A new generation of vegans are making waves across the UK as thousands switch to a plant-based diet.
But why?
Big-name supermarkets are now on-board offering products that suit a vegan-lifestyle, with Waitrose recently launching a dedicated vegan section and Iceland reporting an increase in plant-based food sales of 10% in 12 months.
There is estimated to be around 540,000 vegans in the country.
This weekend Tyneside will host the Newcastle Vegan Festival. Now in its fifth year, the Festival is open in The Assembly Rooms, Fenkle Street, between 10.30am and 4.30pm on Sunday, July 1.
Now a University of Sunderland lecturer and vegan campaigner has told how social media is playing a critical role in the vegan revolution and the changing eating habits of a widening demographic.
Dr Alex Lockwood said: “Without a doubt social media has transformed the way people think about food—and it isn’t just the Millennials. The over-55s are the second-biggest demographic in terms of Facebook users this year.
“But the sheer amount of information, imagery and community around vegan and vegetarian foods online mean that everyone is learning how much healthier for the body and the planet a plant-based diet has become.”
According to Dr Lockwood, the rise in flexitarian diets – a plant-based diet which allows occasional meat dishes – shows just how much people are becoming conscious of the impact of their diets on their health and on the planet.
Films such as Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives, readily available online or on Netflix, are also believed to be responsible for changing people’s relationship to what they eat.
Dr Lockwood said: “There’s more media coverage every day showing that the biggest impact people can have individually on the environment is by choosing to ditch meat and dairy from their diets.
“Some people aren’t willing to do that every day and become vegan, but most people do care about the environment and want to do their bit.
“But for the Millennial generation and younger, a vegan lifestyle just makes more sense. Those under 30 are far less likely to associate with older generational labels such as completely masculine or completely feminine, or to ascribe to 20th century ideas of a job for life, or that our relations with animals or the planet need to be based on exploitation.
“For more and more young people the idea that we need to consume meat and dairy to be health or normal just doesn’t make sense in their well-informed, social media led, fluid sense of who they are in the world.”
Social media influencers are believed to have played a significant part in the rise of the vegan in a number of ways:
- #vegan has had more than 61 million posts listed on Instagram
- The number of Google searches for veganism has spiked in recent years
- According to Google, in 2008, ‘veganism’ had a popularity rating of just 17 out of 100 – 10 years later this has increased to 88.
- Celebrities like Ariana Grande – who has more than 56million followers on twitter don’t eat animal products
The growing trend, according to Dr Lockwood, reflects a change in young people’s attitudes towards the environment.
Dr Lockwood added: “When young people really care about the environment, then they tend to stop eating animals too. That’s because they know the main cause of climate change, ocean pollution, deforestation, and water use, is animal agriculture.
“That information isn’t hard to find—it’s right in front of us. We should all be inspired by young people making these changes—and by the trends that Waitrose, Iceland and the other supermarkets are following.”
In January this year, more than 168,000 people pledged to go vegan for the month, under the Veganuary campaign.
The benefits of a vegan diet
Nutritional value
Vegan diets are packed full of essential nutrients but it’s important people still consume the right amount of protein in the absence of meat.
Disease prevention
Due to the fact that they contain fewer saturated fats, vegan diets have been shown to reduce heart disease risk and what’s more, data shows conclusively that vegans and vegetarians suffer from fewer diseases caused by a modern Western diet.
Weight loss
A bonus to sticking to a vegan diet is the positive effect it has on weight. Vegans typically weigh less as a result of a diet comprised of fewer calories in the form of grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables.
Protecting the environment
A plant-based diet is better for the planet as it requires much less energy and farmland to feed a vegan. The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment– from crops and water required to feed the animals, to the transport and other processes involved from farm to fork. The vast amount of grain feed required for meat production is a significant contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction. Protecting the environment is beneficial to us all.