by Dr. Joseph Mercola, Mercola:
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- The documentary “Beyond Impossible — The Truth Behind the Fake Meat Industry” argues that lab-grown and cultured meats, as ultraprocessed foods, could pose significant health risks, challenging the perceived benefits of these meat alternatives
- Fake meats lack essential nutrients found in natural meats, including specific amino acids that are crucial for muscle maintenance and overall health
- Despite claims of sustainability, studies show that meat alternatives have far greater greenhouse gas emissions than traditional livestock practices
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- Evidence supports regenerative farming methods as far more beneficial for the environment compared to the industrial farming methods upon which ultraprocessed meat alternatives rely
- The documentary critiques current global policies that push for meat alternatives, suggesting a broader agenda is at play — one that may compromise food security and individual health through increased reliance on ultraprocessed food
A 2024 systematic review1 of the literature confirmed what multiple studies have shown — the higher your intake of ultraprocessed food, the higher your risk of adverse health outcomes.
The analysis, which included 45 unique pooled analyses and 9,888,373 participants, found direct associations between 32 health parameters and exposure to ultraprocessed food, including metabolic dysfunction, cancer, mental, respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal issues, as well as all-cause mortality.
Depression and anxiety disorders were also highly correlated with ultraprocessed food consumption. Previous studies have also linked ultraprocessed foods to cognitive decline2 and obesity.3
Considering the well-established effects of ultraprocessed foods, it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out about the health effects of lab-grown and cultured meats, which are the epitome of ultraprocessed food.
The Truth About the Fake Meat Industry
The documentary above, “Beyond Impossible — The Truth Behind the Fake Meat Industry” by Gravitas Documentaries, exposes the corruption and lies of the fake meat industry. As noted in the film, the fake meat industry is an outgrowth of the vegan trend, which eschews any food derived from animals. However, perhaps there’s more to it than that. As noted by Gravitas:4
“What do Harvard University, internet vegans and the World Economic Forum [WEF] all have in common? A religious desire for the world to go vegan. But why? Is it an effort to stop global warming? Is it an earnest attempt at making everyone healthier? Is it a desperate plea to end animal cruelty?
The answers may surprise you. ‘Beyond Impossible’ reveals an uncomfortable truth about a world where peoples good intentions are being taken advantage of by everyone from vegan doctors to global elites hellbent on instituting planetary policies that remove all personal choices from the kitchen and beyond …
Joined by experts that include doctors, journalists and even former vegans, [health expert, director and co-producer] Vinnie Tortorich maintains that while we still have the power of free will, it’s only a matter of time before it’s too late.”
Fake Meats Contain Novel Proteins and the Worst Fat Possible
As explained in the film, it’s exceedingly difficult to get all the nutrients you need from a vegan diet, and while you could theoretically supplement yourself out of short-term trouble, you’d need to take a high-quality vitamin B12, iron, calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 and extra protein supplements, at bare minimum, to avoid some of the most common nutritional deficiencies associated with a meat-free diet.
However, as stressed by science journalist Nina Teicholz in the film, “many people cannot absorb B vitamins and minerals in their supplemental forms.” Additionally, plant proteins aren’t equivalent to meat-based protein. They’re not even equivalent to whole plant foods. As noted by Tortorich:
“Here’s the crazy part of all these fake meats. They’re not really made from vegetables. They’re made from monocultured crops … They’re made from starches, fake proteins and seed oils.”
“Plant-based” meat alternatives don’t contain the same amino acids, and they’re not as digestible as meat protein, so meeting your protein requirements for muscle maintenance and everything else could be a challenge.
Instead, fake meats contain novel proteins that no one fully understands yet. For example, the ingredient in Impossible Burger’s meat that makes it taste like meat is genetically engineered soy leghemoglobin, for which there are no long-term health studies. The process to make it also creates at least 45 other proteins as byproducts, which are also consumed and have never been evaluated.
