TREND WE’VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT LATELY.
ABOUT LATELY. MEATLESS MEAT.
MEATLESS MEAT. MEAT THAT LOOKS AND TASTES LIKE
THE REAL THING, AND IT’S BECOME
BIG BUSINESS.
BIG BUSINESS. IN JUST A YEAR PLANT-BASED MALE
SALES INCREASED BY 26%, BRINGING
IN MORE THAN $800 MILLION.
MORE RESTAURANTS ARE ADDING IT
TO THE MENU.
OPTIONS POPPING UP IN STORES AS
WELL.
WELL. BUT IS IT REALLY A HEALTHIER
OPTION?
OPTION? DAVE ZINCZENKO IS A "TODAY" SHOW
CONTRIBUTOR AND FOUNDER OF EAST
THIS, NOT THAT.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THESE ARE ALL THE RAGE NOW.
FIRST OF ALL, WHAT CONSTITUTES
MEATLESS MEAT, FAKE MAEK IF YOU
WILL?
WILL? >> FIRST OF ALL, IT’S MEAT MADE
FROM PLANTS, THAT’S NUMBER ONE.
AND SECOND THESE COMPANIES WERE
ABLE TO TO REPLICATE ALMOST
PERFECTLY THE TASTE, TEXTURE AND
TASTE OF BURGERS.
AND THEY ARE TRYING TO GET IT TO
TASTE LIKE MEAT SO YOU WILL EAT
MORE OF THAT.
>> THEY EVEN COOK LIKE YOUR
TRADITIONAL BURGERS?
TRADITIONAL BURGERS? >> EXACTLY THE SAME.
>> THIS IS A REGULAR BURGER.
I KNOW WHAT THESE TASTE LIKE.
>> WELL, IF WE GO THROUGH THE
NUTRITIONALS ON THEM, WHAT YOU
WILL SEE FOR SOMETHING LIKE
BEEF, IT’S GOING TO COME IN --
AND FEEL FREE TO TRY ANY OF
THESE, IT’S GOING TO COME IN AT
ABOUT 287 CALORIES NORMALLY.
IT HAS 75 MILLIGRAMS OF SODIUM,
WHICH IS GREAT, 23 GRAMS OF FAT
AND ABOUT 8.6 GRAMS OF SATURATED
FAT.
FAT. THAT’S WHERE WE WERE WITH
REGULAR BEEF.
REGULAR BEEF. >> OKAY, REGULAR BEEF.
>> THEN WE MOVE OVER TO
IMPOSSIBLE AND THAT’S COMING IN
AT ABOUT 240 CALORIES, SO YOU’RE
SAVING AROUND 40.
THEN IT’S GOT 14 GRAMS OF FAT,
WHICH IS YOU’RE SAVING THERE.
IT’S GOT ABOUT THE SAME
SATURATED FAT.
SATURATED FAT. AND A LITTLE BIT MORE SODIUM.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. HOW ABOUT THE BEYOND MEAT
BURGER?
BURGER? I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD THESE ON A
NUMBER OF OCCASIONS.
>> IT’S LIKE IMPOSSIBLE COMING
IN AROUND 250 CALORIES, A LITTLE
HIGHER WHEN IT COMES TO SODIUM
BUT FAT IS MUCH LESS FAT AND A
LOT LESS SATURATED FAT.
6 GRAMS OF SATURATED FAT IS
GREAT BECAUSE WE SHOULD GET 20
GRAMS A DATE.
>> ON A DAY ARE MEATLESS BURGERS
HEALTHIER THAN TRADITIONAL?
>> THEY’RE NOT NECESSARILY
HEALTHIER BECAUSE MANUFACTURERS
ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO GIVE YOU
A PLANT-BASED MEAT ALTERNATIVE,
THEY WANTED TO.
SO IT’S GOING TO HAVE SIMILAR
SATURATED FATS, SODIUM AND
CALORIES.
CALORIES. HOWEVER, IT’S BETTER FOR YOU,
TWO IMPORTANT DISTINCTIONS, IT’S
BETTER FOR YOU FOR EATING LESS
RED MEAT BECAUSE WE EAT ABOUT 2
1/2 BURGERS WORTH OF RED MEAT A
DAY, FIVE TIMES MORE THAN WE
SHOULD.
SHOULD. BEYOND THAT, IT’S MUCH BETTER
FOR THE PLANET.
IT’S MUCH MORE SUSTAINABLE.
IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT AND YOU’RE TRYING TO
EAT LESS RED MEAT --
>> THE REPORT OUT THIS MORNING
THAT SPEAKS TO THAT.
>> NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE
MAKING OF THESE PRODUCTS.
>> IT’S NOT JUST THESE BURGERS,
THE MEAT ALSO TREND IS
EVERYWHERE.
EVERYWHERE. SAUSAGES --
SAUSAGES -- >> IT’S EXPLODING AND THEIR
MASTERING THE TASTE.
>> WHAT ARE THESE?
>> THESE ARE SAUSAGE BASED
VARIETIES.
VARIETIES. BEYOND MEAT, BEYOND SAUSAGE,
WHICH IS TERRIFIC.
AND THIS IS LIFE SAUSAGE PLANT
BASED, AND BOTH HAVE HALF THE
TOTAL FAT.
TOTAL FAT. >> THAT TASTES LIKE SAUSAGE.
>> IT REALLY IS AMAZING.
WAIT UNTIL YOU TRY THIS OTHER
ONE TOO.
ONE TOO. THEY’RE BOTH LOWER IN CALORIES
AND IT LOOKS, IT SIZZLES AND
SATISFIED LIKE NORMAL SAUSAGE.
>> THESE I WOULD ASSUME ARE
HEALTHIER THAN TRADITIONAL
SAUSAGE.
SAUSAGE. >> NUTRITIONALLY THEY ARE BETTER
OVERALL.
OVERALL. OVERALL.
OVERALL. AND LIGHTLIFE HAS BEEN DOING
THIS SINCE 1979 AND WAS WELL
AHEAD OF THE TREND.
>> WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?
>> SO HERE NOW WE HAVE BEFORE
THE BUTCHER, THIS IS THE
BREAKFAST SAUSAGE.
BREAKFAST SAUSAGE. WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT THIS ONE IS
IT FITS PERFECTLY ON AN ENGLISH
MUFFIN.
MUFFIN. IT’S AN AWARD WINNER, AND YOU’RE
BASICALLY GETTING LESS SODIUM
AND DOUBLE THE PROTEIN.
THIS ONE OVER HERE IS THAT
REEZIO FROM AB OT’S BUTCHER AND
IS DEVELOPED IN A KITCHEN, NOT A
LAB, WHICH IS GREAT.
IT’S FLAVORFUL.
IT’S FLAVORFUL. >> THESE LOOK LIKE CHICKEN
NUGGETS.
NUGGETS. >> YES.
>> YES. THESE ARE BREADED PLANT-BASED
NUGGETS.
NUGGETS. TYSON OWNED AND ONLY NONVEGAN
OPTION BECAUSE IT TASTES EGG
WHITES.
WHITES. >> IT TASTES JUST LIKE A CHICKEN
NUGGET.
NUGGET. >> IT’S AMAZING.
IT DOES NOT TASTE LIKE FAKE
MEAT.
MEAT. THIS ONE HERE IS NUGGS.
WHAT’S AMAZING THEY’RE
CONSTANTLY UPDATING THEIR
FORMULA SO THEY KEEP MAKING IT A
BETTER AND BETTER CHICKEN NUGGET
THAT’S PLANT BASED.
A YEAR AGO VERSION 1.0 AND NOW
3.1, WHICH IS A YEAR LATER.
>> NOW WHAT IS THIS?
>> THIS IS GOOD CATCH TUNA.
>> FAKE FISH?
>> WHAT’S THAT?
>> THIS IS FAKE FISH.
AND IT’S SAFE FOR SHELLFISH
ALLERGIES.
ALLERGIES. SO WHAT YOU’RE GETTING HERE IS A
LOT OF THE OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS
YOU WOULD NOT NECESSARILY GET IF
YOU DIDN’T LIKE FISH OR WERE
ALLERGIC TO IT IN THIS GOOD
CATCH TUNA.
CATCH TUNA. >> DID YOU TRY IT?
>> I TRIED IT.
IT’S GREAT.
IT’S GREAT. >> I’M NOT A TUNA GUY.
I WILL TASTE IT BUT I’M NOT --
IN TERMS OF HEALTH, IS THIS JUST
AS GOOD?
AS GOOD? >> NUTRITIONALLY IT’S REALLY
GREAT BECAUSE YOU GET THE OMEGA
3S.
3S. >> I’M NOT A TUNA GUY BUT IF