Beyond Meat Is Beyond Me
- jim Young 190912
“Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.” - Edward de Bono
I remember the Yogurt craze of the 1970s when those we generally referred to as “health food nuts” began touting the beneficial value of yogurt.
Suddenly yogurt was available everywhere and it wasn’t long before it began appearing in the forms of ice cream and candy.
“It’s yogurt candy!” I would hear people exclaim and I cringed when they inevitably jumped to the erroneous conclusion, “it must be good for you.”
People are funny like that. And when I say “people are funny like that,” what I really mean is “people are stupid.”
Or to put it in a nicer way, perhaps they are just “naive.”
Fast forward almost 50 years and people are still proving to be “naive” with the latest craze of “Beyond Meat.”
If you’re choosing Beyond Meat as a healthy alternative and ethical option as opposed to eating meat, you’re only half correct. While it may be true that Beyond Meat products are saving animals and the production of it may be better for the environment, they may very well still be killing you.
Now, when I say “they may very well still be killing you…” that is not to say they are killing you any more than say, a MacDonalds’ Big Mac or a Burger King’s Whopper.
The Beyond Meat website is quick to tell you their plant based meat alternatives are better for you than meat. Nutritionists however, are not so quick to give their seal of approval.
In spite of the fact that Beyond Meat products are made from “pea protein”, they cannot be nutritionally compared to eating a plate full of peas. Here’s the thing. Beyond Meat is still just another “processed food” with many of the same evils of any processed food.
To suggest a “plant-based” food is necessarily good for you, would be as ludicrous as claiming “yogurt candy is good for you.”
With just a slight increase in Saturated Fat (1 gm), the real meat shows it is healthier in Calories, Sodium and Protein content. (Please note that sentence read “healthier” not “healthy”.)
The calories in the A&W Beyond Meat Burger and A&W Teen Burger are tied. While the Teen burger has more Saturated Fat it does better in both Sodium and Protein.
As you can see, there isn’t really a whole lot of difference between the two choices in both comparisons beyond the significantly lower quantities of sodium found in the more traditional meat options.
As I suggested earlier, if you’re choosing the “Beyond Meat” option to ease your conscience in any perceived moral dilemmas you may have with eating meat, then you should be pleased that Fast Food chains are finally starting to add alternatives to their menus for you.
Beyond that, you might as well skip Beyond Meat and stick to the real thing.
Just don’t fall into the trap of believing “If it’s plant-based - it must be good for you.”
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“Most of the mistakes in thinking are inadequacies of perception rather than mistakes of logic.” - Edward de Bono
 |
| Like all magic, the claim that "Beyond Meat is a healthier option" is just an illusion. |
Suddenly yogurt was available everywhere and it wasn’t long before it began appearing in the forms of ice cream and candy.
“It’s yogurt candy!” I would hear people exclaim and I cringed when they inevitably jumped to the erroneous conclusion, “it must be good for you.”
People are funny like that. And when I say “people are funny like that,” what I really mean is “people are stupid.”
Or to put it in a nicer way, perhaps they are just “naive.”
“How sweet is the perception of a new natural fact!” - Henry David Thoreau
Fast forward almost 50 years and people are still proving to be “naive” with the latest craze of “Beyond Meat.”
If you’re choosing Beyond Meat as a healthy alternative and ethical option as opposed to eating meat, you’re only half correct. While it may be true that Beyond Meat products are saving animals and the production of it may be better for the environment, they may very well still be killing you.
Now, when I say “they may very well still be killing you…” that is not to say they are killing you any more than say, a MacDonalds’ Big Mac or a Burger King’s Whopper.
“Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty.” - Stephen Colbert
The Beyond Meat website is quick to tell you their plant based meat alternatives are better for you than meat. Nutritionists however, are not so quick to give their seal of approval.
In spite of the fact that Beyond Meat products are made from “pea protein”, they cannot be nutritionally compared to eating a plate full of peas. Here’s the thing. Beyond Meat is still just another “processed food” with many of the same evils of any processed food.
To suggest a “plant-based” food is necessarily good for you, would be as ludicrous as claiming “yogurt candy is good for you.”
Beyond Meat vs Real Meat At Home
 |
| Nutritional Values for a 113 gm / 4 oz patty as reported by Calorie King. |
With just a slight increase in Saturated Fat (1 gm), the real meat shows it is healthier in Calories, Sodium and Protein content. (Please note that sentence read “healthier” not “healthy”.)
Beyond Meat vs Real Meat As A Fast Food
 |
| Nutritional Values for a 230 gm / 8 oz burger as reported by A&W. |
The calories in the A&W Beyond Meat Burger and A&W Teen Burger are tied. While the Teen burger has more Saturated Fat it does better in both Sodium and Protein.
As you can see, there isn’t really a whole lot of difference between the two choices in both comparisons beyond the significantly lower quantities of sodium found in the more traditional meat options.
“Eating delicious should not be sacrificed because it's healthy.” - Marcus Samuelsson
As I suggested earlier, if you’re choosing the “Beyond Meat” option to ease your conscience in any perceived moral dilemmas you may have with eating meat, then you should be pleased that Fast Food chains are finally starting to add alternatives to their menus for you.
Beyond that, you might as well skip Beyond Meat and stick to the real thing.
Just don’t fall into the trap of believing “If it’s plant-based - it must be good for you.”
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