HEALTHY LIVING: BEST MEAT SUBSTITUTE WHEN GOING MEAT-FREE

August 2, 2017 by iamsummerterry

 

How many of you watched the “What The Health” Netflix documentary and was completely turned off from eating meat. Well you’re not alone. I tried to cook chicken breast the next day and took one bite and had to spit it out. I couldn’t even fathom chewing it visualizing all the images seen in the doc. If you’re not even ready to go down the meat free road don’t watch it! But if you’re like me and did watch it and thinking well what am I supposed to eat now; I got you!

Read more after the jump…..

Before watching “What The Health” I was already aware of the inhuman conditions these animals were kept in and the chemicals that were added into their feedings. However, hearing about it and witnessing are two different things.  I won’t go into too much details to gross anyone out but I’m here to tell you that going meat-free is not that hard. Let me first explain what I mean by going meat-free. Currently, I am not eating any land animals or products that come from land animals. So not only does this mean meat it also means diary, or products that have these things listed in ingredients. Yes, I have to spend more time reading labels in the supermarket, research restaurants before attending dinners, and packing snacks on the go.I do eat seafood but I try to be careful not to consume too much of that due to the mercury. With that in mind, I had to look for meat substitutes to help me along the way to fill the void of the taste and texture. That’s where Gardein products come in.

 

 

 

Gardein is a Canadian based brand of plant based foods with a meaty taste and texture. It’s made from soy, wheat, and pea protein, vegetables, and ancient grains. A lot of times with meat it’s the cholesterol, trans and saturated fats that do the most harm outside of the chemicals that are being fed to the animals; This makes it harder for our bodies to digest meats. Gardein products are not only free of cholesterol, trans and saturated fats which make it a lot easier to digest but they are packed with essential amino acids. Ok, let’s get down to some real facts here that might be on some of you guys mind. Yes Gardein products are vegan (free of meat, diary, and eggs); Yes Gardein products are non-GMO (not genetically modified); and a most of Gardein products are kosher excluding the sliders. Yes you heard me sliders girl, lol sliders.

 

 

So far I’ve only tried a few items from the Gardein brand such as the Chipotle Lime Chick’n Crispy Fingers,  the Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n, the Teriyaki Chick’n Strips, Crispy Chick’n Sliders, and Homestyle Beefless Tips. This is a very small list compared to their selection of choices. This is like the best transitions path to veganism or pescatarianism if that is what your goal is. Even if that is not the goal and you just want to choose healthier options Gardein is a good start.

 

 

I found out about them at my local Foodtown supermarket and then found them at Food Bazaar too. You can also find them at Kroger, ShopRite, SafeWay, Whole Foods, Stop & Shop, Fairway, A&P, Publix, Winn Dixie, Ralphs, BJs, and Target to name a few. You can also checkout the entire Gardein product line on the site and make online purchases at Jet.com and Amazon.com (in bulk).

 

Healthy Living & Happy Shopping,

 

xoxo – Summer Terry