The Vegan UPFs Diet Experts Say What You SHOULD Eat… and What to Avoid, as Study Links Plant-Based Junk Food to Heart Disease

Consuming a meat-free stunner may not be any healthier than the real thing, nutritionists claim.

Those who opt for ultra-processed plant-based products – including vegan ‘fake meat’ sausages, bacon and burgers, as well as cakes and chips – may face a 15 percent higher risk of heart attack or stroke.

At least, that is evident from an analysis of the diets of more than 118,000 participants, published in the renowned medical journal The Lancet.

But just because a plant-based product has a UPF doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad for you, dietitians say.

Here, MailOnline explains which plant-based UPF products are really good for you and which ones you should pay attention to.

A ‘plant-based’ label doesn’t mean it’s healthy…

Packed with fat, salt and loaded with sugar, UPFs have long been vilified for increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

However, not all UPFs can be lumped together.

Plant-based UPFs include vegan burgers, sausage rolls and breaded ‘chicken’, as well as vegan mince.

But many brands of baked beans, supermarket bread, vegan cheese and pies and chips are also plant-based and with UPFs.

By definition, UPFs are foods that have undergone various modifications to extend their shelf life or make them more attractive to consumers, or sometimes both.

An easy sign that a food may be a UPF is if it contains ingredients that critics of the products say you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboard, such as unrecognizable dyes, sweeteners and preservatives.

Another clue is the amount of fat, salt and sugar contained in each package, with UPFs often containing large amounts.

If you eat a vegan sausage roll, chances are it’s no better for you than the meat equivalent.

‘If it looks like something unhealthy, it probably is,’ Dr Duane Mellor, dietician and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, told MailOnline.

He emphasizes that if something is fried and covered in pastry, it is unhealthy and likely contains a high amount of saturated fat and salt, regardless of whether it is vegan or UPF.

Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist at Healthspan and author of Unprocess Your Life, urges people to check labels as plant-based UPFs ‘differ quite a bit’.

‘I think most people assume that all plant-based food options are healthy, but many of them can be high in salt, sugar and saturated fat, just like animal products,’ he told MailOnline.

“You can also check the front of the pack to see how much salt, sugar and saturated fat is in the produce so you can make a healthy food choice,” he added.

For example, a Greggs sausage roll contains 22g of fat, 13g of saturated fat and 1.6g of salt.

And a Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll is only marginally better, with 18g fat, 8.7g saturated fat and 1.8g salt.

Any food with more than 5 grams of heart-unhealthy saturated fat is considered “high saturated fat” and should therefore be consumed in moderation.

The NHS advises men to eat no more than 30 grams of saturated fat per day and women no more than 20 grams.

…but you can have fake meat that’s good for you

However, not all fake meat is unhealthy, even if it is classified as a UPF.

Many Quorn and pea protein-based products, although containing UPF, can be a good addition to a balanced diet and are low in fat, experts say.

‘Generally speaking, the mince or simple bits you can throw into a stir-fry are low salt and fat options and you don’t need to worry about that,’ Dr Mellor said.

Mr Hobson agrees that sticking to plain cuts of meat, such as Quorn, can be a cheap source of plant-based protein that is also low in salt, fat and sugar.

He said: ‘Quorn would be classified as a UPF, but not because of the processing required to produce it from mould, but because it contains other ingredients that you wouldn’t find in your kitchen, such as firming agents (calcium chloride and acetate) and barley malt extract. .

‘I wouldn’t put people off eating Quorn as I think it’s a really quick and easy to use source of plant-based protein, as well as being a great source of fiber and minerals like zinc. Quorn also contains little salt, saturated fat and sugar.’

For example, per 75g portion of Quorn chicken pieces it contains only 2g of fat, 0.5g of saturated fat and only 0.44g of salt.

But once it’s covered in breadcrumbs, pastries, or fried, it’s not as healthy anymore.

The Quorn Crispy Nuggets contain more than three times the fat of a regular Quorn piece: 6.4g fat, 0.6g saturated fat and 0.90g salt.

Mr Hobson said: ‘Some Quorn products are much more processed, such as nuggets, sausages and Scotch eggs, so I would stick to the mince or chunks that allow you to make healthy dishes and eat less of the other products in the range .’

Yes, baked beans are UPFs… but they are healthy

Some of the healthiest plant-based meat substitutes, which are classified as UPFs, are made from pea protein or made with lentils or nuts.

Products containing these ingredients are likely to be more nutritious and a good source of fiber, experts say.

‘The healthy ones are likely to have more fibre, so look for ingredients such as beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds and of course vegetables,’ Mr Hobson said.

‘These ingredients are also likely to give you other nutrients in the food, including minerals such as magnesium, zinc and iron. What sets it apart from other UPFs is this nutritional profile,” he added.

Beans on toast made with a can of beans and supermarket bread are another example of a plant-based UPF that isn’t particularly unhealthy.

In fact, the cheap and easy dinner contains fiber, protein, amino acids and calcium.

“Baked beans and supermarket bread are both UPFs, but they are not unhealthy foods.” There is a lot of stigma attached to ready-made bread, but it is a healthy meal,” says Dr Mellor.

‘A lot of people rely on this food as a budget meal, so I don’t think it’s very helpful to make people feel unhealthy by eating it,’ Mr Hobson added.

‘They are UPFs because they contain modified starch and spice and herb extracts. The version without added sugar also contains artificial sweetener.

‘I would say they are a healthier UPF though as they contain a really good source of fiber from the beans used and this is a nutrient that people don’t eat enough of in their diet.

“The fiber and protein in these foods also help control blood sugar levels.”

Should You Really Worry About Additives?

If something contains unrecognizable dyes, sweeteners and preservatives, it is most likely a UPF.

‘Some contain more additives than others, such as vegan cheese which is often made with coconut oil and contains things like modified starch, thickeners and colorings the names of which you may not recognize,’ warns Mr Hobson.

‘Some fake meats may contain protein isolates, maltodextrin, thickeners such as guar gum and artificial flavors to give it a smoky taste. If you are trying to avoid additives, these are not the foods for you,” he added.

However, not all unrecognizable ingredients that you don’t find in your kitchen cupboard are necessarily bad for you.

Plant-based UPFs fortified with B12, calcium, iron and protein provide more nutrition than plant-based products made from, for example, jackfruit, which don’t contain the same nutrients as meat, Dr. Mellor explains.

He said: ‘When you add things like B12, it can sound really scary if you call it Cyanocobalamin, but that’s just the chemical name. Potassium iodide may also have been added.

‘So some plant-based products are not unhealthy because they are UPFs, but because they are not nutritionally equivalent to meat.’