Answer: No.
Slim Jims is a world-renowned brand of high-protein meat sticks produced by Conagra Brands. Widely sold and highly popularized by advertising campaigns, Slim Jims are one of the leading snack varieties in the United States, selling over 569 million sticks per year.
Slim Jims aren’t vegan, as all their products are meat-based; chicken, pork, and beef. People love Slim Jims for their flavor, protein content, and consumer-friendliness, but meat sticks also have more fats than protein and a decent amount of carbs.
Slim Jims is neither halal nor kosher too. Today, there are over 21 varieties of Slim Jims, most of which are made with a blend of meats (ugh). The sausage sticks maintain their red, meaty appearance using sodium nitrite; otherwise, they’d be grey and unappealing.
Slim Jims is best known for meat sticks, but bacon jerky, pork rinds, and beefsteak strips are also widely sold. Also, they’re usually more affordable than beef jerky and other snack meats, but they tend to trade off quality with flavor and color additives to make their products tastier.
Nonetheless, the more popular meat-based snacks become, the more cows, pigs, and chickens are needed to suffice the ever-growing demand, which we simply can’t stand negligent of.
One way to help lessen the consumption of meaty snacks is to introduce plant-based snacks that would be overall better than the original but would also have the same characteristics that most people, including non-vegans, enjoy.
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Vegan Substitutes For Slim Jims
Despite Slim Jims being synonymous with “meat stick” and road trip snacks in North America, vegan snack sausages are now available and slowly rising to fame, even among viciously carnivorous ones. In comparison, vegan “Slim Jims” might be the better version.
Viana Veggie Snack Sausage
Available in multiple online stores; Fake Meats, Amazon, Vegan Supply CA, Vegan Essentials, and Walmart, Viana Veggie Snack Sausages are the new, high-protein “meat” sticks that everyone should try. Please note that we aren’t affiliated with any of the links mentioned above.
Viana is a vegan/vegetarian-oriented company that sells 100% plant-based “meat” substitutes and is strongly committed to healthier and more fulfilling alternatives to cholesterol-aggravating meat products. They have various savory products such as veggie chicken fillets and nuggets, veggie sausages, steaks, and firm tofu.
Viana Veggie Snack Sausages come in three flavors: Mild Jumbo, Picnicker, and Spicy Snacker. These plant-based sausages are made up of soy, wheat, nuts, proteins, sunflower oil, almond flour, locust bean gum, and other spices for flavor.
Comparing Slim Jims Original Giant Meat Stick and Viana Mild Jumbo Snack Sausage, both come with 130 cal per stick, but Slim Jims also contains 10 g total fat (3.5 g saturated), 30 mg cholesterol, 450 mg sodium, 5 g carbs, and 6 g protein, while Viana contains only 7 g total fat (0.9 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 360 mg sodium, 3 g carbs, and 13 g protein.
Despite similar servings, Viana completely outweighs Slim Jim’s protein content, with much less saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Although Slim Jims have 1 g less sugar than Viana, Viana also has 6% more iron than Slim Jims. It’s clear which is the healthier option. The only downside for Viana Snack Sausage is that it’s about a dollar more expensive than Slim Jim’s per stick.
Slim Jims Drawbacks
Saturated Fat
Saturated fat has long been preceded by a bad reputation. Since it’s often termed “unhealthy fats” and widely proven to increase LDL cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average healthy person should not consume more than 5% to 6% of his/her daily calorie intake from saturated fats. This should be around 13 g per day for a person who consumes 2,000 calories daily.
While saturated fat increases HDL and LDL cholesterol, overconsumption of saturated fats from food can cause inflammation, cancers, mental decline, and, most notably, more significant risks of heart disease.
However, the truth about saturated fats remains controversial as many scientific researchers showcase conflicting ideas, but one good theory may be drawn that particular groups react differently towards saturated fat. Such as, a group of fit and healthy individuals would show a negative response to a diet change that contains more saturated fat, while those who are obese and whose diets consist mainly of saturated and transfat wouldn’t bear any changes.
Fortunately, the vegan diet barely consists of saturated fats since most of these notorious fats come from meats, poultry, and dairy. However, we are susceptible to transfat due to dairy substitutes such as fully-vegan margarine. Transfats are considered the most unhealthy type of fats due to their processed nature.
The healthiest type of fats is unsaturated fats which are known to improve and maintain good cholesterol levels, reduce inflammation, stabilize normal heart rhythm, and much more. They’re also mainly found in vegan favorites; avocado, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.
The most well-known polyunsaturated fats are omega-3s, easily obtained from flax seeds (egg substitute), walnuts, canola oil, and soybean oil. The American Heart Association once again suggests consuming at least 10% of your calories from polyunsaturated fats, and consuming, even more, is beneficial when these fats replace the majority of saturated fats in your diet. Woohoo, another great reason to be vegan!
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is bad; rather, it’s a waxy substance that the body requires to keep building healthy cells. However, overconsumption of cholesterol leads to cholesterol buildup in blood vessels and thus increases the risks of heart disease.
Cholesterol is also needed in naturally producing hormones and vitamin D, an essential vitamin in which vegans usually become deficient. However, the liver can sustain the necessary cholesterol levels in the blood, which is why limiting one’s consumption of cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fat is a good thing. So, take care of your liver to avoid risking good cholesterol levels.
Sodium
Perhaps the number 1 mineral most people in the world abuse is sodium. While the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, the average American consumes 3,400 mg instead!
However, is sodium really that bad? Ideally, sodium is an essential nutrient the body needs to maintain a balance of fluids, especially regarding water absorption and sweating. It also helps your nerves and muscles to function “fluidly.” Consuming too little salt may lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
According to Healthline, it’s more disadvantageous and unhealthy to consume too less salt than to overdose on it, especially if you’re a healthy person who likes to work out and eat lots of greens. However, consuming sodium within the 1,500 to 2,300 mg range is still recommended, as too much salt over time may also lead to heart disease and high blood pressure.
Iron
Iron is another vital mineral in the production and function of hemoglobin to carry oxygen throughout the body and remove carbon dioxide. Due to iron’s primary job is to enhance the transportation of oxygen for muscles and nerves, they are much needed to boost athletic performance, increase energy efficiency, promote a healthy pregnancy, and decrease the chances of iron deficiency anemia.
The recommended daily intake of iron depends on a person’s age, sex, and size, but most commonly, consuming more than 18 mg of iron is ideal for keeping a healthy generation of red blood cells. Pregnant and athletic women are advised to consume at least 25 mg more.
Overconsumption of iron is also possible, and continuous overdose may lead to iron buildup in the liver, heart, and pancreas. It’s best to obtain iron from natural food sources since unnecessary or irresponsible supplementation is the leading cause of iron overdose, which causes symptoms of mild to severe bowel discomfort, vomiting, and, worse, death.
Vegan foods rich in iron are vegan-friendly cereals, oats, and white beans.
Protein
Perhaps what most people are truly obsessed with is any given food item. Protein is the selling point of Slim Jims, but sadly, its protein content per stick is barely significant compared to its fat and carb contents. Viana Snack Sausages contain twice the amount of protein with the same amount of calories and fewer fats and carbs.
Proteins, or the compositions of amino acids, are cells’ building blocks, so these nutrients are essential to muscle repair, maintenance, and growth. They’re also vital to bone development, hormones, and enzymes.
Despite many people believing that high-protein foods are the best choice, a high-protein diet isn’t always recommended since the healthy daily intake should only be around 0.8 g per lb of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, your ideal protein intake should be 120 g. This is enough for your body to properly repair and rebuild itself during rest.
Consuming too much protein, such as twice your recommended daily intake, may jeopardize your kidneys, liver, and bones. Protein poisoning may also occur and cause severe levels of ammonia, urea, and amino acids that may lead to fatality.
Conclusion
Once again, plant-based alternatives prevail over meaty abominations, as we’ve seen how Viana Snack Sausages are far healthier and more desirable than Slim Jim’s meshed-up meat sticks. Yes, vegan substitutes are almost always more expensive than the originals, but they’re also more than worth the price for their benefits to us, our animal friends, and our environment.
We must continue to support the brands that produce high-quality, great-tasting, and guilt-free products that are slowly changing the world, bite by bite. Fake meats have never been more popular and widespread, so we must also partake in this purposeful endeavor toward a future where no suffering is ever required for us to enjoy good food and good life.