Vegans beware excess salt in processed meat replacements

Cutting back on animal products is good for the planet and your health if you follow certain rules.

Vegan meat replacements can have hidden dangers in the form of excess salt.

More of us than ever are giving up meat and turning to plant-based foods. Almost a quarter of Britons cut back on animal products last year, according to the Vegan Society. This is good for the planet and, nutrition experts say, it’s good for our health - but only if we follow certain rules.

Of course most vegans will naturally eat plenty of vegetables and are aware that keeping an eye on iron intake is important but that’s not always enough to ensure optimal nutrition. Being careful of the kinds of processed foods you eat is crucial, even if they are plant-based. Checking labels for sugar and salt content is as important as adding plenty of grains and protein to your diet. Susan Lanham-New, professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Surrey warns: “Vegans should pay extra attention to food labels and ingredients lists, as there is potential for plant-based alternatives to be highly processed, low in nutrients and high in salt and sugar.”

Dr Tammy Tong, a nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford who studies the health effects of vegan diets, says: “Studies have shown that many vegans have a higher consumption of ultra-processed foods than the rest of the population.” Processed food is generally more calorific. One study in the journal Cell Metabolism showed that eaters of ultra-processed food consumed an average 508 calories a day more (about 3,000 total calories a day compared with 2,500 calories on minimally processed food) and gained almost 1kg in 14 days as a result. So how can you make sure a vegan diet is healthy?

1. Be careful with ‘fake’ meat - opt for unprocessed proteins where possible

Vegan “meats” - from fake burgers and faux chicken nuggets to vegan steak pies- are not automatically healthier than lean meat. Unless they have been fortified, meat alternatives lack iron and B vitamins. “You need to check the small print for salt content and to find out if the product is fortified with nutrients you would find in meat,” says Lanham-New. Instead, eat other, unprocessed proteins such as pulses, grains, nuts and seeds, which she says are actively beneficial. In the UK, a daily intake of 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight is recommended. About 80g of chickpeas provides 6g of protein, while 80g of cooked red lentils provides 7g, according to the Vegan Society.

2. Check the salt content before you eat

Large amounts of salt are often added to prepared vegan foods. A survey by the charity Action on Salt, based at Queen Mary University of London, showed that 28 per cent of vegan meat products surveyed contained worrying amounts of sodium, so check labels.

In another survey carried out by Action on Salt last year, three out of five plant-based restaurant meals were found to contain 3g or more salt - that’s half an adult’s maximum daily intake of salt. Of the 151 meals analysed, 19 provided 6g or more salt - the entire maximum daily limit for an adult in one meal. Two thirds of healthy-sounding plant-based meals available in fast food and coffee chains would get a red label for being high in salt (meaning more than 1.8g salt per portion). Many dishes were also high in saturated fat, associated with increased risk of heart disease,with more than one in five vegan dishes providing more than half of an adult’s maximum daily intake for saturated fat.

3. Go easy on vegan cheese - it’s full of saturated fat

Coconut oil is often used for vegan cheese alternatives because it is one of few plant-based fats that is solid at room temperature. But getting anything to taste remotely like cheese requires the addition of starch, flavourings and salt. Typically, a vegan cheese provides around 2.3g of salt per 100g, more than the 1.8g in the same amount of mature cheddar. And while plant-based cheeses contain slightly less fat overall, they tend to contain similar amounts of saturated fat (19g per 100g) to regular cheese (21.5g per 100g). It is saturated fat that increases LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol which can cause fatty plaque build-up in arteries. Look for cheese that has been fortified with calcium and vitamin B12.

4. Don’t assume vegan desserts are more healthy

A vegan dessert is not necessarily better for you than a regular chocolate mousse or cheesecake. According to Lanham-New, when manufacturers take out ingredients such as butter and eggs, they often add in gums, pectins, flavourings and other additives to enhance texture and taste. Also be wary of products made with coconut milk, which is relatively high in saturated fat and calories. Typically, 100g of coconut milk yoghurt provides 195 calories and 16g of saturated fat compared with 72 calories and 2.5g saturated fat in the same amount of plain cow’s milk yoghurt.

5. Beware of lentil/chickpea crisp snacks

Pulses form the basis of many savoury vegan snacks from curly lentil twists to chickpea puffs. And while beans and pulses are almost universally approved by nutritionists in their natural form because they contain fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals including iron, the same cannot always be said of the snack food versions. Indeed a survey of 119 vegan pulse-based snacks early this year found 43 per cent of them to be high in salt with some saltier than Atlantic seawater, which contains 2.5g of salt per 100g. They included Simply 7 Lentil Crisps with 3.4g salt per 100g, more than double the amount in regular ready salted crisps (1.4g per 100g).

The Times