Micronutrients & recovery
Soya-based textured-vegetable-protein (TVP) meat substitutes contain high levels of phytate that form insoluble complexes with zinc, significantly reducing zinc bioavailability and requiring higher dietary zinc intakes to maintain growth and plasma zinc levels compared to animal protein sources.
If you rely on soy-based meat substitutes, be aware that they contain phytates which block zinc absorption. This means you might need to eat more zinc-rich foods or choose fortified products to get the same zinc benefits as you would from meat. Cooking does not destroy these phytates, so supplementation or careful food pairing is important for maintaining healthy zinc levels.
When TVP was fed to rats as the only protein source, they had significantly lower growth rates and plasma Zn concentrations than rats given an egg-albumen-based diet of similar Zn content (14.5 mg Zn/kg).
Why this rating
Strong experimental evidence in rats with controlled diets, though extrapolated to humans with caution by authors.
Source
An evaluation of the phytate, zinc, copper, iron and manganese contents of, and Zn availability from, soya-based textured-vegetable-protein meat-substitutes or meat-extenders
N. T. Davies et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 1979
DOI 10.1079/bjn19790073
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