How the internet has affected veganism…

There is no doubt that vegetarianism and veganism have grown in popularity over the last few years. More and more people are cutting out meat or dairy from their diets both due to health reasons and beliefs. The rise of the more health conscious individual has led to the reduced intake of animal products due to the indisputable health benefits.

Society is more health conscious then it has ever been. Developments of wearable fitness trackers and apps have led to more and more people incorporating technology with their healthier eating choices. Fitbits, apple watches, Garmin and cheaper alternatives all boast the ability to track your exercise as well as food consumption. Shops and restaurants now put nutritional information on packaging and menus and there are even apps specifically for counting calories, all of this had led to the more health conscious individual. The government promotes the change 4 life scheme and schools face pressure to provide healthy options. Healthy living is promoted in all areas of society, it is hard to escape it.

It is particularly hard to escape clean and healthy eating on the internet. Veganism is seen by some as the ‘it’ thing to do or even ‘fashionable’ due to its increased popularity on social media sites. Instagram is now covered in aesthetically pleasing #vegan meals and restaurants that boast impressive amounts of likes and support. A few years ago it was rare to see a vegan or even vegetarian dish on the popular pages of social media, but nowadays it is  all the rage.  Sites such as Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest are all covered in visually appealing meat free meals to inspire their followers, followers that are getting increasingly younger which in turn means the stereotypes of vegans no longer stands.

Just a sample of the results for #vegan on Pinterest 

With millennials turning to cruelty free coinciding with their increased use of social media, young people are more tuned in than ever on the health benefits of cutting out meat and dairy from your diet especially with prominent influencers of younger generations promoting the vegan lifestyle. Everyone from bloggers to celebrities are promoting the reduction of consuming animal products. For example Mo Farrah has been endorsing Quorn for years now, despite him not even being vegetarian. The benefits of meat alternatives including large amount of protein are then presented as ‘better’ due to the athletes support of the brand even claiming you will be “eating like an athlete”. He is an aspirational athlete who people want to be like, a clever marketing move by Quorn!

We are exposed to vegetarianism and veganism more than ever with the growth of social media having a huge impact on the rise of these lifestyle changes. Everywhere we look there are pictures, hashtags videos, recipes and information on reducetarianism. The stereotypes of vegans are slowly changing, it is no longer a elite or snobby clic of sandal wearers but instead the everyday person. Incorporating these lifestyle changes into our lives are easier than ever, with  trends such as #meatfreemondays making it possible for everyone to reduce their meat consumption whilst still being able to take an appealing picture of your food for the Instagram likes.