Better to just have the real thing?

kimark1

I have seen many posts about turkey bacon, turkey sausage, turkey burgers, boca burgers etc.. Is it really any better for you than just having the real thing? I have heard that many of the substitutes have loads of sodium to help with the flavor...not sure if this is really true or not. Lately I have chosen low sodium bacon, 85% lean ground beef, italian sausage (in spaghetti sauce) etc... What do you think?

timanda2

I think meat should be eaten in moderation...that for me is the answer!

merrycat

I don't like turkey bacon (just my personal pref), but regular bacon is way higher in fat and calories. So my compromise was to just eat real bacon, but to have it less often and in smaller amounts. I also try to make my bacon "count" by getting maximum enjoyment out of it. So instead of having bacon with my spanish rice - wehre it sort of just melts away- I'll have a BLT or something where I can really enjoy the flavor and texture of the bacon to the fullest.

Same with chocolate. I know that dark chocolate is better, but I like my sweet, milky milk chocolate. So I eat maybe three squares at a time, a couple of times a week or so, but I make a ritual out of it.

RoseCoreling

Well, I guess it just depends on the person really. I think it's better, but then again I'm a vegetarian, so I'm probably biased! If you look at the back of the nutrition labels you'll see the difference. For instance, Morningstar Farms "chicken" nuggets are 190 calories for 4 of them, packed with protein and about 40% less fat than meat chicken nuggets. Compared to 60 calories PER meat chicken nugget, i'll take the veggie kind

icerose137

It's a personal decision. Discover which works best for you, work it into your meal plan and don't worry so much about the rest. We use turkey products because my husband cannot eat red meat for health reasons. So our answer is the turkey products in moderation.

mytime60

I like all the turkey products, but I too have started watching sodium. So if the calories aren't that different and the sodium is lower; I go for the real thing.

amycal

I think you are better off having the real thing if it is also the right thing I do eat ham and bacon but only uncured and preferably from my local farm that is animal welfare approved and pature raised. The nitrates and crap added to food are bad for you. Also most vegetarian burgers are made from Soy and unless they are organic, that soy is mostly likely geneticlaly modified and processed in hexane which is a neuro toxin so you are better off having a grass fed beef hamburger from a good farm, and not beef from a corn fed CAFO.

There are a lot of books such as Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan that talk about how we should eat for optimal health, not just short term weight loss.

sociable15

Depends on the definition of better. The closer to natural, for me, the better but i have significant problems with conventional methods in the meat industry. I don't eat pork so that solves most of those choices for me. Mostly because i don't like the taste of it bit also because conventionally raised pork is raised in atrocious conditions. In the absence of pasture grass raised (and finished, this is important) beef, i will opt for boca burgers. my standards for chicken are the same- free range, not just access. most of the meat i eat is locally raised because that assures that i know the conditions of the farm. Many of my vegetarian friends take issue with my "humane omnivore" outlook but there it is.

If you look purely at calories, then yeah these other choices are best. But they're going to also be full of all sorts of stuff you may not want, like chemicals and hidden sodium.

milaxx

I'm vegetarian. I make my own veggie burgers. That way I control the sodium.