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MAKING VEGANISM MORE ACCESSIBLE: OUR APPROACH TO PLANT-BASED EATING

Created
December 21, 2021
| Updated
September 8, 2022
|
3
min read
By
Better Nature
Better Nature
Better Nature
Better Nature's tempeh in a curry with tenderstem brocolli.

It comes as no surprise that we love plants and fully embrace the wonderful world of plant-based eating. We’re not ones to turn down a vegan burger, toast with tempeh rashers on top, pizza oozing with vegan cheese, vegan doughnuts or chocolate! Equally, we also love tucking into some simple vegan bolognese, stir-fries made with wilted veggies, lentil soups, hearty salads and beans on toast. Plant-based eating can be so versatile, not to mention delicious, and vegan dishes are anything but boring or bland.

Image of 3 slices of toast loaded with avocado, bananas and cherry tomatoes respectively.
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

What’s more, according to a study published in the journal Science in 2018 avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Less meat and more plant-based protein, please! Joseph Poore from University of Oxford who lead the research stated “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use,” These are some of the many reasons to love plant-based dishes, look for alternatives to meat and try out vegan recipes!

However, as much as we like to encourage people to dive into the delicious world of plant-based foods, we also acknowledge that not everyone has the same opportunities to go vegan and questions of privilege can’t be ignored when talking about veganism. As much as we would like people to adopt plant-based diets, we recognise that it is much easier for a person who makes a comfortable income and lives in a city with a lot of options to be vegan, as opposed to someone living in poverty or in a food desert where access to affordable fresh and nutritious food is limited. Additionally, we can’t ignore the role that education plays when it comes to food choices. Not everyone might have access to the same information, nor the time to do their own research.

A bunch of vegetables on a table.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

We feel extremely privileged to be able to enjoy delicious and varied diets filled with plant-based goodness and tasty meat alternatives (especially tempeh :D), and we hope that one day this is an option for everyone. Consequently, our aim is to make highly nutritious and tasty tempeh more accessible, and to create products that make plant-based eating easier and more feasible. We know we still have a long way to go but that is our goal! Being inclusive is very important to us and something we’re trying to get better at all the time. Creating products that are affordable to a larger chunk of society is one part of that, and is something we’re working on.

A blue plate with the word "VEGAN" spelled out using small tiles.
Photo on Unsplash

When it comes to veganism, it’s also good to keep in mind the impacts of colonisation. For example, many traditional African diets were plant-based and it was only through colonisation that meat started to play a bigger part in the diets. As Nicola Kagoro, a chef working in South Africa and Zimbabwe, has said “Our ancestors didn’t eat as much meat. It is through colonisation that we learned these crazy meat-eating practices.”  So, although we’re passionate about advocating plant-based eating, we also want to keep educating ourselves on all of the nuances, understand better the connections between different issues and avoid pointing fingers at anyone or making blank statements. We’re not perfect and we have a lot to learn but one thing is clear: We want to make nutritious and delicious plant-based protein accessible and promote plant-based eating but without shaming or blaming. Thank you for being on this journey with us :)

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