Veganism and the Hidden Cost of Plant-Based Meat Substitutes
By Alijah Sahibzada
Veganism: the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. In short, people who self-identify as “Vegans,” don't eat any animal products, such as meat, eggs or dairy products. They might do this for many reasons, such as dietary restrictions. An example of a dietary restriction is having AGS, or Alpha-Gal Syndrome. This is an allergy to meat, which symptoms are hives and swelling. One of the main reasons that people self-identify as vegan is because they don't believe in consuming animal products, as it brings too much suffering to these animals. Whatever the reason is, many people take this leap into this sometimes difficult diet.
According to the National Library of Medicine, up to 34% of a person's diet will include animal products. This large chunk of someone’s diet will not be available if you are vegan. And the rest of these options that you have might not be enough to have a healthy diet. For example, one cup of chicken has 38 grams of protein. To get the same amount of protein from eating tofu, you would need to eat almost double the amount. To counteract this, there are numerous alternatives to meat. One of these examples is called the Impossible Burger. It is a plant-based alternative to a beef burger that closely resembles a real burger, in terms of cooking experience or taste. For some people, this is a good option for them, as they can uphold their values and experience the resemblance of meat.
Although some might think that these substitutes are a good alternative, this might not be the case. One of the main factors that contribute to this is one of the main ingredients in these plant based alternatives, which is Soy Protein Concentrate. There is lots of debate about the positive and negative effects of soy and soybean oils. A positive is that there is no harm to any animals in the creation of this meat, while still retaining some properties of meat, such as flavor, texture, and cooking experience. Some of the negatives however, include it containing estrogen, which might increase the risk of breast cancer in women.
Some of this debate is based in fact, and some is not backed with research. The thing that I am going to discuss is how growing soybeans can negatively impact the ecosystem. One of the main reasons that people self-identify as a vegan is because they don't want to harm animals. According to SOY STORY: LEARN ABOUT THE EXPANSION OF SOYBEAN FARMS by World Wildlife Fund, it gives an important statistic about soybean farming that people should address, “The expansion of soybean farms (plantations) has led to vast areas of deforestation and destruction of natural habitats, thereby driving the loss of biodiversity in some of the world’s most precious places like the Amazon and the Cerrado in Brazil…There are more than 25 million hectares of degraded or abandoned land that could be used to produce soy, without the need for any more clearance of native vegetation.” 25 million hectares, that is larger than the size of the UK. All of that land, which has minimal to no animal life, is being disregarded, and places where there is a large ecosystem of animals are being destroyed. Harming animals, as we know, is one of the values that vegans hold is that they don't want to cause harm to animals. Although these meat-substitutes don't contain any animal products, they are indirectly harming animals that live near the soybean farms.
Although this might be a problem for many vegans, as their source of meat substitute is not considered vegan, through the indirect harming of ecosystems in important areas of the world, there are other options. One solution is to just not eat meat substitutes. There are many different cultures that have a plant based diet, and they have been around for thousands of years. One great example is a group of people called the Sikhs, who are a great example of having a non-harmful plant based diet. Sikhs are a religious group in India. After they have taken their Amrit (Baptized), they follow a vegetarian diet. They prohibit themselves from eating meat and many different types of animal products, such as eggs. They eat other foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and lentils. Mushrooms, while not being an animal product, have a sort of “meaty” property, making it a good substitute. Another option that you have is something called Kala Chana burger patties. They are basically made up of ground chickpeas mixed with potatoes and other vegetables. They are formed into a burger patty and grilled. When you put them on a burger bun and put some toppings on, you have the perfect veggie burger, with no animal product or harmed animals involved.
In conclusion, people identify themselves as vegan primarily because they believe consuming food that contains animal products is morally wrong and unethical. Some turn to plant-based meat substitutes, but either aren't healthy for you, or aren't vegan in other ways, such as inadvertently harming animals and ecosystems. If you can, don't seek meat substitutes to make it easier, but if you must, there are some good options, such as mushrooms and Kala Chana burger patties.