In January, farewell calf, cow, pig… and egg, milk, cheese?

In any case, it is one of the resolutions of many French people: among other things, to eat less meat.

And they will be several thousand to say goodbye for a month to all consumption of animal products.

They have not gone mad, they are going to try the "Veganuary".

An initiative launched in 2014 in England, the objective of which is to make participants think about their consumption of animal products by trying their hand at veganism.

"I found it very stimulating"

Fight against animal suffering, reduce its impact on the environment… The benefits of a diet without animal proteins would be numerous. Anthony tested the experience last year and testifies: “I tried Veganuary in 2021. I found it very stimulating. Setting limits in the kitchen allows you to discover many other flavors and foods (spices, tempeh, seitan). Especially since we do not do this for us but for the animals. I am still vegan today. Morgane describes herself as being flexitarian, but she will try to take the step: "I am careful all year round to reduce meat but I will take advantage of this month to try to completely eliminate meat, dairy products, at least 5 days a week. "

Often, vegan food has a bad press: described as bland, expensive and does not provide all the energy needs.

That's what Charlotte thinks, “I consider myself a flexitarian, I eat meat only on rare occasions, usually when I'm invited to a meal at someone's house.

I respect being vegan but for me it's really too difficult a constraint, especially in terms of protein intake.

Eggs are still a good source for me and I couldn't do without them for even a month.

”But don't panic, to support participants throughout the“ Veganuary ”, the L214 association offers recipes and nutritional advice. 

"A lack of empathy and openness"

Magali, who is vegan, points out the difficulty of opening people's minds: “Most of the time, people eat out of ignorance because it's so easy to put a packet of meat in a blister pack in your shopping cart.

No one wants to wonder how it was done, what suffering it caused.

What is distressing: the lack of empathy and openness.

Doubt is healthy in a society and that includes asking questions.

The Veganuary is for me an opportunity to ask questions about how to consume, and to spread a better knowledge of our food.

"

"Veganism is just a bohemian fad"

As we know, in France, veganism is a subject that divides and crystallizes debates, it suffices to see the reactions when the mayor of Lyon decided to ban foie gras in meals in the city. Something that we also understood by reading the responses to our call for testimonials. While many of our readers call themselves flexitarians, the “meat” can be virulent. Like a man who calls himself Kadou: "Let the vegans show off, me in January it's meat every day." "Not to mention Arnaud who sees this diet as a certain fashion:" Not even in a dream! Veganism is just a bohemian fad and a real hypocrisy. "

Even though our consumption of animal protein is decreasing, it remains very high.

Agreste figures show a drop in meat consumption: from 86 kg / person / year in 2019 to 84.5 kg in 2020. For its part, ANSES considers that 500 grams should be consumed. of meat per week, excluding poultry.

The calculations are quickly made, we eat too much meat.

WHO and FAO

[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Editor's note]

recommend implementing flexitarian diets.

But before any change in diet, it is important to consult a health professional to avoid deficiencies or any other problem.

  • Gastronomy

  • Vegan

  • Food

  • Vegetarianism

  • Society

  • 0 comment

  • 0 share

    • Share on Messenger

    • Share on Facebook

    • Share on twitter

    • Share on Flipboard

    • Share on Pinterest

    • Share on Linkedin

    • Send by Mail

  • To safeguard

  • A fault ?

  • To print