3) Cover and cook till meatballs are heated through center, about 13-15 minutes. These include: When you ferment soy, this destroys the antinutrients. All rights reserved, Gretchen Tseng is a Nutrition Specialist with Certification in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University. There are thousands of studies out there that link soy to various diseases and disorders. thanks, I agree with everything you said! Gretchen is absolutely passionate about sharing the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and can be found doing so through her website Veggie Grettie at. Gardein is made with non-GMO soy, wheat, ancient grains, and vegetables. In order to get the amounts of soy we need for all the various soy food products on the market, we’ve genetically engineered our soybeans to produce for current demand. They generally do not consume large amounts of soy. Soy is highly processed and could be the cause to many health problems we see today. If someone gets liver disease and drinks large amounts of alcohol, we can probably deduce this was caused by drinking too much alcohol. We know certain foods and drinks are not good for us, but we still eat them. Soy protein isolate can be found in a wide variety of food products on today’s grocery store shelves. Information on this website should not be interpreted as medical advice. Purchases made through affiliate programs help me keep this website running. Now you can skip meat for a meal, or a month, without skipping your favorite foods. Also, when growing soybeans in the U.S., farmers generally spray their crops heavily with glyphosphate. Toss it in some tomato sauce and you have a pretty solid vegan version of spaghetti and meatballs. Overall, eating too much soy can be detrimental to anyone’s diet. I was recently contacted with a question about Gardein meat substitutes. The reader (who is currently a meat eater, but trying to eat less) was out at a restaurant called the Yard House and saw that they offered vegetarian meals prepared with Gardein. This experience prompted her to ask me what my opinion was about Gardein and whether or not it was a better choice nutritionally than eating meat. Some of these include: Since we have not eaten soy in many years we are able to tell the difference in our digestive system when we eat it. The lower the salt, the worse your frozen food will probably taste. Gardein’s food products, and companies similar to it, do not impress us, but we do believe you can consume most foods in moderation. We know certain foods and drinks are not good for us, but we still eat them. Generally, this means 1–2 drinks per day. Some people follow this, while others do not. Toss these vegan meatballs into your favorite sauce for an easy meatless dinner. Subscribe to The Sunday Spectacular, our weekly newsletter. Consult your physician for any medical conditions you may need assistance with. Many people freak out about high salt levels in their food due to past studies on salt and high blood pressure. Gretchen lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and 4 legged best bud. Soybeans naturally contain what are called “antinutrients”. Gretchen lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and 4 legged best bud. Overall I am not a big fan on meat substitutes. Processed food is processed food whether it is animal based or vegan. As with most processed foods, Gardein tends to be very high in sodium and can do a number on your blood pressure. Well, since we’ve started to genetically modify our foods in 1996, we’ve seen a huge increase in problems like infertility and food allergies. Eating Gardein’s products once in awhile will not be detrimental to your health.Eating foods like this in moderation are great steps to take to live a healthy lifestyle. I do see the value of vegan meat substitutes in that I see them as stepping stones for those who can’t envision a life without meat (or as an occasional “treat” for those who are already vegans). Transitioning to a vegan diet can be difficult for many people who are used to eating the texture of meat at nearly every meal. In this instance I give the reader the green light to try the Gardein meal as a means to see that it is very possible to eat a vegetarian meal and not miss the meat!