Which is better for you: "Real" meat or "fake" meat?

In 2021, a survey conducted among over 1,000 Americans unveiled a striking trend: nearly two-thirds of respondents had incorporated plant-based meat alternatives into their diets in the past year. A significant portion of these individuals cited the potential health benefits and environmental advantages as their primary motivation. But amidst this growing shift towards alternative meats, a pressing question emerges: are these substitutes genuinely better for both our well-being and the planet's health?

To delve deeper into this inquiry, let's acquaint ourselves with the key contenders. Traditional meat, sourced from butchered animals and henceforth referred to as "farmed meat," is a complex amalgamation of muscle fibers, connective tissues, and fats. Recognized as a staple in human diets, meat has been part of our culinary heritage since time immemorial.

Next up is the plant-based meat alternative, which, despite its striking resemblance in taste and appearance, is constructed from a medley of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and other plant-derived molecules. The transformation of plant ingredients into a meat-like texture necessitates significant effort. The fibrous texture characteristic of meat is mimicked by pushing a plant's spherical proteins through an extruder device, coaxing them to unwind and form elongated filaments. To replicate animal fats, companies blend in fats and oils extracted from plants. Some even incorporate innovative ingredients, such as beet juice pigment, which imparts a color-changing effect as the patty cooks, or an iron-containing molecule called heme, believed to be crucial for the authentic meaty flavor. The resulting products come in diverse forms to cater to varying culinary preferences.

Lastly, we have lab-grown meat, also known as cell-based meat or cultured meat. These products begin as animal stem cells that researchers nurture and encourage to multiply and form muscle tissue. It's worth noting that lab-grown meats are still predominantly in the developmental phase, and their production process may evolve as they reach greater commercial scalability.

Now, turning our attention to the critical question of which meat or meat alternative is better for our health, farmed meat remains a crucial source of protein and essential nutrients for many. Nevertheless, research has established links between diets high in red and processed meats and various health concerns, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A study conducted in 2012 even suggested that replacing red meat with alternative options like chicken, nuts, or legumes for just one meal a day could potentially reduce mortality risk by 7 to 19%. However, it's important to note that there isn't sufficient data available to ascertain whether substituting red meat with a plant-based patty would yield similar health benefits. Plant-based meats, while offering equivalent amounts of protein, calories, and iron as farmed meat, are often highly processed and consequently laden with sodium. Many also contain coconut oil, which is rich in saturated fat and may elevate the risk of heart disease, much like red meat. As for lab-grown meat, its nutritional profile and health implications are yet to be definitively determined and may depend on further advancements in product development.

Switching gears to the environmental perspective, animal agriculture accounts for an estimated 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, producing plant-based meat substitutes is believed to result in approximately 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to an equivalent amount of beef, 63% less than pork, and 51% less than poultry, on average. Additionally, plant-based meat alternatives typically require significantly less land and water resources than farmed meat, with their production resulting in substantially lower levels of pollutants running off farms and entering waterways—a threat to both the environment and public health.

However, it's important to consider the sustainability of lab-grown meat, as the industry currently relies on stem cells sourced from livestock muscle tissue. The environmental impact of scaling up this production method, including the number of animals required for cell biopsies, remains uncertain. Furthermore, it's unclear to what extent alternative meats will mitigate the environmental footprint of the farmed meat industry if consumers continue to consume conventional meat alongside these newer options.

In summary, while the debate over which meat or meat alternative reigns supreme in terms of nutrition is ongoing, individuals who prioritize animal welfare, public health, and environmental sustainability tend to favor plant-based meat alternatives. It's worth emphasizing that transitioning to meat alternatives need not be an all-or-nothing decision. In fact, a study from 2022 estimated that even forgoing red meat in just one meal a day could reduce an individual's dietary carbon emissions by as much as 48%. This underscores the potential for incremental dietary changes to collectively contribute to a more sustainable and health-conscious future.