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Are Meat Substitutes Any Better Than Red Meat?
There’s an overwhelming amount of information about red meat, and more people are exploring plant-based or lab-grown alternatives. But are these substitutes better, especially for someone who’s just had bariatric surgery?
Nutrition After Bariatric Surgery: Why Protein Matters
We all know that food is the body’s fuel. But it’s also the medicine your body needs to heal itself. Due to the significant changes surgery brings to your digestive system and how it processes food, your diet becomes one of the most crucial tools for healing and long-term success.
In the first weeks and months after surgery, your body is healing from the procedure while adjusting to a much smaller food volume. You have to be smart about what goes in. Choosing nutrient-dense foods helps prevent nutritional deficiencies, supports weight loss, and protects against muscle loss.
Protein provides the support your body needs for recovery. It helps rebuild tissue, supports the immune system, and plays a crucial role in maintaining muscle strength. The goal after bariatric surgery is to lose weight, but it should be mostly fat, not muscle. Eating enough protein can help you preserve lean body mass during weight loss.
Protein also helps with satiety – that full and satisfied feeling that keeps you from overeating. It also takes more energy to digest than carbohydrates, which slightly increases your overall calorie burn through a process called thermogenesis (the production of heat during digestion).
What Makes a “Good” Protein?
Not all proteins are created equal, and a “good” protein comes down to three main factors: quality, nutrient density, and digestibility.
A high-quality protein is minimally processed and typically low in additives, saturated fat, and added sugars. These are foods that are simple with no guesswork about how they were made. Choosing foods as close to their original form as possible will help you meet your nutritional needs without working against your weight loss goals or triggering other health issues.
Good proteins also come with helpful “bonus” nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, or fiber, depending on the source. Some protein-dense foods are rich in iron and vitamin B12, like red meat, while others provide omega-3 fatty acids, like fish, or gut-friendly fiber, like plant-based foods.
Post-surgery digestion can be sensitive, and it’s helpful to stick to proteins that are gentle on the digestive tract. Softer foods such as flaky fish, scrambled eggs, ground poultry, or Greek yogurt go down more easily than tougher meats like steak or pork chops, and you still get the protein punch you need. Over time, preferences and tolerances will shift, and you’ll be able to experiment with more variety.
Real Meat vs. Meat Substitutes: What’s the Difference?
Animal-based meats tend to have complete proteins that are also highly bioavailable, meaning your body can absorb and use them efficiently. A study comparing beef, lamb, and a plant-based burger found that red meat yielded significantly higher levels of plasma amino acids (meaning better protein bioavailability) even though hunger and fullness felt similar afterward.1 In other words, red meat delivers usable protein more efficiently.
For someone recovering from bariatric surgery, red meat helps replenish iron and B12, which can be harder to absorb post-surgery. But it often comes with higher saturated fat, which can raise cholesterol levels and may aggravate other underlying medical issues.
Processed meats (like bacon, sausage, and deli cuts) may be high in protein, but they’re also packed with sodium, preservatives, and unhealthy fats. It’s well known that diets high in ultra-processed foods are consistently linked to weight gain and a higher risk of obesity – best to avoid these or eat them rarely.
Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) like soy, pea protein, and mycoprotein are designed to mimic meat in taste and texture. Nutritionally, they tend to have less saturated fat and cholesterol, fewer calories, and a higher fiber content than red meat. Plant-based foods also can contain phytochemicals – naturally occurring compounds in plants that support antioxidant activity and immune health.
But there is a caveat…
PBMAs may not have as much nutritional value as real meats. A research study detailing the nutritional value of plant-based alternatives compared to unprocessed meat and fish found that the PBMAs typically had less protein and varied widely in their dietary scores. Even cheese alternatives ranked lower in nutritional quality than dairy cheese.2
This could be due to heavy processing. Plant-based substitutes (like soy burgers or pea-protein nuggets) are often seen as healthier swaps, but that depends on what’s inside. While usually lower in saturated fat, they can also be highly processed with added starches, sugars, fillers, and sodium. Make sure you’re reading the labels on your food – sometimes it can look healthier than it really is.
Sticking to PBMAs with fewer additives and more whole-food ingredients will help you feel fuller while delivering the necessary nutrients. The closer they are to their natural state, the better they’ll support weight management, digestion, and your overall health.
The verdict: No single protein source is perfect. Whether it comes from plants, animals, or a lab, what matters is the kind of baggage your protein is carrying. Is it ultra-processed? Does it contain hidden or undesirable ingredients? Some foods will be total wins while others are more like health-washed junk food.
11de Marco Castro, E., Valli, G., Buffière, C., Guillet, C., Mullen, B., Pratt, J., Horner, K., Naumann-Gola, S., Bader-Mittermaier, S., Paganini, M., De Vito, G., Roche, H. M., & Dardevet, D. (2022). Peripheral Amino Acid Appearance Is Lower Following Plant Protein Fibre Products, Compared to Whey Protein and Fibre Ingestion, in Healthy Older Adults despite Optimised Amino Acid Profile. Nutrients, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010035
22de las Heras-Delgado, S., Shyam, S., Cunillera, È., Dragusan, N., Salas-Salvadó, J., & Babio, N. (2023). Are plant-based alternatives healthier? A two-dimensional evaluation from nutritional and processing standpoints. Food Research International, 169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2023.112857
