From vegoutmag.com
By Avery White
Going vegan was supposed to make me healthier, but I spent two years unknowingly filling my cart with products that were barely better than what I'd given up
I'll be honest with you. When I first went vegan about ten years ago, I thought I was making all the right choices for my health. I'd walk through the grocery store, tossing anything labelled "plant-based" into my cart, feeling pretty virtuous about the whole thing.
Then I started actually reading labels. And let me tell you, it was a wake-up call.
Just because something is vegan doesn't automatically make it healthy. In fact, some of the most heavily processed foods on the market today are plant-based. The food industry has gotten incredibly clever at taking whole ingredients and transforming them into products that barely resemble anything that once grew in the ground.
After years of learning to navigate this landscape, both through my own trial and error and by staying current with nutritional research, I've identified the biggest culprits. These are the ultra-processed vegan foods that might be sabotaging your health goals, even when you think you're doing everything right.
1) Vegan deli slices with endless ingredient lists
Pick up a package of vegan deli meat and flip it over. Go ahead, I'll wait.
If you're staring at a list of 20+ ingredients with names you can't pronounce, that's your first red flag. Many plant-based deli slices are essentially science experiments held together with methylcellulose, modified starches, and a cocktail of preservatives.
The thing is, these products often contain as much sodium as their meat counterparts, sometimes even more. We're talking 400-500mg per serving, which can add up fast when you're making a sandwich.
When I volunteer at the farmers' market on Saturdays, I talk to people all the time who've swapped conventional deli meat for vegan versions, thinking they've made a healthy upgrade. But they're often just trading one set of problems for another.
Look for options with recognizable ingredients or better yet, use whole foods like seasoned tempeh, marinated tofu, or hummus as your sandwich fillings instead.
2) Plant-based chicken nuggets loaded with additives
I get it. The convenience factor is real. You're tired after work, and those vegan nuggets in the freezer are calling your name.
But here's what's actually in most of them: isolated pea protein, various gums and thickeners, artificial flavouring, and often a disturbing amount of sodium and saturated fat from coconut or palm oil. The breading is usually made from refined flour with zero nutritional value.
These products are engineered to mimic the texture and taste of chicken, which requires serious food science. That means heavy processing and additives your body doesn't recognize as real food.
During my years analysing financial statements in the investment world, I learned to read between the lines. The same skill applies to ingredient labels. When a company lists "natural flavours" near the top, that's often code for "we added a bunch of stuff to make this taste like something it's not."
If you're craving something crispy and satisfying, try making baked chickpeas or tofu nuggets at home. You control exactly what goes in.
3) Dairy-free cheese that's mostly oil and starch
This one hurt me personally because I love cheese. Or loved it, before going vegan.
Most vegan cheeses on the market are primarily made from refined oils, typically coconut or palm kernel oil, combined with starches and emulsifiers to create that stretchy, melty texture. They're calorie-dense but nutrient-poor.
The fat content in these products often rivals or exceeds regular cheese, but without any of the protein or calcium you'd get from dairy. You're essentially eating flavoured oil that's been moulded into cheese shape.
I spent two years trying every vegan cheese I could find before accepting that most of them weren't doing my body any favours. Now I use nutritional yeast, cashew cream I make myself, or just skip the cheese alternative altogether.
Some newer brands are using fermented nuts and cultures to create more nutritious options, but you have to actively seek these out and be prepared to pay more for them.
4) Breakfast cereals masquerading as health food
Just because the box has a leaf on it and says "plant-based" doesn't mean that cereal is good for you.
Many vegan cereals are loaded with added sugars, often in multiple forms like cane sugar, brown rice syrup, and fruit juice concentrates. They're made from refined grains that have been stripped of fibre and nutrients, then sometimes "fortified" with synthetic vitamins.
Your blood sugar spikes, crashes, and leaves you hungry an hour later. That's not nourishment, that's a blood sugar rollercoaster.
I used to grab whatever looked healthy on the shelf, focusing only on the vegan label. But when I started paying attention to how I felt after eating different foods, I noticed a pattern. The heavily processed cereals left me foggy and reaching for more food by mid-morning.
These days, I make overnight oats with whole oat groats, chia seeds, and fresh fruit. It takes five minutes to prepare the night before, and it actually keeps me satisfied.
5) Veggie burgers that are really just binders and fillers
Not all veggie burgers are created equal, and some are basically compressed sawdust held together with questionable ingredients.
The worst offenders contain mostly soy protein isolate or textured vegetable protein, which are highly processed ingredients extracted from whole soybeans. They're bulked up with fillers like methylcellulose, use maltodextrin for texture, and contain enough sodium to make your blood pressure spike just reading the label.
Compare this to a burger made from whole black beans, oats, vegetables, and spices. The difference in both nutrition and how your body processes them is night and day.
When I'm running trails in the morning, I can actually feel the difference between days when I've eaten real, whole foods versus days when I've relied on these ultra-processed options. My energy is steadier, my recovery is better, and I don't get that heavy, sluggish feeling.
If you're buying store-bought veggie burgers, look for short ingredient lists with foods you recognize. Or make a batch at home and freeze them. Your body will thank you.
6) Plant-based ice cream packed with saturated fat
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but most dairy-free ice creams aren't the health food some people think they are.
Many brands rely heavily on coconut cream or coconut oil as their base, which means they're loaded with saturated fat. Some contain even more saturated fat per serving than regular ice cream. Add in the sugar, which is often comparable to conventional options, and you've got a dessert that's just as indulgent as what it's replacing.
The texture also requires emulsifiers, stabilizers, and often additional sweeteners beyond just sugar, like corn syrup or brown rice syrup.
Does this mean you should never eat vegan ice cream? Of course not. I certainly enjoy it occasionally. But let's not pretend it's a health food just because it's plant-based. It's still a treat, and it should be enjoyed as one.
For everyday frozen desserts, I blend frozen bananas with a bit of nut butter and cocoa powder. It satisfies the same craving without all the processing.
7) Meat substitute crumbles with mystery ingredients
Those packages of "beef" or "turkey" style crumbles might seem like a convenient way to add protein to your meals, but take a closer look at what's actually in them.
Most are made from textured vegetable protein or soy protein concentrate, both highly processed derivatives of soybeans. They're typically loaded with sodium, often containing 300-400mg per tiny serving. The seasoning packets that come with some brands add even more salt plus MSG and artificial flavours.
The texture is achieved through extrusion processing, which involves high heat and pressure that can damage the nutritional quality of the proteins. What you end up with is a product that's far removed from the whole soybeans it started as.
During my financial analyst days, I learned that when companies obscure information, there's usually a reason. The same applies to food labels. When you see vague terms like "natural flavours" or "spices" without specifics, the manufacturer is hiding something.
Try using cooked lentils, crumbled tempeh, or finely chopped mushrooms instead. They provide texture and protein without the processing.
8) Ready-made vegan meals with astronomical sodium levels
Those frozen vegan dinners and pre-packaged meals are convenient, no question. But convenience often comes at a cost.
Most of these meals contain well over 700mg of sodium per serving, with some hitting 1000mg or more. That's nearly half your daily recommended intake in one meal. The high sodium is necessary to preserve the food and make up for flavour lost during processing.
They also tend to be light on vegetables and heavy on refined carbohydrates and processed proteins. The portions often look substantial but leave you hungry because they're not providing the fibre and nutrients your body actually needs.
I get that life is busy. Mine certainly is, between writing, running, and my volunteer work. But I've found that batch cooking whole food meals on Sunday takes about the same time as it would take to prepare several of these processed dinners throughout the week, and the nutritional payoff is enormous.
If you must rely on convenience meals occasionally, read labels carefully and look for options with recognizable ingredients and sodium levels under 500mg per serving.
Final thoughts
Look, I'm not here to shame anyone for their food choices. Going vegan is already a significant step, and it deserves recognition.
But I think we owe it to ourselves to be informed about what we're actually eating. The plant-based food industry has exploded in recent years, and not all of that growth has been in our best interest. Some of it is just corporations capitalizing on a trend, creating highly processed products that they can sell at premium prices.
The whole point of choosing plant-based foods, for many of us, is to improve our health and reduce our impact on the planet. Ultra-processed foods often undermine both of those goals.
Reading "Laughing in the Face of Chaos" by Rudá Iandê reinforced something I've come to believe deeply: your body is your wisest teacher.
When you start paying attention to how different foods make you feel, rather than just following labels and marketing claims, everything changes. The book inspired me to trust my own physical experience more than the noise of dietary dogma.
Start reading ingredient labels. Notice how you feel after eating different foods. Experiment with whole food alternatives. And remember that being vegan doesn't require eating products that come from a factory. Some of the best plant-based meals are the simplest ones, made from ingredients your great-grandmother would recognize.
You don't have to be perfect. But you do deserve to know what you're putting in your body.
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