Is plant-based meat actually better for you? - Carolyn Beans

翻译人员: Yip Yan Yeung 校对人员: Jacky He

In 2021, a survey of over 1,000 Americans found that nearly two-thirds

2021 年，一项涉及上千位美国人的 调查显示近三分之二的人

had eaten plant-based meat alternatives in the past year.

去年吃过植物性肉类替代品。

Many cited potential health and environmental benefits

许多参与者提到 潜在的健康和环境益处

as their motivation.

是他们的动机。

But are these alternative meats actually better for us and the planet?

但这些肉类替代品确实 对大众和地球更好吗？

First, let’s introduce the contenders.

首先，介绍一下参赛选手。

Meat from butchered animals, which we’ll call farmed meat,

来自屠宰动物的肉类， 我们称之为“养殖肉”，

is a complex structure of muscle fibers, connective tissues, and fat.

这种肉类是由肌肉纤维、 结缔组织和脂肪组成的复杂结构。

You may recognize meat from its role in the human diet,

自人类起源的时候，

stretching back to our species’ very beginnings.

饮食中已经包括肉类。

Our next challenger, the plant-based meat alternative,

第二位参赛者， 植物性肉类替代品，

may look and taste like meat,

看似是肉，尝起来是肉，

but it’s built with proteins, carbohydrates, fats,

但由植物的蛋白质、 碳水化合物、脂肪

and other molecules from plants.

和其他成分组成。

Transforming plant molecules into something that resembles meat

将植物分子转化为类似肉的东西

takes effort.

要花点工夫。

Meat’s fibrous texture is created by long rod-like proteins.

肉类的纤维状结构 由长棒状蛋白质形成。

To replicate this structure,

为了复刻这个结构，

a plant’s ball-shaped proteins can be pushed through an extruder device

植物中的球状蛋白 会被塞入挤压设备，

which forces them to unwind and join into long filaments.

变形后组合成为长丝状物。

To mimic animal fat, companies mix in fats and oils extracted from plants.

为了模仿动物脂肪，生产商 会加入提取自植物的油脂。

One popular brand adds a beet juice pigment

有一个著名品牌 添加了甜菜汁色素，

that changes the patty’s color as it cooks.

在烹饪过程中改变肉饼的颜色。

Another adds an iron-containing molecule called heme,

还有公司添加了 含铁的血红蛋白分子，

which their team says is key to its meaty flavor.

并称这是“肉味”的关键。

The resulting products come in many forms.

制成的产品形态各式各样。

Finally, our last entrant: lab-grown meat.

最后一位参赛者：人造肉。

Also known as cell-based meat and cultured meat,

也被称为“细胞肉”或“培育肉”，

these products begin as animal stem cells

这种产品源于动物干细胞，

that researchers coax to multiply and form into muscle.

研究人员悉心培养 让它增殖，形成肌肉。

It’s worth noting that lab-grown meats are largely still in development,

值得一提的是， 人造肉大体上仍在经研发，

so the exact process may change when they’re produced

所以在商业化规模生产时，

at greater commercial scale.

具体流程可能会发生变化。

So which meat or lookalike is best for your health?

那么哪种肉或仿制品 对你的健康是最好的呢？

Farmed meat is a vital source of protein and nutrients for many people.

对于很多人来说，养殖肉 是蛋白质和营养的关键来源。

But researchers have also found links between diets

但研究人员也发现了

high in red and processed meats

多摄入红肉和加工肉的饮食

and health concerns like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

将导致 2 型糖尿病及 心脏疾病等健康状况。

One 2012 study concluded that swapping red meat

一项 2012 年的研究得出结论， 每日将一餐中的红肉替换为

for other options like chicken, nuts, or legumes for one meal a day

其他选择，如鸡肉、坚果或豆类，

can potentially reduce mortality risk by 7 to 19%.

可能可以将死亡风险 降低 7% 至 19%。

There is not enough data to know whether replacing red meat

没有足够的数据表明将红肉

with a plant-based patty would have the same effect.

替换成植物性肉饼 是否会得到相同效果。

Plant-based meats, while containing just as much protein, calories, and iron

植物性肉类，虽然包含了与养殖肉 相当的蛋白质、卡路里和铁，

as farmed meat,

are highly processed and, therefore, high in sodium.

但它经过了高度加工， 因此含钠量很高。

And many contain coconut oil, which has a lot of saturated fat,

很多还包含了椰子油， 含有大量饱和脂肪，

and, like red meat, may elevate heart disease risk.

与红肉一样，都有可能 会提高心脏疾病风险。

Lab-grown meat, meanwhile,

而关于人造肉，

has the potential to offer the same nutritional qualities and health risks

它也有可能可以提供与养殖肉相当的 营养品质和健康风险。

as farmed meat.

But we won’t know for sure until product development is further along.

但我们在产品开发 再进一步之前不得而知。

So which contender is better for the environment?

所以哪个选项 对环境来说更好呢？

Animal agriculture generates an estimated 14.5%

动物农业占据了由人类制造的 温室气体排放的约 14.5%。

of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Researchers estimate that producing plant-based meat substitutes

研究人员估计生产 植物性肉类替代品

results in, on average, around 90% less greenhouse gas emissions

制造的温室气体排放平均

than an equivalent amount of beef,

比生产等量牛肉少 90%，

63% less than pork, and 51% less than poultry.

比猪肉少 63%， 比禽肉少 51%。

Plant-based meat alternatives also tend to require far less land and water

植物性肉类替代品比养殖肉 所需的土地和水

than farmed meat.

也要少得多。

And their production results in much lower levels of pollutants running off farms

生产自农场流出、流入河道的 污染物排放量也要低得多，

and entering waterways—

which threaten both the environment and public health.

这些能够威胁环境和公共卫生。

As for lab-grown meat,

提到人造肉，

today the industry largely takes its stem cells

如今行业里主要从牲畜的 肌肉组织中提取干细胞。

from the muscle tissue of livestock.

But how many animals will be required for these biopsies

但如果扩大了生产规模， 需要多少动物接受这类活检？

once production scales up?

It also isn’t clear to what degree alternative meats

我们也不确定肉类替代品 能在多大程度上

will reduce the environmental impact of the farmed meats industry.

减少养殖肉产业的环境影响。

What if, instead of replacing meat with alternatives,

如果我们不替换肉类，

people continue to consume the same amount of farmed meat

而是继续食用等量的养殖肉，

while also eating newer options?

同时尝试新的选项呢？

While the verdict is still out on which meat is nutritionally superior,

虽然对“肉”营养价值的 比较仍缺乏定论，

if you care about your personal impact on animal welfare,

如果你考虑个人对动物福利、

public health, and the environment,

公共卫生和环境所造成的影响，

plant-based meat tends to come out on top.

植物性肉类更胜一筹。

And switching to meat alternatives doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision.

改吃肉类替代品 不一定是非黑即白的选择。

In fact, a 2022 study estimated that forgoing red meat at just one meal a day

一项 2022 年的研究估计 每天一餐不吃红肉

can decrease your personal dietary carbon emissions by as much as 48%.

可以将你个人的饮食碳排 减少高达 48%。