Looking for Tasty Meat Substitutes? Finding Flavor Beyond Tofu

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Whether you are full-time vegetarian or dabbling in meatlessness, there is only so much tofu one can eat. Although vegetarians claim that tofu’s main virtue is its tasteless versatility, it is nice to find substitutes for meat that have actual, well ... taste.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Tempeh

Tempeh is a cake of soybeans that are partially cooked and fermented. That might not conjure up mouth-watering images, but hear us out: the stuff is delicious.

It is also sturdy and can stand up to copious amount of sauce and won’t fall apart like another product that rhymes with “nofu.” In addition, the fermentation of soybeans allows for calcium, zinc and iron to become more available for the body's use, according to Cynthia Radnitz, PhD, who did a review on the rise in veganism in 2015.

Beans and Lentils

Pulses might not exactly taste like meat, but they are a whole-foods way to get your protein fix and fill you up fast. And 2016 is actually the International Year of Pulses.

It’s true. Just ask the United Nations and the Food and Agricultural Organization.

Why are these organizations waxing poetic about legumes? Because studies are rampant showing that they are excellent for you. It may even be part of the equation for living to be over 100 years old, as people in the Blue Zones (locations with many centenarians) eat a plant-rich diet with lots of beans.

If you are not a fan of the aftereffects of beans, consider allowing them to soak for a night before you eat them to reduce their gas-producing compounds.

Seitan

This hearty meat substitute is made from wheat flour, water and yeast, so it is certainly not for the gluten-free — in fact it is a Japanese word that means “gluten.”

Seitan is stretched in one direction and compressed in another to make for a dense product that is as chewy as a piece of meat. Commercially made seitan can be high in sodium, so do make sure to read the ingredient list. You can even make some yourself, if you are so inclined.

Jackfruit

if you haven’t tried jackfruit, it may seem awfully strange to have a fruit masquerade as a piece of meat. Recipes online abound, including “pulled pork” jackfruit.

It is soft and easily digestible, yet stringy and sturdy enough to stand up to a BBQ sauce. Jackfruits are gigantic and thought to be the largest tree-borne fruits in the world. They are also high in fiber, rich in magnesium, and loaded with microminerals like copper, which plays an important role in thyroid gland metabolism.

Jackfruits are being looked at to determine whether they will make for good wine, which can always be a nice way to get some extra nutrition.

Reviewed May 20, 2016
by Michele Blacksberg RN

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Tags:

• Adult Living
• Diet & Nutrition