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Hello, this is 6 Minute English
from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Georgie. If you've heard
about Meat-Free Mondays or Veganuary,
you probably know about a trend
which an increasing number
of people are trying – to reduce,
or even stop, eating meat.
This is often for health, animal
welfare, or environmental reasons.
Instead, people are getting
their daily amount of protein
through plant-based alternatives –
meat-free sausages and burgers
made using ingredients like soy,
tofu or fungi,
as well as tempeh, beans or nuts.
Have you tried any of these
plant-based meat alternatives, Georgie?
Yes, I have.
I have lots of vegetarian friends,
so I've been to veggie barbecues
and have tried the plant-based
sausages and burgers.
I quite like them as long as they're
covered in sauce. What about you?
Yeah, I think I agree.
They're fine.
There's a reason for them,
but I'm not sure
they're as good as the real thing.
Now, with processed meat being linked
to diseases like diabetes and cancer,
most doctors agree that
plant-based options are healthier.
But some people are worried about how
plant-based alternatives are made,
including radio listener Graham
Glover, who asked this question
to BBC Radio 4 programme,
Sliced Bread.
Well, my question is —
looking at these vegetable sausages,
how they are processed,
full of additives and flavourings
and colourings — are they
any healthier than a pork sausage?
In this episode,
we'll be finding out
whether plant-based foods really are
a healthier alternative to meat.
And as usual, we'll be learning
some useful new words and phrases.
Remember, you can find
all the vocabulary,
along with a quiz and a worksheet, on
our website bbclearningenglish.com.
But now I have a question
for you, Georgie.
Listener Graham loves
eating sausages, but do you know
which of the following words means
sausages in British English slang?
Is it a) booze, b) banger,
or c) brunch?
So, I actually know the answer
to this question,
so I'm not going to say.
Otherwise,
it will spoil it for our listeners.
OK. Well, we'll all find out
at the end of the programme.
Although most research agrees
that plant-based foods are healthier
than meat, it's also true that
meat-free products are processed.
To make meat-free sausages,
for example,
after the proteins are broken down,
flavourings and colourings are added to
reproduce the taste or texture of meat.
Quorn, one of the best-known brands
of meat-free products,
uses mycoprotein,
a fungi-based protein similar
to the fungi used in the fermentation
of yoghurt and bread.
So, what does listener Graham think?
Let's find out as he talks to Greg Foot,
presenter of BBC Radio 4's Sliced Bread.
Graham, listening to all this, you know,
normally a fan of a meat sausage –
you're plant-based,
meat-alternative, sausage curious,
that we're exploring today –
what do you think about hearing about
the sources of where they come from?
What's your gut reaction to hearing
that Quorn comes from a fungus?
I have no problems with that...
it's just another form of protein,
as far as I'm concerned –
it's what's the healthiest.
Yes, we will get to health.
I think that's the big conversation
for today.
Greg asks Graham
for his gut reaction.
Your gut reaction is your opinion
based on your initial feeling
or instinct about something.
It can't be explained logically.
Actually, Graham doesn't mind
that his sausage protein is a fungus,
as long as it's healthy.
He uses the phrase,
as far as I am concerned,
to indicate that he is giving
his own opinion on the subject.
Of course,
healthy eating is important,
but there are other factors influencing
whether meat-lovers like Graham
could be persuaded to try
plant-based alternatives.
These include things like the taste,
colour and texture
of the sausage – in other words,
whether a plant-based sausage looks
and feels like real meat.
Here's Greg discussing this point for
BBC Radio 4 programme, Sliced Bread.
It's interesting, isn't it?
Because my mum is a long-time veggie,
and we were talking about this,
and she says: I don't want my, you know,
alternative proteins to resemble meat.
That's one of the reasons she says
she doesn't eat meat.
But you, Graham,
you said you do want
your plant-based sausage to resemble
a pork sausage.
Yeah, I've always been a meat eater,
but I do need a plant-based product
to be similar
in terms of flavour, texture,
and appearance.
Graham wants his plant-based sausages to
resemble, meaning look similar to, meat.
But that's not the case for
Greg's mum, who's a long-time veggie.
A veggie is slang for a vegetarian,
a person who doesn't eat meat.
And the adjective long-time describes
someone who has been
or done a particular thing
for many years.
So, a long-time veggie is someone
who's been vegetarian for many years.
Whether you want your veggie sausages
to look, taste and feel like meat,
or you prefer your protein
from a plant,
now there's every chance you'll find
what you're looking for...
...and keep your body,
and planet, healthy as well.
Now, isn't it time you revealed
the answer to your question, Neil?
Yes, I asked what the British English
slang word for sausages is.
And what is it, Georgie?
The answer is banger.
And we have a typical dish
in the UK called bangers and mash,
which is sausages and mash.
Mmm, love it – with gravy.
OK. Let's recap the vocabulary
we've learned,
starting with banger,
a word which is slang for sausage.
Your gut reaction is your opinion
about something,
based on instinctive feelings,
not logic or reason.
The phrase,
as far as I am concerned,
can be used to give your opinion
about something.
To resemble means to look
or be similar to something.
A veggie is slang for a vegetarian –
someone who doesn't eat meat.
And finally, the adjective,
long-time, can be used to say
that someone has done
a particular thing for many years.
Once again, our six minutes are up,
but remember you can find
worksheets, quizzes,
and loads more resources
to improve your English
over on our website,
bbclearningenglish.com.
See you there soon,
but for now, goodbye!
Goodbye!
Vocabulary
Word 1 of 14animal welfare
phrase
0:24
"the health and good treatment of animals."
More Listening Practice
About this lesson
Examine whether plant-based meat alternatives are truly healthier than real meat in this 6 Minute English episode.