The Veganuary Monologues
Whether it's out of compassion towards animals or wanting to raise a middle finger to the industrial food complex, it's good to try a vegan lifestyle if only for a short while, says our Northwest Food and Drink editor
It all began when I welled up watching Vegucated. Footage of livestock enduring a cruel, traumatic fate and the compelling, emotive anti-industrial farming message were enough to precipitate a gradual decline in my meat and dairy consumption. So Veganuary, a movement that encourages people to go vegan for the month of January, seemed as good a time as any to see what life was like, ahem, no cold turkey.
Four days into my Veganuary I go back to work, where I eventually announce, somewhat sheepishly, that I’m temporarily vegan. My boss asks if I want a “formal warning” and a colleague tells me I “used to be a cool guy.” They’re only half-joking. Anyone would have thought I’d announced my undying loyalty to UKIP.
Over the month I’m genuinely surprised by how much resistance I encounter. But statistics could hold the key to why the vegan choice is so alien: the National Diet and Nutrition Survey results (combined 2008-2012) found that two per cent of both adults and children reported that they were vegetarian; and less than one percent of participants reported following a vegan diet. Maybe labelling yourself vegan triggers a defence mechanism in the other 99% by its implicit challenge to the status quo? This is how conspiracy theorists must feel.
The backlash is strange given that so many of us have specialist dietary requirements. I know plenty of people with digestive disorders, ranging from Crohn's to lactose intolerance, that preclude them from eating certain foods. Six to eight per cent of children have a proven food allergy, according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, while as many as 20% of adults self-diagnose one, real or perceived. Perhaps your body's rejection of something is more acceptable than rationalising it from your diet?
"I contemplate making chicken-fried seitan before realising it’s essentially breaded bread. In bread."
Looking to India, which (according to 2007 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world with vegetarians making up 30% of the population, we begin to see how skewed our national diet is. America and Australia are among the worst carnivorous offenders; the bottom of the table consists mostly of African nations and the Indian subcontinent. Meat is quite simply a luxury that we, unlike others, can afford. And our appetite for it has necessitated the farming practices that we see now; a climate where milk is cheaper than water.
You find wilful ignorance about dairy farming – “I won’t even ask about the link between calves and dairy farming,” one Twitter users says when faced with the idea that foregoing milk and cheese isn't such a crazy notion – and a lot of misconceptions regarding veganism, many of which I’ve readily subscribed to in the past and which are addressed by the Veganuary website. Most common among them are ones relating to the lack of protein in a vegan diet. The best retort I’ve found is that NFL lineman David Carter and former UFC fighter Mac Danzig both have plant-based diets. And they’re f-ing ripped. Carter also points to another decisive factor: “The average lifespan of a professional football player is only 56 (due to extreme consumption of animal products which leads to heart disease, stroke, cancers, and other chronic illnesses).”
And a vegan diet isn’t as ascetic as some make out. Falafel, chips and certain dark chocolate are on hand if you feel like indulging. I find myself turning again and again to Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty and Serious Eats Vegan Experience recipes for inspiration throughout January. Avocado on toast and bircher muesli become regular – and tasty – breakfast features.
There are downsides, of course: it does take much more planning and foresight, especially if you want to eat out. Reading labels is a must, too. My partner was convinced that Lidl fig rolls were vegan up until we’d got the packet home and saw whey powder (derived from milk) tucked away in the ingredients list. The real struggle is tea with soy/oat/nut milk; take your pick, it still feels like an affront to brews everywhere. And of course soy mince, jackfruit and tofu can’t mimic the toothsomeness of meat.
You discover abominations like Sheese (don’t ask!) and the inoffensive but ominous-sounding seitan. At first I think this is the hip, holy-grail ingredient. A short browse and some instructional videos later and it appears that it’s basicially cooked wheat gluten. I contemplate making chicken-fried seitan before realising it’s essentially breaded bread. In bread.
What amazes me in all of this is the sheer resourcefulness of those faced with the task of finding replacements for dairy and meat. The vegan pioneers. Did you know ground linseed plus water can approximate that cheap and efficient emulsifier, eggs. Vegan pancakes are, I wager, indistinguishable from the real thing. You can make fake parmesan (Farmesan?) with yeast flakes, nuts and garlic powder.
Inveterate vegans who’ve been making these choices for years might scoff at the idea of going vegan for a mere month. But they’d be wrong. If you’re open-minded and committed for even a short period, it can alter your outlook quite drastically, even if you don't become a full convert.
The best slogan I’ve seen is: it’s better to be a bad vegan than a good meat eater. For all the rhetoric, I can’t see myself foregoing meat and dairy entirely, only because it limits my options to a degree that I’ll find untenable. Rather I'll strike a balance that fits with my moral framework: sourcing the most ethical produce or buying shares in a compassionately reared cow, for example.
For now, I’ll stick to Michael Pollan’s mantra: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."