EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (KABC) -- There are all kinds of meat alternatives on the market. Beefless sliders, smoky tempeh, black-bean burgers and more make it easy to pass on traditional animal protein.
One new company goes past the typical tofu-type chicken patty. They take water, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates and the mineral structure of meat to make a pretty convincing alternative.
"We can take those same sources, but from the plant kingdom and we can assemble them in exactly the same structure as meat," said Ethan Brown, CEO of Beyond Meat.
Beyond Meat restructures plant protein into mock meat to the point where it might fool your family.
Along with a copycat burger, the texture of their chicken-free strips shred like the real deal, but have no cholesterol, trans and saturated fats or antibiotics and hormones found in many animal protein sources.
We can change our risk of many life-threatening diseases by altering the way we eat. Health experts suggest foods with naturally occurring fiber and heart-healthy fats are a great place to start.
Beyond Meat products are gluten-free, have a couple grams of fiber and between 10 to 20 grams of protein per serving that comes from pea and soy isolate.
Wellness expert Lisa Gorman of St. Joseph Wellness Center in Irvine, cautions about ingredients like soy protein isolate.
"One of the good rules of thumb to remember is to eat as close to the source as possible, the way nature intended. So if you're going to incorporate soy, you want to incorporate a soy bean like an edamame fresh from the pod," said Gorman.
She prefers organic whole soy or non-GMO soy.
"You're looking at beans and peas and lentils and those types of products, in addition to whole grains," she said.