Wheat gluten vs soy based proteins. Your take on the battle.

March 10, 2016 8:55 PM

I have recently seen some benefits from dropping animal proteins from My diet. I recently spent some time in Asia where wheat gluten based mock meats Are pretty common. I became a fan but wanted some feedback from you geniuses who may Have some history with this. Is wheat protein a healthier alternative?. As an aside, sorta, Have any of you made your own? Have you developed any time saving techniques? I await you wise words, hive
posted by citybuddha to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

Best answer: Making seitan is really easy.

2 cups vital wheat gluten, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, whatever spices you want (rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, pepper, etc.). Add 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup soy sauce and a glug of canola oil.

Stir it all together until it gets smooth and elastic.

I liked to cut it up into hunks and then boil in broth/soy sauce for 30ish minutes. Or wrap in tin foil and steam for 20ish minutes.

There are plenty of variations and you can change spices, add some mushed up beans, or chickpea flour to get different tastes and consistencies.

As for nutrition, everyone has an opinion and everyone is almost invariably wrong.
posted by paulcole at 9:29 PM on March 10, 2016 [6 favorites]

Health-wise, do what makes you do you best. We all have different ancestral backgrounds, different gut flora based on our biology and our life experiences, and different flavor/palate preferences. And despite our best efforts at diet correctness, sometimes, it just doesn't matter. However, a whole-foods-based protein-instead-of-rice-and-flour-based-carbs diet tends to be the kind of diet that generally healthy people have.

I've been a vegetarian who has been eating mock-meats (although I generally attempt a whole-food based diet without highly processed things like mock-meats) for going on 25 years, with bouts of eating seafood. I'm healthy as a horse; my cholesterol levels are fantastic, my blood pressure is 110/80, every measure of health my doctor takes is normal if not better -- except for weight. I have gigantic boobs and hips/thighs on an hourglass figure so my BMI sucks, therefore I'm not "healthy" despite my diet and workout routine and most other measurable health stat, and my husband who eats the same diet mostly and works out more than I do has a lower BMI but has danger-level cholesterol and a1c numbers, and maybe the entire BMI-as-health-indicator-thing is bullshit -- but that wasn't your question).

We personally avoid too much soy protein. I try to get as many whole-food things into my diet as possible. It's working well for me so far. I go low on the breads, pastas, and rice (although I enjoy the fuck out of them when I eat them -- they're a treat). My plates are generally 1/4 protein and 3/4 fruits-or-veg.

Personally, I feel best when I eat whole foods and exclude mock-meats. Mock-meats are a comfort food ingredient for me when I just absolutely need to make something my grandma made and there's no texture substitute. They are not a part of my everyday diet, and "comfort foods" shouldn't be a part of anyone's everyday diet.
posted by erst at 9:40 PM on March 10, 2016 [1 favorite]

Wheat gluten based meat alternatives are really delicious, and I will take that over soy any day based on taste alone. Buuuut, it's not exactly the healthiest option,especially with store-bought stuff. So mock-meats are generally a thing where I have a small portion of them with tons of veggies.

Soy protein has some good options, but it will always have that lingering soy taste. I don't mind soy-based mock meats when I'm doing spicy/really flavorful recipes, but on it's own....nope. I'm not a "hard tofu on salad" kind of vegetarian, I just can't do it. I love soybeans in many forms(looking at you, miso paste), but as a meat substitute it's just not that exciting.

Nutritionally though, it's a draw between the two, in my eyes. They both have the same drawbacks and the only way to judge them is to trust your gut,literally. Whatever suites your taste and fits your digestion is the best option. I've kinda just ignored the scaremongering from vegan/vegetarian communities on this, because I've found stuff that works for my body and medical conditions. Eat what feels good!
posted by InkDrinker at 10:41 PM on March 10, 2016

I have zero issues with the more traditional uses of soy: tofu, tempeh, edamame. People have been eating these for centuries with no ill effects and despite scare mongering about breast cancer and phytoestrogens, Japan, where people eat these foods every day, has some of the lowest breast cancer rates in the world. I'm a little more concerned about isolated soy protein, which is a hyper-processed relatively new invention. I don't avoid it altogether, but I think of foods that contain it as occasional treats. I am aware of some studies showing that isolated soy protein is problematic, but I know of no studies showing that wheat gluten is a problem for people who don't have celiac and aren't gluten sensitive. However, it is still a highly processed food, and for that reason, I would limit it to occasional use. I would probably go with wheat gluten over isolated soy protein, but compared with the more traditional uses of soy, I haven't seen any evidence that wheat gluten is better or worse. I would try to get organic soy to avoid GMOs, but most GMO soy is fed to cattle. YMMV, etc.
posted by FencingGal at 4:10 AM on March 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Pros: compared to meat, wheat gluten meats prepared at home are somewhat safer, since they need not be cooked to a specific temperature. Cooked, it keeps much longer in the fridge. It's versatile and easy to prepare. Healthwise, it's about 80% protein, the rest being mainly carbs and a little fiber. Sodium and fat content will vary depending on the preparation, but it can be prepared with very little sodium and very little fat. As it is a vegetable product, it contains no cholesterol unless you add it. It is relatively inexpensive compared to tofu.

Cons: some people find that gluten upsets their digestions, even if they are not celiac sufferers. The relatively high carbs compared to chicken is a concern for people limiting carbs. It is somewhat difficult to produce low-sodium fake meats (but preparing them at home is the way to go if you're going to try!) Many preparations are pan-fried in oil, which is less healthy. Many restaurant versions are breaded and deep-fried. While it's produced without resource to factory meat farms, I couldn't speak to the working conditions of wheat farmers and producers. It is relatively expensive compared to vegetables. I don't know if it's me or what, but gluten flour is difficult to find in grocery stores, including natural-foods stores.

Tl;dr, it depends on how you prepare it and what your diet goals are.
posted by blnkfrnk at 5:07 AM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]