Once people get that first initial bite, we usually get them hooked. It may taste like meat look like meat, but it's not your typical dish. They can sizzle roast and simmer plant based meats are filling up menus, whopper and flying off shelves, many consumers make the switch for health sustainability or animal welfare reasons. While plant based meat has wedged its place on the menu. Let's check in. Are these alternative meats truly good for us? It takes *** lot of ingenuity for plant based meats to mimic the look and taste of regular meat. The main protein sources we use are jack fruit, which is like an emulation of like *** pulled pork. We have *** vegan chicken that's *** soy based and we also have *** mushroom that we use and we use it as like *** mushroom asada. It comes out like *** steak. Where's the beef soy, pea wheat or gluten typically make up plant based meats. They also have *** type of fat to mimic the juicy texture of meat. Gum or thickener often creates *** springy or chewy texture salt. Of course, enhances the savory taste when compared to conventional ground beef the top meatless burgers are lower in calories, total fat, saturated fat and contained zero cholesterol. And because it's plant based, the alternative meats also provide fiber, but there's always *** catch sodium levels are at least four times as high as its meat counterpart. And while they are meat free, they're often fried salted or contained filler ingredients that don't add *** ton of nutritional value. While research is still fairly new studies have shown replacing red meat with plant based protein can be associated with lower risks of chronic diseases and mortality for years. Studies have shown animal agriculture emits around 10 to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Most of which comes from cows. On the other hand, plant based proteins don't need methane emitting animals or extra crops for feed, which means they have *** significantly smaller greenhouse gas footprint. According to the good food institute, *** think tank for alternative meats. If the demand for alternative proteins rises to even 11% of the protein market by 2035 they predict it could cut greenhouse gas emissions equal to decarbonizing the entire aviation industry. If it rose to 50% land use greenhouse gas emissions would decline by 31% by 2050. Beef production also uses more natural resources including land and fresh water than any other commonly consumed food. It's the single largest driver of habitat loss. On the other hand, experts say plant based proteins are much more land efficient since they would use resources directly instead of setting aside fields just to feed the animals. Plants provide two thirds of the global protein supply. On only 1/4 of agriculture land, the freed up land could help mitigate deforestation and habitat loss. While plant based proteins have come *** long way in taste, there's still one big deterrent to greater adoption. According to GF I plant based meat is two times as expensive as beef, more than four times more expensive than chicken and three times as expensive as pork per pound to lower the price. Experts suggest companies should drive up demand and scale up production for their products. Also increasing production of the ingredients in the products can potentially lower the production cost. Companies can also develop innovative technologies to become more cost efficient in production. Major meat businesses could also get involved by following these practices. Experts project plant based meat could be cost competitive with conventional meat by 2030 overall plant based meats can be healthy in moderation with *** balance of fruits, veggies and other nutritious food. When reaching for these items, read the label and make sure they're low in saturated fat and sodium. Add in other protein alternatives like legumes, seeds, nuts and whole grains. As more companies invest in producing plant based meat alternatives, nutrition and pricing should continue to improve.