Quorn mince – is it actually healthy?
We've written previously about how much we love many of the Quorn products and hands down one of our favorite products in the entire Quorn range would be the Quorn mince.
It tastes pretty similar to the real thing, and it's really easy to cook and store. We've used Quorn mince to make delicious Bolognese, chili con carne, and more.
But even though Quorn is a vegetarian product, there are still questions over.
Quorn mince has quickly become one of the most popular products within the entire Quorn range.
But even though Quorn mince is a vegetarian product, there are still question marks about how healthy Quorn mince actually is. After all, you find it in the freezer aisle of the supermarket and typically people don't associate products in the freezer with things that are healthy (you'll find Quorn mince between the turkey dinosaurs and french fries).
So we wanted to get to the bottom of how healthy Quorn mince actually is. We'll be looking at how it compares to beef mince and also how it stacks up generally. Let's get into the article:
How does Quorn mince compare to beef mince?
First of all, let's look at how Quorn mince compares to beef mince. Something that we've touched upon previously and something that we've touched upon in previous articles.
Looking at the protein content, it's almost identical. Quorn mince has approximately 13 grams of protein per 100 grams and beef mince has about 14 grams of protein per 100 grams.
But where it starts to get really interesting is when you look at the calorie content. Quorn mince has less than a third of the calories per 100 grams - 92 calories per 100 grams, whereas beef mince contains 332 calories per 100 grams, which is pretty hefty.
Quorn mince also has a lot less saturated fat per 100 grams at 1.7g versus beef mince at 11 grams.
One other nutritional element of Quorn mince which is really interesting to note is the fibre content - Quorn mince contains approximately 7.5g of fiber per 100g, whereas beef mince contains virtually none.
Lastly, although it doesn't relate to human health, Quorn mince is much healthier for the planet compared to beef mince. According to Quorn, it requires 95% less CO2 to produce their mycoprotein compared to what it takes to produce beef mince, so that's a win for the planet too.
So it's pretty clear to see that when it comes to the nutritional information. Quorn mince beats beef mince hands down.
What is Quorn mince made of?
But as we all know, it's never quite as simple as that. We can't get around the fact that Quorn mince is a highly processed food, and generally speaking, it is not good to eat processed food.
Like all Quorn products, Quorn mince is made from a natural fungus that grows in the soil called Fusarium venenatum. This fungus is then taken to a lab where it's turned into mycoprotein via the fermentation process.
We know that processed foods are generally not as good for us as foods which haven't been processed, so you always have to consider that when thinking when talking about how healthy Quorn mince actually is.
What else do you need to consider?
There's some other things to consider about corn mins before you go and fill your entire your entire shopping basket with it with bags of Quorn mince.
Some, some people experience adverse reactions to foods which contain mycoprotein like Quorn mince. These can include symptoms such as diarrhea, and obviously, any food which gives you diarrhea can never really be described as healthy. Obviously, this won't affect everyone, but it can affect quite a significant number of people. So our recommendation would be to try a small amount of Quorn mince with a meal before committing to buying before committing to tacking your entire freezer with bags of it.
There's also an argument to be made the Quorn mince isn't very filling, especially when compared to beef mince.
So while this might not be a problem for many people, it might actually encourage some people to snack after dinner or after they've eaten Quorn mince. So again it's something to consider, but overall I think it's hard to deny that Quorn mince isn't a healthy product.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I think it's hard to argue with with the nutritional content of Quorn mince, especially when compared to beef mince. You're still getting a great amount of protein but just without all of the calories and saturated fat.
Even if you don't want to drop meat entirely we think it's really beneficial to try and swap your normal beef mince for Quorn mince at least once a week. So give it a try!
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.