Australia is not ready to give up the throne on Google yet and remains to be the country which searches for the word “vegan” more than any other country in the world. This was a trend in 2016 and continues to be in 2017.
Our next door neighbours from New Zealand hold the second place, followed by the UK, Canada and the United States.
Source: Google Trends
What attracts us to veganism more than others? Or are we just exploring that field and want to know more?
According to Google, the most popular term is vegan food, followed by vegan recipes, vegan restaurants and vegan diet.
Here are some of the possible reasons why we are going down the vegan road:
- Our healthy lifestyle – we are concerned for our well-being and want to eat better and smarter. Looking into veganism and exploring new recipes comes naturally for many Australians.
- Cruelty to animals, health and climate change concern a large number of Australians and exploring new solutions stands with our core beliefs.
- We follow trends – Veganism is on the rise. Restaurants, celebrities, social media and magazines – educate us about vegan lifestyle and motivate many to actually start searching for more info.
Vegan Australia website defines veganism as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Their top 4 reasons to go vegan are:
- Animals matter
- A fairer world
- Helping the environment
- Living healthy
What are the health benefits?
An article Health Effects of Vegetarian Diets in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says:
A vegetarian diet is associated with many health benefits because of its higher content of fiber, folic acid, vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium, and many phytochemicals and a fat content that is more unsaturated. Compared with other vegetarian diets, vegan diets tend to contain less saturated fat and cholesterol and more dietary fiber. Vegans tend to be thinner, have lower serum cholesterol, and lower blood pressure, reducing their risk of heart disease.
There are the downsides as well and all radical dietary changes should be decided upon together with a professional. Here are some of the risks:
Eliminating all animal products from the diet increases the risk of certain nutritional deficiencies. Micronutrients of special concern for the vegan include vitamins B-12 and D, calcium, and long-chain n–3 (omega-3) fatty acids. Unless vegans regularly consume foods that are fortified with these nutrients, appropriate supplements should be consumed. In some cases, iron and zinc status of vegans may also be of concern because of the limited bioavailability of these minerals.
Has the vegan life style changed your life in any way?
