Plant-based meat vs. real meat: Which is better for you?
Plant-based or real meat?
That seems to be the question lately, as popular fast-food restaurants and grocery stores across the country look into providing the popular product just in time for the summer grilling season.
“Plant-based is much lower in saturated fats, ” Dr. Marc Siegel, a FOX News medical correspondent, explained to Stuart Varney Tuesday morning on "Varney & Co."
“Theoretically, a veggie burger is much better for you, and you know what? The industry is burgeoning.”
He explained that could be the reason there’s an increase in people eating plant-based food.
But a healthy choice is in the way you prepare it, according to Siegel.
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“If you buy it in the freezer, then you end up with half a gram of salt and you end up with chemicals and processed foods, and it ain’t as good for you.”
He suggests making sure the contents of the plant-based meal contain fresh beans and vegetables to guarantee a healthy diet.
Siegel said it’s a toss-up, and not exactly a clear-cut decision to choose the real-deal or the meat-alternative.
What does matter: Whether the product is processed with salt and additives.
“It’s all about processed foods, and the processed veggie burgers are bad for you,” he advised.
“I’m for vegetarian food, but I want you to make it in your own kitchen.”