I like natto, tempeh, and tofu, but try to avoid any manufactured protein substances like those from Morningstar farms and Boca. If I want my plant proteins highly processed, I will have them processed naturally through cattle, goats, chickens, and swine. I will once in a blue moon cheat and get a BK veggie with bacon (have it your way).

Do beans count as a meat substitute? I have them often for lunch, sometimes in a whole wheat pita pocket with some nonfat Greek yogurt and salsa—yum! Beans have tons of protein and are really good, especially black beans.

I do a cleanse twice a year with my wife which entails no meat,dairy,sugar or gluten. We discovered a soy protein substistute at Whole Foods that tasted very much like chicken. I would highly recommend it. Great break from the beans and veggies.

I’m a vegan so this is my daily life : )

I have been vegan for over two months now and I cannot believe how great I feel. :D

I haven’t tried tofu or anything like that, but I would like to try soy cheese/cream cheese. Also, I like veggie burgers, especially the Asian one I had, and even veggie sausages for breakfast. Soy milk is delicious, too, and I enjoy beans as a meat substitute. I think I could go partly “veggie” but there is no good meatless substitute for shrimp, my fave meat! I could NEVER give that up!

I added tofu(fried with chili spices and cut into small cubes)to my chili soup. It was very good!!

I eat alot of soy protein, and i love it!!! All of the foods that have it taste great!

I tried this with some success, but it would be difficult to eat this way all the time. For a week I drank soy milk, ate soy burgers, had soy sausages (never again!), and tried various other ‘soy recipes’. I do much better to at least substitute beans in tacos, fajitas, and salads, which at least come in different varieties. Soy milk is okay, but I tired of it. I tried this ‘no meat’ diet on several different occasions, for days at a time. I can do it occasionally, but not likely for a lifetime.

black bean burgers….what a great idea

I Don’t eat meat anyways I’m a PETA member

Although soy is suppossed to be good for everyone . I was told by my doctors to stay away from anything that may contain it . This is due to my recent bout of breast cancer . It is believed that if there is even a chance they have missed even a molucule of the cancer that the soy will feed it and make it spread . So far i’m cancer free .

Im vegetarian so when it comes to meat substitute thats all i eat :)

Actually I grew up in an agricultural area and the whole “production of grains” thing is a little bit misleading – it takes a LOT of energy to turn a stalk of wheat rooted into the soil into a useable food item like bread on a modern mechanized farm.

My problem with many of the so-called meat substitutes is the problem I have with pretty much every pre-packaged, convenience food. The ingredient list – too much salt, preservatives, artificial flavorings. I quite like edame (soy beans) in their natural state. However it takes a pretty big chemical process involving industrial solvents in order to turn beans into ground “beef”, “chicken” nuggets, or a strawberry “milk” shake. I don’t eat anything without knowing what it is – read the fine print on some of these products – it can be creepy. Also a lot of “brand-name” soy-based products use genetically modified soybeans grown in unsustainable ways that are detrimental to the environment.

I’d rather eat natural, sustainably produced foods than processed artificial ones and I’m fortunate enough to live in a community with organic meat, eggs & dairy products available. I also eat a lot of meatless meals –I just don’t use fake meat. I have lots of vegetarian recipes that use fresh, wholesome ingredients and are so tasty & satisfying that you don’t miss the meat anyway. Morrocan lentil stew, spicy black bean chili, portabello ‘burgers’, pasta, pizza, paninis, burritos, enchiladas, grilled vegetable kabobs, salads galore (both hot & cold) plus a whole stack of Southeast Asian, Ethiopian, South American, Chinese & Indian recipes for both main & side dishes in multiple cookbooks. If a person eats a varied diet, rather than the same 6 things all the time, creating a meatless meal doesn’t require a lot of effort or ‘imitation sausages.’

My boyfriend has recently gone completely vegetarian for spiritual reasons. He has been testing out the multitude of available meat substitutes, and honestly does not like most of them. This presents a problem in his mind because there is nothing with which to “replace” the meat. But I really think that instead of trying to substitute meat, we should try to stop thinking of food in terms of meat. There are many many good reasons not to eat meat – it takes the same energy to produce TEN TIMES the amount of grains as it does beef, the meat industry right now is chemically, microbially and behaviorally toxic, etc, etc. ad infinitum. But culturally we’re so addicted – how else do we eat less of of it without replacing it? Don’t get me wrong, there are/have been many traditional cultures in the world who practiced meat consumption in a responsible, respectful way – which I fully support. Despite how it sounds, I do eat meat – fish and fowl. But I really despise meat substitutes – with the exception of tofu – which I really don’t use that way anyways. But the majority just don’t taste or feel good to me, and they really are out of context in their conventional uses. What I love about true vegetarian food is the focus on nutrition through a wider variety of grains and veggies, as well as the attention to FLAVOR and subtlety. Just a thought.

Morningstar Farms veggie burgers and breakfast patties are FANTASTIC!

Meat subsitutes work into a healthy diet really well! I agree with black bean burgers, they are delicious and leave a good, light feeling in the stomach! Tofu is also very healthy, and can be prepared in a variety of ways.

Black bean burgers – tasty, easy to make, and a refreshing change from beef! Tofu and tempeh are excellent as well.

Being a vegan is a very exciting thing. Tempeh and Tofu and Textured Vegetable Protein can be so much fun to make new things with. If more people learned how to make things using these things then the world would be a better place, also a thinner place. Try it you might like it.

I tried last week for two days in stir-fry & pasta dishes, it tasted bad to me and I feel that I had wasted some money the dishes when I could have used real meat instead. I plan on finishing the dishes up, I dislike wasting food. Good luck to everyone… it’s not for everyone…

I made a big pot of vegetarian “meat”ball pasta sauce the other day (still have a few serves left in the fridge). I just used a pack of that dehydrated vegetarian sausage roll mix that had been sitting in the cupboard for a good long while. That’s good stuff to keep around as a “just incase” alternative ingredient.

I recently purchased tempeh. I love it! Try it. :)

Tofu is great! I thought I wouldnt like it but it isnt bad at all and ive tried it in many recipes. My kids even liked it. Wow!