As a dietitian in private practice, I was hard-pressed to meet a vegan or would-be vegan 20 years ago. Thats not no longer the case. More and more, I am asked to craft plant-based vegetarian meal plans for clients.
Its hard to say how many Canadians are vegan today. As of 2003, 4 per cent of the population said they followed a vegetarian diet, although not necessarily a vegan one.
The prevalence of vegetarianism has undoubtedly increased over the past decade. And many more people are moving in this direction by cutting red meat from their diet.
A vegan diet is the strictest form of vegetarianism. While a vegetarian might pour milk on cereal or eat cookies made with eggs and butter, a vegan avoids all animal products including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, even honey.
The motivation to adopt such a hard-core diet varies. Some do it for ethical reasons, not wanting to harm animals for human consumption.
Others like the fact a vegan diet is better for the environment than one based on meat. Large-scale meat production is thought to contribute as much as 22 per cent of greenhouse gases in the world each year.
The health benefits are a draw as well. A vegan diet has been shown to improve blood sugar in people with diabetes, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and blood pressure, and promote weight loss. It may even help prevent colon cancer and heart disease.
Many people became interested when former U.S. president Bill Clinton drew international attention to veganism crediting his weight loss to a plant-based diet.
But perhaps more people are considering veganism because the diet is easier to follow than it used to be. Vegan soups, frozen entrees, energy bars, protein powders, even breads are available in mainstream grocery stores. And a growing number of restaurants are devoted to vegan fare.
Vegan cookbooks are proliferating too. So much so there are vegan cookbooks devoted entirely to slow-cooker meals and vegan entertaining.
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How to have a balanced vegan diet
