Vegan diets are not always easy to do. Its drawbacks are not limited to requiring meticulous planning so that it does not adversely affect health, but also means missing out on delicious dishes like chicken . Fortunately, with alternatives like heura this no longer has to be a problem.
This wonderful food is currently giving much to talk about in the vegan community, as it is an alternative to chicken loaded with multiple benefits that justify its success . It is not about replacing only the flavor of the chicken, but also its nutritional value.
This is excellent news for people who practice the vegan diet, which currently has approximately three million followers in Spain, since it is a way to enjoy classic chicken recipes without having to resort to ingredients of animal origin.
What is heura?
It is natural to have many doubts about vegan chicken, as it sounds like a revolutionary product and to some extent it is. The mind behind this food is Marc Coloma, an entrepreneur from Barcelona who founded the startup “ Foods for Tomorrow” . The objective of this company is to encourage the consumption of 100% vegetable and organic food, something that can be seen reflected in the heura, its star product .
Vegan chicken has been made possible by cutting-edge “wet extrusion” methods, an innovative technique that allows vegan foods to be created from other plant products . Although it is difficult to believe, this food with a texture, appearance and taste similar to chicken has been created from a legume.
Specifically, the raw material behind heura is soy. Therefore, it is natural that the benefits for the body of soy can also be found in vegan chicken. This is because this legume has a high concentration of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Benefits and ingredients of heura
Heura wouldn’t be a good substitute for chicken if it just offered the same flavor. Fortunately, the benefits that it is able to provide are also similar to those offered by chicken . In this sense, it can be said that it is a great ally for planning a vegan diet, since it makes it much easier.
This is possible thanks to the fact that it provides enough nutritional values to counteract many of the nutritional deficits that often occur when improperly planning a vegan diet .
Speaking more specifically, heura contains vitamin B12, iron and fiber in moderate amounts. It is completely free of gluten and cholesterol. In addition, it is a low-fat food, so those who are not interested in a vegan diet can consume it in their weight loss diets .
At the edible level it is also very similar to chicken, as it has a fibrous appearance and a meaty texture . This is achieved through complex texturing processes that are behind its preparation. Its similarity is so great that it can be easily confused with chicken.
It should be noted that it can also be used as a vegan alternative to chicken in recipes that require this ingredient. Dishes like rice with chicken or chicken salads can finally be prepared by vegans .
Ingredients
Obviously, this wonderful food is not made only with soy . In its composition there are also other foods, which are not of plant origin, such as sunflower oil, water, salt, spices, flavoring, pepper, paprika, ginger, mace, cardamom and nutmeg .
Thanks to all these ingredients, heura is presented as a food rich in proteins, minerals, unsaturated fats and vitamins .
Nutritional properties
With regard to the nutritional properties of heura, it must be said that they are quite interesting. Its macronutrients such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates stand out. Likewise, its caloric density is also excellent, since it has only 126 kcal per 100 grams, which is why it is so effective for losing weight.
Regarding the proportions of each of its macronutrients, it must be said that it has 20 grams of protein , 2 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fat for every 100 grams of heura. To this we must add that it barely has 1 gram of salt and 6.5 grams of fiber.
Most of the proteins that make up the nutritional properties of this food are found in soybeans. It should be remembered that this legume is known for its high lysine content . Also, since it is gluten-free, coeliacs will be able to consume heura without inconvenience.
Regarding vitamin B12, it is added as a supplement, so that it does not have artificial colors or preservatives , increasing the quality of the food.
According to what was expressed by the creators of this food, heura is capable of providing more protein than eggs , more fiber than tofu and more iron than spinach.
Ecological impact
Heura has not become popular just because it is a great alternative to chicken, but also because it is an environmentally friendly food . The creators of this food have mentioned that only 908 liters of water are needed to create one kilogram of heura, while to produce the same amount of beef, fifteen thousand liters of water are necessary .
They also mention that a kilogram of meat needs twenty kilograms of cereals to be produced and the heura barely requires half a kilo of soybeans .
Does heura have disadvantages?
Heura is not a perfect food and that is something that must be very clear. To begin with, due to the novelty of this food, its price is also high. A kilo of heura has a cost of 27 euros . This makes it a somewhat exclusive food, so that people with low purchasing power may not be able to consume it regularly.
Also, the price is not the only reason why heura can be a bit difficult to obtain. It happens that it was not long ago that it was released, so it has not been possible to take it to all the traditional grocery stores. Currently, the easiest way to get it is through stores specialized in vegetarian or vegan products .
The good news is that this problem may only be temporary. The creators of this food have planned to massify its commercialization, causing more and more stores that have it for sale .
In conclusion, heura is the food that many practitioners of the vegan diet or their kitchen have been waiting for. However , it is still an innovative product , so it may take a few more years before it becomes an everyday part of the diet of vegans and vegetarians around the world.
References
- King, JP (2020). Heura, the butcher shop of the 21st century: Bernat Añaños. Interactiva: Journal of communication and digital marketing , (191), 62-65.
- Méndez, R. (2019, November 22). Heura, the new meat that is all the rage: these are its benefits for the diet. The Spanish. https://www.elespanol.com/ciencia/nutricion/20191122/heura-nueva-carne-causa-furor-beneficios-dieta/445205859_0.html
- Rodriguez, E. (2019, February 20). La Heura: Vegetable alternative to chicken meat. Easy and simple Home Cooking Recipes – Home Cooking. https://cocina-casera.com/heura-alternativa-vegetal-carne-pollo/#:%7E:text=Beneficios%20e%20ingredientes%20de%20la%20Heura&text=Contains%20levels%20moderados%20de%20hierro,una % 20diet% 20healthy% 20de% 20 slimming.