Vegan: Foodstyle Surge

Vegan: Foodstyle Surge

 1.0   Abstract

A vegan diet excludes all animal products including dairy, egg, meat, and even honey but the diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains, seeds and plant-based dairy and meat alternatives. They believe in the concept that animals should not be exploited for food or other purposes. This effort decreases the animal products demand and thus contributes to the preservation of natural habitats and the protection of biodiversity as it decreases the amount of land required for livestock farming. However, careful planning is essential to ensure that a vegan diet meets all nutritional needs.

2.0   Introduction

A vegan is someone who does not consume or use animal products of any kind. The vegan diet is centred on plants, not including animal products like meat, fish, dairy products, or even honey (Piia et al., 2019). Generally, vegans follow this lifestyle because of ethical, health, and environmental drives (Fuentes, & Fuentes, 2023). Bound to animal rights movements, vegans aim to eradicate all practices of animal cruelty and exploitation. Veganism excludes all animal use, for example in food (meat, eggs, fish, milk and dairy products, honey), in clothing and industry (leather, wool, fur and some cosmetics), entertainment (zoos, exotic pets, circuses), or services (guide dogs, police dogs, hunting dogs, working animals, or animal testing, including medical experimentation). The annual growth of vegan products was 58% between 2015 and 2019 (Market Insights,). In 2018, the Mintel Global New Products Database mentioned that the United Kingdom launched the most vegan food products in the world (Market Insights, 2018). Also, according to Mintel, in 2018 in Europe, one out of ten new food products was either vegan or had no animal product ingredients. Based on a number published in 2019 by The Economist, it was possible to verify that the total number of vegans in the world would be approximately 79 million in January 2021 (The Economist, 2019)

According to a 2021 survey, 24% of Indians identified as vegetarian and 9% identified as vegan. Considering how many people live in India that means “574 million Indians who follow a meat-free diet, which is more than the total population of the United States and the United Kingdom put together.” So, while the majority of the country considers themselves non-vegetarians or selective meat-eaters, there are still millions of people who follow vegetarian and vegan diets. Here, we are focused on being vegan in India. Even though there may not be nearly as many vegan establishments as there are vegetarian restaurants, you can easily find tonnes of vegan food in many places in India. And, since many traditional recipes are already vegetarian, or indeed vegan, you’ll find that it’s easy to be vegan in India! Figure 1 depicts the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) logo for “Vegan”.

Leaf at the Top: The green colour leaf depicts that the ingredient/ product is of plant origin

         V at the centre: To identify it as a Vegan product

Word VEGAN at the bottom: Help consumers to identify vegan foods and avoid confusion with the letter ’’V’’.

2.1 Rise of Vegans in India

Veganism as a widespread idea started in 1944, when a small group of people who were vegetarians, broke away from the Leicester Vegetarian Society in England and formed a Vegan Society. The term ‘vegan’ was coined by Donald Watson, the co-founder of this society. There is no specific time that can define when the vegan lifestyle entered Indian borders. This is because India is already ranked among the top vegetarian countries. Since vegetarianism has been popular in India for centuries already, it was only natural that people began to easily shift to veganism instead. Veganism is expected to increase in India, perhaps at a slower rate than in other parts of the world due to the nation’s love of dairy (Superprof.co.in).

2.2 Veganism

The term “vegan” was chosen from the combination of the first and last letters of “vegetarian.” By 1949, the first definition of veganism had been born. It has changed slightly over the years to become what it is known as today. According to the latest definition from the Vegan Society, veganism is “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purposes.” (Healthline.com). According to Joanne Stepaniak, the word vegan was first published independently in 1962 by the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, defined as “a vegetarian who eats no butter, eggs, cheese, or milk“(Wikipedia).

2.3 Reason for Veganism

Ethics: Veganism opposes consuming products which involve the killing of animals. This includes the slaughter of goats, sheep and calves, or the culling of 1-day-old male chicks in egg production. Ethical vegans believe that animals’ milk, eggs, honey, silk, and wool are not for human use.

Health: Some people choose a vegan diet for its potential health benefits. Diets high in meat especially red meat have been linked to cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Increasing intake of more plant-based foods improves digestion and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. A vegan diet can also help to minimize the side effects linked to the veterinary drugs and hormones used in animal farming.

Environment: People choose to avoid animal products to limit their environmental impact. According to recent data, animal farming heavily contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), which cause global warming. Meat eaters are thought to be responsible for 2–2.5 times more GHGEs than people following a vegan diet. This data is based on self-reported dietary patterns in the U.K. Ruminant animals, such as cattle, camel, goat, and sheep, appear to emit the largest amount of greenhouse gases per gram of protein they deliver. Therefore, diets which reduce or eliminate dairy also produce significantly lower GHGEs. One study suggests that a vegetarian diet produces 33% lesser GHGEs than a meat-containing standard American diet offering the same number of calories. A vegan diet has a smaller environmental impact, producing about 53% fewer GHGEs than a calorie-matched meat-containing diet. A large proportion of the plant protein currently being produced is used to feed animals rather than humans. Because of this, the production of an animal-based diet requires the use of more of the earth’s resources than the production of a plant-based diet. For example, producing animal protein requires 6–17 times more land and 2-3 times more water than the same amount of soybean protein.

2.4 Vegan Foods: Vegan foods consist of the following

• Beans, peas, and lentils: Red, brown, or green lentils; chickpeas  black-eyed peas; black
• Soy products: Fortified soy milk soybeans, and products made from them, such as tofu, tempeh, and chunks.
• Nuts: Peanuts, almonds, cashews, and their butters
• Seeds: Sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and their butter, as well as flaxseed, hemp seeds, and chia seeds
• Whole grains: Quinoa, whole wheat, whole oats, and whole brown or wild rice, as well as products made from these foods, such as whole grain bread, crackers, and pasta
• Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, beets, and turnips
• Non-starchy vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, radishes, and leafy greens vegetables
• Fruit: Apples, pears, bananas, berries, mango, pineapple, oranges, and tangerines
• Other plant-based foods: Algae, nutritional yeast, fortified plant milk and yoghurts, and maple syrup

2.5 Foods that vegans avoid

Vegans avoid all foods of animal origin. These include:

• Meat and fish: All meat and meat-based products
• Eggs: Whole eggs and foods that contain them, such as bakery products
• Dairy: Milk, cheese, butter, and cream, as well as foods made using these ingredients
• Other animal-derived ingredients: Honey, albumin, casein, carmine, gelatin, pepsin, shellac, isinglass, and whey

2.6 Types of Veganism

• Dietary vegans: Those who avoid animal products in their diet but continue to use them in other products, such as clothing and cosmetics.
• Whole-food vegans: Those who favour a diet rich in whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
• “Junk-food” vegans:  Those individuals who rely heavily on processed vegan foods such as vegan meats, fries, and desserts, including Oreo cookies and non-dairy ice cream.
• Raw-food vegans. Those who eat only foods that are raw or cooked at temperatures below 118°F (48°C).
• Low-fat raw-food vegans. These people limit high-fat foods such as nuts, avocados, and coconuts and, rely mainly on fruit. They may occasionally eat small amounts of other plants.

 2.7 Lacks of Vegan Diet

As a vegan diet is completely, a plant-based diet, it is deficient in vitamins and minerals which are derived from animals. Such as

• vitamin B12
• vitamin D
• calcium
• zinc
• iodine
• selenium

2.8 Dairy Alternatives

A vegan diet is designed to fulfil dairy alternatives, which include:

• Cheese: Shreds and slices are made using coconut, almonds, cashews, soy, or pea protein
• Milk: Made from oats, hemp, rice, soy, peas, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, or cashews
• Cream cheese and sour cream: Made from beans or cashews
• Butter: Made using vegetable oil, cashews, or pea protein
• Ice cream: Made from soy, oats, cashews, or coconut milk

2.9 The future of veganism in India

 Veganism in India has become more mainstream as awareness spreads, and as more restaurants and food companies produce plant-based options. According to a survey conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2021, there were an estimated millions of vegans in India, steadily increasing year by year (vkind.com). Over the recent years, many people across the globe have shifted to a variety of plant-based food alternatives that offer great taste and health benefits. However, a Vegan diet has become increasingly popular for people wanting to adapt to a healthier lifestyle, save the environment and care for animals. Vegan options, such as almond milk, plant-based paneer, plant-based meat substitutes, soya paneer, plant milk-based curd and chocolates and many more, are flooding the market. Celebrity couple Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza, too, are launching their vegan initiative Imagine Meats, inspired by the multi-billion-dollar success of US giant Beyond Meat. On screen, powerful documentaries such as Cowspiracy, What the Health, Dominion, and most recently, The Game Changers, have been inspiring people across the spectrum to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. In addition to a growing number of vegan-friendly dishes making their way into various restaurant and cafe menus, many plant-based restaurants have cropped up to cater to vegan consumers.

3.0  Conclusion

A vegan diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, grains, seeds, and plant-based alternatives to dairy and meat. A well-balanced vegan diet can lower the risk of many diseases like hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Veganism supports environmental sustainability by conserving water, reducing carbon footprint and minimising land use. Compared to animal-based diets veganism supports environmental sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint, conserving water, and minimizing land use compared to animal-based diets. Adopting a vegan lifestyle is a stand against animal exploitation which reflects a commitment to social responsibility and ethical living. However, careful planning is required to ensure that a vegan diet meets all the nutritional needs.

4.0     References

1. https://yourstory.com/weekender/india-heading-towards-vegan-future. Accessed on 05 May 2024.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism. Accessed on 15 May 2024.
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-a-vegan. Accessed on 20 May 2024.
4. https://nourishyou.in/blogs/learn/what-are-vegan-food-products. Accessed on 02 June 2024.
5. https://www.rush.edu/news/health-benefits-vegan-diet. Accessed on 05 June 2024.
6. https://startuptalky.com/indians-adopt-veganism. Accessed on 15 June 2024.
7. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/how-is-vegan-food-disrupting-the-indian-market. Accessed on 15 June 2024.
8. https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism. Accessed on 20 June 2024.
9. https://www.vkind.com/the-rise-of-veganism-in-india-a-cultural-shift. Accessed on 01 July 2024.
10. https://yourstory.com/weekender/india-heading-towards-vegan-future. Accessed on 10 July 2024.

Anupama Rani^1*, Anuradha Kumari² ,Niraj K Singh³

1. Dr. Anupama Rani, Assistant Professor, Department of Dairy Chemistry, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna
2. Dr. Anuradha Kumari, Assistant Professor, Department of Dairy Chemistry, Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Dairy Technology, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna
3. Dr. Niraj K Singh, Associate Professor, Associate Professor & Head Department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Kishanganj, Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna