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It’s been ten years since I originally transitioned to a vegan diet and I can honestly say that it’s been an exciting time! Not only in my personal life but to see the mass expansion of vegan products in local stores, especially in Northern Ontario’s largest city.
One thing, however, is that many people like to coin these types of products as transition foods when beginning a plant-based diet when in reality, they are merely food.
That’s right, they aren’t somehow mystically different when compared to any other food that you can find in your local stores!
📷Personally, I enjoy these products regularly and love trying new vegan options as they come out: there will never be a shortage of tofu, tempeh, oat milk, or vegan cheeze in our fridge! In fact, I see quite a few wins with the ever-expanding vegan market and the products that are now available.
The great thing about the increasing availability of vegan products such as mock ‘meats’, is that they do inherently make it easier to move to a plant-based or vegan diet. It can be quite intimidating when you drastically change your eating habits, as there is a lot to learn and adapt to. Therefore, the more products that become available that have a resemblance to the foods that you used to enjoy, will make it inherently easier to adapt and maintain a vegan diet.
Such products include the copious amounts of milk alternatives that are available, beyond meat and similar products, Daiya cheeze and so forth. Moreover, if we’re honest for a minute, not everyone is excited about the idea of eating a copious amount of fruits and vegetables and may not have the desire to cook most of their meals from scratch. Not everyone who eats a plant-based or vegan diet is in it for their health and that’s just the facts. By being able to simply swap animal-based foods for the vegan variety will allow you to enjoy the same lifestyle in terms of food that you are already accustomed to. It makes the vegan diet far more accessible and attainable whether your goal is to be fully vegan or not, which ultimately, is a major win.
This brings me to my next point: vegan ‘meats’ breaking through into the fast-food industry. While I am not a fan of fast food, I am pretty damn excited to see products such as beyond meat breakthrough into the mainstream food market, as well as other vegan brands. The fact remains that many people lead pretty damn busy lives and the reliance on convenience food is not going to go away anytime soon, so why not bring meat-free alternatives to the masses? I think this is such a great and easy way for people to try meat-free options, especially in an environment that they are already comfortable in and at a price they are used to spending.
This one is huge: Affordability. Granted, not everyone wants to adopt a vegan or plant-based lifestyle, but some people wish they could and just cannot afford it. This is why I am excited about the availability of vegan products in fast-food restaurants because they are sold at an equivalent price. While a plant-based lifestyle is not inherently expensive and can be rather cheap (if you are situated in a larger city with no shortage of food), some animal-based alternatives can be quite expensive. For some products, this is a result of companies being certified organic and/or non-GMO, resulting in a higher cost. (For whatever reason, veganism is inherently tied to organic and non-GMO products). But as demand continues to increase and more products are brought to the store shelves, there are a lot of products that are quite affordable, especially if you aren’t concerned about it being organic or non-GMO certified. Of course, there are many items that are unintentionally vegan that you may have even enjoyed since you were a kid, such as:
Oreos
Ritz Crackers
Sour Patch Kids
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (original)
And more!
Having been vegetarian and vegan for more than 13 years, there weren’t many vegan alternatives on the market back in the day, which meant that my diet heavily depended on fruits, vegetables, and grains. With that being said, I can promise you that my diet certainly wasn’t complete from a nutritional standpoint and most peoples aren’t today! This brings me to my next win: many vegan products are fortified with vitamins and minerals to help you achieve your minimum daily nutritional requirements. This is not to say that all vegan alternatives are inherently healthier for you because they’re not, but for many people, there can be large gaps in their nutrition, which is why products must be fortified with vitamins and minerals - vegan or not. Your health is important and we do not eat nearly enough whole foods regularly, and for this reason, this is a major win! (I would also like to add, it may be a good idea to also take a multivitamin regardless of how you choose to eat. Just saying.)
Lastly, I would be beside myself if I did not bring up this last win: saving lives. The more that consumers opt to purchase cruelty-free alternatives the more lives that are spared. The accessibility of such foods allows consumers to try and to be more open to products, especially as they become available in environments that they are already comfortable in. This is why I think that it is a good thing for meat-alternatives to appeal to mass markets, as it reconstructs the negative stereotype about vegan food and shows the masses that we eat more than a bland salad. In fact, vegan food is quite delicious, satisfying, and filling. Being able to reconstruct the negative belief about vegan food is HUGE and welcomes more and more people to willingly try such products with an open mind while supporting cruelty-free alternatives.📷
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