Considering vegetarianism. Is it bad to eat too much Quorn?

[Goshdarn]

I use Q sausages and mince anyways.

But have recently been snacking on their cocktail sausages, faux scotch eggs and chicken dipper type things.

I really need to keep my protein up but have really gone off meat.

Would it be unhealthy to eat, say 50g worth of quorn protein a day?

And does anyone have any suggestions for high protein vegetarian foods

My partner does this. There’s no avoiding the fact that Quoqrn is an ultra processed food, with all the health implications of that.

Would cheese, eggs, pulses offer you that ‘protein hit’?
as you can tell, I’m trying to persuade dp of the same!

Is quorn soya? It can mess with your hormones I believe if you eat too much unfermented soya (disclaimer I haven't read the research and don't know if it is peer reviewed etc)

There is pea protein as well, as in you can get sausages etc made from pea protein if its meat replacement options you are looking for

I love Quorn, it's so versatile and when I cook for non-veggies with it, they always have seconds. Obviously pulses are a good alternative, so a chilli with lots of kidney beans or chick pea and potato curry are good regulars. Tofu can be a bit dull, but if you give it an interesting coating and bake/fry it then it's surprisingly tasty.

No, Quorn isn’t soya.

I eat a fair bit of Quorn OP, I love it! Try tofu as well though - I love smoked tofu and marinated tofu. There are tons of great recipes out there that use it, it doesn’t have to be bland and flabby.

I’ve been vegi for 25 years. I almost never eat quorn. I used to but there are so many alternatives now than I don’t. Also, I try to avoid processed food more than a couple of times a week.

I also don't think Quorn is any more processed than cheese, for example, and it's considerably more healthy than meat. It's high in fibre and low in fat, both of which make it better for you than most animal proteins.

I wouldn't eat much because it's so highly processed , but everything in moderation. It's not made of soya, it's basically fungus.

You can use soya mince instead of quorn, or lentils. Lentils do contain protein and are very easy to use. Mix 50/50 if you like.
Other sources of protein - nuts, chick peas, beans, cheese, eggs and other dairy.
Try using nuts in a stir fry.
Tofu can be tricky to make appetising. DS has been veggie for years and has only recently managed to perfect tofu.

Just get your protein from other sources instead, same as traditional vegetarian cultures do? Eggs, cheese, beans, lentils, or even fish if it's just meat you've gone off as opposed to being veggie for ethical reasons?

For full disclosure I've
had a gastric sleeve so need to hit 60g protein a day but I can't eat large amounts so quorn is good be cause its high protein in small amounts

It seems a bit limited to base your diet around so much quorn.

You wouldn't (hopefully) eat the real meat versions of 'sausages, faux scotch eggs and chicken dipper type things' daily like you suggest, so it's strange to choose those things as a vegetarian. Plus the sorts of things you mention are very 'meat like' so would you even eat them if you've 'gone off meat'?

As PPs have mentioned, eggs and pulses would be your go to protein sources as a vegetarian, along with cheese, yogurt and nuts.

But if you're not vegetarian for ethical reasons, there's no need for it to be all or nothing and if you do fancy eating meat, or fish or seafood, have it. Just don't call yourself vegetarian, obviously.

This is the ingredients of Quorn fillets. When I looked for the same info on cheese it is just… cheese. Full fat milk.
There’s nothing wrong with Quorn in moderation, but to position it as a health food, assuming that “low fat” = good is naive.

Oh, cross posted. Would something like hummus work? Plus other bean dips, and eggs?

Quorn is essentially highly processed micro fungus mixed with egg white for stability. Vegan quorn uses potato starch instead of egg.
Cut out the middle man and have a lovely mushroom omelette for similar nutrients without the processing agents.

I am vegetarian and have never eaten Quorn in my life. I eat vegetables, eggs and lentils.

My favourite proteins (other than lentils, beans etc) that I eat as a vegetarian are things like tempeh and tofu.
I like marinating them, frying in a bit of cornflour then coating in a sauce usually.

Isn't it all really high in salt too? Like a PP said, you wouldn't eat the meat versions so frequently & in big quantities so you prob shouldn't be eating this much quorn.

I also don't think Quorn is any more processed than cheese, for example, and it's considerably more healthy than meat. It's high in fibre and low in fat, both of which make it better for you than most animal proteins

Meat is not unhealthy at all, it's really nutritionally dense and we've eaten it for millions of years.
Fat isn't unhealthy either, although the wrong kinds certainly are but these tend to be vegetable oils.
Quorn is most certainly more processed than cheese, which is simply fermented milk and doesn't need binders.

If you've had a gastric sleeve OP presumably you are trying to lose weight too, so being in the habit of eating artificially flavoured processed foods, even nutritionally dense ones, isn't a great idea.

Eat what you like. But Quorn is quite old fashioned and not the best tasting faux meat protein on the market by a long stretch. Meatless farm, Linda McCartney, supermarket own (particularly like Morrisons) all do Mince. There are too many veggie/vegan brands to name or remember actually. Quorn is quite dry compared to those. Ooh, Richmond plant sausages just remembered are incredible. As a general principle you'll be absolutely fine and it's much better for you, but I would encourage you to branch out and see if you can mix it up with other makes for sure.

The problem with any meat substitute is that it's highly processed it's better to eat just the veg IMO

This is how I have eaten for the past 25 years, although now much better options available. Obviously meat in many forms is processed and covered in carcinogenic nitrates. Haven't grown a third head yet 😁

People often don't realise that eating red meat is linked to cancer, especially if you eat more than 70g a day, or eat processed meat like sausages.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/red-meat-and-the-risk-of-bowel-cancer/

I hope you warn then it's Quorn because every single time I've eaten it, I've had horrendous stomach cramps and diarrhoea.

@Goshdarn it's extremely processed and not something I'd want to be snacking on every day. Maybe try mushrooms, nuts/seeds, that sort of thing. The snack type foods are also pretty fatty and salty from what I've heard which is why they're so moreish.

I don't really understand the logic of replacing meat with meat substitutes. They are all so tasteless, as well as being bad for you. Why not just do what vegetarian cultures do?