Finding a low-fat, no-cholesterol, vegan source of protein is a major boon to any health-conscious diet. That's what makes Impossible Foods' new health certification a big deal.
The company's plant-based Lite Ground Beef was recently approved for diabetes management by the American Diabetes Association, and that's in addition to its heart-healthy certification from the American Heart Association.
Why are these health certifications important?
As Sherene Jagla, chief demand officer at Impossible Foods, said in a statement to Food Dive: "While we're doubling down on efforts to champion the craveability of our products, we remain really proud of our nutrition story, especially with our more health-forward products like Impossible Lite Beef."
🗣️ Why do you eat plant-based foods?
🔘 The health benefits 🥗
🔘 It's cheaper 💰
🔘 It's good for the planet 🌎
🔘 I prefer the taste 😋
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The plant-based Lite Ground Beef contains 50% less fat than regular plant-based beef substitutes, 75% less saturated fat than lean 90/10 ground beef, and no cholesterol. It also contains no gluten and none of the hormones and antibiotics in commercial beef. Plus, it delivers a whopping 21 grams of protein per serving.
That's on top of the general health benefits of a more plant-based diet — such as a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and stroke.
If the American population made even small changes — like swapping 30% of processed meat intake for veggie alternatives — we'd see an estimated 92,500 fewer cases of cardiovascular disease and 53,300 fewer colon cancer diagnoses in the next 10 years. For more information, Impossible Foods has put together a "Health Hub" about the health benefits of its plant-based food.
Plus, there are huge environmental benefits of plant-based foods, whereas animal agriculture has major costs like using excess water and producing heat-trapping methane gas. Swapping 50% of the main animal food products — pork, chicken, beef, and milk — for plant-based alternatives could reduce the heat-trapping gas pollution from agriculture by almost one-third.
What is Impossible Foods' overall sustainability plan?
Impossible Foods isn't just trying to reduce pollution and waste in its own operations — it's also working to lower the environmental impact of the food industry overall by teaming up with key organizations to provide a lower-impact alternative to meat. For example, on the next hockey or basketball game day, you can order Impossible Foods options at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
You can also always check out Impossible Foods' Impact Calculator to see how simple swaps in your life would help the environment.
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