BİTKİ BAZLI GIDALAR

Abstract

In recent years, concerns have arisen regarding the environmental, ethical and health effects of animal foods. For this reason, people often turn to plant-based foods. These concerns stem from greenhouse gas emissions, massive land use, depletion and pollution of water resources. In addition, there are studies showing that plant nutrition is healthier than the inclusion of animal foods in human nutrition. Eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grain cereals has been associated with better health outcomes, but it is unclear whether the next generation of plant-based foods such as meat, seafood, eggs and dairy analogues are healthier than the natural products. Many of these new products are highly processed foods that contain high levels of saturated fat, sugar, starch and salt and low levels of micronutrients, nutraceuticals and dietary fiber. They are also generally digested quickly in the gastrointestinal tract, as their processing degrades plant tissues and releases macronutrients. Consequently, it is important to formulate plant-based foods to reduce the levels of nutrients associated with adverse health effects and increase levels associated with beneficial health effects. It is also important to design the food matrix so that macronutrients are not digested and absorbed too quickly, but micronutrients are highly bioavailable. In this article, properties of new generation plant-based foods is discussed.