Veganism : a growing lifestyle

Published by Marie-Amélie Brun on May 18, 2016

For a lot of people, the perfect meal contains a big piece of meat.

But this idea is changing as more and more people are moving towards a vegan lifestyle and many people are doing it for environmental reasons.

Just this week a study by the Vegan Society and Vegan Life Magazine showed that the vegan population in the United Kingdom has increased of 360% over the last 10 years. It now represents 542,000 persons or 1.05% of the British population over 15 years old.

According to “The journal”, methane emissions from agriculture represent 10 to 12% of gas emissions worldwide, but in Ireland they reach almost a third, an impressive figure which can be a motivation to turn to veganism.

Long described as extreme, this life style is slowly being more and more accepted by the population, thanks to ranges of products destined to vegans in supermarkets and to the spread of information about, both, the animal treatment and the medical studies that prove benefits of veganism.

Participants of the movement suppress animal products such as meat and fish, but also dairies (milk, cheese, butter) and honey from their diet and refuse the use of animal to human benefits (leather, wool, zoo). This diet choice is motivated by different factors : animal rights, health problems or environmental issues. It has been proved that our consumption of meat damages the earth and causes a great expense of natural resources such as water.

The part of population most concerned by this change is the young generation as 42% of vegans are aged 15 to 34. A positive change for our environment so if you are willing to take the first and to try to include a little of veganism in your life here a list of delicious and easy recipes.