Micronutrients & recovery
Plant-based meat substitutes generally offer lower energy, total fat, and saturated fat compared to equivalent animal meats, but often lack nutritional equivalence regarding key micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamin B12) and frequently contain high sodium levels.
When choosing plant-based meat substitutes, prioritize products that are fortified with Vitamin B12, Iron, and Zinc, as only a minority of products on the market include these. Be mindful of sodium content, as many products (especially mince) can have significantly higher sodium levels than their animal meat counterparts. Use the Health Star Rating as a rough guide, but always check the Nutrition Information Panel for sodium and micronutrients.
Plant-based options were generally lower in kilojoules, total and saturated fat, higher in carbohydrate, sugars, and dietary fibre compared with meat. Only 4% of products were low in sodium... Less than a quarter of products (24%) were fortified with vitamin B12, 20% with iron, and 18% with zinc.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n=137), systematic audit, comparison against standard meat data, but observational/compositional nature limits causal inference.
Source
Plant-Based Meat Substitutes in the Flexitarian Age: An Audit of Products on Supermarket Shelves
Felicity Curtain et al. · Nutrients · 2019
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