Going vegan in college was hard especially going vegan in North Carolina. The Carolinas are known for the brisket sandwich, and I was torn to have to give it up but becoming vegan has been the new buzz. When surrounding myself with other foodies I met through my classes or other members in the Spoon chapter at Wake Forest University, transitioning to a plant-based diet or vegan became more manageable and more fun. In the past several years and 2022, there are 6 reasons why vegan and plant-based is the new buzz.
What is the difference between vegan and plant-based? Vegan is a diet and a choice an individual makes to eliminate all animal products from their diet (includes cheeses, eggs, butter, dairy milk, etc.). While on a plant-based diet, an individual chooses to be vegan but occasionally has meat.
1. Restaurants having 100% vegan options
Many restaurants nationwide have recently opened to only having vegan food. One restaurant nationwide: Planta is a 100% plant-based restaurant. One vegan restaurant in Winston Salem that transitioned to an entirely plant-based menu is Dom’s (formerly known as Mozzarella Fellas’s). Furthermore, recently, Panda Express, Burger King, and Taco Bell have all launched vegan product(s) and catered toward the vegan community.
2. Colleges having more plant-based and vegan options
In recent years, dining options at Wake Forest University tried to incorporate more plant-based options in the dining hall and on-campus restaurants. Becoming vegan or plant-based has become a lot easier at Wake.
3. Better performance
Who wouldn’t want to have a better mile time or less fatigue when working out? When you cut lactate, which comes from dairy, out of your diet, you will experience fewer cramps. The Olympians are switching to a plant-based and vegan diet. It gives them better sports performance, giving them more energy from nonprocessed/vegan foods.
4. Better health conditions
You will have better health conditions in the longterm in the long term because you are detoxing the body from all the harmful chemicals from meat. You will be less likely to get chronic conditions (heart disease, cancer, etc). Think about it would you eat a pig you just killed on the farm without cooking it or would you eat a tomato you found on a farm. You probably said the tomato option because you cannot bite into an 80+ lb without getting an airborne disease. Vegan food is simply easier to cook.
5. Increases your longevity
Vegans live longer than carnivores.
6. Your skin will glow
Eating and drinking dairy products will have your skin break out in pimples and acne. Therefore, replacing dairy products with dairy alternatives (like vegan butter, oat milk, almond milk, dairy-free cheese) will lead to more clear and beautiful skin.
Are you still wondering why vegan? Here are 11 more reasons why you should go vegan!