被低估的植物蛋白“小麦肉”：100 克约 25 克蛋白，但三类人应完全避免
Meet ‘Wheat Meat,’ the Best Plant-Based Protein
Vogue 请两位注册营养师讲透面筋：它由小麦麸质制成、亚洲饮食中已有数百年历史，质地近鸡肉、味道中性易入味，是无大豆诉求者的植物蛋白选择。据美国农业部数据，100 克面筋约含 25 克蛋白质，与鸡肉相当；另含硒、铁、铜与钙，天然低碳水低脂肪。限制同样写清：面筋即纯麸质，乳糜泻、麸质敏感或小麦过敏者应完全避免；市售加工品钠可能偏高；赖氨酸偏低属不完全蛋白，建议搭配豆类、扁豆、鹰嘴豆、大豆或藜麦。做法上可炒、烤、炖或做成三明治、意面肉酱替代品。以上为专家讲解口径，非临床研究结论。
If you’re trying to eat less meat or go fully plant-based, finding a protein-rich meat alternative for meals becomes a top priority. You can turn to the usual suspects—tempeh, legumes, and nuts—or take the road less traveled with unexpected protein sources like seaweed. But one plant-based option may be better than the rest, and people often forget it’s super protein rich. Have you heard of seitan?
As Real Nutrition founder Amy Shapiro, RD, explains, seitan is a plant-based food made from wheat gluten, the main protein source found in wheat. It’s been used for centuries in Asian cuisines, Shapiro says, and is now one of the more sought-after protein sources, especially for those who don’t want to eat animal products.
“You can think of it as wheat meat,” adds sports dietitian Roxana Ehsani, MS, RD. “It can mimic the texture of chicken, and because its flavor is fairly neutral, it takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with. It’s a great protein substitute for anyone following a vegan or vegetarian diet.”
How much protein is in seitan?
Shapiro says seitan is one of the most protein-dense plant foods. “You get a lot of protein per calorie, which helps with satiety, blood sugar balance, muscle maintenance, and weight management,” she adds. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of seitan contains almost 25 grams of protein, comparable to meat sources like chicken, which contains the same amount per 100 grams, and turkey, which contains 24 grams of protein per 100 grams.
Other benefits
You’ll also find other nutrients with seitan. Shapiro lists selenium, iron, and copper as some of the minerals you’ll find. Ehsani agrees and adds calcium to the list, noting that seitan is naturally low in carbs and total fat.
It’s a versatile food, Shapiro says, that takes on whatever flavors you cook with and works in almost any cuisine. It’s also soy-free, which she says is a good option for anyone who is trying to avoid soy or looking to vary their protein sources beyond tofu and tempeh.
Are there downsides?
Shapiro says that anyone with a gluten sensitivity, a wheat allergy, or celiac disease should avoid seitan completely, as it is essentially made of pure gluten. And depending on where you get your seitan, it may contain high levels of sodium if it’s store-bought or highly processed. (She recommends looking for simple ingredients or making it at home.) Some people may also find it hard to digest.
As for protein, Shapiro notes that seitan is technically an incomplete protein; it is low in the essential amino acid lysine, which is vital for bone health and metabolism. To help balance it, she recommends pairing seitan with lysine-rich foods like beans, lentils, chickpeas, soy, or quinoa.
How to cook seitan
If you’re buying seitan from a store, it’s already cooked, so Ehsani says you just need to heat it. If you’re making seitan from scratch, she says to mix wheat flour with water until it forms a dough. Then you can steam, bake, or cook however you like.
“It’s easy to add to meals for extra protein,” she adds. “You can chop it up and add it to soups, stir-fries, rice dishes, or chili. You can use it in place of ground meat in a pasta meat sauce. You can also grill it or add it to a sandwich or panini for a protein source.”
Shapiro agrees and recommends the following meal ideas:
- A stir-fry with broccoli, snap peas, and ginger-garlic sauce over brown rice
- Tacos with shredded seitan seasoned with chili, cumin, and lime (serve with black beans to balance the amino acids)
- A seitan grain bowl with quinoa, roasted veggies, and tahini dressing
- A seitan sandwich
- BBQ seitan skewers
- Kebabs with grilled seitan and veggies
- Seitan soup, chili, or curry
“On its own, seitan has a mild, savory, slightly wheaty flavor,” she says. “It’s pretty neutral, which is exactly why it’s so versatile. Its real draw is the texture. How it tastes depends almost entirely on how you season and cook it.”
Ehsani adds: “Many people describe it as chewy, chicken-like, and savory with an umami taste.”
So if you don’t have gluten sensitivities or wheat allergies, seitan could be the tasty, super-easy addition your meals need. What more can you ask from a protein source?
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来源：颜如玉编辑台 · vogue.com