More students choose veganism

Veganism appears to be on the rise in South Africa. Who would have thought that a student town such as Potchefstroom would have so many vegan options to choose from? Bronwen Bain, Buhle Mbijekana, and Rasaad Adams report on this growing phenomenon.

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South Africa last year ranked among the top five countries globally for the biggest number of vegan dishes ordered from Uber Eats, according to the Sunday Times. There was a 71% increase in healthy orders made during the nationwide lockdown period, Shane Austin, head of operations at Uber Eats South Africa, told the Sunday Times.

threestreamsmedia conducted a survey on the South African Vegan Society Facebook page to find out why people choose veganism. This is the largest social media forum used by vegans in the country.

Also read: Where to find vegan food in Potchefstroom

The results of our survey showed that most South Africans choose to become vegan because they are against animal cruelty. 58% of the participants indicated that they became vegan for the animals. 14% indicated that they became vegan for environmental reasons, while 27% voted for both animals and the environment. Only 1% of the participants indicated health and nutritional reasons as a motivation for becoming vegan.

After conducting some research, threestreamsmedia found that at the North-West University (NWU) there are also several students who follow a vegan lifestyle.

Jakes Espach (22) is a BCom honours chartered accounting student at the NWU. He said that he has been vegan for four years now and described veganism as a lifestyle rather than a diet.

“I became vegan after watching documentaries about animal cruelty in the agricultural industry and switching my philosophy to align more with that of secular Buddhism,” he said.

According to Espach, the biggest upside of following a vegan lifestyle is “probably being exposed to a variety of foods and more dishes than when I was eating meat”.

Jaydene Stevens (22) graduated from the NWU in 2020 with a BA in Communication Studies. 

“I went vegetarian on 1 October 2019, just to ease the transition, but went fully vegan shortly thereafter when I discovered that the dairy industry is still a massive concern with regards to its environmental impact. And not to mention how the animals are treated in a large scale farming environment,” Stevens said.

Stevens believes that people have a duty to protect the environment, and describes this as her main motivation for choosing this lifestyle. 

“I became so much more aware of the environmental impact humans have on the planet. I began using reusable cups, brought myself reusable straws everywhere and opted for reusable bags when going grocery shopping. But I had this overwhelming feeling that there had to be more that I could do than just share an eco quote on my Instagram story. So I started watching a few suggested documentaries on Netflix, Cowspericy and Forks over Knives. And it just became apparent that if I want people to take me seriously when I talk about the environment, I have to take it seriously,” she said.

Stevens’ eco-friendly journey motivated her to start her own business last year during the Covid-19 lockdown. She said she wanted to “provide people with physical products they can use to help fight climate change”.

“It started with me making a few produce bags, but has evolved into something so much bigger. I try to run my business as sustainably as possible. Whenever something comes in plastic that I can’t avoid, I make eco-bricks from it. My products are packaged and delivered in plastic-free packaging to relieve the consumer from the weight of waste management. At this point, the only plastic that’s a problem, is the plastic sleeve that is used by courier companies, but I’m going to opt for Millie Mailer sleeves, which are compostable,” she explained.

Stevens said that despite the nutritional and environmental benefits of being vegan, things don’t always go as one would hope it should.

“There is no such thing as a perfect vegan. Although I openly classify myself as a vegan, there are still days when I realise I ate something that wasn’t vegan. However, I don’t beat myself down. I acknowledge my flaw, shake it off and if it’s something I really like, for example a Krispy Kreme doughnut, I would try to look for an alternative – or try a homemade version. There is literally a vegan version for everything if you put in the work to look for it, or make it,” she said.

Flexitarianism is not a phrase one hears every day, but this also involves the inclusion of plant-based products, and exclusion of animal products (as far as possible) from your diet. Jack Coetzer (21), a third-year mechanical engineering NWU-student, became a flexitarian in August 2020, and hopes to slowly transition to veganism.

“I feel so much healthier. People told me I wouldn’t be able to get enough protein, but when I asked them how much protein they consume per day, they can’t tell me. I track all my food with a website called Cronometer, which tells me how much protein, carbs and fats I consume, as well as my micronutrient profile,” Coetzer said.

The environment and animals was also two of the main drivers for why he chose this lifestyle. Coetzer argued that anyone who knows anything about the environment knows how bad animal agriculture is for our natural resources.

“If we wait for big companies and governments to change their policies on how they treat the environment, we will never have a sustainable way of life. Every time you buy meat, you encourage the market to produce more meat. We don’t need to wait for big companies to make a change, we can do something right now,” he said.

Marise de Vries, a dietitian based in Pretoria, told threestreamsmedia that a vegan diet has many health and nutritional benefits. 

“Animal products such as meat, eggs, milk and cheese, cause inflammation in the human body. Most illnesses can be linked to inflammation, and a vegan diet prevents you from experiencing these illnesses. By following a vegan diet, your body can restore faster and more effectively, and consumes all the necessary antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, in a natural way,” she said.

Food items that are high in protein

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De Vries argued that “protein deficiency” among vegans is a mere myth, and by including certain food types in your diet, you can still maintain a balanced and healthy vegan lifestyle.

“All starches, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds contain protein – in varying amounts. Eat a variety of them every day, and you should get enough protein. Many international sports stars follow a vegan diet, and clearly have no protein deficiency,” she said.

[OPINION] Being vegan in South Africa is an emotional rollercoaster

Whether it’s having to deal with the stereotypes coming from family and friends, or not finding anything on the restaurant menu then you just order chips – being a vegan in South Africa is not as easy as one would assume. Rasaad Adams followed a vegan lifestyle for ten months, and takes us through his journey.

At the end of 2018 I decided to cut meat from my diet after being exposed to some video material about the horror of the meat and dairy industry. I still stuck to my milk and some animal products, so technically, I was vegetarian at first.

Slowly but surely, I began to fully cut out all products that derived from animals, and by March 2019, I declared myself a vegan and was fully committed to the cause. What followed were months of stereotyping, temptation, and a heck of a lot of money spent on vegan and plant-based meals.

Out of all the people twho supported my lifestyle, my parents are the ones that I was mostly thankful for. At first, they did not know how to approach the whole situation, especially my mother as she is the one who does most of the cooking around the house. Before preparing her meals, she would ask me whether I ate certain foods that she planned to add to the meal.

My father is the one who would often buy take-aways – he is not one who likes spending time in front of the stove. “I’m buying KFC for the rest of us for tonight. Is there anything I can get for you?” he would ask while probably standing in KFC’s line. 

As someone who likes reading the ingredients on a product before buying it, I would usually just tell them that it is okay and that I plan on preparing something myself. This support and concern from my parents meant so much to me.

My brother would often ridicule me and say that veganism is only an excuse to live a savvy and pretentious lifestyle. I gave a lot of thought to what he said, and to a certain degree he might have a point. We often see how social media influencers portray this lifestyle of “healthy and clean living” and classify themselves as vegan. 

Now, I will not be narrow-minded and say that they are all lying. Of course, a lot of them are committed to the cause. However, a lot of these “influencers” are only advertising certain brands and do not really give a flying feather about the treatment of animals let alone the environment.

Being vegan and Afrikaans, is like waving a Blue Bulls flag on Newlands stadium in Cape Town – you are bound to be criticised and ridiculed. My Afrikaans friends, who love their chop and boerewors, would ask me if I brought my “piece of grass” to the braai. One of them once said: “Rasaad, the smell of this braai is just so tempting and makes me very hungry. Will you also get tempted when I start cutting the grass now?” Yes, that is funny. Even I had to laugh – everyone else at the braai did. 

As funny as these vegan jokes may be, I believe that this is a toxic environment and culture none of us should be promoting. Yes, I am no longer vegan, so I am in no position of criticizing meat-eaters. However, when will we reach a point in our society where we respect each other’s lifestyle choices?

Instead of ridiculing vegans, I really think we should just take a step back and actually make an effort to listen to them. Have the courage to ask them why they chose this lifestyle and why they so strongly believe in what they believe.

It is the same as talking to someone about politics. The idea is not to allow the person to change your political views, or vice-versa. It’s a civil conversation between two human-beings in which we exchange world views, norms, perspectives, and get an understanding as to what goes on in the other person’s head – but most importantly, what lies in their heart.