Veganuary: Kick of 2015 with a Healthy Bang!

People often assume as a scientist growing meat in the lab I eat vegan. I’m pretty sure this assumption is amplified by the fact I am reasonably young, pretty active and seemingly healthy!

However I am not. I really do enjoy meat, dairy and eggs although I am really aware of the ethical, environmental and health implications of eating animal products. Therefore I really go to lengths to unearth product sources whether this be when eating in a restaurant, at home or at a friends.

This is pretty easy to do for meat. In the city you can go to the local butchers and chat to them about sourcing, in restaurants you can email (or use the power of social media) and choose chaps who know the origins of their produce (I found a cracking restaurant in London GUNPOWDER who were amazing!). Avoid buying ‘savers’ chicken from the supermarket down the road and most importantly try switching to a lower meat diet. Do you really need bacon for breakfast, ham for lunch and chicken for dinner? Nah. We can be innovative with plant proteins and the cool alternatives hitting our shelves.

Eggs I source from a farm back home in the country. I understand this is a luxury that many do not have available. In London I always buy free range where the hens do get time outside.

The thing I really struggle with is products that contain dairy and eggs. THIS is predominantly where the battery farming is hidden. Cakes, pies, milk, CHOCOLATE.