The vegetarian diet is on the rise: considered better for health (and especially for cardiovascular health), it is also less bad for the environment and… for the wallet. In France, 1.3 million people now declare themselves to be vegetarians or vegans.
Problem : According to the consumer association Consumption Housing Framework of Life (CLCV), many products labeled “vegetarian” and sold in supermarkets are both hyper-processed and not very nutritious.
Vegetarian products mainly composed of water
The association (which published its work this Monday, September 28, 2020) studied 95 references. First thing to know:more than half of the products in our study contain water as a main ingredient”. This is particularly the case for “imitation meat” products, breaded products and vegetable patties. “Plant-based ingredients represent on average only 39% of the recipe“points the association.
Moreover, according to CLCV, “80% of vegetarian products studied contain at least one additive“: there are thus texturizers, flavorings and/or colorings. Once again, the worst students are the “imitation meat” products…
Vegetarian products sold in supermarkets would therefore be less “healthy” than it seems. The best solution ? Adopting a vegetarian diet, yes, but favoring “homemade”: batch cooking (a trick that consists of cooking as much as possible on weekends to save time during the week) can be a good solution for those in a hurry!
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