Lifestyle - How to go vegan

Veganism seems to be the buzzword of 2019, from the record-breaking number of people who signed up for ‘Veganuary’ this year, to the stream of new vegan products appearing on our supermarket shelves, to an ever-increasing parade of celebrities adopting a plant based diet, including Beyonce, Will.I.Am, Lewis Hamilton, Liam Hemsworth and Joaquin Phoenix. One in eight people in the UK are vegan or vegetarian, and 21% of UK residents identify themselves as ‘flexitarian’, meaning they are actively reducing their meat consumption. But what does being vegan actually mean?

Veganism isn’t actually a new thing, and the idea of not consuming animal products has been around for a long time. The Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras didn’t eat meat, along with Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin and Mahatma Gandhi. The term ‘vegan’ was first used in 1944, the year the Vegan Society was founded, who define veganism as the belief that ‘man should live without exploiting animals’.

As well as ethical reasons, people choose to adopt a vegan diet as part of a healthier lifestyle. Studies indicate that a well-balanced vegan diet contains all the protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals a human needs, with low amounts of saturated fat, which results in lower cholesterol, blood pressure and rates of type 2 diabetes. The health positives associated with a vegan diet are reflected in the increasing number

of athletes choosing to eat plant based, from footballers to tennis players to boxers and MMA fighters.

Another benefit of veganism is the reduction of our impact of the environment. Industrial farming practices adopted in the 20th century - and the waste generated by animal agriculture -

contributes to species extinction, global warming and deforestation, produces widespread pollution and ocean dead zones, and uses massive amounts of water. With so many people on the planet, the way we eat isn’t sustainable, and a vegan diet aims to preserve the planet as much as possible for the next generation.

So, where do you start? Embarking on a vegan diet can seem daunting, so keep your end goal in mind, whether that is to simply cut down on animal products or eliminate them from your diet completely. Go at your own pace - some people manage to go vegan overnight - but don’t be concerned if you feel you need more time. Like any other lifestyle change, it takes time to determine what will work best for you, and there are numerous approaches you can take.

Making small changes to your everyday meals is an easy way to increase the amount of plantbased foods in your diet. You could start by removing meat or dairy one day a week and go from there. Treat it as a game, make it fun. Pinterest and Instagram are full of recipe ideas, from colourful, healthy buddha bowls to ‘dirty vegan junk food’ that looks just as good as its meaty counterparts. There are also lots of dedicated accounts to everyday products which are ‘accidentally vegan’ - meaning they contain no animal ingredients (but aren’t marketed that way) and are readily available in all the big supermarkets.

Or you could opt to switch over one meal at a time, and try out new recipes for vegan breakfasts, such as fruit and nut porridge, avocado toast, vegan pancakes, waffles, tofu scramble, or my favourite - colourful, healthy smoothie bowls. Plant milks are cheap, tasty and come in a multitude of flavours. Try different ones until you find your favourite – hazelnut milk in hot chocolate is lovely, and oat milk is great in a brew.

Once you’ve got breakfast sorted, add some vegan lunches in the mix. There’s the obvious healthy options of homemade soups and salads, but the increasing range of vegan meat and cheese substitutes available to buy on the high street means that you can make switches effortlessly and cheaply in your favourite sandwiches or wraps. You really don’t have to miss out on any of your favourite foods.

Or if you’re on the go, everyone from Starbucks (mac’n’cheese), to Greggs (vegan sausage rolls), have options.

And for tea, look East. Thai, Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines feature lots of vegan dishes, are super tasty, and the recipes are quick and easy to knock up if you don’t have much time. Southern Italian and Mexican dishes are also good for delicious, animal free meal ideas. Or if you feel like eating out, lots of restaurants now have not only vegan dishes but entire separate vegan menus to choose from, including dessert.

Veganism is becoming more and more accessible, and whether you want to switch completely ‘for the animals’ or just reduce your intake of animal products for health reasons there are thousands of resources available to help and make it easier than it has ever been to go vegan.

Rachel Clarke