Quorn - Overprocessed rubbish or does it have a place?

graelwyn

I used to have quorn a few times a week, usually the sausages or the escalopes, and stopped when I heard some negative feedback about it from my brother. I am wondering, is it really THAT bad to eat ? Or is it okay once or twice a week?

wolfchild59

If you aren't vegetarian, there's really no reason. All fake meat products are made of a compilation of other ingredients that are then processed and have salt and other flavors added to make them taste meatier. They are typically pretty high in sodium because of this.

So, if you eat meat, you could likely make a turkey, extra lean beef or extra lean pork sausage that is the same weight/size for around the same calories, be able to season it to your own tastes, and not have all the extra processed stuff. I make my own casing-less sausages all the time for the hubby and I. It's just like making a hamburger patty, except you make a roll instead of a patty.

And if you are vegetarian, you could probably still find some good recipes for things like black bean burgers, veggie burgers, even grain based substitutes, that you could just roll rather than flatten and make your own vegetarian sausages. Just make up a big batch of 'em and throw them in the freezer in portions.

And an escalope is pretty much just pounded meat, so a piece of lean meat and a tenderizer will take care of that. (or a vegetarian mix smushed out super thin)

meerkat70

I used to have quorn a few times a week, usually the sausages or the escalopes, and stopped when I heard some negative feedback about it from my brother. I am wondering, is it really THAT bad to eat ? Or is it okay once or twice a week?

There was a rumour, a while ago, that frequent consumption was linked to various stomach complaints. If you do a bit of research, you'll discover these rumours were entirely unfounded.

If you like it eat it.

mischa_12

aw i love quorn! i was so excited to find this being a vegetarian. its probably not that great for you, maybe even the same calories as real processed meat but it's good when youre craving that kind of food sometimes.

meerkat70

Oh, and quorn is pretty low in salt.

dreanance

I love the fake meats but try really hard to stay away from all of the soy based ones. We do still eat them, but only a few times a month. I try to stick to tofu, tempeh, beans and seitan as my main "meat" substitutes.

Uisgich

I love Quorn! It's low fat, not bad on the calories, and very versatile. As a vegetarian for over 25 years, it helps me keep a decent proportion of protein in my diet. I like tofu too, but using them both helps me maintain a nicely varied diet

InnerFatGirl

Me and my boyfriend (both veggies) eat it when we want a meat-like substance with our meals. But I survive without it most of the time

meerkat70

I love Quorn! It's low fat, not bad on the calories, and very versatile. As a vegetarian for over 25 years, it helps me keep a decent proportion of protein in my diet. I like tofu too, but using them both helps me maintain a nicely varied diet

Me too.
I think if you use this, beans and lentils, nuts, quinoa, etc it's hard to go wrong in having a healhty, protein rich vegetarian diet.

sweetlola13

I'm sure once or twice a week is fine! I think it gets a bad rap because some people use it in place of whole, non processed foods ALL of the time. Keep a mix, and you'll be fine.

meerkat70

Hope this helps.

"Q. I eat lots of Quorn. Is this a healthy food?

A. There have been a number of newspaper articles about the risk of developing allergies as a result of eating Quorn. The Food Standards Agency, however, after looking at all the available evidence, believes Quorn is safe. The truth is, many foods can cause allergic reactions, particularly cow’s milk, eggs, fish, shellfish and peanuts. Compared to the numbers who suffer allergies from these foods, Quorn would seem to be very low risk.

No one food should dominate your diet so if you do eat a lot of Quorn, try to include other sources of plant protein such as grains, nuts, seeds, pulses and beans."

http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/nutrition/faqs.html

plantgrrl

I don't believe Quorn is necessarily that bad. It can be pretty tasty. Quorn is made with Mycoproteins--a/k/a proteins extracted from mushrooms and fungus. Quorn got bad press for a little while because well...not everyone's bodies process mushrooms well and in a small portion of the population it can cause diarrhea. That being said, if you've had it before and it works for you. I don't see why that would be a problem, as this allergy only comes into play for about 1:140000.

Enjoy!

graelwyn

Thanks for the replies, peoples.
I think I shall stick to having it occasionally, and also experiment making my own burgers and sausages from other things (though I must admit, I am not much of a cook really, and only do well with simple recipes)

Also, I am not a meat eater. I am a pescetarian, but I like to have variety. Sometimes, I fancy sausages with potatoes and vegetables, and the like. Not often, but just sometimes, after a run of fish, beans and cottage cheese. Beans/lentils tend to disagree with me anyway, and bloat me up horribly.

lipglossjunky73

Quorn is actually made from a fungus. They are soy free. I am not a fan but hubby loves them!

stormieweather

Quorn is actually made from a fungus. They are soy free. I am not a fan but hubby loves them!

That's funny! I love them and hubby hates them!

meerkat70

Quorn is actually made from a fungus. They are soy free. I am not a fan but hubby loves them!

why do people always say that like it's horrifying? i presume you don't eat mushrooms either?

fungus = good.

bunnygirl1978

I am not a veggie but I do eat quorn, for one its cheaper and 2ndly the protein content is huge, calories are low, iots quick and simple to cook with. It has always had a place in my fridge along side normal meat and always will do.

1a1a

QUORN IS AMAZING (on again off again vegetarian who hasn't tasted a good meat substitute since Sanitarium stopped making BBQ links).

Taste the chicken-esque quorn, that's where it's greatest strength is. Also, I think sometime in the future when no one can afford to kill animals to live anymore, we'll all be subsisting on some kind of mycoprotein so good or bad, one day it'll be all we have.

LottieLou13

I eat Quorn just about every day and have done for the last....12 years? I've been vege for the last 20 (since I was 10 years old) I was so so happy when Quorn came out here in the UK because it gave and still gives a variety to my food.

Its low in fat, and salt (I have to have a low salt diet) and high in protein. Go for it and nom away

mixedfeelings

Well it makes a change from soya based fake meats.
I like it, I like a lot of their fake stuff, the fishless fingers are amazing, and I love having their escalopes with a salad. I don't consciously just have quorn as there are so many different vegetarian products these days. I became a vegetarian 12 years ago and not only have the products improved but their are so many different options. I wouldn't say using their products is unhealthy, it's better than the meat versions and it's good for the protein.

nichi123

I love quorn!! I still eat meat but because it has fewer calories than normal sausages and burgers etc. I still feel like I can have sausages!! It tastes pretty good too. I can't really see how it can be that bad for you

meerkat70

I love quorn!! I still eat meat but because it has fewer calories than normal sausages and burgers etc. I still feel like I can have sausages!! It tastes pretty good too. I can't really see how it can be that bad for you

It isn't. The scare stories were starting in the late nineties, and were found to be entirely baseless. There's never been any actual evidence offered to support the view that it's anything other than harmless. The 'scary quorn' stuff you still find out there on the web are all based on anecdotes of people who had pretty standard food intolerances.

It irritates me when these kinds of stories emerge. Such stories put people off using a perfectly healthy vegetarian option. (I think they actually have their origins in the meat industry, truth be told. Quorn was just a bit *too* successful in the wake of the mad cow scandal.)

Still_Madcat

http://cspinet.org/new/201112011.html

This is the reason I stopped, just putting it out there but man did I love it!:frown:

fuzzyslipperz

I love quorn. Have had it several times a week for years now and have never had any sort of problem. To me, it's SO much better tasting and more realistic than the soy 'chicken'.

schwim

i'm pescatarian and i eat quorn just to get some variety in my diet. i love the sausages and chicken fillets. i haven't had meat in 20 years so to me i can't really tell the difference. its low in salt and calories and gives me the ease of making conventional meals instead of having to adapt recipes to be too vegetarian.

minnielovesmickey

Hi there,
I never knew that Quorn had a bad rep.
As long as you're not gluten intolerant then Quorn is a good source of protein. Nobody is veggie in my family but everyones favourite meal is Quorn chicken pesto Linguine, Mmmmm!

jj3120

I like quorn, I'd stopped using as i've been trying to use as few processed foods as i can, so use more beans & lentils - but have gone back to using it again now to help with my protein. I try to stick with the mince or chunks to use in homemade recipes.

reach53

Personally, I think all overly processed food should be consumed in moderation. But you should always listen to your body, and if it feels right for you, go ahead and eat it.

kyle4jem

About 10 yrs ago I used to eat Quorn all the time as it can be cooked from frozen and was a handy alternative to chicken or mince. My Ex back then was a very fussy eater who only ate chicken or turkey meat. It was very limiting.

I don't use it now because my current husband is an omnivore and we enjoy all kinds of meat, fish & veg in our diet.

I've certainly never heard anything bad about Quorn and truly believe that most of the scary stories about certain foods are just that - stories!

meerkat70

http://cspinet.org/new/201112011.html

This is the reason I stopped, just putting it out there but man did I love it!:frown:

did you read all the things id already said about this nonsense, though?

Stuartm1

Nothing wrong with it I'm an omnivore but I still eat Quorn with Spag Bol or lasagne and I think it tastes good.