special
VEGAN
Earthlings have had a profound
impact in recent years, especially
as their messages can now be
shared via social media –
something that was simply not
possible a couple of years ago,”
explains British marathon runner
and lifelong vegan, Fiona Oakes
(ionaoakesfoundation.co.uk).
“Social media is one of the biggest reasons for the recent popularity
of veganism, and it holds such a powerful inluence today.
Information can be shared so easily now, and we are no longer
reliant solely on what the mainstream media chooses to publish.”
INFLUENTIAL INFLUENCERS
Thanks to social media, public endorsement has never been so
powerful or inluential either, and celebrities have been getting
increasingly passionate about veganism and animal rights in recent
years: think Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Ellen Degeneres to
name but a few. Only last month, power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z
launched ‘The Greenprint Project’ via their respective Instagram
accounts; a contest ofering fans the chance to win a lifetime of
concert tickets, providing they commit to following a vegan diet.
But the entertainment industry isn’t the only group getting
vocal about veganism; a whole host of sports stars now follow
and advocate a vegan diet, in turn debunking the common
misconception that vegan diets lack protein. Both Serena and
Venus Williams are vegan, as is racing driver Lewis Hamilton
and footballer Jermain Defoe, and tennis world number one Novak
Djokovic often turns to veganism to help with his performance.
For Fiona Oakes, veganism and athleticism go hand in hand:
“I became vegan when I was six years old, after turning vegetarian
at the age of three. Both were totally self-inspired actions based
solely on my love of animals. I’ve been vegan for more than 40
years and I’m still breaking world records and competing in (and
winning!) some of the toughest endurance races in the world with
no medication, injuries, supplements or illnesses,” she explains.
“I’ve run ultra marathons in heat exceeding 50 degrees, and
marathons in the freezing cold tundra of the North Pole; plus I’ve
earned four Guinness World Records. To be an accomplished
athlete, your mind, as well as your body, has to be right for any
given event, and my mind is 100% focused knowing that no animal
has sufered for the performance I am about to deliver.”
SUPERMARKET SWEEP
The seismic shift in public consciousness and demand for
vegan-friendly items is something supermarkets and restaurants
have adapted surprisingly quickly to in recent times. In the last
year alone, Waitrose expanded its vegan and vegetarian range by
60%, while even the likes of Greggs now sells vegan sausage rolls.
For Katy Beskow, author of best-selling cookbook 15 Minute
Vegan, it’s the burgeoning accessibility of veganism which has
helped it become the popular lifestyle choice it is today. “When
I irst became vegan in 2006, there were limited recipe resources,
magazines, cosmetics, and on-the-go food options,” she tells me.
“But there has been a fantastic increase in the availability of
products on the high street in recent times, making veganism
accessible for all.”
A case in point is Sainsbury’s, which recently began stocking
meat-free alternatives such as jackfruit burgers and ‘shroomdogs’
next to actual meat products in chillers and freezers; something we
can expect to see more of across the board, particularly if veganism
has the potential to reduce our impact on the earth and on climate
change. “The favourable igures regarding the production of
plant-based foods, compared with the damaging efects of animal
agriculture, are absolutely shocking, and once people are made
aware of them – as with the other beneits of veganism – I think
they will have no other option but to take action,” says Fiona Oakes.
“I truly believe that veganism is reaching a tipping point. Soon,
people will no longer ask: ‘why are you vegan?’ Instead, the
question will be: ‘why aren’t you vegan?’”
Far beyond being just a diet or a political stance, veganism is fast
becoming a permanent way of living for the many, not the few – and
it could well save the planet in the process. The question is, have
you joined the green revolution yet?“An impressive 12% of millennials
are vegan – they’re regarded as the
single biggest threat to burger and
chicken restaurants today”
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