There is little doubt that the veggie diet is increasing in popularity. A lot of people share their stories on social networks, telling ways to make a vegetarian lifestyle easier. Major chains and big brands have introduced veggie/vegan offerings, giving a big push to the growth of plant-based eating habits. There are apps to help us understand which food ingredients are vegan or vegetarian, and there are websites containing vegetarian recipes or listings of restaurants that are veg-friendly. YouTube and Instagram are full of influencers who are ready to share their experience and show what they eat in a day.
To give the University community more insights on following this veggie lifestyle and in what ways the veggie diet offers a myriad of health benefits and good for the environment, the Campus Sustainability Office hosted two online sharing sessions in November 2020 to examine its pros and cons.
Miss Melody Cheng, a local young lifestyle influencer who often appears on TV programmes, shared her story about why she turned vegetarian two years ago. While many people choose to be a vegetarian because of parental preferences, religious beliefs, or health issues, Melody decided to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle out of concern over the environment. With a keen interest in hiking and a passion for nature, she was thrilled to know how human actions have destroyed the environment and triggered climate change. She gradually went off an increasing number of meat dishes and spoke on various occasions on her transformation and vegetarian lifestyle that was fulfilling and desirable.
Knowing that some other people are sceptical about the benefits and impacts of the veggie diet, Miss Elaine Mak, a local author and a Registered Nutritionist, met the University community in an online sharing to address some common vegetarian myths and diet misconceptions. She explained why it was unlikely a vegetarian diet would cause iron deficiency. She also pointed out that a vegetarian diet seemed to be linked to better general health and encouraged the audience to base their meals around plant-based foods and lower intakes of animal or processed products.
Practical and relevant, these two online sharing sessions bridged the University community to a devoted vegan with real-life experience and a professional with useful dietary advice. They were great occasions to allow the university community to get inspiration, find information, and dispel potential myths on taking a veggie diet.
