Why do people eat chicken nuggets at all? They're ultra processed junk food too, so the meat alternatives are also junk food.
I am a vegetarian, and I eat healthily. I may have plant based meat every now and then when I fancy junk food, or when eating out, but the meat alternatives are never a healthy option.
I absolutely hate it when meat eaters say to me "And if you are vegetarian why would you want something that looked like meat?" Here are my reasons:
Being vegan / veggie doesn't mean you don't enjoy a burger that looks / tastes like a beef burger. It means you don't want to eat animals. You don't want to cause the suffering and slaughter of an animal just for a meal, so if you fancy a beef burger, you eat the meat free alternatives.
Because culturally, in the UK meat is a staple of the diet, I was raised by meat eaters, eating meat, so a lot of our home cooked food was based around meat - meals like toad in the hole, shepherds pie, spag bol, full english or bacon / sausage rolls, lasagne the occasional chicken nuggets and chips.... I grew up eating these foods, and when I went veggie I still wanted to enjoy these meals, just without the dead animal.
It's also better for the environment. Meat causes SO many emissions and deforestation, and uses so much water / grain and soy. A lot of meat alternatives are made from soy or pea protein, or Quorn, which create far less emissions. If everybody on the planet went vegan and stopped eating meat, the grains / soy grown to feed livestock alone could feed everybody (with lots of leftover food).
In my opinion, people in this country eat way too much meat.
It is not healthy to eat meat for every meal, and a lot of meat (pork particularly) is ultra processed so it certainly isn't a healthy option.
My grandma grew up post war, and they'd have a joint of meat or a chicken that would have to be shared by 5 people, and mixed with veggies and bread to spread it out over the week. They'd eat the whole animal too, offal and all. She always said that meat should be seen as a moderation food, or a treat, and not something you must have every day.
I know I get more than my 5 a day, every day. I eat a huge variety of fruit and vegetables, so I know I am getting all my vitamins... how may meat eaters could say the same? I feel so much healthier with my veggie diet than I ever did eating meat.