ArticleAdvances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)2022
Perspective: Soy-based Meat and Dairy Alternatives, Despite Classification as Ultra-processed Foods, Deliver High-quality Nutrition on Par with Unprocessed or Minimally Processed Animal-based Counterparts.
Article in Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Reducing meat and/or dairy consumption in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effects on protein intake, anthropometric values, and body composition.Nutrition reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Before we tell people to avoid ultra-processed foods, can they identify them? The case for cognitive validity criteria in food classification.Public health nutrition · 2026Article
- Comparison of food processing classification frameworks in the NHANES 2017-2018.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- From Charcuterie to Plant-Based: HarnessingFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Artificial intelligence applications for assessing ultra-processed food consumption: a scoping review.The British journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Meatless Momentum: Food-Related Lifestyle Drivers of Plant-Based Meat Alternative Adoption.Nutrients · 2025Article
- A Nutritional Evaluation of Plant-Based Meat and Sausage Analogues.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Soybean Synergies: A Comprehensive Review on Novel Extraction Techniques and Their Role in Unlocking Health Potential.Food science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Sustainability Views and Intentions to Reduce Beef Consumption: An International Web-Based Survey.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Health and environmental impacts of shifting to plant-based analogues: a risk-benefit assessment.European journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- Should Grain-Based Staple Foods Be Included in Admonitions to "Avoid Processed and Ultra-Processed Food"?Nutrients · 2025Review
- Existing food processing classifications overlook the phytochemical composition of processed plant-based protein-rich foods.Nature food · 2025Article
- A Review of the Clinical and Epidemiologic Evidence Relevant to the Impact of Postdiagnosis Isoflavone Intake on Breast Cancer Outcomes.Current nutrition reports · 2025Review
- Nova fails to appreciate the value of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in the diet.Journal of food science · 2025Review
- Exploring Sustainable Future Protein Sources.Food science of animal resources · 2025Review
- Dietary guidance on plant-based meat alternatives for individuals wanting to increase plant protein intake.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Effect of sonoprocessing on the quality of plant-based analog foods: Compatibility to sustainable development goals, drawbacks and limitations.Ultrasonics sonochemistry · 2024Review
- Interaction of dairy and plant proteins for improving the emulsifying and gelation properties in food matrices: a review.Food science and biotechnology · 2024Review
- Exploring Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Diet Quality in the Context of Popular Low Carbohydrate and Plant-Based Dietary Approaches.Food science & nutrition · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
In many non-Asian countries, soy is consumed via soy-based meat and dairy alternatives, in addition to the traditional Asian soyfoods, such as tofu and miso. Meat alternatives are typically made using concentrated sources of soy protein, such as soy protein isolate (SPI) and soy protein concentrate (SPC). Therefore, these products are classified as ultra-processed foods (UPFs; group 4) according to NOVA, an increasingly widely used food-classification system that classifies all foods into 1 of 4 groups according to the processing they undergo. Furthermore, most soymilks, even those made from whole soybeans, are also classified as UPFs because of the addition of sugars and emulsifiers. Increasingly, recommendations are being made to restrict the consumption of UPFs because their intake is associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes. Critics of UPFs argue these foods are unhealthful for a wide assortment of reasons. Explanations for the proposed adverse effects of UPFs include their high energy density, high glycemic index (GI), hyper-palatability, and low satiety potential. Claims have also been made that UPFs are not sustainably produced. However, this perspective argues that none of the criticisms of UPFs apply to soy-based meat and dairy alternatives when compared with their animal-based counterparts, beef and cow milk, which are classified as unprocessed or minimally processed foods (group 1). Classifying soy-based meat and dairy alternatives as UPFs may hinder their public acceptance, which could detrimentally affect personal and planetary health. In conclusion, the NOVA classification system is simplistic and does not adequately evaluate the nutritional attributes of meat and dairy alternatives based on soy.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.