Meat free burgers conceal high levels of salt...😱

Hi everyone,

This is in todays Independent and it says that there is lots of salt in many meat free burgers and many meat free alternatives.

Being a coeliac I am very aware of how processed some foods are as there are E-no's that are wheat derivatives like citric acid caramel as well as artificial sweeteners maltodextrin dextrin etc.

One of my pet hates is modified starch. Modifies starch makes processed foods more stable but they cannot be absorbed by our intestines so they ferment in our gut before being absorbed this is a trigger for IBS for some.

I also think that adding salt and sugar as flavour enhancers is bad news for us the consumer and MSG tricks our taste buds into making poor quality food taste good.

Here's the article:

independent.co.uk/life-styl...

The photo is home made with no added salt and could have been burger shaped.

[Agoodenough]

Very interesting Jerry I will have a look at the article when I get back later. MSG can cause auto immune diseases I have been told.

Well the food you cook always looks tasty and cooking it yourself you know exactly what’s in it.

I have to admit I do add pink salt to food, maybe I should stop.

[Hidden in reply to Agoodenough]

Hi Ali, I have to admit that I add ground sea salt to some main meals, I also drink low salt bouillon with yeast extract as an instant soup sometimes, this is great if you've had an upset stomach as we need to replenish base salts in our bodies.

[Agoodenough in reply to Hidden]

Oh that makes me feel better! We used to buy bouillon but now use miso instead but what with the salt the miso and marmite and I love salted anything I suppose I’ll need to keep a check on it. 🙂

[Brightfeather in reply to Hidden]

I drink the bouillon too Jerry. Used to eat so much miso but also having to keep an eye on salt. I sometimes use herbamare. Your food, as usual, looks delicious.

[Hidden in reply to Brightfeather]

Thank you for that Brightfeather 😊

[benwl Volunteer]

Thanks for the link.

It's depressing, but I can't say I'm surprised, everytime I look at the ingredients list of something that comes in a packet there's always a load of added fat, sugar or salt, often all three. These are a cheap way for the food industry to add flavor and taste.

[Agoodenough in reply to benwl]

Well I Suppose it’s down to the old thing of fast convenience food being bad for you which we know and just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

I do occasionally have Linda McCartney sausages I have to admit but as a snack rather than a meal also I have recently bought a few falafels and a little vegan cheese to support the fact these things are now available in the shops and want to support that but probably not that great for you. I’m torn to know whether it’s best to support these things or just walk on by, I suppose a healthy balance is good.🙂

[andyswarbs Volunteer]

Many if not most people are blind-sided by salt. They happily eat from restaurants, take-aways (esp pizza), deserts and food spreads such as pesto, PB, not to mention cheese. They think because they are not specifically adding salt to the cooking, or sprinkling it on at serving time, therefore their meal is either no or low salt at worst.

My focus is on the total salt consumed in a day. Whatever I would prefer adding salt to cooking if it means a good wholefood plant based meal was consumed. Salt is not the only evil. Oil and sugar are partners in the same crime.