Substitute foods for meat: vegetable protein . At ComerconArte, as you already know, we like to give you good advice, always based on healthy cooking and healthy living in general. For this, in this post we talk about meat substitute foods that can replace animal protein in all or some of your meals and dinners every day. The plant protein is increasingly common in terms of consumption, so, usually available in most supermarkets, it is also easy to cook foods rich flavor.

VEGETABLE PROTEIN, MEAT SUBSTITUTES

Next we are going to talk about some foods that can act as substitutes for meat, an example, are those with a high content of vegetable protein. A responsible consumption of meat and fish together with the incorporation of vegetable protein into our diet, helps a lot to the sustainability of the planet. More and more people are looking for meat substitutesAware that we must take care of our planet, for this, the consistent consumption of animal-based foods influences factors as important as the conservation of our planet, since a large amount of energy and natural resources is used in the processing of the meat and fish. Therefore, if we increase, we are not talking about completely replacing the consumption of vegan products in our diet, we will contribute to improving this world in which we live.

LIST OF 5 MEAT SUBSTITUTES

For us there are a number of essential basic products that can work as meat substitutes. The results of different studies show that reducing your meat intake is recommended to lower blood cholesterol levels . These are foods with a very affordable price and easy to find.

VEGETABLES

The legume is at number one in our ranking. On the one hand, because of the great variety of types of legumes that are on the market and also, because of the format in which we can find them, from dry or already hydrated in a pot. On the other hand, because of how versatile they are when cooking them.

Options to include them in our diet

Legumes can also be found in glass jars, this format keeps them in perfect condition for a long time, you just have to wash the lentils, chickpeas or beans well and mix with whatever you want. In summer we can make vegetable salads and in winter cook them in stews. We can also find them frozen or dried. They are characterized by having a high protein content , especially soybeans and lentils, and of good quality (they contain all the essential amino acids). In addition, fiber, vitamins of group B and very little fat.

Nutritional values ​​per 100 gr of lentils

Calories: 325

Proteins: 25

Lipids: 2.5

Carbohydrates: 54

Iron: 8.6 mg

Calcium: 60 mg

Magnesio : 80 mg

Potasio : 790 mg

Phosphorus: 400 mg

Vitamin A: 100 U

Vitamina B1 : 0,50 mgr

Vitamina C : 3 mg

Nutritional values ​​per 100 gr of beans

Calories: 316

Proteins: 23

Lipids: 1.3

Carbohydrates: 61

Iron: 10 mg

Calcium: 135 mg

Ma

gnesio : 100 mg

Phosphorus: 400 mg

Vitamin A

Vitamin B1 and B2

C vitamin

TOFU

It is a very popular and affordable product in terms of price. It is prepared with soybeans, water and solidifier, and has a very mild flavor. Like legumes, it can be cooked in many ways, grilled, fried with a batter or marinated with a sauce. In the market we find different formats of tofu from natural, Japanese style or smoked. Also, you can find derived or processed products, such as hamburgers, made up a large part of tofu. We personally like to marinate it for an hour in soy sauce and then cook it on the grill. As it is a soy-based product, it is high in good proteins and provides iron, calcium and fiber . For us it is one of our favorites

Nutritional values ​​per 100 gr of Tofu

Calories: 70 kcal

Carbohydrates: 1.7 gr

Azúcar: 0 mg

Fibra: 0 g

Sodio: 12 mg

Water: 84.95 g

Protein: 8.19 g

Calcium: 201 mg

Iron: 1.61 mg

Potasio: 148 mg

Magnesio: 27 mg

Phosphorus: 121 mg

Sodio: 12 mg

Selenio: 9.9 µg

Fat: 4.17 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Monounsaturated fatty acids: 1.22 g

Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 179 g

Vitamina K: 2.4 µg

Vitamia B-9: 19 µg

SEITAN

Seitan is a vegan product, high in protein, based on wheat gluten, you can find spelled-based seitan but the most commercialized is wheat. Its flavor is different from that of tofu, it is not so neutral, therefore it is a food that can be eaten without adding any sauce, simply grilled or fried. We can also find burgers and processed products based on seitan. Of all the vegetable products at first glance it is the most similar to meat. Like all the products on our list, seitan is also rich in protein and low in fat and carbohydrates.

Nutritional values ​​of Seitan per 100 gr

Calories: 122 gr

Carbohydrates: 2 gr

Proteins: 24 g

Fiber: 0 gr

Fat: 0 gr

Sodio: 0 mg

Calcium: 0 mg

Iron: 0 mg

Magnesio: 0 mg

Phosphorus: 0 mg

Potasio: 0 mg

TEXTURED SOY

At ComerconArte we have already told you about this great food in another of our posts, like seitan, it can be confused with meat, specifically minced meat. It is obtained through the extrusion process of defatted soybean meal obtained mainly from the extraction of soybean oil. To be able to consume it, you have to hydrate it previously for about 30 minutes in warm water and add it to your plate.

Two types of format:

We can find it in different formats: fine or coarse textured soybeans, depending on the consumption we want to make of it. The flavor is mild and neutral and therefore, it is always used in sauces, for example, it is very common in vegan bolognese. If you don’t know how to cook it, you can visit our post in which we leave you a recipe on how to make vegan bolognese with textured soy . Of all the foods, textured soy is the one with the highest amount of protein, and like other soy-based products, it contains a good amount of isoflavones with antioxidant functions in the body.

Nutritional values ​​per 100 gr of textured soybeans

Energy value: 344 kcal

Carbohydrates: 28g

sugars: 12g

Proteins: 56g

Fat: 0.9g

saturated: 0.1g

Cholesterol: 0g

Fibra: 1,8 g

Sodium: 0.1g

TEMPEH

Coming from Indonesia , perhaps for us it is the product that we consume the least. It is food from soy combined with a type of fungus, which gives it a strong and earthy flavor. Being a fermented product it is good for the intestinal flora. It can be sautéed and added to salads, soups, or stuffed with tacos and burgers. Tempeh is rich in heart-healthy fats and minerals like iron and calcium.

Nutritional values ​​per 100 gr of Tempeh

Calories: 193 kcal

Carbohydrates: 9.4 gr

Azúcar: 0 mg

Fibra: 0 g

Sodio: 9 mg

Water: 59.65 g

Protein: 18.54 g

Calcium: 111 mg

Iron: 2.71 mg

Potasio: 412 mg

Magnesio: 81 mg

Phosphorus: 266 mg

Sodio: 9 mg

Zinc: 1.14 mg

Magensio: 1.30 mg

Fat: 10.80 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Saturated fat: 2.22 g

Monounsaturated fatty acids: 3.00 g

Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 3.82 g

Vitamina B-3: 2.6 mg

Vitamia B-9: 24 µg

WHAT IS PROTEIN AND HOW TO OBTAIN IT?

In order not to be too technical and that everyone can understand what protein is and how our body obtains it, we are going to try to explain it in a very simple way.

The proteins are complex molecules macronutrient compounds containing amino acids. Proteins are one of the food groups that should be in our daily diet. These have different functions in our body, for example, to protect the immune system, work on the formation and recovery of bones, muscles and tissues, in addition to strengthening nervous and hormonal health.

Proteins are compounds that are part of different foods. Proteins, carbohydrates and fats form the group of macronutrients. To form the proteins that make up the tissues of our body we need to ingest them through different foods. They are classified as noble nutrients, since they are a very important part of broad structural processes and fundamental functions.

HOW DOES OUR BODY DIGEST THEM?

The proteins must undergo a process of disintegration size to accommodate the functions of the intestinal mucosa. To do this, our body breaks them down into amino acids so that our body can absorb them in the digestive phase.

MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANT AND ANIMAL PROTEINS

First of all, one of the most important ways that both proteins differ is in nutritional quality. The animal protein contains all the essential amino acids. This leads to it being considered a protein of high biological value. On the other hand, vegetable protein does not have this characteristic, except for soybeans and quinoa, which have all nine amino acids, and to obtain a complete vegetable protein it must be combined with other foods such as nuts, seeds, cereals. whole grains and vegetables.

Second, the amount of protein we can eat is higher in meats than in cereals . This statement can be somewhat confusing, but we are going to explain it step by step. Meat contains an average of 20gr of protein per 100gr, legumes, for example, contain more than 20% protein. However, in the same meal it is easy to eat 100g of meat but it is heavier or very difficult to consume 100g of legumes or cereals.

Third, another of the differences that we find between vegetable and animal protein are the nutrients and calories. Depending on their origin, they will have fats, antioxidants or fiber. For example, animal protein is usually accompanied by fat, to a greater extent saturated, less oily fish. Legumes or nuts are accompanied by antioxidants, fiber, hydrates and various micronutrients, although they concentrate many more calories (between 300 – 600kcal) per 100 gr

CONCLUSION: WHAT TYPE OF PROTEIN SHOULD WE CONSUME?

As we always say in ComerconArte to enjoy a balanced and complete diet we must know all the benefits of each food well and combine them to obtain all its nutritional value.

With vegetable protein we can obtain a complete protein although it will mean consuming more carbohydrates and calories. Does this mean that we should abuse animal protein? Of course not, our recommendation is to consume 60% protein of animal origin, which contains a high biological value and accompany the rest with proteins of plant origin to obtain fiber, antioxidants, the so-called good fats and vitamins or minerals. For those vegans or vegetarians our advice is to organize a complete diet through the combination of different foods.

However, as we have already mentioned in the previous paragraph it will always be easier to achieve a balanced diet based on combining the two types of protein, both that of animal and vegetable origin.

And so far today’s post, in which we bring you a complete list of vegan foods , with great nutritional properties and above all easy to cook, so that you are encouraged to include them in your diet.