So, I think we can all agree that the government has been giving us some pretty bad “guidance” or “recommendations” or whatever you want to call them, over the past two years. Much of this has not been based on science. But today, I wanted to highlight one recommendation that was recently presented that is probably the most helpful piece of advice they have given out in a very long time. 

Many people are upset by this recommendation. I’m going to put a spin on it. I know that this is not the reasoning behind the recommendation, but they inadvertently gave some truly life-changing and health-promoting advice. And it’s advice I think almost every single person needs to take to heart….

Eat lentils. 

This recommendation was given in a list of things people can do to lessen the impact of inflation on their finances, also including biking to work. Ok great, biking to work would be great. But the reality is that most people cannot do that or do not want to (and your co-workers probably don’t want you to either…). The recommendation to eat lentils was given as a way to replace meat. The implication was that eating lentils is somehow a bad thing. Many people are taking this to mean the government is trying to tell them what to do and what to eat. Yes, that very well is what they are doing. But, this is actually advice that every one of us should do. This is the most solid, health-promoting recommendation they have given out in a long time. 

The other issue is that this is a direct plug to eat “fake meat”. You know, that weird stuff that’s created in a lab. Let me go on record here and say that I do not support regularly eating fake meat as part of a healthy lifestyle. Let’s talk about the lentils first.

Let me explain. 

Lentils are some of the most healthy foods that we can consume. They are an excellent source of fiber which most people in the United States are not just lacking, but are flat-out deficient in. Fiber helps to lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight, lose weight, keep you full, fight heart disease, and reduce your risk for most chronic diseases including heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer. Eating beans or lentils two or more times per week was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk of breast cancer. Since lentils are a great source of protein, they help you build lean muscles. They also help to keep you feeling full. 

Lentils do such a good job at controlling blood sugar spikes, that if you eat them for lunch, no matter what you eat for dinner, your blood sugar will not spike as dramatically as it does when you did not eat the lentils. This is an amazing discovery! That alone should be enough to convince more people to eat lentils. If you want to help manage your blood sugar (anyone who is diabetic, prediabetic, has hormone issues, has gut issues, or has a beating heart - I’m talking to you!), you should be eating lentils on the regular. But unfortunately, many people have never heard of the Lentil Effect. 

This is a big deal because the number one cause of death in the United States, and around the world, is heart disease. Lentils can be a major part of reducing your risk. Most of the top causes of death in the U.S. are preventable through dietary and lifestyle factors, with stroke and cancer rounding out the top 3. It is common to have more than one chronic disease. If you truly want to be in control of your health, you want to be healthy and not rely on medications. 

Another great thing about lentils is that they are dirt cheap. A bag of dried green lentils costs about $1, probably a little more now. That bag probably contains at least 3 cups of lentils. 1 cup of dried lentils turns into about 3 cups after cooking. So, you get a HUGE bang for your buck! 

There are several varieties of lentils including green (or brown), French (which are bluish), and red (which are actually orange). Red lentils become super mushy when cooked and form almost a thick, chunky paste. They are perfect for stews and to thicken dishes. 

What do lentils taste like? Dirt. They taste like dirt. BUT if you cook them in vegetable broth or add spices and herbs when cooking, they take on that taste. Seasoning lentils is key to making them delicious. They pair beautifully with grains and can be used in so many things including taco fillings, salads, wraps, and burgers (such as lentil mushroom burgers). Two of my favorite ways to use lentils - Lentils with Roasted Roots and Thyme or Coconut Rice with Lentil Dahl. 

Oh, by the way, did I mention that lentils take about 15-20 minutes to cook and store in the fridge for several days? You can even freeze them!

So, as you can see, recommending that people eat lentils is VERY good advice.

Now, on to the fake meat….

First, let’s talk about what I’m referring to. “Fake meat” includes brands like Gardin, Beyond Meat, Boca, and Morning Star. There are others, but those are the most popular at the time of this writing. Most of these products are made with very questionable ingredients. Yes, they can be a great alternative to those trying to transition off of meat. Yes, they serve a place. Yes, we all need to eat less meat. Yes, you can not only survive but thrive without eating any meat. No, fake meat is not a healthy alternative to eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes.

Second, eating these products once in a while is probably fine. (I say probably because, honestly, we don’t know a lot about them and many of these companies have some serious question marks in their practices.) Many of the ingredients are synthetic, meaning they are created in a lab and do not occur naturally in nature. We don’t have long-term safety testing on them. Many of the chemicals in our foods are not tested for long-term safety which is terrifying in itself. 

The big offender here is the soy protein isolate or soy isolate, which is just the tip of the iceberg of ingredients that I question. This is not the healthy, whole-plant version of soy which is incredibly helpful for many people to reduce cancer risk. The whole-plant version of soy, from soybeans, which includes foods like edamame, tempeh, miso, soy milk, and tofu (tofu and soy milk are still processed, but they still retain the original benefits of the soy). 

If you want to get into the science of how they created the Impossible Burger in a lab, click the link here. I will warn you, if you are a fan of the Impossible Burger, the science will probably freak you out a bit. It’s food that has been lab-created. They use an extraordinary amount of land to grow the extraordinary amount of soybean plants that are needed to obtain their leghemoglobin. Leghemoglobin is, according to the scientists at Impossible Burger, a plant version of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein that gives meat its color and metallic taste. Supposedly, this leghemoglobin can do the same thing, but it is found on the roots of soybean plants. 

So how is this “saving the environment”? In my opinion, it’s not. And it’s creepy. Why not just eat beans and whole grains? Any time foods are created in labs, I become skeptical of the safety. In fact, this leghemoglobin has been submitted to the FDA under the GRAS act (Generally Regarded As Safe). GRAS regulations are what allow chemical companies to use untested ingredients in household products. It’s how artificial sweeteners have been allowed into our food system without safety testing. They are might be safe, but they might not be.

And I don’t want to risk it.

Do you know what IS safe? Real food. Beans and lentils do not need to carry a safety warning. There isn’t concern with how they are developed, safety tested, or anything else. And before you say, “What about the lectins in beans? They’re dangerous.” I will say that unless you are eating green potatoes or raw (dried/hard) kidney beans, you don’t have to worry about lectins. 

You should be worried about not eating enough beans.

These fake meats are also expensive. They are less expensive than meat but much more expensive than beans, lentils, and whole grains. Why eat lab-created meat when you could get more nutrition, more flavor, and fewer potential side effects from simple, whole foods?

Bottom line. You need to make the best decisions for your family. But we really don’t need the government forcing fake meat into us. If you chose to eat Impossible Burgers or any of the other fake meat products, that is your decision. But a push by authorities that somehow this fake meat is healthier than real meat, is not based on science. 

I prefer to stick with whole foods. The ones that are grown in real soil. And I will gladly choose lentils or beans over fake meat any day.

Curious about the burgers I eat? Check out my recipe for my Black Bean Burgers below. It’s based on the Black Bean Burger recipe from the How Not to Die Cookbook. I just simplified it a bit based on feedback from many of my clients.

Recipe: https://www.fullbloomacres.com/dinner-recipes/black-bean-burgers

Have a great week!

Peace, love & kale!
Lindsay

Sources:

How Not to Die Cookbook by Michael Gregor

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray

The Impossible Burger: Inside the Strange Science of the Fake Meat That ‘Bleeds’ by Matt Simon (Sept. 28, 2017). Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/the-impossible-burger/