Setting the record straight on plant-based meats: "Processed" does not mean "unhealthy"
- Karina Inkster
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Today in “Things I wish would go away in 2026” is the concept that plant-based meats are “processed” and therefore “unhealthy”. Recently someone in the “ex vegans” subreddit posted a screenshot of an Earthling Ed headline (“People don’t go vegan because they stop enjoying the taste of animal products”) and wrote, “Do you think that he knows the amount of artificial & unhealthy ingredients the vegan food substitutes really have?”
I see this type of commentary all the time.
Three main points here:
Veganism is not a health movement.
“Processed” does not necessarily mean “unhealthy”.
If you look at the actual evidence-based research, replacing animal meats with plant-based meats improves health.
Veganism gets conflated with health quite often. It can be healthy, of course, but health is not the main premise. “Processed” doesn’t automatically mean harmful. Seitan has existed for 1,500+ years and tofu for about 2,000 years. They’re both technically “processed”.
There’s currently no evidence showing plant-based meats lead to worse health outcomes overall. In fact, multiple studies show that replacing animal meat with plant-based meat can improve LDL cholesterol and other cardiovascular risk markers.
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that replacing meat with plant-based meat alternatives reduced LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and body weight.
A 2020 randomized crossover trial found that replacing animal meat with plant-based meat improved several cardiovascular risk markers, including LDL cholesterol and TMAO. Elevated blood levels of TMAO are strongly linked to an increased risk of heart disease, atherosclerosis, and stroke
Maybe it's time to stop asking whether a food is “processed” and start asking what happens when people eat it.
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