Be it the welfare gurus or social media influencers, the vegan or vegan lifestyle has been widely popularized in recent years. The media and specialists continue to advocate its benefits and position it as a diet favorable to the maintenance of ecological balance and human health. But it imposes a strict verification of the origin of the foods included in the diet, as the British newspaper The Independent explains.
Social networks have highlighted several practices that date back centuries. Notoriety especially acquired by opinion leaders, specialists and media influencers. This is the case of veganism, promoted as a healthy way of life, in the face of the decadence of ecological and moral values of animal exploitation.
The Veganism, instructions for use
The Vegan terminology has often been translated by the vegan term. This might surprise you, but this way of life was born in 1944 by Donald Watson, officially the precursor of veganism. In 1948 he created the first Vegan Society. But it was not until the 1970s that this way of life gained popularity, with the organization of the World Vegetarian Congress.
To qualify veganism as a diet would be an exaggerated simplification of this phenomenon. It is a way of life in its own right. It is also a mode of consumption, which excludes any product that can induce exploitation and cruelty to animals. This does not apply only to the level of the diet, but also to the level of the clothes and even the cosmetic products as far as the tests carried out on the animals. It is a conception based on a radical rejection of animal exploitation.
The first controversy experienced by vegan society, took place shortly after the founding of the Vegan society, especially with the highlighting of the importance of vitamin B12. This vitamin is not present in the plant world, has imposed the intake of dietary supplements to the Vegan community. To know that the absence of vitamin B12 can induce food deficiencies and severe anemias.
A slice of lemon in your drink, not necessarily vegan
It is always difficult to know for sure what can happen behind the scenes of restaurants, especially when following a Vegan lifestyle. It took the Pizza Express fast food chain to grab the attention of bestselling author Jack Monroe with a mention on their menu. Indeed, it was mentioned according to his tweet, that a glass of coca with a slice of lemon would not be suitable for Vegan. This story has been relayed by many media, including The Independent, the Huffington Post or the magazine Paris Match, and has highlighted the many practices of restaurant owners, likely to compromise the Vegan lifestyle.
In fact, lemons, in addition to other food products such as cucumbers and peppers, are processed before they are displayed on supermarket shelves. They are covered with edible wax, for several functions. The first is purely aesthetic, shiny lemons are more attractive, give an impression of freshness and superior quality, and encourage purchase. But this is not the only purpose behind it, it is also to avoid the loss of food water and thus the compromise of their freshness. This wax also has a fungicidal potential.
The only controversy for the Vegan company remains the origin of the wax used. It often contains beeswax or shellac, another wax from the Asian cochineal. This is not in line with the Vegan lifestyle. Hence the need to verify that the food consumed is untreated and of biological origin.
Vegan or Vegetarian?
Vegetarianism has its origins in ancient Greece, especially with Pythagoras, considered the father of this mode of food. Thus people who did not consume meat were considered Pythagorean. The vegetarian diet has had many followers, more or less famous throughout history, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein or Mahatma Gandhi. Unlike veganism, which excludes any product that induces exploitation of the animal race, vegetarianism is a diet that excludes meats: that is, red and white meat, fish and seafood.