Not to mention meats are very unsustainable. Do you know much water it takes to grow a cow? It’s around around 2,400 gallons per pound. Over half of our water supply goes to animals. Takes tons of land too. While everyone having grass meats is a nice idea, it’s not going to happen any time soon. People are greedy and want the most profit for the smallest price. Grass fed is probably much more expensive to produce. The only way I see factory farming ending is when lab grown meats become much cheaper to produce and products like the impossible burger become more common.
2. I’m in med school and we learned that meat likely increases the chance of gastric cancer, no matter if it’s grass fed or not. Red meat especially. Albeit usually in higher concentrations of 3-4 servings a week. Also many times people will cook red meats at high heat, like on a grill, which also creates dangerous carcinogens, such as benzenes.
3. You say there no studies stating that grass fed meats are bad for you. But have you seen any studies soley on grass grown meats? Just because they don’t have studies on it doesn’t make it healthier. While there may be small benefits from less antibiotics in meat, well, meat is meat.
4. While beyond meat may have “bad ingredients”, I ensure you the majority of products on the market have much, much worse ingredients. You also have to look at the proportions people will eat. Everything is about the dose. The burgers are quite small and most people will have it as a treat once in a while.
Typed on iPhone so please excuse any typos.
I totally agree with the author. Every time I eat Beyond meat I get a terrible headache. I love the taste and experience of eating it. But then…30 minutes later like clock work it feels like my head will explode. You are safer eating rat poison. Consume at your own risk….
I have come up with the ultimate solution… And I want the royalties and credit for this idea Lol. All the world needs to solve this debate is a bumper stick that reads” PLANTS HAVE FEELINGS TOO”
So many comments based on feelings -like animal abuse or hug the planet garbage…whatever; I’ve been zero carb (meaning only eating animals) for 6 months and am in better shape than half the commenters on here that are anti-fact. Leaves more for me. My six pack is here to prove it as well as my last physical and blood work done a week ago (turning 50 this year). My rule on food – if it’s processed or ‘man made’ then it’s crap – this philosophy has not let me down.
unfortunately… this is a very anthropocentric perspective.
it’s the path to implosion.
Good philosophy!
Pure. Ignorance.
meat is processed mate. even if its grass fed beef organic whatever. you still got to cut it up and refrigerate it, its still processed ‘food’. and also you animal is selected from a field and walks around its still in a closed area and is feed. this is man made or man selected. the ignorance from meat eaters in here. tell me more about the tree where you grew your knife hahah ‘natural’ what a fallacy. if you only ate what natural you would only be eating fruit from a tree.
I very, very much appreciated this report. Some of it is beyond me, but I am by no means feel unable to come to a conclusion about this fake food. I agree with the author’s take, as well.
I came to this article after reading another one by Vandana Shiva in which she looks at fake food (including the investors behind it and other issues). I don’t agree with Vandana on some things – such as calling climate crisis ‘climate change’ and the ‘fact’ of biological evolution). Other than that, She is very knowledgeable and an indispensable source of information.
Vandana Shiva’s article: https://www.independentsciencenews.org/health/fake-food-fake-meat-big-foods-desperate-attempt-to-further-industrialisation-food/?unapproved=82120&moderation-hash=4d44087aace432f82ab6e642ceef9591#comment-82120
You are sooo incorrect. Decayed flesh is decayed flesh…It is teaming in disease causing microbes… Immunity goes down for every creature on the planet…We cannot keep up with our own inherent microbial load…How in the world can we deal with 750,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 microbes in rotting flesh. I can prove everything I write through scientific studies. Beyond Meat, plant based protein is the wave of the future. Consciousness is growing!
While you may be right about the health benefits of grass-fed meat diets, i would like to say i don’t feel it is sustainable for the Earth. As can be seen with the link below human influence on the world results in an incredible loss of diversity. i’m glad for the efforts to re-wild areas and for new advances in vegetarian meat and dairy alternatives (we eat Beyond Beef burgers and make our own seed or nut milk)… but it seems like small steps in comparison to the overall picture. for anyone advocating for worldwide small farm production of livestock and eating milk and drinking dairy for “optimum health” as some see it, i think… even if we could switch from large scale beef factories to small scale, and even if we could somehow provide goods to those living in urban centers (as most of the population does), what effect will all this have considering a world population of 7 billion?
At this point in time, i’m all for rural small scale farming in accordance with what the land can provide, and enhancing our food security locally. i’m all for eating wild meat as well. Rural is likely the best option for the planet and our survival but we can’t sacrifice diversity provided by the wilderness.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Estimations-of-the-total-global-biomass-organically-bound-carbon-regarding-humans-wild_fig3_314653548?fbclid=IwAR37UeCjTWKPKIj03UrJDqMwVbc5adWiXImqh8YdZlTWjgfbBHTYcK1KQ-E
Factory farming is bad, but the solution isn’t a war on meat entirely. The more people become educated on responsible farming, and how good it is for the land and our health, the better. The problem is as of now, getting emotionally riled up about meat is more satisfying than learning about sustainable farming.
Also consider how many of the processed food brands are getting in on fake meat — they see it as a cash cow, not as a way to improve the health of their consumers. You think Tyson Foods, one of the latest brands to offer a new line of fake meat, cares about your health?
Hello, very interesting piece here, great work on it. I just have a question: If plant-based diets are so unhealthy, shouldn’t life expectancy of vegans (and vegetarians, for that matter) be lower? Studies I have seen have disproven that, and in fact, the opposite seems to be the case. Personally, I have been vegan for a bit over a year, and I feel great. Sorry to hear you didn’t have the same experience.
Also, I get what you are saying about buying locally, but personally, I still don’t think I can justify purchasing the flesh of slaughtered animals, regardless of how “humane” or “responsible” they are labeled. I respect your opinion, though, and all the best to you.
It seems that out of all the beyond products the original beyond burger is the best and healthier choice according to the ingredients.
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I came across this article because I was googling ingredients of the Beyond Burger. I just have to say, the author is clearly biased, judging by the name of her blog. Typical “Primal ex-vegan”. Why are you arguing with every comment that disagrees with your opinion? It’s only going to draw people away from your blog. Like me–instead of clicking around your blog I’m just going to hit that X.
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thanks so much for sharing this information, I was looking to determine if eating the Beyond Meat products was worth it. I will not purchase any additional BM products, moving forward. I am a 53 yr old woman that has experienced changes in my breast health since eating these products, well over 1 yr now.
It’s clear to me, stick with fresh low sugar, low salt & healthy vegan/vegetarian meals….COOKED AT HOME.
I limit eating out, since you have no control over how others handle your food or what ingredients are included.
I just included truly 100% free -range eggs back into my diet, last night. However, I didn’t enjoy it. Maybe my body is just use to limited or no animal products for so many years.
Thanks to Dani for sharing and I wish you peace, love and happiness! 🙂
I’m leaving this comment not as a supporter or naysayer, but as someone who basically does research on his own, using articles like this as a jumping off point for informed reading.
The people purporting to be “vegan” in the comments (Not the respectful ones, the ones who immediately jump to blaming, namecalling, and general unpleasantness) seem to not have read the article. As someone who knows what they can and cannot eat (Mostly due to trial and error – I can’t really eat peanut butter, for one, and my body rejects shellfish and alcohol VEHEMENTLY), I support articles like this to provide a stable platform for where people can go do their own independent research.
A MAJOR thing people need to know is that the author isn’t purporting to be the be-all, end-all of experts. She worked as a nutritionist for a fairly decent amount of years and has a very informed and well-put-together stance.
Now, I do have to bring up something that may end up making me a pariah – MEAT IS NOT MURDER. The argument that meat is murder came from a rather unfortunate habit of people superimposing human traits onto animals which do not have said traits naturally. Now, I’m not advocating for the meat industry – a lot of the practices used by mass-scale industrial meat farming are atrocious and appalling, and is incredibly inhumane for the animals involved – also, I said meat, not beef, or chicken, or lamb, or pork, simply meat. Why? Because mass-scale industrial farming for those items usually has a lot of the problematic ingredients that cause a lot of health issues, and a majority of that is highly processed into the low-cost meat products you generally find at most of the stores in North America.
Grass-fed, locally farmed beef, chicken and other meat products are generally better for you than their mass-produced counterparts, which I believe was covered (In regards to beef) in the article above.
So, in closing, I do support this article, and it’s a good idea to do full research before immediately jumping on the author because the article doesn’t agree with your personal vendetta with meat, or the personal vendetta you have because PETA decided that creating the “Meat Is Murder” campaign would distract from their euthanasia of innocent pets that they steal from properties.
(I tend to create controversy wherever I go, and pointing out that the Meat is Murder argument came from probably the worst organization to spout such drivel felt rather necessary.)
(Also, your article was well-written, well-informed, and I’m happy that articles like this exist. Kudos to you, mate)
I eat meat and enjoy these beyond meat patties and burgers I’ve tried from Carl’s, which I wouldn’t otherwise attend (tend to not eat fast food). I think beyond meat has to be approached with just as much care as you would meat. Both are bad if in high quality. There’s probably a few people that’d say that’s bs but there’s also people who have drank whiskey for years and they’re out living other elders who have been healthy. Enjoy your life and take care of yourself.
Speaking about canola oil, you said:
“The omega-3s found in canola oil are ALA, alpha lipoic acid. ALA does not convert well to EPA or DHA, which are the beneficial omega-3s that protect the brain, heart, and heart health.”
I think you meant that ALA is alpha-linolenic acid.
Thanks for your article. It’s very informative and you courageously defended it (so much vitriol… astounding!).
Just wondering… Why is it that whenever I dig beyond the Fear Factor headlines in any article like this, I always find that the indisputable “evidence” is in the form of a single study that took the form of injecting massive amounts of X or Y directly into the brains of rats or something.
Also wondering… are there any writers out there who actually take more than five seconds to verify anything they claim to have expertise in before berating all us idiots who just wasted our time actually reading a bunch of stupid studies and WAKE UP SHEEPLE!
Just wondering… Are cupcakes ok? Because you know, like, cupcakes!!!
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This is nonsense! Bias BS! This clown is so off base it’s insane. Obviously he’s a dupe for the meat & dairy industry’s propaganda machine… hellbent on publicly decrying any and all plant based meat alternatives. He has zero credibility whatsoever. 100% FALSO INFORMATION! Buyer beware!
Whew. This is some serious fire and brimstone clickbait.
Hello, I am genuinely baffled how soy – a mainstay protein in Japan and I think China as well for 2,000 years!! – can be so harmful. How do they still have a population if drinking the equivalent of 1 cup of soy milk a day, as described in quoted study from your article, has such an impact on sperm count?
I spent the last hour and a half reading this blog post and the comments and I fully enjoyed it. Thank you Dani. We all feel what we believe is right and saying so is very important. Way to hold true to this. I was compelled to comment since I have been a vegetarian for 28 years and it works for me. I am with you on processed foods, eat sparingly. It is created for those who need the convenience of the shortest wrapper to head time possible. To me that is a way worse foodstuff that eating a “dead cow” as one may say. Most here need to re-read the actual article and understand the critique you are giving them. This burger (and the chicken type strips etc.) are an attempt to make something out of this “stuff” with the goal of looking like meat. Meat already looks like meat and if it is grass-fed (at the end or it’s whole life) there is no substitute. I will never eat it (or these franken-burgers), but most people do – no studies needed. Thanks again!
Do you know that this article from 2017 is repeated verbatim at this site (2019) with no author attribution? Didn’t know if you’d been plagiarized. http://thescienceofeating.com/2019/05/04/beyond-meat-beyond-unhealthy/
I just saw some people link Co2 emissions to meat… So they’re level of intelligence is on par with AOC claiming that cows are causing global warming. Yet no one ever mentions the fact that one small volcanic eruption (something that has happened for eons) emits more Co2 than the entire human races life time…. ONE! Also B12 is B12 no matter its source, something that is rarely found in vegetables and in such minute amount you have to eat a ton of it to get the required amount. In fact in almost all cases of vegans they are missing B12 which is why a lot of them have slightly more gray skin. These people have to take vitamin supplements but there are two main issues with these supplements. One, You don’t digest them properly as your body wasn’t made to digest the vitamins directly and Two, you are at risk of overdosing on vitamins because they usually contain 10x the daily value (yes you can O.D on pretty much anything, even water.)
Now lets go on to how the Animal kingdom processes food, vegetables in particular. See nearly all species of herbivores have multi chamber stomachs. These act in stages to fully digest all the plant material, while capable of digesting plant matter fully they have to usually eat more than their weight to get the nutrients necessary to survival. While carnivores are similar (besides the multi chamber stomach) they still have to usually eat their weight to get the nutrients necessary. This is where Omnivores (humans in particular) have the upper hand. While we can’t digest most if not all plant matter fully we can still get a good portion of the nutrients it provides but its not enough as we would have to eat much more than herbivores to get everything we need. So we eat meat as well as we can almost fully digest it and get much more “bang for our buck” if you will.
Lastly, do you want to know how you can tell we are omnivores? Look at your teeth, you have 3 types; Incisors, Canines, and Molars. Incisors for shredding, Canines for ripping and Molars for crushing. If we were herbivores we wouldn’t have evolved canines as they would be unnecessary. Any way, Thank you for sharing this article as fake meat will never be sustainable let alone “healthy” for a staple diet.
Thank you Dani! This was my best summer read so far.
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People like vegans and vegetarians just flip out over it. I rather eat meat and natural foods over any fake foods any day of my life. What is made out of many things is worse to me, than the real thing. It is like people that flip out over energy drinks or other things. Come on. Everyone dies eventually but to go nuts over meat, that is beyond crazy, not just meat.
People can eat what they want to eat. It’s the free markets system. I knew an 89 year old guy that ate bread and red meat all his life. He would not eat pork or chicken. And the meat he ate wasn’t grass-fed until the last few years. So go ahead with your vegan bullshit. People have been living long lives before all of this new made up food systems. Go ahead, eat this man-made lab food, and let’s see how long you live.
After reading many comments. I just want to add that telling people that manure from the cows it’s a way to rebuild a recover the soil it’s true but very far from the real practices of grass fed meat. How many tons of manure do you need to increase 1% of organic matter in the soil? The balance between the input and output it’s for the soil in a grass fed system it’s not naturally correct. You need to do major efforts to recover the soil, cow shit doesn’t do the trick by itself. Also soil building takes a lot of time, most of time greater than human life time. So thinking you can recover the soil from the bad use we have made in th last thousands of years it’s absurd. Also animal manure tends to accumulate a lot of heavy metals, which will accumulate then on the soil eventually producing toxicity. I don’t say we are not supposed to eat meat, but sure not in the quantities people do these days. monocrops are also bad, affecting the ecosystem. But as you know all excess are bad, of anything. And we live in a time of excess. I just felt really sad of many of the comments made in this blog for both sides. It’s seems like today it’s just about fighting each other while we should be focusing on how to achieve a regenerative agriculture where both animals and plants are produced in the most healthy way both for the human and the environment. But you can’t expect more from People calling each others ignorants.
Sorry for my English.
I’m a holistic nurse practitioner, and I am very passionate about health and wellness. I consume a mostly plant-based diet, though I do eat grass-fed meat or pasture-raised chicken sparingly (less than once a week). I also do not consume soy, wheat or corn. I agree that the ingredients in beyond meat are rather concerning, and I would not personally eat this, nor do I look for fake meat alternatives. While I find some of the information that you provide in your blogs beneficial, I have to say, your delivery is rather offputting. If you truly are passionate about what you present, then educate, provide the facts, and let the information speak for itself. Name-calling, having a self-righteous demeanor and condescending tone does not sway most people to your side, nor does it likely make them want to learn more about the information you provide. Just my two cents.
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Not to mention the fact that Beyond Meat burgers taste more like rancid meat.
I worry fried plants is not good of these plant based fake meat.
Looking into Acrylamide on frying foods is kinda scary. FDA approved though.
Keep up the great information maybe in 20 year`s eating meat will be the correct food to consume.
Some will live some will die.
This is human kind un-known fried foods experiment as well as corn-based E-10 ethanol pollution in the air.
I know this is an old thread, but for those attacking the author, all I ask is that you do thorough research before posting. While you may not agree with what she is saying from a lifestyle standpoint (and that is fine), before you attack – make sure you realize the full scope. I’m not pretending to be an expert, but there are a lot of people who are. Regarding the argument against red meat, while I myself am not a huge red meat eater other than on occasion, it’s not ruining the planet just being from cows. It’s the inhumane, and improper practices surrounding it that are. If this issue is important to you, I urge you to research Paul Hawken. He has a really interesting take on farming practices, and how it can be changed to not only feed the entire planet a more nutritious, meat-based diet but also help manage climate change. I’m not taking sides either way, but I just wanted to put some additional information out there for those who are…very clearly….passionate about this issue and want to learn more. It’s a very multi-faceted problem, with a multi-faceted solution – so it’s important to be open to seeing the bigger picture.
Great article, Danny! Here I found what I was looking for: An explanation of the ingredients of that BeyondFrankenMeatFood.
You are absolutely correct when you say that grass-fed red meat (local farming) is the most sustainable (and healthy) way to eat meat.
I am myself on a keto diet and since I started my health has improved tremendously.
Keep up the good work and don´t let these fools discourage you.
I am sure you have heard of this:
“The President of the American Vegan Society dies of Heart Attack and the proponents of plant based diets are stunned. Isolated Case?… or COMMON TREND in the age of processed plant based fast food?”
And this:
Why Some Vegans Have Same Cancer, Heart Attack & Death Rates As Meat Eaters- Dr Michael Greger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP_LIY8cjf4
BEYOND MEAT ! OR NOT SO MUCH ?
ANIMAL RIGHTS AND WRONGS
NATURE WILL BE HERE 18 TRILLION YEARS FROM NOW .
YOU ?
SHOULD HUMANS EAT MEAT ?
SHOULD ANY ANIMAL EAT MEAT ?
SHOULD ANYONE EAT DEFENCELESS PLANTS ?
WHAT DOES NATURE AND SCIENCE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS ?
WELL , NATURE AND SCIENCE LAUGH AT YOUR OPINION , BECAUSE THAT’S ALL IT IS ! ! !
ALL PLANT PUSHERS HAVE AN OPINION , BUT THEY DON’T HAVE THE FACTS .
WHO IS BIGGER THAN YOU ?
THAT’S RIGHT , NATURE , OR REALITY IS BIGGER OR MORE INFLUENCIAL THAN YOU .
ANIMAL RIGHTS ?
WHICH ANIMAL ?
THE TWO LEGGED ONE WITH THE LAW DEGREE OVER IN THE CORNER ?
THE COW HAS THE RIGHT NOT TO BE EATEN ?
TELL THAT TO THE LION ! ! !
COWS DON’T EAT MEAT (KNOWINGLY) AND LIONS DON’T EAT GRAIN BUT WHY NOT ?
EVERY ANIMAL HAS IT’S OWN NATURAL DIET , THAT IT HAS SPENT MILLIONS OF YEARS ADAPTING TO , THAT IT’S METABOLISM (CHEMISTRY) IS DEPENDANT UPON , IT’S NOT A MATTER OF OPINION .
(Sudden change where there is no time to adapt , causes extinction , why nature the record book is opposed to change, or is pro-constance (ANTI-EVOLUTIONARY) . (Thus we have just proved that adaptation not evolution is real) (It’s a goood thing evolution isn’t real , what would you be evolving towards ? Suppose you needed a tail in the middle of your forehead to swat flys but the recipe book of evolution said leg , so you could kick yourself in the head ? Not too bright !)
THAT SHOULDN’T BE NEWS , YET PLANT PUSHERS HAVE NEVER ASKED NATURE , OR THEY JUST AREN’T VERY OBSERVANT , OR THEY MAKE TERRIBLE SCIENTISTS , AND IT’S TIME SOMEONE SAID SO .
IT TRUELY IS NOT UP TO YOU UNLESS YOU WANT TO CHANGE ADAPTATION , WHICH WILL TAKE 30 THOUSAND YEARS , DO YOU HAVE 30 THOUSAND YEARS ?
DIDN’T THINK SO ! ! !
OR SEVERE DNA MODIFICATION ?
WE ARE ALL SLAVES TO NATURE , FOR EXAMPLE TRY LIVING WITHOUT OXYGEN .
TRY LIVING WITHOUT GRAVITY .
TRY LIVING WITHOUT LIGHT .
THE MOST BASIC THING ABOUT YOU IS YOUR METABOLISM (chemistry) .
AND WHEN YOU STRETCH YOUR GUTS OUT ON A TABLE , ANY ANATOMIST CAN TELL YOU , YOU HAVE THE GUTS OF A CARNIVOR NOT A COW !
YOUR BODY IS A BIG MIXING BOWL JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO DUMP THINGS INTO .
IT HAS A GAS TANK , A MOTOR AND A TRANSMISSION .
WHEN YOU PUT WATER IN A CAR’S GAS TANK IT DOESN’T WORK TOO WELL , WHY NOT ? IT’S ALL ABOUT DESIGN .
SAME STORY WITH THE MACHINE YOU CALL YOUR BODY .
YOU CAN PUT ANYTHING YOU LIKE IN YOUR BODY JUST AS YOU CAN PUT ANYTHING YOU LIKE IN YOUR CAR .
WHY WOULD THERE NOT BE CONSEQUENCES ?
your body is one mega-multi-chemical reaction , change the ingredients , and cookies become pancake batter . (I CAN PUT ANYTHING I LIKE IN THIS RECIPE ?) (Vitamin D alone affects 5000 chemical reactions in your body)
WHEN YOU REFUSE TO PUT THE PROPER FUEL IN YOUR CAR ?
WHEN YOU REFUSE TO PUT THE PROPER FUEL IN YOUR BODY ?
TODAY WE KNOW THAT WE SPENT 7 MILLION YEARS ADAPTING TO BECOME CARNIVORS , YOU CAN’T CHANGE THE CYLINDERS IN YOUR BODY (overnight) , YOU HAVE ADAPTED TO THRIVE ON MEAT , RAW MEAT SPECIFICALLY , why mountain lions are way more fit than you without ever going to the gym ! ! ! UNCOOKED MEAT IS CHEMICALLY UNCHANGED .
even inu who forego the modern diet have the best teeth and physique , naturally .
IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT AND IT ISN’T UP TO YOU !
YOUR BODY EVEN KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NATURAL VITAMIN AND A MANUFACTURED ONE .
YOU CAN’T FOOL NATURE .
LOOK UP PROTEIN POWER , PALEO-DIET , IN A WORD MEAT EADES DR. BASS . WHAT IS THE NATURAL HUMAN DIET ?
YOU CANNOT UNDO ADAPTATION WITH OPINION .
HOW DOES ANY FARMER FATTEN UP AN ANIMAL FOR MARKET ?
THAT’S RIGHT , YOU FEED IT GRAIN .
HOW DO YOU FATTEN UP ANY HUMAN FOR MARKET ?
THAT’S RIGHT , YOU FEED IT GRAIN .
THIS IS WHY YOU NEVER SEE FAT WOLVES OR LIONS IN NATURE . OR FAT DEER . THERE IS NO SUPPLY OF GRAIN IN NATURE , THUS NO SPECIES HAS ADAPTED TO CONSUME IT , AND THAT INCLUDES YOU !
YOU FINALLY KNOW WHY THE WOLVES DON’T BREAK INTO YOUR GARDEN AND EAT THE TOMATOES ! ! !
IT GETS WORSE , TODAY WE KNOW THAT PLANTS BEGIN TO LEAN AWAY FROM WHO EVER IS INTENDING THEM HARM , LONG CONFIRMED THAT PLANTS ARE SENTIENT .
YOU CAN NOT EAT BUT THAT SOMETHING SUFFERS FEAR AND DIES ! ! !
BY EATING WE EMPLOY PROXY MURDERERS .
NATURE IS NOT A LOVING GOD , IT CARES NOT ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL . YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS BY NATURE .
ANY ARCHEOLOGIST UNCOVERING HUMAN BONES CAN TELL RIGHT AWAY WHETHER IT WAS A HUNTER/GATHERER OR A FARMER/TOWN DWELLER .
IF THE THE BODY WAS TALL , STILL HAD GOOD TEETH , LIVED ABOUT 150 YEARS , OR WAS SEXY , HA HA , IT WAS A HUNTER/GATHERER .
IF IT WAS SHORT AND HAD TERRIBLE TEETH FROM CHEWING CORN , WAS BENT OVER , IT WAS , YOU GUESSED IT ! JUST LIKE YOU !
…………………………………………………………….
THE BIG PICTURE , TODAY WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD THE CURE FOR CANCER , B-17 FOR 60 YEARS , (DARE ! READ WORLD WITHOUT CANCER ) WHY NOT TAKE ALL THE TRILLIONS STILL WASTED ON THAT NONSENSE AND CREATE A SYNTHETIC MEAT THAT YOUR BODY CAN’T TELL FROM REAL , NOW THAT WILL PROVE YOUR MORALS , YOUR CHOSEN TASK IS TO FOOL NATURE . (NO YOU CAN NOT KILL ANYTHING TO MAKE THIS MEAT) (YOU’LL REPLACE LOST CANCER JOBS WITH MEAT JOBS , SO YOU SOLVE THE POLITICS OF CANCER , THE CANCER MONEY MACHINE)
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT ! ! ! ! !
I JUST GAVE YOU THE RESOURCES .
WHEN YOU SUCCEED IN ABOUT 5000 YEARS , THEN I WILL GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR OPINION VEGETARIAN ! ! !
lack of meat is the real reason we can’t travel to the stars !
……………………………………………………………..
from a reformed vegetarian who was one for 70 % of my life .
vegetarianism practiced by the ancient egyptians created all the modern diseases . read epilogue back of protein power plan . we are too young to have adapted or evolved to a plant based diet , we aren’t cows , though eating grain may convince people that you are a cow, ha ha . (all those pounds)(WHY DOES THE DR. ATKIN’S DIET ALWAYS FAIL ? BECAUSE THIS GUY WHO DIED FAT INSISTED THAT WE NEEDED CARBOS . WE DON’T .) (PURE CARNIVORS SUFFER NO MODERN DISEASE)
INUIT NEVER SUFFERED MODERN DISEASES TILL WE BLESSED THEM WITH OUR “ADVANCED” DIET HA HA . SAME STORY ABORIGINIES . INDIANS ONLY GOT FAT WHEN THEY DISCOVERED CORN AND BEANS AND POTATOES .
Your metabolism is so sensitive that eating cows that got diabetes from eating grain will give you diabetes .
[HOW DID I BECOME A VEGAN FOR 30 YEARS ? I ALWAYS FOUND KILLING ANIMALS WHO ARE REALLY JUST LIKE US , TO BE RATHER REPULSIVE . BUT NATURE DIDN’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT MY OPINION , IT MADE ME FAT FOR IGNORING IT’S . AND GAVE ME HEART DISEASE , LOW PRESSURE , POOR CIRCULATION . (WHAT IS IT DOING TO YOU ?) ONE DAY WHEN I WAS A KID , I SAW HOW CRUEL KILLING A PIG WITH AN AXE WAS , AND AS IT LAY ON THE GROUND MOTHER SAID “IF YOU WANT TO EAT IT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SCRAPE THE HAIR OFF IT .” AS SHE POURED SCALDING HOT WATER ON THE BODY RAISING A REAL STENCH THAT WENT STRAIGHT UP MY NOSE . REGURGITATE ! ! ! EAT IT ? ? ? IT WAS 30 YEARS LATER THAT I DISCOVERED NATURE’S FACTS] (After paying the health costs of my veggie-morallity)
lack of meat is the world’s number one problem .
yet no one is stopping Africa from doubling it’s population to 2.5 billion in just the next 20 years .
now that’s real cruelty .
AND THE UN WANTS TO MOVE HALF OF THEM HERE ? WHERE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TO RULE , AS IT RULES THE UNIVERSE ? ONE BILLION ALWAYS BECOMES TWO BILLION WITH AFRICANS . YOU VOTE FOR THIS ? ? ? Eating self out of house and home !
OVERPOPULATION IS NOT A RIGHT .
AND NOT OUR OBLIGATION .
AFTERALL , PROGRESSIVES ARE ANTI-WHITE BECAUSE WHITES OVERPOPULATED EUROPE ? WHITES DID NOT OVERPOPULATE EUROPE , THE PLAQUE HAD REMOVED TWO THIRDS OF THE POPULATION ?
Soon Africans will need their own planet .
AND TEN PLANETS TO FEED THEM !
THAT’S NOT HELPING .
AH-ACK CAN THE OPINION !
YOURS , NOT NATURE’S .
WHITE PEOPLE ARE SUPERIOR , BECAUSE THEY KEEP THEIR POPULATIONS LOW IMPACTING THE PLANET THE LEAST ! ! !
I STILL HATE EATING MEAT , CAUSE IN A PERFECT WORLD ?
OF COURSE IT IS IMMORAL TO EAT ANYTHING , PERIOD ! ! ! SO ASK YOURSELF , IS IT IMMORAL TO DENY THAT NICE PERSON OVER THERE THE NUTRITION NATURE MADE IT DEPENDANT ON ? ? ?
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS A PLANT THAT EATS MEAT ?
IS IT SINNING ?
What error is in the “less than meat” craze ?
It’s peas (legume) , we haven’t adapted to consume it’s anti-nutrients (plant defences) either ! ! ! Got 30,000 years ? ? ?
WARNING: it is unsafe to eat store bought raw meat .
This week is ANIMAL RIGHTS WEEK , and millions are marching , but do any of them have the facts ? Send them the facts .
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Hello!
Just for clarification. Yeast extract is not always MSG. I eat yeast extract all the time. It is known as marmite. It is not MSG but similar to it- just not the unhealthy parts. It is highly nutritious and filled with B12.
Also. titanium dioxide is a common additive for sunblock and many other products. It is perfectly fine in creams and food products. It is only dangerous in dry powder form because it can be inhaled and irritate the lungs. It is only when it gets inhaled that it can be an issue. Otherwise, it is an inert mineral. Nothing to worry about.
I don’t buy this burger or recommend it. I just don’t want people to be afraid of yeast extract and titanium dioxide. The other stuff I basically agree about.
Cheers!
Author appears to be a troll with an axe to grind as opposed to a well-informed source of knowledge. If you don’t believe me, read his replies to the commenters here.
So not only do you not take into account- the very beef that you eat, cows that were killed for your tongue’s pleasure- used to eat SOY. So guess what you are also ingesting? SOY.
Secondly, multitudes of studies have clearly stated, red meat is not good for you, and should be consumed very limitedly.
Third, is the peroxide and bleach in your hair good for you? You come off as “the boss” “the authority” with little information and FACT to back it up. Watch “What the Health” and “Cowspriracy” and then talk.
And by the way, soy has been consumed for 1000s of years by the Asians, and there have been inconclusive studies, OR studies that showed beneficial results occurring after ingesting soy. Anything debunking that, is pro- meat, and pro-dairy. And as this post was written some odd yeas ago, guess what, KFC, burger king and many other popular chains are selling this stuff!
Bye Meathead.
Hi Dani, Love the way you slap down these fake-food fools in this post and it’s comment section. Veganism is a religion for virtue-signalling children. Real food is food. Processed food isn’t. Simple. Claiming fake food is good for the planet is a toxic word salad. Let the unhealthy hair-splitters debate the ingredient lists on their fake foods. Meanwhile, I’m just going to eat as local as I can, grow all I can, and support my local grass-fed farmers. You are a real-food warrior, Dani. Thank you.
Since this turned into a vegan vs. non-vegan discussion…
It’s not the eating of the meat that I disagree with. It’s the fashion in which factory farming and even many smaller local farms are slaughtering these animals. So many of our creatures are suffering horribly in the most disgusting conditions. It’s cruel and it needs to end. If not eating meat can help even just a little bit to end the needless suffering and torture of our creatures then count me in! Every once in a while I enjoy a Beyond Burger or another meat substitute product. It’s nice to have the option at a family BBQ to have a burger or a veggie-dog and not feel ousted or have to answer a bunch of questions. At the same time, I agree that they are completely filled with mostly garbage for ingredients. Overly processed indeed! But, everything in moderation. I am a vegan and I avoid meat replacements as much as I can. I don’t understand why you’d want to single out and attack just one company or brand though. There are many to choose from… Quorn, LiteLife, Boca, Morning Star and now even Burger King is in the act with their Amazing Meat burger. I’d say instead of picking on the industry or a single product – why not put all this energy to good use and go after the big factory farmers that are shoving truck loads of live, terrified squealing pigs off a cliff into a ditch to be buried alive. Meanwhile it’s a fact that a pig has the feelings and emotions closest to a human! Other than a dolphin. They get sick due to the chemicals and pesticides being used there and once they do – they are disposed of in the most horrible and cruel way. But hey… humans and their ego… just gotta have that bacon!
Wow this article was fun to read! I’m a sustainability management analyst and got a kick out of it. This looks worse than a piece-mealed report from a high schooler using google to quantify effects of ingredients. I would absolutely NEVER payrole for something like this, perhaps not even intern! Some free advice, however, if you want to create a proper analysis you need to leave out the bias and comparatively evaluate each component as a baseline with some other ingredient. What you’ve done here is unacceptable and disrespectful to the good people reading your blogs. They deserve better.
You know what’s even better (for your health and environment) than eating processed ‘fake’ meat or real meat? Simply eating healthy vegan recipes cooked from scratch with vegetables bought locally from your local market.
This article is positioning fake meat as the ONLY alternative to real meat. HELLO? Vegetarians and vegans have been getting on fine for years without meat substitutes. It has been proven that plant-based diets (that don’t include processed foods like this burger) are healthier than diets with meat. Their are countless studies that show vegans generally are healthier and live longer etc. This feels like a very biased article against plant-based diets to me.
PS. Eating soy is always going to be more sustainable than eating meat because 70% of all soy is grown for livestock to eat. So if you eat soy you are at least cutting out the middle man. And if you really want to be sustainable giving up meat (even local grass-fed meat) and dairy is one of the biggest single things you can do to dramatically reduce your contribution to climate change and habitat destruction.
The most obviously unhealthy thing from this post is the prevailing obstinate attitude of “I’m right, you’re wrong”. All rigorous studies admit errors that inevitably stem from the parameters of the experiments. And authors whose works are *published in scientific journals* exercise healthy skepticism of their own conclusions without fail. Of course some of the cited studies draw stronger conclusions than others, but even the most corroborated ones are just stepping stones in a long line of continuing research. Let’s be less loud and more considerate.
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Very interesting read Dani, thanks for the effort. I must say that I am inclined to avoid processed food and eat as balanced a diet as possible. I went searching for information on artificial meat products when I started seeing a fastfood chain promoting the taste of their artificial burger, the same chain that the previous year was touting their hormones and anti-biotic free beef burgers. I thought to myself, “What gives?” Clearly the artificial burger is a highly processed food made from ingredients one couldn’t buy in a supermarket. The ingredients themselves have to be processed, refined, and then combined and proceesed to make the final product. As a result this would perforce preclude it from being a part of my diet. In any case I never eat fast foods let alone anything from a fast food chain so it was basically a fact finding effort.
I think it was quite clear from your initial post that grass-fed meat and burgers are healthier than industrially made, processed, artificial meat. That was the comparison, and you did not advise people on the diet that they should follow, vegan or otherwise, only that if one were to compare just those two, natural versus artificial burgers, the real food was healtier. The posts criticising you went outside those boundaries, raising other issues not germane to your central point, often ignoring the very things you said in your article, and resorted to insults and name calling. That you got frustrated at having to repeatedly restate what was already stated in the inital article is understandable.
I find it absurd that people focus on your response as a signifier of whether to accept your central premise. It would be akin to a student in college saying “I don’t like my professor’s teaching style or manners so I won’t accept what he or she is teaching me.” Silly attitude.
Oh, and one more thing, everybody is different and experiences differ, and anecdotal stories abound., including the one I read in the newspaper many years ago about the 100+ year old man still picking oranges in Florida. He said he smokes cigars and drinks every day. And while I’m at it I should say that anyone who tries to compare a cow, goat or sheep with a baby has a skewed sense of moral equivalence. If driving down a narrow road with an oncoming car headed directly at you, with a child on one side and an animal on the other, is there really an ehthical dilemma? Spend more time writing your politicians protesting about the wars they foister on people instead of railing against people who eat meat.
Cheers ………………. Mahmoud.
Representatives Massie and Pingree Introduce Bipartisan PRIME Act to Empower Local Cattle Farmers, Meet Consumer Demand
Today, two cattle-raising lawmakers, Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) re-introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act to make it easier for small farms and ranches to serve consumers. The PRIME Act (H.R. 2859/S. 1620) would give individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores.
“Consumers want to know where their food comes from, what it contains, and how it’s processed. Yet, federal inspection requirements make it difficult to purchase food from trusted, local farmers,” said Rep. Massie, who owns 50 head of cattle. “It is time to open our markets to give producers the freedom to succeed and consumers the freedom to choose.”
“In order for local farms to compete, they need scale-appropriate regulations. It’s not realistic to ask a local farmer in Maine to drive hours to get to a USDA-inspected processing facility and turn a profit,” said Rep. Pingree, who has been an organic livestock farmer for nearly 40 years. “The PRIME Act will help change federal regulations to make it easier to process meat locally—helping farmers scale up and give consumers what they so clearly want.”
https://massie.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/representatives-massie-and-pingree-introduce-bipartisan-prime-act-to-empower
Certainly we should use some skepticism about these new highly processed meat substitutes, like any food. However, I didn’t really find much useful info here. First there is no way everybody in any city is going to be fed by seasonal local fruits/vegetable and local grass fed organic beef or free range anything. I live in Detroit, the only thing seasonal in February is snow. Regarding sustainability and practicality, calorie for calorie, grass-fed cattle requires 16 times the amount of food that it supplies. One has to recognize also that the latest evidence from genuinely independent well-designed academic studies indicates that all meat is very unhealthy. Processed meats are certainly at the top of the list but any red meat is next and even fish and poultry appear very problematic.
Claims like “yeast extract “aka” MSG” is not useful. Its not the same. There are so many wild accusations here, that I don’t really know where to start. I think we have to recognize that the “old ways” of 500-1000 years ago are not going to feed everyone today (they didn’t then either btw).
I suspect this author is either a Russian troll or somehow connected to the meat industry.
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” – Albert Einstein (Way more intelligent than a blogger)
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GRASS-FED MEAT IS SUSTAINABLE.
Die in a fucking fire you ugly dumb bitch. I wish you could know how it feels to be slaughtered for human consumption. I really do. Just know that you have made an enemy.
The phytoestrogens found in plant foods DO NOT act the same as animal estrogens. They do not cause or enhance cancer or cause men’s sperm counts to be lower; however, eating meat will do both of those things.
Great article with excellent citations. Now as for the comments. Goodness, talk about entertaining. And yet frightening at the same time. Your patience and quips were worth my time diving down this rabbit-hole, aka a cesspool of triggered vegan anger. A bit of common sense people – read her article. Its about Beyond Burger. Its a catastrophe burger but only if you care about your health or find hypocrisy catastrophic. Because supporting that crap is beyond hypocritical when it comes to health. And environment. If you want to quibble about cattle as environmental issue think why is that a much larger ruminant, buffalo, was estimated to be at 100 million roaming the great plains of the U.S. Creating some of the richest topsoil on the planet. The methane those buffalo created was no greater than the 100 million cattle in the US. Meat consumption (except for chicken) has fallen nearly every single year for 30+ years. Yet green house gases have increased tremendously. As have diabetes, chronic disease, diabetes type 2, obesity. autoimmune diseases, depression and the rates of most cancers. Yet its all the cows’ fault? Sounds like some people need a lesson in logic. Danny – great job. Happy to have found your page.
I see that this post is old, so the ingredients may have changed. They say it’s non GMO peas. I’m not sure if peas are as bad as soy. Bottom line, I’m a natural organic food eater. I rather eat fresh meat occasionally than highly processed vegetables of who knows what has chemically changed. I rather eat salads or steamed or stir fried vegetables than fake hamburgers that don’t taste like it. For the same reason, I went back to drinking non-fat organic milk from almond milk, after I discovered there’s no “fake” milk that doesn’t contain weird additives, such as xanthan gum.
This article should be updated with Beyond’s *CURRENT* ingredients (as of July 2020.) I have Beyond Burgers and Sausages in my freezer and neither of them contain ANY of these ingredients except for the canola oil, which is expeller pressed, SO the chemically washed canola oil isn’t in the current Beyond ingredients either.
As a committed vegan, I will *never* go back to eating murdered animals…EVER.
The article confused soy protein isolate with what clearly says Pea Protein Isolate. Expeller Pressed Canola Oil Does not use Hexane. Very little MSG can cross the brain barrier so food amounts are not excitotoxins. Recent studies on titanium dioxide say that the food grade version is too large of particles to be absorbed. Carmel color potentially contains trace amounts of 4-mei which has had animal studies with very large amounts and even then not much affect on rats and dogs but did cause cancer in mice and rabbits, yet these amounts were in the mg not part per billion like carmel color introduces to food. Carrageenan may actually be the most questionable because degraded carrageenan is unsafe and it is degraded by exposure to acid, your stomach acid may cause it to degrade, but once again animal studies used large doses of degraded carrageenan to promote inflamation, these studies that use large doses can make anything look bad as many things are very toxic in large amounts but not small amounts. Titanium Dioxide, 4MEI and Carrageenan seem to be the most questionable of these and need more studies but generally the risks stated here are all overblown.
Although I know this is an older article, I really appreciate this information. Like many people in my age group, Gen X, close to retirement, I’ve been though all the stages: After reading Skinny Bitch, I was a short lived vegetarian, then I watched Food Inc. and that made me more angry at factory farming and then read Omnivore’s Dilemma and felt that’s pretty much where I feel most at home. One day I hope we live in a place where we can just hunt our meat or just buy from the local small farm and grow our own garden, because then I will know the origin of my food. I love animals and think that if we are to eat them they should not live in some cramped factory farm before going to the slaughterhouse.
Exactly!
A Texas Observer article reports that slaughterhouse workers face a variety of negative emotional and psychological consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Thousands of workers are employed within the roughly 1,100 federally inspected slaughterhouses in the United States. About 70 of these facilities are in Texas, primarily in the slaughterhouse strongholds of Mineola, Muenster, and Windthorst.
Slaughterhouse workers face a variety of physical strains and dangers on the job, but there is increasing evidence that mental suffering occurs as well.
These employees are hired to kill animals, such as pigs and cows, that are largely gentle creatures. Carrying out this action requires workers to disconnect from what they are doing and from the creature standing before them.
This emotional dissonance can lead to consequences such as domestic violence, social withdrawal, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and PTSD.
There is also evidence that this work leads to increased crime in towns with slaughterhouse factories.
Amy Fitzgerald, a criminology professor at the University of Windsor Canada, argues that communities with a slaughterhouse have high crime rates because the workers are “desensitized” to the violence they commit and see at work. This desensitization is then reflected in their behavior outside of the factory.
Whatever the meat may be, wherever it may be sold, and regardless of what the label says, every piece has one thing in common: there is a slaughterhouse worker who had to take the animal’s life, and that worker is likely experiencing some level of emotional trauma.
Which is why I specifically state in the article that you likely did not actually read to source locally and humanely raised and killed animals.
For us to eat, something must die. And that includes vegan options. Just because you can’t see the death does not mean it didn’t occur. It just means you are disconnected from nature and how food is grown and killed, vegan or otherwise.
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Interesting but quite flawed review- BM does not contain soy, and is far for environmentally ethical than even the happiest hamburger:) The meat industry is the number one cause of of climate change- something that is conveniently missed here. Is BM perfect? Absolutely not. However it is a healthier, smarter, and kinder choice.
This is entirely, inherently, factually false.
1 – Grass-fed farming operations pull greenhouses gases from the air and deposit them into the earth, effectively reducing global warming.
2 – These monocrops used in BM products are destroying the earth under the guise of sustainability. We cannot continue to monocrop, which destroys our soils and turns them into desert, while absolutely DESTROYING everything in and on the soil – including billions of animals.
Above messages are exactly true conversation….
This is supposed to be a review of Beyond Meat, and in particular Beyond Burgers. Here is the ingredient list of the Beyond Burge (you can fix your link above which goes to a 404 error):
https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/the-beyond-burger?variant=beyond-burger
You’ll see that there is:
Water, pea protein*, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and less than 1% of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).
So there is zero soy. You can get rid of that section altogether. And the canola oil is pressed (not chemically extracted), so you can remove that section above. Also, it uses dried yeast – not yeast extract (aka MSG); see this link: https://www.canarybird.nz/article/msg-glutamates-flavour-enhancers so that section can be removed. Also, there is no carrageenan, so you can remove that. But definitely keep in the section about methylcellulose being a laxative. Ha!
And as for it being “good for the planet” (since it uses monocultures, is factory-produced, etc.), it’s not as good as your local farmer for sure. Someone above mentioned this being “click-bait”; to keep it from being so, it would be great if you could actually update the article with these facts and base it off the ingredients. Thanks.
My goodness, I was told that Beyond Meat was healthy but now I know. Thank you for this great article.