Comparative nutritional assessment of vegetarian and nonvegetarian ready-to-eat foods

This study aimed to assess the nutritional adequacy of vegetarian ready-to-eat convenience foods, focusing on gimbap, rice ball, and sandwich products.

We examined 114 vegetarian and 414 nonvegetarian ready-to-eat products and compared their energy and nutrient contents to gain useful insights for consumers when making informed choices and for producers when developing nutritionally balanced vegetarian convenience foods.

Compared with nonvegetarian products, vegetarian convenience foods had a significantly greater carbohydrate content per serving and significantly lower protein, sodium, and cholesterol contents. Although vegetarian gimbap was significantly more costly than the nonvegetarian gimbap, its cholesterol and saturated fat contents were significantly lower. Vegetarian rice balls had a significantly lower trans fat content than their nonvegetarian counterparts. Sandwiches in the vegetarian options had a significantly higher sugars content but had significantly lower protein and sodium contents than those in the nonvegetarian options. Vegetarian convenience foods did not meet one-third of the daily nutrient reference values for a single meal, similar to their nonvegetarian counterparts, but their sodium content exceeded the daily reference value. However, unlike the nonvegetarian options, the sodium content of vegetarian sandwiches did not exceed the daily value.

Vegetarian convenience foods contain higher levels of carbohydrates and sugars and lower levels of protein, sodium, and cholesterol than nonvegetarian convenience foods. Foods such as vegetarian gimbap, rice balls, and sandwiches do not provide sufficient energy or nutrients to meet the nutritional requirements for a single meal. Creating nutritionally balanced vegetarian convenience foods should be the focus when developing new vegetarian food products.