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Letter: On the search for what makes junk food bad (1)

Published 30 June 2021

From Elizabeth Belben, Nettlebridge, Somerset, UK

One group of ultra-processed foods to which you paid little attention was meat substitutes. Unlike stereotypical junk foods, soya “meats” are typically high in fibre and protein and low in carbohydrates and fat, but are generally higher in salt than meat. As more people move to a vegetarian or low-meat diet, perhaps the environmental benefits of less meat consumption would outweigh the health risks of eating these processed foods.

Issue no. 3341 published 3 July 2021

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