Veganismperseisnotnecessarilyhealthy.Mostofthe
benefitisineatinga greatervarietyofplantsandincreasedV fibre,whichcanbeachievedwhileeatinglessmeat/dairy.
eganuary is gaining in
appeal. Not only do we
have the usual festive
excesses to work off, but
a year of on-off lockdown (nightly
tipples, regular baking and boredom
eating) with generally lower activity
levels makes a compelling argument
for a new year health kick.
The event (vegan + January) was
launched in 2014 to encourage the
nation to try a vegan diet for a
month and 3,300 people joined the
challenge. But the numbers have
grown every year, and 12 months
ago over 400,000 Brits took part.
It’s part of a much wider trend,
though. According to The Vegan
Society, the number of people
following a vegan diet has more
than quadrupled in the past five
years. All UK supermarkets now
have their own vegan ranges,
high-street restaurants and fast
food stores have added plant-based
offerings to their menus, and, says
Waterstones, the number of books
with ‘vegan’ in the title rose tenfold,
from 944 in August 2018 to more
than 10,000 in November 2020. So
why have vegan diets gone from
niche to mainstream in such a short
space of time?
TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR THE PLANET
Until recently, animal welfare
concerns tended to be the main
reason for choosing a vegan diet. But
when a recent Mintel survey asked
respondents about the benefits of
eating less meat, a quarter said it
HOW ABOUT
FLEXING YOUR
DIET?
It’softenassumedthatyouneed
tobecomefullyvegantogainthe
healthbenefitsofa plant-based
diet.Butresearchshowsthis
isn’tthecase.Inonestudy,
adultswhoateeggsanddairy
butconsumednomorethanone
portionofmeatorfisheachweek
werefoundtohavea 12percent
reductionintheriskofdeath
fromanycausewhencompared
withthosewhoincludedmeator
fishmoreoften.Anda studyfrom
ImperialCollegeLondonfound
a dietwhere 70 percentofthe
foodwasplant-basedreduced
theriskofcardiovascular
diseaseby 20 percent,indicating
thepriorityshouldbeongetting
mostofournutrientsfrom
plantsbutsuggestingwedon’t
needtogiveupanimalproducts
altogethertoreaphealthbenefits.more fruit and veg wouldprevent
5.1 million deaths worldwideand
reduce food-related greenhousegas
emissions by 29 per cent.Gofully
veggie and there’d be7.3millionfewer
deaths and a 63 per centreductionin
greenhouse gas emissions.Butvegan
diets were estimatedtogivethe
biggest benefits, with8.1million
deaths being preventedandgreenhouse
gas emissions dropping 70 percent.
In 2019, medical journalTheLancet
added to the evidence.A reportfrom
37 scientists from aroundtheworld
suggested that eatingfeweranimalproducts and more plantscould
prevent around 11 millionpremature
deaths and support environmental
sustainability by reducingclimate-
changing greenhousegases,water
usage and the destructionofforests
and wildlife – all thingsassociated
with farming, particularlyoflivestock.
Hailed as the PlanetaryHealthdiet,
the report recommendedreducing
weekly intakes of animalproductsto
no more than 100g redmeat,200g
each of poultry and fish,fewerthan
four eggs and no morethan1.75litres
of milk or dairy equivalentssuchas
cheese, while increasingwholegrains,
fruit, veg, pulses andnuts.
The British DieteticAssociation
confirms that in the UKa well-
planned vegan diet needsjusta
third of the fertile land,freshwater
and energy of the typicalBritish
meat-and-dairy-baseddiet.WE WANT TO STAY WELLANDSHAPEUP
How can eating moreplantsbegood
for our health? Accordingtothe
Academy of NutritionandDietetics,
many of the characteristicsofplant-
based diets – low intakesofsaturated
fat and high intakes ofveg,fruit,
wholegrains, pulses,soyproducts,
nuts and seeds – arelinkedtolower
total and LDL (bad) cholesterollevels
and better blood sugarcontrol.Asa
result, vegetarians andveganshave→helped to improve the environment
while 32 per cent said it improved
health and 31 per cent pinpointed
it as a moneysaver.
There is evidence that plant-based
diets benefit health and the planet.
In 2016, the first global study looking
at the impact of our diet on the
climate was published. Scientists
from the University of Oxford
reported that following diet
guidelines to eat less meat anddeliciousmagazine.co.uk 101
special report.