A Gold Coaster has just been named Australia’s ‘sexiest vegan next door’ by PETA after a search among nearly 500 hopefuls from across the country.

Palm Beach local Jordan McGregor said she went vegan nearly two years ago after watching a PETA clip about the dairy industry which showed how milk was produced.

media_camera Palm Beach mum Jordan McGregor has been crowned Australia's Sexiest Vegan Next Door, with two-year-old son Hunter. Photo: Supplied.

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There and then she decided to ditch dairy – and eggs – to become vegan, having been a vegetarian for years before.

“I was looking into ... diet and lifestyle when I came across a few PETA things,” she said, adding she had just given birth to her first child, Hunter.

media_camera Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out- especially if you eat at Cardamom Pod. Picture: Jerad Williams

She said she simply hadn’t thought about how milk was produced when she came across it and had even been an advocate of raw milk.

But as a new mum herself, the distressing situation of taking calves away from the mother cows resonated with her.

Ms McGregor said she was thrilled with the win and hoped she could inspire others to cut animal products out of their diet.

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media_camera GCB journalist Emily Selleck went vegan for a week ... and she’s still going strong. Photo by Richard Gosling

“There’s a big movement towards veganism anyway,” she said, adding she followed the ancient Indian lifestyle called Ayurveda but made it vegan.

“It’s a really balanced vegetarian diet and lifestyle.”

Ms McGregor said every day she made sure to eat healthy fats like macadamia oil or avocados, and ate fruit and vegetables in stews and curries.

media_camera Amazing vegan treats made by Flour of Life Bakery at Helensvale. Photo: Steve Holland

A PETA spokeswoman said Australia was one of the leading nations with veganism and Google Trends data found ‘vegan’ as the most-searched word.

She said the ‘sexiest vegan next door’ competition was about showing that vegans came in all different shapes and sizes and it wasn’t just celebrities leading vegan lifestyles.

“It’s their compassion and their kindness, that’s the sexiest part of all,” she said.