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Vegan may not be nutritious Beware of fats and sugars Soy nuts Cheese is healthier

Vegan may not be nutritious Beware of fats and sugars Soy nuts Cheese is healthier


Article: Zhang Shumei, “Ming Pao”

Increase the risk of cardiovascular disease – Coconut vegan cheese generally contains high saturated fat, which increases bad cholesterol, and eating more can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Vegetarianism has become popular, and dairy products such as cheese and cheese are replaced by many “vegetarian” materials.

The raw material is changed from milk to plant-based ingredients, what is the taste and flavor?

Can it provide rich protein and calcium like dairy products? Are vegan cheese and vegan cheese lower fat and healthier?

Dietitian Li Xiangming

Dietitian Lu Zhaolin

(Hong Kong News) From milk to cheese, lactose plays an important role in the fermentation process. It is the starting point for making cheese sour and thick. How about the cheese flavor?

Li Xiangming, a nutritionist at Union Hospital, started with the production process of dairy cheese.

“Cheese is fermented from milk. During the fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, causing the milk protein to coagulate, forming the unique sour taste and texture of cheese. Vegan cheese is mostly made of coconut, soybeans, nuts, etc. Although there is a certain amount of sugar, but the sugar content is low, when the lactic acid bacteria ferment, the production of lactic acid is less, which affects the coagulation effect.”

He pointed out that coagulants, consistency regulators, or natural water-soluble fibers (such as guar gum) are usually added to adjust the consistency more ideally.

When any food is labeled as “vegetarian/vegan”, many people preconceived that it is healthy and nutritious.

After Li Xiangming compared the vegan cheeses on the market, he said that it was not necessarily true. “Some are high in saturated fat, while others are low in fat. This is the case with ordinary dairy cheese. Consumers should pay attention to the total fat and sugar content when purchasing. The so-called To be healthy, we all want to be low in fat and sugar.”

Coconut milk is high in saturated fat

Vegan cheeses on the market are made from coconut, soybeans, cashews, etc. If you check the ingredient list, you will see these ingredients at the top. Comparing the three ingredients, the vegetarian cheese made from soybeans and nuts is healthier.

Lu Zhaolin, executive member of the Hong Kong Dietitians Association and nutritionist, pointed out that soybeans are rich in protein, and soy-based vegan cheese is generally higher in protein. “

He took a soy vegetarian cheese as an example, which has 4 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is the highest among the three types of vegetarian cheese. The protein content is comparable to that of ordinary cheese, and its fat is lower than other vegetarian cheeses.

Li Xiangming added that soybeans contain antioxidant isoflavones, which can block free radicals from damaging cells; and vegetarian cheese made from nuts, such as cashew nuts, is lower in fat than coconut-based cheese, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, etc., unit Unsaturated fatty acids can lower bad cholesterol and are relatively good ingredients.

Take a walk in the supermarket and you will find that coconut-based vegan cheese is more common. Li Xiangming pointed out that to find an ingredient that can ferment and coagulate protein, sugar is needed. Coconut has palm sugar, and coconut meat is rich in fat, fragrant, and tastes comparable to traditional cheese, so it is a popular material for making vegetarian cheese . “

But from a health point of view, it may not be a good choice. “Coconut vegan cheese needs to be especially careful, some are not only high in fat, but also high in saturated fat.” Eating too much will increase bad cholesterol and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Shop to Compare Nutrition Labels

Look at the ingredient list, the devil is in the details.

Coconut vegan cheese is made of coconut milk or coconut cream, both of which are made from coconut meat and water.

Coconut milk is thicker, the ratio of coconut meat to water is 4:1; while coconut milk is thinner, the ratio of coconut meat to water is 1:1.

Li Xiangming pointed out that some (products) are “sufficient” and are made with coconut milk, and the saturated fat is higher!

He took a coconut milk-based vegetarian cheese as an example, which has about 130 kcal per 100 grams of calories, about 10 grams of total fat and 9 grams of saturated fat; Higher, more than 160 kcal per 100 grams, about 16 grams of total fat, and nearly 14 grams of saturated fat, among which the saturated fat content reaches 70% of the recommended upper limit of adult daily intake (20 grams)!

The “culprit” is not only related to coconut milk, but the method of making Greek-style cheese will make the taste and nutrients more concentrated, and thus higher in calories and fat.

Should I choose coconut milk cheese? Li Xiangming said that regardless of whether coconut milk, coconut milk or both are used as raw materials, the (usage) ratio is the secret recipe of the manufacturer, which may not be clearly stated. The ideal is to compare nutrition labels.

Lu Zhaolin said that more and more studies have pointed out that coconut is beneficial as a natural food, but it is slightly higher in saturated fat. It is not that it cannot be eaten at all, but that it should not be eaten frequently.

“Coconut contains medium-chain triglycerides

Can help create a more ideal environment for intestinal microorganisms to survive,

And relatively easy to use as human energy,

In other words, it is not so easy to store as body fat.

However, it is not recommended to eat too much, and eat at most once or twice a week. “

Nutritious dairy cheese

Dairy cheese is rich in protein and calcium, and some of them have high calcium, low fat, and low sugar options, which are more comprehensive in nutrition. For people with lactose intolerance, cheese is a good source of calcium and protein intake, because lactic acid bacteria absorb most Lactose is converted into lactic acid, which is lower in lactose than milk. In contrast, is vegan cheese only for vegetarians, and is it not recommended for ordinary people to eat?

“The advantage of vegan cheese is that it can use some beneficial plant-based ingredients to provide additional nutrients to the body.”

For example, Lu Zhaolin pointed out that there are vegetarian cheeses made from flaxseed in foreign countries. Flaxseed is a rich source of Omega 3, which is difficult to obtain from ordinary dairy cheese.

“If you are a general consumer and not a vegetarian, it is a good way to eat two kinds of cheese alternately, because the more diversified the diet, the better it can absorb different nutrients.”

There are so many types of vegetarian cheese, how should I choose? Lu Zhaolin suggested that those who need more protein can choose soybeans; if they want to have a healthier cardiovascular system, they can choose nuts. “Eating (cheese, etc.) dairy products is to get calcium. It would be better if the vegetarian cheese has calcium.”

Since the taste of vegetarian cheese may not be used by everyone, manufacturers may add more additives and sugar to make the taste more acceptable to the public. You should pay attention to sugar and additives before buying. According to the recommendations of the Center for Food Safety, it is ideal to have no more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 grams, with as few additives as possible.

As for the total amount of fat, Li Xiangming believes that it is better to have less than 10 grams per 100 grams of cheese, but of course it is the same as saturated fat, the lower the better.

There are more and more vegan cheeses on the market. Nutritionists remind you to choose low-fat, low-sugar, high-protein and calcium-fortified products.

Calcium Late Added Vegetarian Cheese Low in Protein

The salty aroma and unique flavor of cheese have captured many cheese lovers. Vegetarian cheese may fool the taste buds, but what about its nutritional value?

Nutritionist Lu Zhaolin said that most vegetarian cheeses are made of potato starch, soybeans, nuts, coconuts, etc., and some (raw materials) are even root vegetables such as carrot starch, and then add enzymes, leavening agents, salt, etc. to make the vegetarian cheese solidify , like dairy cheese.

Calcium Fortified Cheese

“Similar to vegetarian cheese, vegetarian cheese made from soybeans and nuts is relatively healthy and low in fat, but be careful of vegetarian cheese made from coconut, which is high in saturated fat.

“When it comes to cheese, the most desirable nutrients are protein and calcium.”

Lu Zhaolin compared vegetarian cheese with ordinary cheese, “Dairy products are rich in protein and calcium, which may not be found in vegetarian cheese. Refer to the nutrition label. The protein of vegetarian cheese is low, which may not be a good source of protein; vegetarian cheese made from soybeans, protein Relatively high.”

The reporter also found 3 types of coconut-based vegetarian cheese on the market, 2 of which contained no protein at all, and the remaining 1 type only had 1.5 grams of protein, which was far lower than that of dairy cheese.

In terms of calcium, soybeans, nuts, coconuts, starches, etc. have low calcium content, and the calcium in vegetarian cheese needs to be added later. “However, adding calcium is not necessary. The vegetarian cheese bought in the market does not necessarily have calcium.”

It is advisable to choose vegetarian cheese with added calcium. Lu Zhaolin quoted the recommendation of the Center for Food Safety. It is ideal to have 120 mg of calcium per 100 grams of solid food. If it reaches 240 mg, it is high in calcium.

Vitamin B12 helps hematopoiesis

Some vegetarian cheeses specifically claim to add vitamin B12 on the package, why?

“Vitamin B12 can maintain the health of the nervous system and help hematopoiesis. Generally, dairy products have it, but it is difficult to find it in plant-based ingredients. Therefore, vegetarians are more likely to be deficient in vitamin B12. If vegetarians choose vegan alternatives, there is Vitamin B12 is an ideal choice.”



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