Vegan products have entered with a straight leg in large-scale organized distribution. You no longer need to look for them in specialist shops, they are now found on supermarket shelves with an ever-growing choice and a multi-billion dollar turnover.
The Coronavirus health emergency has had a strong impact not only on our lives, but also on the eating habits of consumers. Increased attention to the health, sustainability and provenance of food has grown the ranks of those adopting the veganism as a lifestyle, to the point of conquering multinationals such as Nestlè and Domino's Pizza.
Even before the pandemic, however, interest in a fruit and vegetable-based diet was already on the rise or, at least, in a "flexitarian" diet, i.e. a flexible diet aimed at reducing the consumption of meat and fish. Now the trend is increasingly evident, so much so that many restaurants are now adopting the philosophy pet-friendly: plant-based dishes that replace meat, fish and derivatives.
Based on the latest Eurispes annual report, the "veg" population in Italy grew particularly during the year marked by the pandemic, going from 7,3% in 2019 to 8,9% (The 6,7% vegetarian and 2,2% vegan). In the North there is a high concentration of vegans, above all in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy, while in the Centre-North the vegetarian diet is more widespread, with Tuscany in first place.
A result also confirmed by data from Everli, an online shopping app, which analyzed the trend of purchases on its website. Tofu is in first place for vegans, followed by hummus, while vegetarians mainly bought vegetable burgers, cutlets and vegetable falafel.
In almost eighty years, veganism has gone from a niche thought to a real movement. Born in the UK in 1944 from the Vegan Society which brought the vegetarian diet to the same level, because respect for animals is not limited only to food, but everything that represents an exploitation or mistreatment of them, therefore clothing, cosmetics, etc.
Today, however, is being vegan a choice driven by love for animals, health or a trend? With the industry that has dominated the market, in which the multinationals have seen a business opportunity such as that of "surrogate" food, the answer is not so obvious. The substitutes are a combination of soy, cereals, natural flavourings, oilseeds and thickeners in the same shape as bresaola, burger or carpaccio.
Plus, why would a vegan person against animal abuse eat anything resembling meat? This because there is no univocal profile of the vegan: there are the more rigorous ones, the part-time vegans and the casual ones or simply those who want to reduce products of animal origin. So whoever buys veg products is not necessarily vegan.
Vegans and vegetarians: differences
There is a big difference between these two "diets". THE vegetarians do not eat meat and fish, but continue to feed on animal derivatives. Then there are those who do not eat eggs but milk and dairy products, ovo-vegetarians on the contrary consume eggs but not milk and dairy products. Much more rigorous are vegans who exclude not only meat and fish from their diet, but everything that derives from these: eggs, milk, cheese, honey. This is because the production of animal derivatives involves their exploitation, imprisonment and death.
Therefore, it is not a question of a simple diet: vegans exclude wool, silk, leather and any fabric of animal origin from their wardrobe. They avoid zoos, aquariums, circuses, any event or place that could cause suffering to animals. Being vegan is therefore a lifestyle choice, based on the condition that no animal, not even man, is superior to the others.
What drives you to become vegan? For some it is an ethical choice, for others a philosophical or religious one. But there are also those who do it for health or sustainability given the impact of farms on the environment. According to the Coop observatory, it is above all a healthy choice even if respect for animals is increasingly widespread.
Is the combination vegan-environment sustainable?
With an ever growing population and the environmental challenges we face, the problem of agriculture arises. In the long run, the amount of agricultural land available will not be sufficient to provide food for all. It is equally clear that we will need to change our eating habits. This is a knot that many researchers are trying to untie.
One might think that the vegan diet, in addition to respecting animal rights, is the most sustainable choice for the environment. In fact, according to many studies, this diet leaves too many resources unused. While omnivorous diets fully exploit the available lands (both cultivated and pasture land), vegan and vegetarian diets use only a part of them, as pasture lands are not suitable for the cultivation of vegetables and fruit.
Furthermore, all intensive crops that require high inputs should be questioned fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides which are not good for the environment. According to the FAO, this type of agriculture causes us to lose 25 to 40 billion tons of land a year. One way to stop the loss of arable sound would be to return to natural grazing systems.
This does not mean that the omnivorous diet is the most eco-sustainable, on the contrary, a drastic reduction in the consumption and production of meat is necessary given that intensive farming causes 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions produced by man.
According to a study published in Elementa (anthropocene scientific journal) which compared 10 different types of diets, the vegetarian diet with a modest consumption of meat was found to be the most sustainable of the others.
The risks of the vegan diet
Are vegan or vegetarian diets good for health? This is a debated topic. Most people make this choice without first consulting a nutritionist. Vegan foods are often low in calcium, zinc, iron and vitamin B12 and the proteins of vegetable origin taken do not contain the amino acids necessary for our body.
For this reason it is necessary to consult a nutritionist before adopting this regimen with the support of food supplements, otherwise there is the risk of nutritional deficiencies and intestinal imbalances, exhaustion, nausea, headaches, anemia. Furthermore, vegan nutrition is not suitable for everyone, above all it is not recommended for children, the elderly, pregnant women, celiacs and anemics.
On the other hand, many studies have shown that the consumption of red meat, especially in large quantities, leads to greater chances of colorectal cancer, obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
So what is the solution according to the experts? One balanced and varied food style it is always the best choice and this would require the introduction of a consumption, albeit very reduced, of meat and derivatives.
