FOOD + DRINK
PLANT POWER CONT .
Back in the early 2000s , when Jamie Oliver was making his mark on the world of cookery but yet to introduce his healthy school dinners to turkey-twizzler loving teens , I sat in my grandmother ’ s farmhouse kitchen to hear her announce that a vegan family had moved into a house nearby . My grandmother , a true character of the Silent Generation , who had lived through rationing , loved Italian cooking , Delia Smith , hearty Sunday roasts and full English breakfasts , had never met such people before . The concept bemused her . As the 80s and 90s came and went , she has met vegetarians aplenty , and even had one in the family . But vegans she was yet to encounter . A woman who relished a cookery challenge , she would scour recipe books and magazines for veggie inspirations ahead of my vegetarian aunt ’ s attendance at Christmas and Easter meals . Secretly , I think she loved the extra preparation and creativity that this required , although she would bemoan it to my mother . OK , I ’ m going to let you in on one of her darkest secrets : she did tell a ‘ white lie ’ that some Christmas potatoes were roasted in olive oil and not goose fat one year - but cut her some slack - she had over 12 hungry Italians to feed and not enough room in the AGA for another roasting tray .
Upon my next visit , the vegans were brought up again in conversation , but this time she told me she had convinced them to take some eggs from her hens and apparently they had loved them . Looking rather pleased with herself , I wondered not only if they had really eaten them and if they were just being polite , but also why we as human beings are so infatuated with our own diets and justifying them to other people . Every time my vegan friend Bella clears her throat and asks a waiter “ Excuse me , is this vegan ?” I feel a tiny stab of annoyance , but why ? Perhaps it is my anxiety-induced Millennial subconscious telling me I should be vegan too ; that meat-eating is cruel to animals , toxic for the planet and bad for my skin ; maybe I am envious of her willpower , or perhaps flexitarianism simply just suits me more . When it comes to that all-important dilemma : ‘ to eat animal products or to not eat animal products ’, there is one thing we can do when confused . Read , research , stay open-minded and make well-informed decisions .
So is veganism really better for our health ? According to research undergone by the BBC and published on their GoodFood ( www . bbcgoodfood . com ) website , a vegan diet can have a myriad of different benefits on our health . Findings found that veganism may support healthy weight loss through intake of fibre and being naturally low in calories ; wholegrains , legumes , fruit and vegetables support our heart health and cholesterol ; avoiding smoked and processed red meat may reduce the risk of some cancers ; and eating a varied plant-based diet can make positive and rapid changes to our gut microbiome , encouraging excellent gut health .
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