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But vegan doesn’t always mean healthy

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How healthy are vegan products? More and more scientific studies and consumers ask for it. Not only those who follow a vegan lifestyle, but also those who seek to reduce their intake of animal foods for environmental reasons and find interesting alternatives in plant-based options, such as burgers. The question is renewed on the occasion of the Month and World Day of Veganism, celebrated in November since 1994, when they were established in honor of the first vegan company founded by Donald Watson in the forties in London. Watson was also the first person to call himself a vegan after a childhood spent on his uncle’s farm in Yorkshire. His diet consisted mainly of nuts, apples, dried fruit, vegetables and lentils.

Vegan world: vegetable eggs arrive

by Giulia Masoero Regis


According to the latest Eurispes report, almost one in ten people (8.2% of the population) in Italy is vegan or vegetarian. The figure is slightly down compared to 2020, but still higher than in past years, from 2014 to today. 23.1% of people say they do it out of respect for animals and the planet, while 21.3% have approached the vegan or vegetarian lifestyle for health reasons.

To meet the needs of these consumers, the food industry has expanded its offer with burgers, spreadable cheeses, sauces, creams and desserts without animal raw materials. Often, however, these are highly processed foods, abundant in salt, sugars, additives and fats, added ingredients to stabilize the composition of the food and obtain a tasty and fragrant food. Among the most ordered vegan products in Italy, Uber Eats says, there is the vegetable burger, brought to the table by those who follow vegetarian diets, but not only.

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An avocado a day and the belly will disappear (especially that of women)

by Noemi Penna


A research published in the summer of 2021 onEuropean Food Research and Technology, compared the labels of conventional burgers with those of vegan burgers, noting that the latter have higher amounts of carbohydrates, even simple ones, a lower protein content and no difference in salt. However, the researchers point out that there is great heterogeneity in the nutritional profile of vegetarian products and conclude by suggesting that veggie burger manufacturers improve their formulations to offer more nutritionally balanced products, with less sugar, more protein and free of allergens.

Vegan burgers are typically based on grains, legumes, vegetables, seitan or tofu. Transforming these ingredients into a product that, at least in consistency, resembles meat, necessarily requires various industrial processes. And technically, highly processed products are defined by experts Nova 4. “With Nova 4 we define ultra-processed foods and drinks, as can be vegetable substitutes for meat and eggs” he comments Enzo Spisni, professor at the University of Bologna and director of the Laboratory of Translational Physiology and Nutrition. ā€œIf taken in quantity and for long periods they can be associated with health problems. But it’s always wrong to throw a whole bunch of weed and I don’t agree to classify all vegan or vegetarian burgers as Nova 4 ā€.

Pasta: does not make you fat, on the contrary it reduces the waist circumference

by Irma D’Aria


Adopting diets rich in plant foods, primarily fruit and vegetables, which include dairy products and eggs weekly, and not daily, with fair amounts of meat (favoring white to red), is a choice advocated by nutritionists, both for health and environmental reasons. Reducing the consumption of animal foods with vegan or vegetarian alternatives can be a way, however it is important to take a look at the nutritional labels, in order not to risk crowding the table with overly processed plant foods that nullify the goal of health and respect for the environment. of those who follow these diets.

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