As food companies increasingly demand greater levels of nutrition from the foods they sell, you will be increasingly finding nutrition facts about meat on the products. The label “100% Vegetarian” is not the only option that these companies offer. It is often difficult to know if a product is truly vegetarian or not. Here are a few tips to help you determine whether or not a product is truly vegetarian or not.
Organic meat products are not necessarily safe for vegetarians but only if you know what this term means. The USDA has its own definition of organic, which is based on three criteria:
Nutrition Facts About Meat
- No animal slaughter (the ability to kill an animal for meat without using cruelty)
- No by-products or pesticides or herbicides used
- Hormone or antibiotic-free
The last criterion, “no hormones or antibiotics used,” is the most important of the three. If there is any kind of use of animal hormones or antibiotics, then the food you buy is not considered “organic.” These are ingredients that meat companies frequently use because they can be applied to the meat without harming the animals too much.
Your best bet when purchasing organic meat is to find a company that sells a “natural product” instead of one that uses artificial preservatives and chemicals in their products. This allows you to know that what you’re eating is 100% pure, as the actual organic food can come from just a few different plants (most likely grass).
Nutrition About Meat
Unfortunately, there is very little way of telling whether or not a product is truly vegetarian if it’s not labeled as “natural product.” This means that if you want to avoid them, you’ll have to take the time to look for ingredients that are more natural than others.
Health Benefit: Nutrition Facts About Meat
Try searching for ingredients like “hemp” cultured by-products. This is a common ingredient in many meat products, which contain the nutritional properties of the hemp plant. Many meat producers have stopped including this ingredient in their products due to concerns about the overuse of this herb.
Look for beef products in your local grocery store, which usually has more labels than other food labels. The meat section usually has more labels that you will need to keep track of, but there is often a lot of information available to you if you take the time to browse the meat section.
Try checking out the food labels for the meat products you purchase. You should be able to find out some basic information about the meat product, such as its brand name, the location it was produced (if it was raised in a country other than the United States), and if the meat was fed hormones and antibiotics.
There are plenty of vegetarian products available in many grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding vegetarian meat products. You’ll probably also be able to find a few types of meat in this section of the store. You can pick up pork tenderloin, beef brisket, or chicken breast.
Bottom Line
Make sure to look for more than just the name of the meat in the label as well. Look for information about the protein content as well. Lean steak with over 20 grams of protein is much healthier than a lean hamburger with only three grams of protein.
Health benefits are also another important thing to look for. You may be surprised to learn that not all meats have the same nutritional value, and if you are looking for healthy vegetarian options, you will want to read the labels carefully.
