It is time to address the stigma surrounding eating “fake meat.” It is apparently very difficult for omnivores and vegans alike to understand why imitation meat products exist, and I would like to clear this up. I truly think that imitation meat products are vital in increasing the accessibility of meat free lifestyles, and misunderstandings/bad jokes about these products are actually creating a stigma around consuming them.

Here are some of the common misunderstandings I have encountered.

#1. “If you like eating meat, why are you vegan?”

My response: I think it is safe to say that vegans did not alter their diets simply because they did not enjoy the taste and texture of animal flesh. Rather, the shift in lifestyle is brought on by a discomfort and disgust with the use of animal flesh as food. I do not like eating dead body parts, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t miss the texture and flavor of chicken nuggets.

When I dig into a pile of vegan “chick’n” nuggets, it is not a vote for eating chicken. It is a vote for vegan, for less needless suffering, and a penchant for crispy frozen food. So no, I do not like eating meat AKA pieces of slaughtered animals, even if I eat foods intended to resemble those dishes.

#2. “I don’t want to eat that fake, processed stuff. I would rather just eat the real version than put that into my body.”

My response: First, I always laugh when people say this to me. Do you know how ridiculous it is to imply that, for example, a hot dog is somehow LESS processed than a veggie dog? Sure, a grilled chicken breast isn’t “processed,” but are you familiar with the crap pumped into it? No literally, there is poop in your chicken.

I won’t claim that there aren’t any overly processed imitation meats, but in the same way a meat-eater can choose chicken breast over hot dogs to avoid highly processed foods, whole food based products exist in our section of the grocery store too. I will take pea protein over chicken feces any day, thank you very much.

#3. “I think fake meat is only really good for new vegetarians who are just getting started.”

My response: OK please don’t tell me you seriously want to SHAME me and your fellow vegans/vegetarians for enjoying my Gardein porkless bites or beefless tips?! Saying this to omnivores imply that you can only be a real pure vegan if you shun these imitation meat products, and saying this to other vegans/vegetarians makes us feel like we are doing something wrong if we enjoy them.

I went vegan because I think our food system is all kinds of screwed up, and I don’t want to support animal agriculture anymore. My previous diet was heavy on chicken, eggs, and dairy. It was really hard for me to stick with being vegan because of it, and frankly, tofu doesn’t taste like chicken. But you know what? Beyond Chicken Strips do taste like chicken.

By providing an alternative that tastes like the animal version, it makes it that much easier to make the more humane choice for people on the fence. This is why vegans and vegetarians especially need to support these products, both financially if you’re inclined and more so verbally to the people around you. The more prevalent they become the more omnivores will be open to trying them out, and shifting their diets away from animal products.

#4. “I think vegan food should celebrate vegetables, not try to imitate animal products.”

My response: Truly, I have been told this by multiple people. First of all, if you do not like the idea of consuming these products, all the power to you to live solely off of vegetables. But the people saying this to me have never been fellow meat-free folks, so I have no idea what high horse they think they are riding around on.

Second, I applaud and admire the humans out there who actually only eat fruits and vegetables, but I do not wish to be one of them. I need to easily eat enough food to fill me up and fuel my workouts. Let’s do a nutritional and cost breakdown and compare my favorite veggie burger,

the Field Roast FieldBurger, to my favorite vegetable, broccoli. The veggie burger has 25 grams of protein, 290 calories, and costs about $1.50 per patty. To get that much protein from broccoli

I would need to eat 10 cups of it, which totals about 300 calories. While gram for gram the protein in broccoli stands up to the veggie burger, I don’t want to pay $10 for broccoli everyday and I don’t want to actually physically eat 10 whole cups of broccoli for dinner.

So please, enjoy your portabella “burger” and tell me that there is no place for imitation meat products in a vegan diet while I get full on my black bean lentil patty in the corner.

In conclusion:

When people say things like the comments I listed here, and imply that I shouldn’t eat these imitation meat products or that it is wrong for me to actually enjoy them, it truly makes me feel ashamed and like I am doing something wrong. I would hate for anybody to hear these misunderstandings and let them prevent them from becoming a vegetarian.

Some vegans and vegetarians do ultimately turn away from foods that closely imitate meat, and there is nothing wrong with that either. I personally haven’t tried the Impossible Burger because I don’t like that it looks like it’s bleeding, but that doesn’t mean that these products aren’t necessary to address cravings that could otherwise lead to broken vegetarian diets.

Finally, I would like to make a motion to call imitation meat products “alternative protein” instead of “fake meat.” As people collectively wake up and realize how truly horrifying the factory farming industry is, we need to make it as easy as possible to make the moral and ethical choice, to find our protein from an alternative source. These imitation meat products and alternative proteins are crucial in helping people transition to and maintain a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.