talking point: veganism prelude
Veganism, a new trend that is age old dating back far longer than the birth of the first millennial. But it is undeniable that veganism is on the rise. People are becoming more aware of their health and what difference their diet can make, and now we have moved past the era of proteins and dairy being a luxury we are reconsidering what vitamins, minerals and fibre we actually need.
There’s a problem with the way most people now look at food. This is problem is particularly prevalent in the western world where we have moved further away from our food. We don’t know enough about the food we eat to construct balanced dishes without falling into the pattern that most food is built to. When people look making a plate they look at carbs, veg and protein as separate parts of a meal. The subject of veganism raises a lot of questions about health in food, fashion in food and the power we can have in affecting change with food.
From a young age, children are fed images of food pyramids and “healthy plates” that enforce an idea of certain food items belong to certain groups: meat as protein, veg as vitamins and assorted carbs (like pasta or bread) as energy. This is not only misleading but has had a damaging effect on the way we eat. Once you understand what a balanced diet requires and how to compose that in a dish, you quickly move away from that classic plate we all saw as a kid.
Did you know that a combining a pulse and grain builds a complete protein? Or that vitamin C helps to release energy? What about the fact that a lot of animal protein product carry large amounts of fat too!
At the deli we make a lot of vegan and vegetarian food but it is done somewhat accidentally because we focus on making good food above anything else and to do this not require animal products as we are taught.
The idea of these discussions around veganism is not to convert you, none of us at the deli are vegan or vegetarian. But veganism is seen to be a challenge, difficult and hard to do/be and this attitude should be changed because animal products are not a necessity in our search for good food.
There’s a problem with the way most people now look at food. This is problem is particularly prevalent in the western world where we have moved further away from our food. We don’t know enough about the food we eat to construct balanced dishes without falling into the pattern that most food is built to. When people look making a plate they look at carbs, veg and protein as separate parts of a meal. The subject of veganism raises a lot of questions about health in food, fashion in food and the power we can have in affecting change with food.
From a young age, children are fed images of food pyramids and “healthy plates” that enforce an idea of certain food items belong to certain groups: meat as protein, veg as vitamins and assorted carbs (like pasta or bread) as energy. This is not only misleading but has had a damaging effect on the way we eat. Once you understand what a balanced diet requires and how to compose that in a dish, you quickly move away from that classic plate we all saw as a kid.
Did you know that a combining a pulse and grain builds a complete protein? Or that vitamin C helps to release energy? What about the fact that a lot of animal protein product carry large amounts of fat too!
At the deli we make a lot of vegan and vegetarian food but it is done somewhat accidentally because we focus on making good food above anything else and to do this not require animal products as we are taught.
The idea of these discussions around veganism is not to convert you, none of us at the deli are vegan or vegetarian. But veganism is seen to be a challenge, difficult and hard to do/be and this attitude should be changed because animal products are not a necessity in our search for good food.
