Meat Substitutes, a healthy and humane alternative.

There is a widespread availability of meat substitutes available in most supermarkets these days. A major concern of those who have recently decided to implement a vegetarian or pure vegan diet is that they will 'miss' their most beloved foods. It is my belief that old eating habits are just that... habits, and are just mental blocks that prevent us from achieving the healthy lifestyle that we deserve.

Check out some fake meat aka 'meat analogs' the next time you are out shopping to help satisfy the craving that you might feel.

Boca Burger, one of the most well known maker of meat substitutes.
Boca is pretty ubiquitous brand, it can be found in the freezer section of every major grocery store. I will admit that I have only eaten the veggie burgers, and not any of the other products. I will make an effort to try their soy sausage, vegetarian chicken, etc... and report back here.

I'll be completely honest about Boca burgers (and other veggie burgers in general), they of course do not taste 100% like real meat. It's different, not necessarily worse, but different. My advice is simple. Dress it up. Go nuts with all the veggie fixings and condiments you want (reading labels, based on the guidelines which you have chosen.)

Oh, and grilling them is a huge step up from the microwave, taste wise. So load up on a few boxes in time for your friend's next barbecue, you'll be the coolest kid on the block.

Morningstar Farms is another brand of meat substitutes that you may see around.
This is another brand that you may see in supermarkets, usually close to the Boca products mentioned above. What I find interesting about this MorningStar is that, on top of the usual burgers, they offer a variety of 'meat' crumbles, strips, etc... Here is where you can get creative and use supplement existing recipes by easily replacing ground meat or chicken/steak strips. Have fun!

A quick word of caution: READ LABELS! Don't take my word 100% on anything without being smart and investigating a little bit on your own. A lot of the above mentioned products contain milk, egg whites, and other ingredients that do not make them fully plant based. If you have chosen to adopt a pure vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, then make sure to check for dairy and egg products in the ingredients. In the case of veggie foods such as these, they will nearly always clearly state (VEGAN) somewhere in there. If they do not, then make no assumptions.

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