How many vegans does it take to screw in a lightbulb? … I don’t know, but where do you get your protein?!

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Google searches for ‘vegan’ have increased by 380% in the last five years (according to Peta, who may be slightly biased), and no one can deny the sudden surge of interest we have seen in recent years in the plant-based lifestyle. 2016 was without a doubt the year when veganism reached its saturation point, with barely a day going by without a Facebook video featuring vegan alternatives to everyday meals or another celebrity going loud and proud about their new diet; Jared Leto and Miley Cyrus just to mention a couple, with even Beyonce dabbling for a while. If it’s good enough for Beyonce...

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March of this year saw the release of arguably the first ever vegan comedy, Simon Amstell’s Carnage, made for BBC iPlayer. In it, he cleverly steers clear of preaching - arguably one of the main reasons people are put off going vegan: as a rule, we don’t like being told what to do - and instead approaches the often controversial subject in a mockumentary style. Set in 2067, meat and dairy products are prohibited and our current diets (those of us that eat meat, anyway) are looked upon with humourous disgust. Starring a varied cast of Joanna Lumley, Lorraine Kelly and Martin Freeman, the hour-long film is a genuinely positive look at veganism, which is often ridiculed in mainstream media. Perhaps approaching the subject with a light-hearted tone is the way forward, so here goes: we present Eye Mag’s Guide to Vegan Living For Idiots.

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What’s In It For Me?

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Traditionally, most people switch to a meat and dairy-free diet to reduce the consumption of animal products and therefore lessen the amount of animal cruelty that happens everyday. With most of us being animal-lovers, it certainly makes sense to think about cutting down on the amount we eat and therefore reducing the demand for animal products, even if you feel going fully vegan is, well, just a bit dramatic. However, there are plenty of other reasons that will have more of a direct benefit on your own life, as we are a selfish bunch: the main one being copious benefits for your health. Without getting too science-y on you, a vegan diet has been linked to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and lower body mass index. It also gets so much easier to reach your five a day, with the likelihood of eating fruit and veg at every mealtime, rather than a plate of beige some of us may be far too used to dishing up.

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Furthermore, and contrary to popular belief, vegan food is actually rich in protein, iron and calcium, while saturated fat is generally low. More vitamins, fibre and antioxidants are the other key benefits of going plant-based, in turn lessening the chance of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. For more superficial benefits you’ll actually be able to show off about, there is a link between a vegan diet and healthy skin, better-smelling body odour, and stronger hair and nails. Obviously, being vegan isn’t necessarily a clean-eating world of smashed avocado, tofu and green juices; for every healthy vegan, there’s an equally unhealthy one - much like meat eaters. There’s a whole world of vegan junk food out there, with specially-made snacks like Nakd bars, Free From Fellows sweets and Lenny & Larry cakes and cookies, to well-loved favourites you’ll be pleased to know fit under the vegan umbrella, including Oreos and original, Texas BBQ, Paprika and Smokey Bacon Pringles (yes, the meat flavours are strangely meat-free). Clearly, there is no correlation between a healthy diet and a vegan diet if you don’t want there to be.

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Time to stop being so self-centred and look beyond how veganism can benefit us; there are endless ways a plant-based diet can be beneficial for the environment. More and more of us are recycling more than we throw away and choosing alternative ways to get to work than driving, yet cutting out meat and dairy products can aid the planet more than you may initially realise. Most people have heard of cow flatulence being harmful but, in terms of things you can actually control, avoiding animal products will instantly lower your carbon footprint, as considerably lower amounts of crops and water are necessary to sustain a vegan diet: boring, but true. If you’re concerned about the environment, going plant-based is your chance to practice what you preach. Most people are keen to be socially and ethically responsible, so is vegan living the perfect fit?

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But Why Isn’t Vegetarian Enough?

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With the vast majority of people aware of problems with the meat industry, many struggle to understand why people go the extra mile and cut out any animal-sourced product from their diet. The dairy industry has a lot of the same negatives; the only difference being they are talked about less. While you might think you’re doing your bit by choosing free range eggs over caged hens, often this is not the case and a lot of unnecessary suffering still happens. For those that are already vegetarian, switching to a vegan diet is in fact far easier than you may have thought. In most coffee shops these days, you can ask for a range of different milk that you probably didn’t even know existed: soy, rice, coconut, oat, almond, hemp, flax, quinoa (yes, really) and a weird-sounding vegan mash-up of almond-coconut milk are just some of the options on offer.

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Moving on to cheese: a big factor in many peoples’ decisions to not go dairy-free. Earlier this year, Sainsbury's launched a range of vegan cheeses, which later became known as simply ‘Gary’ thanks to the now infamous cheese-based rant from a furious Facebook user, “Call it Gary or something just don’t call it cheese because it’s not cheese!”. Is this the first vegan meme? Perhaps so, but the cheese-free cheese range was also a huge success in the real world, surpassing even Sainsburys’ sales expectations, by 300% to be precise. Seven different varieties of coconut oil-based cheese, each reasonably priced at £2.25, hit shelves last October, imitating popular choices such as Cheddar and Wensleydale with cranberries, showing there are options for the cheese-lovers among us.

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I’m Going To *Insert Generic High Street Restaurant*

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First of all, why not branch out a little? Most big cities have many vegan-only restaurants and cafes where everything on the menu will be suitable, and for those living in London who fancy a vegan takeaway, The Temple of Seitan in Hackney is the place for you, which has been uniquely branded as the world’s first chicken-free fried “chicken” shop. Opened at the beginning of this year (clearly illustrating the demand for more vegan places, seeing as many were popping up at the start of 2017), the launch saw huge queues of vegans - or people curious to sample the chicken-free chicken - a comical juxtaposition against the deserted Hackney Meat Centre next door. Made from seitan (obviously), a form of ‘gluten meat’, this may not sound the most appealing dish but it has certainly gone down well in the area.

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However, if you’re missing your pre-vegan restaurant favourites, no need to worry - popular chains such as Zizzi, Pizza Express, Wagamamas, Nandos, Wetherspoons and even Harvester have options for you. We spoke to a real-life vegan, Meg, a Psychology student at Cardiff Met, whose favourite high street choice is Zizzi, “My favourite take out and place to go out to eat would have to be Zizzis for being one of the first places to serve vegan cheese on their menu, at accessible prices too. Their menu is really extensive and it’s on Deliveroo which is really convenient!”. A specially-made vegan menu is on offer, with three different types of pizza (a large choice in a non-specialist restaurant) and two pasta dishes which can be customised to your choice with a large list of vegan-friendly extras. Selling an impressive 30,000 vegan dishes in January alone, they launched even more in March of this year thanks to their popularity. Sticking to a more traditional option, Harvester, a restaurant known for serving meat dishes is an option. It may be a surprising choice for someone sticking to a plant-based diet, yet you can have a main meal and dessert (albeit, there aren’t many options to choose from) of Aubergine & Red Lentil Tagine and Raspberry Rice Pudding.

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For those seeking a vegan lunch, Pret are the front-runners on the high street, this year opening a second Veggie-only Pret set to be a permanent feature, an impressive feat considering the original store was meant to be a temporary one. The unexpected popularity perhaps should have been predicted, with vegan options within the Veggie stores offering three dairy-free soups, three new breakfast pots, and the very healthy-sounding Rainbow Veggie Pot and Mango Chia Pot. Additionally, coconut milk is available in any hot drink.

 

For a lot of people, the idea of going cold turkey (sorry) and cutting all animal products out from their everyday diet is understandably a daunting one, but is something most people can incorporate gradually. With 2017 bringing new vegan alternatives each month, perhaps this is the year you’ll give it a try.