I’m a bit dumbfounded by the exorbiant amount of “vegan alternatives” on the market right now, each one vying to capture the attention of “health conscious” consumers.

Those who choose the vegan route as their modus operandi (to be clear, I don’t) have a great base message: eat more plants.

We could all benefit from more plants in our diet.

Somehow, in the mix of that, other messages have surfaced around the themes of meat being evil and going vegan to stop climate change. Those arguments are way too simplistic, but whatever. It’s the “alternatives” being developed to either sway others or capitalize on a market trend (possibly both, but I’m going to lean more towards the money on this one) that need addressing.

The alternatives (burgers, cheese, etc.) are really just glorified junk foods and completely miss the mark on getting your body to live off and develop a taste for plants. It’s a smokescreen, not a gateway.

Eating burgers, cheese and what not all day is still an unhealthy practice—even if it has the word ‘vegan’ in front of it.

This is just another example of corporations trying to have their cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, it won’t be the last time this happens.