15 Facts About Veganism You May Not Know

Veganism is on the rise in the UK with more and more of us embracing it, whether that’s for animal compassion reasons, concerns for the environment, health reasons or a mixture.

Here at The British Hamper Company we can certainly see the rise of veganism reflected in the growing popularity of our vegan food hamper range.

Indeed, the registered and established charity, The Vegan Society (vegansociety.com) describes veganism as a ‘philosophy and a way of living’.

You may know the basic facts that veganism involves having a plant-based diet, avoiding meat, dairy products, eggs and honey. And also that it discourages the use of animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and supporting places that use animals for entertainment.

But as it’s becoming more popular, we should perhaps arm ourselves with a little more knowledge!

So take a look at these lesser-known facts about veganism:

The word ‘vegan’ comes from a man called Donald Watson, the founder of The Vegan Society, who in 1944 combined the 1st and last letters of ‘vegetarian’ to create the new word and the new group!
Oreos are vegan! These are made without using any animal products.
According to research by the University of Oxford, eating a vegan diet can reduce your footprint by 73%.
Worried that vegans don’t eat enough protein? Lentils, beans, mushrooms, broccoli, soya and peas can contain more protein than meat!
Worried about the vegan’s calcium intake? Fear not. Pulses, soya products, green leafy veg and plant- based milks all contain calcium.
Not all alcohol is vegan. Beer, wine and cider go through a filtration process before bottling. During this, some companies use substances that contain animal products – like gelatine, egg whites and isinglass which is a substance obtained from fish bladders.
Research has shown the metabolism of people who follow a plant based diet burns calories 16% faster on average than meat eaters for the first few hours after meals.
A vegan diet can lower cholesterol. Unsurprising really, seeing as it’s only animal products that contain it!
UK surveys show that younger adults are more likely to be vegan – most commonly women aged 18-34 years.
A study done by Nobel Prizewinner Elizabeth Blackburn found that a vegan diet caused more than 500 genes to change in 3 months turning ON genes that prevent disease and turning OFF genes that cause cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.
According to the Sainsbury’s Future of Food report, vegetarians and vegans will make up a quarter of the UK’s population by 2025.
Around 80% of the top meat producers are now making vegan food.
According to Mintel, the market intelligence agency, in 2019 the UK became the world leader for vegan product launches.
The number of vegan books available from Waterstones increased from 994 books in August 2018 to over 10,000 in July 2022.
Did you know these celebrities are currently vegan? Benedict Cumberbatch, Madonna, Beyonce, Zac Efron, Ellie Goulding, Demi Moore, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus.