Maddie Smith

Anyone that uses social media will have noticed the recent tidal wave of 57 million ‘#vegan’ Instagram posts and a significant smattering of the hashtag ‘#poweredbyplants’. What is it about a vegan diet that has caught the imagination of so many people?
Some see it as a fad; a young person’s trend that will go the same way as curly perms and leg warmers.
Music student Sally Camsell, 20, from Consett, Co Durham, has been vegan for three years.
“I watched documentaries like ‘Earthlings’ and just made the connection between the food on my plate and the animal that had to die for it. So much I saw in those documentaries I didn’t even know happened, especially in the dairy industry. It’s scary how much of it isn’t public knowledge,” she says.
“Being vegan is a lot more accepted now than it was when I first stopped eating animal products. When I first told people I wanted to do it three or so years ago, a lot of people weren’t very understanding.
“Now, most people are just curious and want to learn more about the diet and lifestyle, which is great. People ask me the same questions time and time again like ‘what do you even eat’, so I often end up repeating my explanations.”
Defined by the Vegan Society, veganism is “a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

Contrary to common belief, it is not only restricted to diet. It is considered a philosophy; a vegan lifestyle eliminates the use of animals as a commodity in all facets of life. Vegan products stretch from shoes to cosmetics, even vegan tattoos have become popular.
Part-time supermarket employee Jess Burgess, 20, from Sunderland also made the decision to abandon all animal products two years ago after watching Shaun Monson’s hard-hitting 2005 documentary ‘Earthlings’.
She says the way animals are treated “from the second they are born is disgraceful.”
However, it is not only the direct exploitation of animals that concerns her. Among her other concerns are the contribution that farm animals make towards global warming, in the form of CO2 emissions but also the impact on human health.
“If the whole world was to go vegan today it would massively reduce the diagnosis of cancer, heart disease, diabetes etc, and significantly reduce world hunger,” she says.
“A meat-eater’s diet requires 17 times more land, 14 times more water and 10 times more energy than that of a vegetarian, according to research published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This is principally because we use a large proportion of the world’s land for growing crops to feed livestock, rather than humans. Of the world’s approximately five billion hectares of agricultural land, 68% is used for livestock.”
With 1% of people in Britain now identifying as vegan, vegan culture is becoming more mainstream with the gathering speed of a runaway train, and shows no signs of slowing down. With ethical food festivals such as London’s “Vegan Nights” becoming popular attractions for vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike, veganism is an accessible and exciting new branch of cultural activity in the UK.
As veganism is becoming more readily accepted today, solely plant-based products such as dairy alternatives and meat substitutes are widely available in most supermarkets, and even restaurants. Marks and Spencer recently introduced a plant-based range to cater to a rapidly growing vegan market, restaurants such as Wagamama have an entire vegan menu, and Pizza Express, Pizza Hut and Zizzi offer vegan pizzas.

So, what is it about veganism that has shaken us up? While the main themes seem to be animal welfare, environmental concerns and personal health, the lifestyle seems to mean something different to each person. The whirlwind that the vegan diet has created definitely doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, in particular with the popularity of campaigns such as ‘Veganuary’, the month-long challenge to go vegan for the month of January, which gathered 35,000 followers on Twitter.
Art student Freya Patterson, 20, from Framwellgate, Co Durham, felt compelled to change her diet in 2014.
“It came to a point where I could no longer detach the living animal from what was on my plate. I researched the dairy industry and discovered it was just as cruel if not worse than the meat industry. I felt like I wasn’t practising what I believed in,” she says.

She feels that most people react positively when they find out that she is vegan- although others can feel challenged, she says.

“Sometimes people get defensive about their own eating habits though, as if I’m trying to be morally superior, which isn’t what veganism is about. Also sometimes people suddenly become very concerned about where I’m getting my protein from.

“I am vegan for the animals. I don’t believe we should feel entitled to eat/use or exploit animals’ bodies in any way if we have the option of sustainable plant based alternatives. Compassion should be a priority over pleasure,” she insists.

Despite fear-mongering headlines such as “Veganism could be DANGEROUS for your health” in the Daily Mail and “Health warning: Vegan diet could be BAD for you” in the Daily Express, official advice has a more balanced tone. The NHS website states “you should be able to get most of the nutrients you need from eating a varied and balanced vegan diet.” However it does also warn that an unbalanced diet could lead to a lack of essential nutrients, including calcium, iron and vitamin B12.