Five reasons why seitan, also called “wheat meat” or vital wheat gluten is an unhealthy food that harms gut health. Consumers should be on the lookout for this stealth ingredient in sprouted bread and other “health” foods.
It never ceases to amaze me how manufacturers so brazenly play bait and switch with the food labels for their products. The latest ingredient game that educated consumers need to know about is seitan.
This is especially true for those who may be unknowingly eating it in the form of sprouted bread such as the very popular brand Ezekiel.
Seitan is “Wheat Meat”
In a nutshell, seitan is wheat meat. Wheat meat? Yes, people actually call it that! How can plant food be “meat”, you might ask? Let’s take an in-depth look at this immensely popular food ingredient with the groovy name.
So, what is this stuff? Seitan goes by many names that are all essentially the same thing:
- wheat meat
- vital wheat protein
- textured wheat protein
- wheat gluten
- organic wheat gluten
- vital gluten
- vital wheat gluten
It seems food manufacturers are springboarding off the immense success of hiding MSG in processed foods using dozens of aliases to confuse the consumer.
Masterful Marketing of a NonFood
You can see why branding gluten as seitan makes sense. It sounds rather hip, cool, whole, and healthy.
If you say “vital wheat protein” as you serve dinner, your guests may flee.
But if you say, “oh, this is just a little dish of seitan,” well, you are going to be the star!
This is especially slick marketing since gluten-containing grains aren’t all that in demand these days. Especially with the well-deserved reputation of toxic conventional wheat.
But seitan is anything but hip, cool, whole, or healthy.
Unfortunately, this ingredient is becoming more popular, especially among vegans and vegetarians who have to search high and low for sufficient dietary protein. This is especially true for plant-based diet fans who are allergic to soy. (1)
Those who espouse traditional diets are also eating it, mostly unknowingly. More on this below.
The Origins of Seitan
The Japanese word seitan is pronounced, “say-tan”.
Mmmm. Sounds a lot like the Western word “satan”.
Freudian slip on the part of manufacturers? You be the judge after reading this exposé.
The word was coined in 1961 by George Ohsawa, an advocate of the macrobiotic diet (a diet associated with extreme Vitamin D deficiency).
In 1962, wheat gluten sold as “seitan” began in Japan pioneered by Marushima Shoyu K.K.
It was introduced to the West in 1969 by the American company Erewhon.
History of Wheat Gluten as a Protein Source
Where and when did this stuff start? Interestingly, a rather long time ago, as early as the 6th century in China.
What was the main motivation? Religious groups, especially Buddhists, seeking to avoid meat were searching for a protein option to put on the table that was in line with their beliefs.
Besides being a non-meat source of protein, seitan’s other main attraction is its texture. Most meat substitutes don’t have a “meaty” texture at all. But seitan does.
Tofu, tempeh, and textured vegetable (soy) protein all make at best acceptable or endurable meat substitutes.
But seitan is different from these. It makes a rather good meat substitute, and thus, makes it all the more appealing to the unsuspecting masses.
Seitan is currently the most favored form for “mock meats.”
It is so good at being fake meat that when you look at pictures of foods made from good quality seitan, you may be hard-pressed to tell which are made from wheat and which are made from real meat. (2)
5 Reasons Seitan “Wheat Meat” is Unhealthy
So, we now know what it is, but is it good? First, seitan is basically pure wheat gluten.
For anyone with gluten/wheat issues, seitan is the satan of all foods.
It represents the purest and most potent form of gluten for those who are sensitive.
I wonder if its growing popularity at certain restaurants (especially vegan, vegetarian, and Asian) raises significant issues or problems with possible cross-contamination for those who are sensitive or allergic to gluten?
Second, this stuff is highly processed with a capital “P”. You can’t just isolate the gluten fraction of wheat with ease.
This processing also means many brands of seitan contain lots of other stuff, like very large amounts of added sodium, MSG, and other food additives.
Third, while it is high in protein, it is an incomplete and unbalanced source of this important macronutrient.
Seitan is very low in lysine and ultimately considered a source of low-quality protein even by the most forgiving of critics.
Being low in this amino acid is especially problematic and concerning if you are eating seitan as your primary source of protein with few other protein-rich foods in your diet. (3)
Fourth, if it is made from conventional wheat, it thus has been exposed to all the pesticides, herbicides, and other Big Ag chemicals that modern wheat production depends on.
Organic seitan would be better in this regard, but that doesn’t undo the issues listed above.
Finally, seitan made Shape magazine’s list of the top seven foods even nutritionists won’t eat. (4)
Wow, if nutritionists won’t eat this stuff most who still think a frankenfood like margarine is healthy, that is saying something!
No wonder food manufacturers are so desperate to hide its presence on the label using a myriad of other names!
Vital Wheat Gluten: Where it Hides in Your Food
In closing, let’s consider who is consuming this low-quality wheat by-product whether consciously or unwittingly.
A lot of bread makers use seitan even health food store brands. Many modern breads add additional “vital gluten” to improve the rise, texture, and elasticity of the bread.
It also gives the loaf integrity while shipping long distances and for stacking in warehouses.
Watch out for Sprouted Breads!
This is especially true, and maddeningly so, for expensive sprouted bread.
The popular brand Food For Life’s Ezekiel bread is guilty of this bait and switch perhaps more than any other commercial bread. (5)
Ezekiel markets its bread as “healthier” by using sprouted flour (which breaks down gluten to make it more digestible), charges an arm and a leg for a loaf, and then turns around and adds back the wheat gluten.
Talk about one step forward and three steps back!
The scam is reminiscent of the fake sourdough bread that seems to be everywhere too.
Watch out for “vital wheat gluten”, “organic wheat gluten”, or anything “gluten” in the ingredients of “healthy” bread choices.
If you are looking for a REAL sprouted loaf with NO wheat gluten, I recommend this sprouted loaf from a family bakery that will ship to your door.
Ultimately, wheat gluten as a food ingredient should have no appeal, organic or not, to consumers educated about traditional foods and gut health.
Reading food labels very closely is necessary to avoid it as it is increasingly appearing in pseudo-traditional foods that those in the health food community think are the real thing and are bringing into their homes.
(1) What is Seitan?
(2) What the Heck is Seitan, Really?
(3) Seitan vs Meat
(4) 7 Foods a Nutritionist Would Never Eat
(5) Food for Life (Ezekiel Bread) Containing Wheat Gluten
Thank you Sarah for sounding the dangers we need to be aware of. You are a bold and educated teacher and I appreciate your information regularly.
Seitan in and of itself isn’t bad for you, but it just depends on how you balance out the meal and the serving size. Obviously if that’s your only protein source then you’re gonna have gross hair, skin and nails and look like a starved prisoner like most vegans do 20 years down the line of their diet. Bolster seitan with nutritious vegetables and eating it sparingly isn’t bad at all, veganism aside. I’m not even vegan, I love meat too much and want to own my own home complete with chickens and maybe a pig or two one day, but sometimes you just wanna eat something that’s not meat as well as different from what you usually consume.
wow you are so wrong about so many things!
I am nutritionist and eat wheat gluten often
I am also an athlete
Everyday more and more professional athlete’s are transitioning to Veganism to gain more lean muscle and finding out a vegan diet is giving them the edge over their non vegan athletes. Check out the new documentary “game changers” coming out in 2019.
Athlete’s Transition to Veganism & how to gain lean muscle mass. “incomplete proteins” is a myth- your body stores the amino acids it needs and complements them when the other is received.
Many many of the comments above are dead wrong like the teeth comment.
No evidence to counter? Sounds like you are indoctrinated but don’t actually know WHY you believe what you believe or haven’t investigated it very deeply to see if it is actually true.
I get the worst headaches from this stuff and they are almost debilitating. I have no issue with wheat but this stuff is the devil. We all need protien and eating meat os not ethically wrong. We are a part of the food chain and are the only dumb enough to say no to eating meat . Animals seems to get it but we want to seem like we are better . Get over it and eat in moderation.
I agree. I also would play devils advocate by saying that I adore Seitan but in moderation. I have no gluten allergy but if I pig out on a bunch of seitan not accompanied with any complex carbs veggie ect I feel really bloated. Everything in moderation ofcourse.
Your link to Shape just says they won’t eat it because of the fear of gluten allergies. It’s rather like saying none of us should eat peanuts because some folks may find they have allergies.
I can’t deny that especially as the vegan diet has grown in popularity, the attitudes of certain adopters can be ignorant and aggressive. However that’s an unfortunate result of peoples nature and the way that social media allows these people to spread their ‘message’. Nobody should be forced into eating a vegan diet, I don’t even believe that this behaviour is an effective way to change people’s minds.
Regarding the Fertility issues, I can only go on the studies that have been performed as I don’t really have any anecdotal evidence. I haven’t seen any that suggest eating a vegan diet will cause these problems. I do understand however that missing crucial nutrients for extended periods might though.
I think a big problem of vegan dieting, particularly with its recent rise in popularity, is people failing to eat a properly well rounded diet. As when you stop eating animal products you lose your main source of a lot of different nutrients, for example: calcium, vitamin b12, iron, omega 3 fatty acids etc. I wonder if a large number of people who switch to a vegan diet, fail to take these things into account and miss certain nutrients, therefore absolutely causing themselves a problem. However if you’re consuming a wide variety of foods with an emphasis on well-rounded nutrition, I can’t see that it would be different from eating a diet consisting of meat, eggs & dairy. I think we can all agree that a lot of people eat an unhealthy diet that does allow meat & dairy, missing out on nutrients and overdoing others.
No matter what the diet, it seems an understanding of how to eat healthily and what the body needs is the key to health.
Veganism is by definition unbalanced since humans very OBVIOUSLY have omnivore teeth (neither are our teeth herbivore or carnivore but a mix of the two) … hence the need for supplements like B12 to ensure that terrible deficiencies don’t develop. If you choose to be vegan, great … just keep it to yourself and don’t suck other people into this unhealthy way of eating. I write articles such as this to help those sucked in by vegan evangelizers to wake up before their teeth quite literally start falling out (like how longtime vegan Demi Moore’s two front teeth famously fell out … she attributed it to “stress”) Sorry, no matter how stressed a properly nourished omnivore is, he/she will not experience front teeth falling out. MANY “properly nourished” vegans have serious tooth issues.
Why are you so against vegans? There’s no chance vegans struggling to reach their daily protein intake if they’re consuming a good mix of nuts, seeds, beans, lentils etc. In fact there’s really no reason I can think of for a responsible vegan (that does their due diligence and eats a sensible, varied diet) to suffer any negative consequences as a result.
I see that you mention vitamin b12, but what’s the harm taking a b12 supplement? It’s actually recommended for many people, especially as you approach 50+ vegan or not. Many people choose to take supplements to help get what their daily diet would be missing out on, is this an issue as well?
Even for vegans, I absolutely think that eating eggs from chickens you can guarantee are responsibly farmed (i.e. a local source you personally visit) is fine. I also think it would be fine to drink milk if producing milk in an ethical manner was economical. Veganism isn’t about following a strict set of rules without question; it’s purely about doing your best towards not exploiting living beings because we consider them a convenient protein source and like the taste.
I agree when you say that vegans should hold no moral high ground over non-vegans, but in a society where we can choose to consume foods that don’t cause the death & torture of living beings, is it not a good choice to do so?
[I’m new to your content and I’m not here to cause an issue, I think choosing to live and eat healthily is great and I’m sure the information you provide is fantastic. Just questioning these points in the spirit of debate.]
Vegans are harming people with their aggressive evangelizing of their food philosophy and judgmental, sometimes even vicious attitude (in many cases) against those who eat meat or other animal foods. They are especially harming young women … preying on them to eat this way which harms their reproductive capability later in life. Can’t tell you how many former vegan women I know who can’t get pregnant. Yes, some still can … lucky you. N=1 doesn’t mean most former vegans don’t have serious issues.
How can you even justify eating living beings? That’s just pathetic. This has nothing to do with spirituality. It’s just morally wrong. You have a choice and you choose to kill a life every time you eat.
You poor vegans. You just can’t hear carrots scream. LOL
Animals do not MAKE PROTEIN. They GET their protein from plants,
Only PLANTS do.
Vegans are fine with Vitamin B12 which is from the soil that animals eat.
Luckily, vitamin B12 is made by bacteria and doesn’t need to be obtained from animal products.
The B12 made by bacteria in your gut isn’t actually usable. https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/vitamin-b12-critical-nutrient-found-only-in-animal-foods/
I certainly hope you are taking a B12 supplement or you are in real trouble.