What do Thandie Newton, Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus, Stevie Wonder and Sia have in common? Apart from being a motley crew, they’re all vegan. People “go vegan” for a number of reasons ranging from dietary to ethical beliefs. The actual definition of veganism from The Vegan Society website states that veganism is:
“A philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude (as far as possible and practicable) all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
Veganism is not a passing fad. Year on year, the number of people becoming vegan has increased, with the Independent reporting a growth by 360% in the UK.*
Following a vegan diet is supposed to make you feel better, both mentally and physically. Some have also lost weight and use veganism as weight maintenance tool.
David Haye waxed lyrical about the health benefits of veganism, saying: “A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasn’t then the food the animal’s been fed has been. That’s tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever. Not only my weight, either – I used to get eczema and dandruff, now I don’t. Everyone should try it for one or two days a week.”
Over 500,000 people can’t be wrong (unless you’re classed in the basket of deplorables, but that’s another story). Now, I’ve contemplated going vegan, but lack the gumption.
One of my qualms of going vegan is the limited menu choice when dining out. Eating vegan food could be a problem if like me you eat out frequently, circa twice a week. Will there be a menu choice of just three measly dishes? Will my plate be piled high with crusty quinoa and insipid vegetables? What will food taste like (and yes I’m shuddering involuntarily)… sans butter?
It seems incredibly difficult for a food blogger to adopt a vegan lifestyle… right? Wrong.
I took to the internet to research restaurants who serve vegan food, and the results surprised me. It turns out there are actually quite a few eateries who are embracing vegan culture to cater for the vegan crowd. By expanding their menu choices, savvy restaurants are cashing in on the green pound. It’s a win-win; vegans get to eat out without feeling marginalised, and restaurant revenue sees a healthy return.
I went along to a restaurant recommended to me a few days ago by a health and fitness coach (see original post here). She’s into wellbeing and is also a vegetarian on the cusp of being vegan.
To celebrate World Vegan Month (yes it’s an actual thing), I’ll be featuring restaurants in the month of November who serve vegan food. Today’s spotlight falls on Las Iguanas. I know, I know, I’m surprised as you are. I’d expect Latin American inspired dishes to be meat heavy, revelling in BBQ and Cajun spices. Shows how wrong I was.
I’m in the middle of the write-up for Las Iguanas, expect a review shortly.
RAx
Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/veganism-grows-by-360-per-cent-in-britain-david-haye-novak-djokovic-and-venus-williams-among-a7034031.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/david-haye-going-vegan-made-stronger-than-ive-ever-been/
Image courtesy of Vegans.UK