Veganism: Discovering whether we can be vegan part-time

Most people prefer to dip in a toe, rather than take the plunge - Siobhán Norton asks if veganism can be part-time

Siobhan Norton
Friday 22 January 2016 16:27 GMT
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Vegan food
Vegan food

Beyonce’s done it. Vivienne Westwood’s done it. Bill Clinton’s certainly done it. There’s a new club out there, and membership is growing quickly. And it isn’t exclusive to celebrities – it seems more and more of us are dabbling in veganism. A vegan cookbook by the blogger Deliciously Ella was the fastest-selling cookery book of all time last year, and vegan restaurants have started topping ‘‘it’’ lists of cool places for foodies. So why has this formerly niche way of living gone so mainstream?

Vegans cut out all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs, but it is more than just a plant-based diet. Veganism is an overall approach to living, and vegans don’t use animal products in any part of their lives. So no leather shoes and no beauty products containing animal ingredients, or that have been tested on animals. Most vegans either make the switch for health reasons or concerns over cruelty, but the impact of animal agriculture on the environment is also becoming a pressing concern for many choosing this new path.

Choosing to go vegan is a big commitment, so it’s understandable that many people are dipping a toe in rather than making the plunge. Veganuary, while only in its third year, is very much an institution already, and is expecting to have 50,000 people sign up to forgo animal products for the month. And others are dabbling throughout the year, with Paul McCartney’s Meat Free Monday project, and “flexitarians” and “climatarians”, who cut down their meat consumption or have plant-based days.

Former actress Aine Carlin went vegan six years ago while living in Chicago. At the time she was a self-confessed foodie, and nothing was off-limits. But although she cooked from scratch, she felt like her health was deteriorating – tiredness, weight gain, mood swings, brittle nails and hair. She took a look in her fridge, saw way too much dairy and meat, and decided to clean up her diet.

“I went vegan overnight,” Carlin says. “It’s strange, I was consumed by food, and lots of stuff that was meat-heavy, dairy-heavy, but I never looked back. For me, the transition was seamless.”

Carlin began blogging about her experience, and has just released her second cookbook, The New Vegan. “I wanted it to be a great introduction for people to veganism, but also a new approach. We’ve moved away from that stereotypical image of yoga, tie-dye and sandals, and I wanted the book to show you can still be a regular person. I use normal ingredients – my budget doesn’t stretch to outlandish ingredients – and I don’t do loads of prep on a Sunday, so this shows how you can still be vegan without too much effort.”

It’s certainly never been easier to be vegan. “Six years ago, America was way ahead of the game and you’d struggle to find a soya latte in London,” says Carlin. Nowadays, you can buy tofu, almond milk and vegan snack bars in even the smallest supermarkets, and a decent restaurant will be able to whip up something more imaginative than a stir fry.

Vegetables are fast becoming lucrative for food suppliers too, as demand increases for fresh, organic and locally grown produce. Recipe box delivery company The Mindful Chef has launched the UK’s first “plant-based” box to accompany its classic offering. The meals are curated with exact portions to minimise food waste and supply meals with balanced nutrition.

“We wanted to do a plant-based box for a long time,” says co-founder Giles Humphries. ‘‘There are people out there who want to be partially vegan but don’t know how to go about it.’’ They called the box “plant-based” rather than vegan to make sure it didn’t alienate people from the notion of trying it out. And perhaps with good cause – the vegan community can be a purist one, and some pour scorn on the notion that a “part-time vegan” can even exist.

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