Tofu Vs. Meat: Are Vegan Options Really Healthy?

Many of us think of vegan dishes as the healthy alternative to meat, but how do our favorite meat substitutes measure up to the real thing? In a recent YouTube Video, the team at DNews compared the two on several health measures, including protein and vitamin content.

Host Julian Huguet explains that it’s difficult to tell exactly how healthy vegan meat substitutes are compared to traditional meats because there are so many different vegan dishes out there. However, for sake of argument, Huguet focused on the nutritional value in the most recognizable meat substitute: tufu.

Tofu is made by curdling fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block, and then cooling it, The BBC reported. When it comes to protein, meat is the clear winner, having up to three times more protein than tofu. But all this protein could come at a cost: unwanted fat. Meat has far more fat than tofu, and some processed meats such as sausages can have more fat than actual protein.

Read: Vegetarian Diet Benefits

On the other hand, tofu is higher in iron than meat, but this comes with a catch. The iron in meat is easier for the body to process than the iron in plant-based tofu.

Comparing tofu to meat may not give the dish its due justice, because tofu is incredibly nutritious on its own. For example, tofu contains the 9 essential amino acids that you can’t make on your own. In addition, some research suggests the dish may even have cancer-protection qualities, BBC Food reported.

To learn more, check out the video below!