Veganism is a rapidly growing lifestyle trend, with an estimated 600,000 people in the UK currently following a plant-based diet.
What's more, flexible veganism – whereby people eat plant-based some, but not all, of the time – is also on the rise thanks to annual events like Veganuary. As a result, almost all UK supermarkets now offer vegan ready meals as part of their range.
Is your favourite vegan meal really that healthy?
The vegan ready meals you see in the supermarket are often marketed as "healthier" or "wholesome" alternatives. But this isn’t always the case.
To look into this further, we have compiled data from 35 different vegan ready meals currently available in UK supermarkets. We’ve analysed their nutritional information to find out which are the best and worst in terms of their fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content.
Which are the 5 best and worst vegan ready meals?
2g
2.1g
4.6g
8.6g
8.6g
40g
28.3g
26.4g
25.6g
24g
0.4g
0.4g
0.6g
1.2g
1.3g
33g
22g
21.7g
18g
11.6g
1.3g
3.9g
4.3g
4.5g
4.8g
30.3g
20.1g
19.1g
19g
15.4g
0.7g
0.7g
0.8g
0.9g
0.9g
3.3g
3.1g
2.5g
2.4g
2.1g
Vegan Meals vs. Junk Food
Here's how some of the worst offenders from our research compare
Fat
Eat Wholesome Organic Chicken-Style Jackfruit
McDonald's Big Mac
Saturates
Eat Wholesome Organic Chicken-Style Jackfruit
McDonald's Big Mac
Sugar
Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers No Chicken Sweet & Sour with Tofu Fried Rice
Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut
Salt
Waitrose Vegan Green Thai Curry Soya Pieces & Rice
Pringles 1 Tube
The Nutritionist's View
The Nutritionist's View
"Vegan diets have become popular in the UK – both for environmental reasons and due to their health benefit. Indeed, many epidemiological studies show that plant-based diets reduce the risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes - conditions that are increasing at alarming rates worldwide.
"With increased public interest, food manufacturers have begun making convenience vegan meals, advertised as 'healthy' or 'wholesome' to entice consumers. Sadly, many of these meals lack the health-promoting attributes of plant-based diets. Instead, they are high in saturated fat, added sugar and salt - ingredients that increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
"Don’t be fooled by marketing on food packaging - always read the nutritional labels on convenience meals before you buy them. As a rule of thumb, adults should consume no more than 30g of added sugars and no more than 6g of salt per day. Saturated fat intake per day should be limited to 30g for men and 20g for women."
Dr Somi Igbene | MSc Human Nutrition ANutr
