In 2006 it was predicted by the national Vegan Society that there were approximately 150,000 Vegans in the UK. Over the past 10 years interest in the lifestyle, alongside the continued growth of Vegetarianism, has seen a rise in awareness for ethically driven, cruelty-free diets. Bristol University’s vegan and vegetarian society, VegSoc, creates a student space for the discussion of environmental and conservational issues that a diet the consumption of animals/products may cause; creating a platform for students to change their diet safely.
Vice president, Libby Rogers who has been dairy-free for 4 years, informs us of the society’s initiatives to create a community for students to follow a vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, commenting on the misconceptions many seem to encounter.
Rogers comments, “Predominantly around 97% of animals that are farmed are used for food or food products. This statistically shows our vast consumption of animals which is proving to be unsustainable environmentally. Our members have mainly chosen their vegan or vegetarian diets in response to the environmental and ethic issues presented by our growing consumerism, and really gain value from meeting people that are driven by the same cause. There’s also a sense of support for members that are looking to change their diet; meeting somebody who can actually inform you about living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle can make the transition realistic, which is really credible. Many people hold the belief that a vegan lifestyle is too expensive; meeting fellow students that live sustainably and cheaply on a plant-based and dairy free diet can challenge these misconceptions. Obviously, all diets can be expensive depending on what you eat, but we seek to share how to maintain a healthy and affordable lifestyle.”
Libby discuses how VegSoc aim to tackle common misconceptions about the vegan lifestyle – “our society’s aim is to, as well as give our members a sense of community, offer education and support to those who are interested. My role as vice-president it to promote events that seek to inform people about veganism/vegetarianism. We normally have weekly, or two weekly meetings and socials, and aim to work with local Bristol businesses that source their food with similar ethical consideration. We’ve had a few informative talks held by the society this term, such as information on becoming a vegan, and why you don’t need dairy in your diet, which featured an outside speaker discussing the long term health implications that is caused by the consumption of animal products.”
Vice-president Rogers registers the implications extreme change to one’s diet can have – “it’s important that when you go vegan that you eat enough. In essence, you are restricting certain food groups out of your diet, so it is therefore important to implement other foods to replace the nutrients/energy that you may lose as a result. It’s common when people transition to the vegan diet that they don’t account for this. As a result their body lacks energy and they end up feeling awful, believing it’s because of the types of food they’re eating, but it’s because they’re not eating enough. Depending on what your diet was like before, it can take time for your body to adjust. In a way, your body has to change the way it’s digesting food. Meat and dairy do not contain any fibre. Changing to a vegan diet can mean implementing much more high fibre foods generally (rice, vegetables, chickpeas). We recently invited a nutritionist to explain how your body functions on a vegan diet; we really consider informing our members correctly and safely.”
The VegSoc community appears to be growing reflective of the trend around the UK. Libby informs us that other universities have started similar societies, with UWE last year forming their own VegSoc. Rogers notes this growing sense of community, “We have a joint-social with UWE coming up on the 15th March, as well as a screening of Cowspiracy on the 14th April in collaboration with DocSoc. The integration of different groups is really positive, we’re seeing changes that have started to simulate through the sharing of experiences.” For more information about Bristol’s VegSoc, visit their facebook page. Vegsoc’s next social in collaboration with Tea Soc is happening next week on the 2nd March.