Are Morningstar, Boca, etc quality foods or junk

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  • caribougal
    caribougal Posts: 865 Member
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    I would eat these products very sparingly..I know they are tempting; as a non-meat eater for the past 15 years its been great to see all the new choices that have become available. However, these 'healthy' alternatives are mostly chemicals and fillers. I get my protein from seafood and beans. If I had to choose, Id eat real meat over soy fake meat any day .

    What is exactly wrong with what is in them,

    If you do not eat meat - then fish and well, meat, are not alternatives.

    Um, yum, ingredients in a MorningStart Veggie Burger really do it for me. Pass the gluten, soy protein isolate (aka hexane washed GMO Montsanto beans) and food coloring, STAT!

    But... it's LOW FAT!!! And it resembles food. And boxes are so easy to open. Must be healthy, then. Hey... as long as it fits your macros, you're golden.
  • linbert57
    linbert57 Posts: 154 Member
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    One of the processed items I've given up.
  • freckles_cmj
    freckles_cmj Posts: 205 Member
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    when I first went veggie I relied on them a lot as sort of "transition foods" but now I dont buy them at all. they are processed, but I still would pick an Amy's organic burger over meat anyday (Amy's brand is probably the best choice since they are organic and dont use any chemicals to process the beans..morningstar does if I recall correctly.) Now I make my own veggie burgers from oats rice and beans and seasoning of choice. MUCH tastier and they take all of 5 minutes (not including rice cooking time) to make. I will still get a box of amy's if we are going to a family cookout or something just to make it easier on myself and my veggie kids, but we probably only have them 2 or 3 times a year now.
  • ceceoplaymate
    ceceoplaymate Posts: 63 Member
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    Im sure it isnt the best for us BUT I love them and I eat them
  • Gt3ch
    Gt3ch Posts: 212 Member
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    Junk. But I eat them occasionally and kinda dig the Morningstar eggplant burgers esp with lots of toppings.
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
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    processed for sure! i think boca veggie burgers are decent but i only like them plain.

    maybe you can find some recipes to make homemade vegetarian hot foods (if thats what you are aiming for). :smile:
  • Mich4871
    Mich4871 Posts: 143 Member
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    I eat them in a pinch... but just like most processed foods I avoid, also due to the high sodium
  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
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    I agree with most people here..very processed and unhealthy. I lived off that stuff for years when I was vegetarian thinking it was healthy because it was lowfat and it really damaged my thyroid because of all the estrogen like hormones from the soy protein. Never again.. I cringe when I see that stuff at the store or see people buying it and I would never give it to my kids.
  • currierand
    currierand Posts: 155 Member
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    They are processed - but that does not mean they are junk or are unhealthy.

    Thank you for always cutting to the quick and giving the SMART answer. :flowerforyou:
  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
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    There are better ways to eat vegetarian like using black beans and vegetables and potatoes to make vegetarian burgers or quinoa and things like that.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    My partner eats two morning star sausages every day. The pan he cooks them in is ruined because they leave some kind of residue. However, he is healthy as a horse.

    I gave them up do to hormonal issues, but I was eating a lot of things with over processed soy at the time, so I guess my advise would be: all things in moderation.
  • pksd
    pksd Posts: 34 Member
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    They are not quality foods, but they are still better option than eating-out at even the healthiest restaurants. There are days, when you just do not have the time to cook anything, let alone make a veggie burger from scratch. So don’t make them your staple, but few times a week it’s just fine. I would take Morningstar sausage patty over a real meat patty any day.

    I also think Trader Joes’s meatless products have fewer ingredients than some national brands ( I might have to look into that more carefully though).
  • watergallagher
    watergallagher Posts: 232 Member
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    morning star is ****in delicious! everything else is ****!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I would eat these products very sparingly..I know they are tempting; as a non-meat eater for the past 15 years its been great to see all the new choices that have become available. However, these 'healthy' alternatives are mostly chemicals and fillers. I get my protein from seafood and beans. If I had to choose, Id eat real meat over soy fake meat any day .

    What is exactly wrong with what is in them,

    If you do not eat meat - then fish and well, meat, are not alternatives.

    Um, yum, ingredients in a MorningStart Veggie Burger really do it for me. Pass the gluten, soy protein isolate (aka hexane washed GMO Montsanto beans) and food coloring, STAT!

    But... it's LOW FAT!!! And it resembles food. And boxes are so easy to open. Must be healthy, then. Hey... as long as it fits your macros, you're golden.

    Where are you getting low fat from? And I am not sure where the snark is from - you are actually usually a very reasoned poster and I usually enjoy your input on paleo discussions. There is nothing wrong with gluten or soy unless you have a sensitivity to it (and reasonable dosage applies as it should with everything). Also, what is wrong with quorn?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    There are better ways to eat vegetarian like using black beans and vegetables and potatoes to make vegetarian burgers or quinoa and things like that.

    The protein ratio is much better. Again, what exactly is wrong with them?
  • dawningr
    dawningr Posts: 387 Member
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    I prefer the Don Lee Farm Veggie Burgers (you can get at Costco). To me the Morningstar Farms have that weird aftertaste like Crystal Light.
  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
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    There are better ways to eat vegetarian like using black beans and vegetables and potatoes to make vegetarian burgers or quinoa and things like that.

    The protein ratio is much better. Again, what exactly is wrong with them?

    An estrogenic food which mimics estrogen in the body, when you mess with that, cancer can grow, you can develop a thyroid condition and other hormonal diseases which can cause symptoms of hair falling out, bloat, excessive gas, dry skin, little to huge amounts of weight gain, goiters, dry skin, aches and pains and a HUGE number of other issues caused by hormone problems. Soy is not a natural food nor in natural form, meaning heavily processed, someone mentioned hexane, GMO meaning genetically modified, laden with pesticides...I could go on. Plus I cannot support soy which they destroy the rain forests to make this stuff.

    I actually have a lot of experience in these types of food, ate it for years and it did a number on m health. I blame the soy in my diet as a big portion to why I now deal with weight and my thyroid condition. I'm obviously more sensitive to it than I had thought, in fact I didn't think I was brain washed into thinking I was being healthy.
  • aryya
    aryya Posts: 33 Member
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    I am veggie, pretty much the only animal product i still use is small amounts of cream and feta cheese. That being said, I try to stay away from 'pre-made vegetarian food' as much as possible, although it isn't always possible, especially when you are trying to hit a protein macro.

    For my protein I generally have organic, non-gmo tofu, chick peas, beans, quinoa, Vega shakes, dark green veggies (broccoli has an amazing ratio of carb to protein), seeds and nuts.

    I also don't believe that soy is as horrible as people make it out to be. Anything (Well, not anything, but you catch my drift) is bad for you and will give you cancer and mess with your body's systems if you eat enough of it. Eating too much broccoli can even mess with your thyroid (i've literally only read one article that has ever mentioned this, but i'm trying to get a point across lol), and eating too much fish can give you unhealthy mercury levels. Just everything in moderation ;)

    I also tend to watch for high sodium in processed things - which unfortunately a majority of processed vegetarian food is really high in sodium. :(
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    There are better ways to eat vegetarian like using black beans and vegetables and potatoes to make vegetarian burgers or quinoa and things like that.

    The protein ratio is much better. Again, what exactly is wrong with them?

    An estrogenic food which mimics estrogen in the body, when you mess with that, cancer can grow, you can develop a thyroid condition and other hormonal diseases which can cause symptoms of hair falling out, bloat, excessive gas, dry skin, little to huge amounts of weight gain, goiters, dry skin, aches and pains and a HUGE number of other issues caused by hormone problems. Soy is not a natural food nor in natural form, meaning heavily processed, someone mentioned hexane, GMO meaning genetically modified, laden with pesticides...I could go on. Plus I cannot support soy which they destroy the rain forests to make this stuff.

    I actually have a lot of experience in these types of food, ate it for years and it did a number on m health. I blame the soy in my diet as a big portion to why I now deal with weight and my thyroid condition. I'm obviously more sensitive to it than I had thought, in fact I didn't think I was brain washed into thinking I was being healthy.

    It is my understanding that the link between soy and thyroid issues or cancer has not been concluded, However, if you have studies that show otherwise, could you provide as it is an interesting subject.

    Extract from the Amercian Cancer Society:

    "Bottom line: Even though animal studies have shown mixed effects on breast cancer with soy supplements, studies in humans have not shown harm from eating soy foods. Moderate consumption of soy foods appears safe for both breast cancer survivors and the general population, and may even lower breast cancer risk. Avoid soy supplements until more research is done. So, enjoy your occasional tofu stir-fry or tofu burger - they are unlikely to increase your risk of breast cancer and, on balance, are some of the healthier foods you can eat!"

    As always, dosage and context apply. Do I think using soy as your primary food intake is a good idea? No. But then again, I also believe in a balanced diet. I tend to limit my soy intake for that reason.
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
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    their nuggets gave me the runs years ago. Tasted pretty damn close to chicken though.

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