Swapping processed meat for plant-based alternatives can significantly increase fiber intake and reduce salt and saturated fat consumption.
Research indicates that plant-based meat products come with a range of health and environmental benefits, and two new scientific papers have confirmed that swapping processed meat for alternative proteins leads to meaningful dietary improvements.
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For the first paper, a team of researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) examined how replacing processed meat with common, balanced, and affordable plant-based meat options affected human health.
The study confirmed that plant-based meat has a significantly better nutritional profile compared to processed meat, and found that swapping processed meat for plant-based meat could increase fiber intake by up to six percent, reduce saturated fat intake by up to seven percent, and reduce salt intake by up to four percent.
The researchers noted that while plant-based meat is frequently classified as an ultra-processed food (UPF), most products have healthy nutritional profiles. They called for increased efforts to make plant-based options more affordable.
According to the most recent National Dietary Survey, 81 percent of UK adults exceed the recommended daily saturated fat intake. It also found that 96 percent do not eat enough fiber, which the NHS says can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Fiber also aids digestion and overall gut health.
Plant-based meat and dairy ‘can serve as a key transitional bridge to transform food systems’
For the second paper, the same group of researchers reviewed all of the latest evidence for alternative proteins. They found that, on average, plant-based meat contains more fiber and less saturated fat than conventional meat.
The researchers also called for public health bodies to introduce national guidelines and standardize plant-based food fortification to promote good nutrition.
“Plant-based whole foods should be prioritised, but plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, when carefully selected, can serve as a key transitional bridge to transform food systems,” said Sarah Nájera Espinosa, an LSHTM research fellow and the lead author of both studies. “Without policies to improve the affordability of plant-based meat alternatives, such shifts on a population level are unlikely, missing an opportunity to drive progress towards net-zero and health targets.”
She added, “More actions on fortification standards for these products would also enhance their reliability as direct replacements for animal-based foods, support better product development, and inform regulations such as food-based dietary guidelines, while also guiding consumer and food procurement decisions.”
The first paper was published in Current Developments in Nutrition in March, and the second paper was published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society earlier today.
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Plant-based proteins, meat, and human health
In 2024, a report by The Food Foundation found that plant-based alternatives are better for the planet and tend to be healthier than animal products.
Last year, a joint report by The Good Food Institute (GFI) and the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN International) called for “nuance” and differentiation between food processing that adds nutritional value, such as the fortification of plant-based meat and dairy, vs food processing that diminishes it, as with processed pork.
In January, nitrite-cured bacon sales fell by £18.7m in just 12 weeks in response to the potential cancer risks associated with pork products preserved with nitrites.
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