The rise of veganism

Shame me for stereotyping, but veganism was always a concept I associated with hippie youths who smoked marijuana on weekdays and wore heavily patterned outfits and peace tops . Let's just pretend that I don't have a peace top also. The idea of someone cutting out all meat products in their diet always seemed a phenomenon; vegans live a different and unique lifestyle. However, not one that I haven't considered myself. It seems a strict, restrictive diet that entails expensive food shopping and full of awkward food requests at restaurants, an extremely inconvenient burden. But, as controversial as this sounds, the vegan diet is easy once you get to the grips of it. Well, it seems that way from what I have witnessed on YouTube. There is a huge society of veganism on youtube, containing tips and tricks of the trade and how to get by on it. You would think from the way that I am expressing, I am a vegan or vegetarian, however, I am a carnivore. Not something that I am persistent on enforcing, I am open to change.

But, it isn't just YouTubers that are helping promote veganism, this diet has gained lots of support from many supermarkets such as Tesco's, who from a recent visit, I have noticed ,have stocked a whole 'Free From' range which includes dairy, gluten, and meat-free substitutes. Blinded by my curiosity, I couldn't help but browse this range as I was selecting my £3 meal deal. To my surprise, it included a very substantial amount of products. As I stood there, baffled by this  witch craft-like sourcery, I came to a sudden epifany and was inspired to go for a falafel sandwich from the meal deals, conscious of the silent judgement of others nearby who probably thinks my 'Da sells Avon' (you won't get the joke unless you follow the Meal Deal Facebook Page). So, as I sat down, my stomach gurgling like a tumble drier tossing its clothes, I took the first bite out of this crunchy yet soft concoction. To summarise, a rather filling sandwich with the falafel complimenting the soft doughy like bread, satisfactory enough to considering eating again if there was nothing else...but unfortunately, nothing compared your standard ploughman. However, I am aware of the fact that this is only Tesco's and my opinion cannot be based on this one experience. There are many other vegan-friendly restaurants (I'm making it sound like a special exclusionary clique, I know) and supermarkets such as 'Whole foods' that, as said by YouTubers, provides amazing food. But then again, there's also the issue of how much confidence we have in the fact that they are not being paid to advertise these brands. Niomi Smart promotes this lifestyle in a healthy way, a YouTuber that has educated me the most with regards to easy vegan recipes and options, as shown in her book Eat Smart.  

Now, I know what you're thinking. If these foods exclude so many ingredients, what they actually contain must be very artificial, something that is not healthy for the body. An argument that has me curious. Don't allow me to influence your opinion. but I feel that your body needs natural ingredients to fuel it and with vegan meals, you are not entirely sure of what it contains. Although I am open to the fact that this is also the case with most foods bought from supermarkets. It seems that the most successful way to approach this diet is to cook everything yourself as well as buying ALL the ingredients yourself so you know EXACTLY what ingredients go into the meal.

At the end of this perpetual debate, the question still stands whether this has influenced a change in my diet. As annoying as this is to some of you, I am still unsure. At this time of my life where I am living at home, I feel it is rather eccentric and an inconvenience to my parents to make them buy all vegan-friendly groceries and substitutes. I will eat whatever is put in front of me, I don't want to make someone go out of their way to suit my needs. Before I get stick for not cooking my own meals, my mum enjoys cooking and likes the idea of providing food. Although I have found that whenever I cook a meal for myself, subconsciously I will find an excuse to not include meat into my meal. Whether it be because I don't want to have to faff about with extra washing up or the fact that my brain has conditioned itself to fire pictures of tortured animals in my head whenever I go to prepare any meat products. I just can't seem to allow myself to prepare meat voluntarily. But I still remain a carnivore.