Plant-Based Swaps: The Balance Between Macronutrient Shifts and Health Impacts

Swapping meat for plant-based options and mycoprotein lowers saturated fat but also reduces protein intake — a tradeoff that shifts nutrient contributions across age groups.

A like-for-like substitution model using a retail nutrient database linked to national diet survey intakes showed consistent macronutrient shifts: saturated fat fell modestly, dietary fiber rose meaningfully, and total protein declined, most markedly when burgers, sausages, and processed poultry were replaced.

Modeled reductions in saturated fat were approximately 2.6–3.0% of reference intake when all meat categories were swapped to plant-based alternatives; fiber increases were consistent across age groups, while protein contribution to recommended intakes decreased in adolescents and older adults.

The magnitude of saturated fat reduction is small and unlikely to produce a meaningful LDL‑cholesterol decline at the population level: the modeled drop falls short of the typical 5–6% energy-from-saturated-fat reduction generally associated with measurable LDL improvements. In short, like-for-like meat-to-plant swaps alone are unlikely to drive substantial short-term changes in cholesterol metrics.