To wonder who eats this food and why?

[BingoBonus]

https://groceries.asda.com/product/plant-based-meat-alternatives/plant-based-by-asda-chicken-style-fillets/1000383161908

Plant-based chicken-style breaded fillet. The main two ingredients are water and oil!

I don't understand the boom in plant-based ultra-processed foods...........do people actually buy these as a healthy option? And if you are vegetarian why would you want something that looked like meat?

Water, oil and then... Wheat Protein (9%), Soya Protein Concentrate (5%), Pea Protein (4%)!
How does it even hold shape?

I find it quite hard to imagine our landscapes without the green hillsides with sheep grazing (I love the sound of sheep) and without farms with cows, pigs etc. Presumably, everything would be ploughed up to grow rapeseed, soy etc. so we would have more monoculture agriculture and consequently less biodiversity

Yes.

And rain forests are being destroyed now with over-farming of avocados.

Plant-based is not the utopia some would have us believe.

Plant based diet is always marketed as the 'healthy option' but in fact a lot of the foods available are ultra processed

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/beyond-burger-200g?istCompanyId=1e096408-041f-4238-994e-a7cf46bf9413&istFeedId=689af7a8-5842-4d88-be59-1ee5688a81b5&istItemId=imirwpraw&istBid=t&&cmpid=cpc&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=15424330555&utm_content=shopping&utm_term=%257Bsku%257D&utm_custom1=129852755749&utm_custom2=759-449-0952&gclid=CjwKCAjwzuqgBhAcEiwAdj5dRthH8hiiwrj-SNisiylmNadteTsfnqZ8dqvsfdJKxtVICVAqU7gnZBoCnnMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

We eat these. They're really tasty and probably healthier than a lot of other processed food. I have gone off red meat, so it works for me.

Why do people eat any ultra processed food? It's quick, easy and tastes good. It's not intended to be a healthy option, I think you've got the wrong end of the stick because they use the word "plant". Plant based basically just means vegan, not necessarily healthy. There are plant based desserts for example.

Oh do bore off. Another vegan bash thread in disguise. How many times to vegans have to defend eating mock meat? It's not meat and it doesn't have to be healthy and if you're not the target market why do you even care?

There is also an issue with the over-production of soya. And it's not as healthy always as it's made out.

I do. Not all the time of course but I’m the only veggie in our household so sometimes it’s easy to have this sort of thing as a meat alternative rather than cooking an entirely separate meal.

I ate meat for over 30 years. I have no issue with things looking like meat, I only became veggie because it’s so easy to find alternatives now that it seemed hypocritical to claim to love animals but eat them unnecessarily. Not for health reasons. I also eat fruit, veg, pulses, chocolate and McDonald’s 🙃

I can imagine a lot of people cooking that for a vegetarian dinner guest or family member when the rest are having chicken. I don’t mind a ‘meal alternative’ product TBH. I don’t know why you imagine vegans and vegetarians are more health conscious than anyone else.

*meat alternative

BUT they eat it because it looks and 'tastes' like meat

The OP is not vegan bashing.

She is asking why vegans eat crap processed alternatives, when many vegans adopt a vegan diet either a) because of their ethics towards animals or b) to eat more healthily.

If you are vegan it's obviously addling your understanding of the post.

well you have chosen a budget supermarket one - it would be the same if you looked at own brand chicken nuggets - full of crap. There are other options out there. I wouldnt touch a turkey twizzler with a barge pole but would eat roast turkey.
DD is veggie and although she does generally prefer vegie foods made out of vegetables eg a bean/veg burger as opposed to a fake meat one there are times she wants a 'what the cluck' fillet. often with roast or in something needs that meat like texture. She has tried a million veggie sausages and has found 1 that she like, the rest are horrible.

We put eat loads of stuff thst is bad for us - macdonalds and sweets and fizzy drinks and alcohol and crisps and processed meat etc. Most of us just eat in moderation. A bit of something not 100% healthy is fine on the occasions you need a quick meal or substitute or it is the person preference for that dish

And if you are vegetarian why would you want something that looked like meat?

I fucking hate this question. For the same reason people use dildos; it fills a hole and no-one gets hurt.

But the marketing behind it is that it IS healthy!

Have you actually seen the ads in some magazines?

The Linda M ones seem to have around 50% soya - Rehydrated Textured Soya Protein (52%)

@Barbecuebeans even your one has 16% pea in it. It's literally peas with gloop.

I do eat this stuff sometimes so not judging, more shocked than anything that it holds up.

SIL might, but that’s because she doesn’t care what is in the food products as long as it’s cheap. DH’s family have been raised with that idea. This product could be too expensive for her. She’s not struggling like a lot of families/people. FT work, good salary and never paid for rent or utilities.

I don't understand the boom in plant-based ultra-processed foods...........do people actually buy these as a healthy option? And if you are vegetarian why would you want something that looked like meat?

Are you dense?

Why do vegans and vegetarians have to only buy 'healthy options'? Why can't they buy junk like plenty of people who eat meat?

And if you honestly can't think of a reason why someone might enjoy the taste of meat but not wish to fund animal slaughter... I really don't think anyone can help you. You poor thing.

It always amazes me on here how people seem utterly befuddled by ‘why’ others do things. Why do others have acrylic nails? Why do others drive a Toyota? Why do others use reusable toilet paper?

Because they want to. They must like it. They presumably earn enough money to budget for this thing that they like or want. If they aren’t forcing you to do it then just focus on what you want and don’t get so invested in what others want.

Rubbish.

A ridiculous comparison.

I suppose you are also going to include rubber dolls as well? (Unless it's only women who eat fake meat products.)

Don't shop at Asda so can't comment on that particular product but I don't eat meat and sometimes, like most people, I want something that I can just stick in the oven without any preparation, so yes, I will sometimes buy processed plant based products.

I certainly don't buy it as a 'healthy alternative' because more often than not it isn't that healthy; it's just convenient.

Do you never buy anything that doesn't require being made from scratch or isn't in the extremely healthy range of foods OP? If so, I imagine you're one of very few.

My son is a strict vegan, and yes, he would eat this. It's not how he was brought up - everyone else eats meat and lots of it! But he swears by it. Says he feels so much better on a vegan diet.

I was really surprised how many Vegetarians eat animal products. Any foods labelled Vegetarian WILL contain animal product. It's much harder to find Vegan food.

What is it you mean by this? They’re promoting that their product is vegan. A lot of tomato soups aren’t vegan - many of them have cream or milk in them. So I’m not sure why it implies impaired brain function.

Just a reminder that the vast majority of soya is used as animal food.

It can take 20g of soya to produce 1g of meat.

People often mistakenly think that they are being green by eating 'local' beef, when the reality is that most livestock in the UK has its diet supplemented with imported soya.

The UK is one of the world's largest importers of genetically modified soya as animal food, so a lot of meat is not as 'natural' as people fondly believe.

I occasionally buy similar as junk food. I’m not vegetarian but am trying to cut down meat for ethical reasons. I’d eat something like that instead of a burger or fried chicken… not instead of a chicken breast.

Have you confused yourself? You're asking why vegans would eat processed alternatives to meat when they've stopped eating meat because of their ethics towards animals....there is no question there. Those things are not in any way contradictory.

It's you and the Op who don't understand