Life Content // The Growth of Veganism*

I have to admit, for a long time I was someone who thought veganism was ridiculous. I wasn’t the only one and the word ‘vegan’ used to have some negative connotations to it. You’d hear someone say they’re vegan and be met with a whole load of eye rolls. In the past it was considered a fad, a diet where you’d give up tasty food for leaves, but over the past few years veganism has been associated with numerous health benefits as well as working towards a greener way of life. What was once a ridiculed concept, is now becoming a very mainstream way of life and businesses can’t really afford to ignore it (look at Greggs this month!) Between 2016 and 2017, plant-based food sales in the UK increased by 1,500%. That is a staggering amount.

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Recently, the Vegan Society has released some statistics regarding veganism in the UK alone.:

• 56% of adults in the UK practice vegan buying behaviours
• 19% have cut down on buying meat and are checking cosmetics and toiletries for animal-testing
• 13% actively choose meat-free or dairy-free meals when eating out
• 51% are happy to see vegan food in shops and restaurants

In 2019, I will be conciously cutting down on my meat consumption, and although I’m not ready to give up cheese I am definitely becoming more mindful of the benefits of vegan options. Those, like myself, who don’t adopt a strict vegan lifestyle but are trying to make a concious effort are known as flexitarian. And although they aren’t strict, it’s this attitude that’s helped change the mindset towards vegans and has probably helped boost the popularity with businesses.

The results of last years Veganuary, a movement that challenges people to try veganism for a month, the top reason for signing up was of course, animal welfare (43%) followed by health reasons (39%) and environmental reasons (10%). However, The Independant claims that the rise in veganism could also be for vanity reasons. Apparently,  the increase of Google searches of the word ‘vegan’ has grown in line with searches for ‘Instagram’. In a world where we love to take photos of our meals and share them on social media, it’s not difficult to believe that Instagram has helped circulate numerous brightly-coloured vegan dishes to help improve its previously ill-held reputation of being nothing but leaves. But personally, I feel this is more to raise awareness than to make a feed look good.

In 2018, Vegan Food & Living offered up an array of vegan food trends and the ones I tried couldn’t be considered “rabbit food”:

• Veggie chips, such as parsnip chips and sweet potato chips, make for a healthier option than normal potato.
• Edible flowers, and yes, these do make your dishes look Instagram worthy!
• Vegan desserts, bringing back ice-cream and cakes in vegan-friendly ways. Ben and Jerry’s have released three delicious vegan-friendly ice creams: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Chunky Monkey, and Peanut Butter and Cookies are all sure to be a hit with vegans and non-vegans alike!  Ben and Jerry vegan flavours are just as delicious as their standard, even mu dad loved the Chunky Monkey!
• Fermented foods, while they might not conjure the most delicious image to mind, are coming into food trends in a big way. Think colourful kimchi and nutty-flavoured tempeh.
• Imitation burgers. They look and taste as good as the real thing, but they’re entirely plant based!

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One area, however, where vegans struggle is with the food-to-options. A survey found that 91% of vegans have a tough time in this area, However this month alone we’ve seen Greggs release their vegan sausage roll (it’s delicious and they sell out fast!) and I can already sense other places following suit in 2019.

Adopting a vegan diet could help you maintain good health as you’ll find you replace meat, and other animal produced products with extra fruit and vegetables. And don’t forget protein, which you’ll no longer be getting from meat, instead replace those with beans, seed and tofu.

So if you’re interested in adopting a vegan lifestyle, or you want to dabble with being a ‘flexitarian’, you might be interested in growing your own vegetables rather than heading to the supermarket. You can grab some growbags and start cultivating your own supply of tomatoes for a home-made tomato sauce, or cucumbers for the freshest salad you’ll ever taste! Might be good to keep in mind with Brexit coming up too!