10 Reasons Vegans eat products that replicate meat

May 27, 2020

Why do you eat products that taste or look like meat? Why wouldn’t you just eat meat?

I’m guessing A LOT of vegans get this question (or statement) thrown at them all the time. The other day in my ‘day job’ I got this exact statement while eating my lunch of Veef burgers (if you haven’t tried them, they’re definitely worth it! – You can find them at Woolies and they retail for about $6.50 which is a great price), with my boss saying he doesn’t understand people that eat products that replicate or look like meat. Why wouldn’t I just eat meat? I kind of thought it was obvious if they really thought about it… but then I wondered what the other reasons were. I reached out to my friends on Instagram, and got some more insight into why this might be. So here’s why:

ANIMAL CRUELTY
I feel like I don’t even have to say this, but duh, the most obvious reason is because it doesn’t contribute to animal cruelty. Nothing more really has to be said about this.
TASTE
Some of us still like the taste of meat (but don’t want to contribute to animal cruelty – see a theme happening here?). The meat alternatives can give us a way to enjoy the taste without the harm. And, the mock meats just keep getting better and better!
PROTEIN
It’s usually a good source of protein. With a lot of mock meats made out of TVP (textured vegetable protein), seitan, or tofu/lentils or mushrooms, they usually contain an excellent source of protein.
GOOD ALTERNATIVES
It can show people that may want to do meat free mondays, meat free May, or start lowering their meat intake that there are decent alternatives out there, and we don’t have to miss out on taste.
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
If you’re a big foodie (like me!), wouldn’t you want to try all the new and upcoming products on the market? It’s fun and novel, and a great talking point as well.
NOSTALGIA
This is one of the biggest reasons for most people. It’s just nice to recreate familiar tastes and flavours from our childhood. You’ll find that most meat dishes were seasoned and flavoured if you ate them when you were younger, and it’s usually quite easy to recreate the flavours and add them to a plant based alternative so you can re-live that nostalgia.
HEALTH
Plant based alternatives have been proven to be healthier than eating meat protein. There is usually little to no saturated fats, no cholesterol, plus they can also be rich in fibre. Not to mention they are more healthy for the environment.
VARIATION
It’s comforting and enjoyable to eat these products rather than plain old vegetables and salad all the time. (Not that there is anything wrong with that – if that floats your boat!)
INCLUSIVITY
It can sometimes be nice eating similar meals with non-vegan family members to feel a part of the family, and included in a meal.
EASE OF PREPARATION
For a lot of people it may be easier to sub in a mock meat to something you already know how to cook than trying to create something new. This is especially true for people who may be new to a vegan lifestyle.

Of course, you see similar ideas with other food, such as gluten free food, sugar free EVERYTHING, low or zeo calories, etc. People create alternatives so they can enjoy food in a way that suits them. And the idea of mock meats is not new, it has been around for hundreds of years.

It’s funny, because I can almost guarantee you that when people ask you why you choose to eat food that look like meat, generally they won’t even wait around for an answer. (so feel free to link them this article later!) Perhaps they already know they answer, but just want to feel better about their own food choices by indirectly making fun of yours.

So, if you are not a vegan and you’re reading this, please be considerate of others eating choices and remain curious and intrigued, not appalled by what we want to eat.

And, if you are a vegan, I hope you found this article useful!

Thanks to all my insta friends that helped me out with the ideas for writing this article. Feel free to share it around!