WHAT IS @THEALLANIMALVEGAN ABOUT?

Sharing vegan news, reviews, surveys and fashion from around the globe.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Everyone!

IN MORE DETAIL:

I’ve always loved animals – my older sister says I was just born a vegetarian! When I was young I found it so hard to understand why anyone would inflict such cruelties on an animal – the confusion of why we had family pets, (including rabbits) but then ate rabbit or lamb for dinner still boggles me. I didn’t know any vegetarians, but some TV shows made me realise I wasn’t alone in my passion for animals – I

idolised people like Chris Packham and thought he was cool. He showed me it was OK to care that much about the issues of animal welfare, and introduced me to punk! My parents banned me from watching Gorillas In The Mist (which seemed to be on TV every week when I was young) due to the fact that I couldn’t calm down after poachers hack off Digit’s head. I wanted to be Dian Fossey, I still do. I’ve always been a vegetarian and never realised that dairy and egg industries caused as much, if not more suffering than the meat industry. But now I know, and there’s no going back.

So I turned vegan 5 years ago and I’ve wanted to buy all the same things I had before as a vegetarian. The food I love, shoes, bags, clothes, skincare products, haircare products, cleaning products – but now I want them to be totally cruelty free. I wanted eating out with friends to not be limiting, but limitless. Being vegan shouldn’t equal being restricted, and in London it doesn’t. At first, I found some aspects of the lifestyle less straightforward than before (and still do outside of cities), but then I came across a plethora of different shops, restaurants and websites to get everything I had before. Some really amazing fellow vegans out there were building an industry for my lifestyle, and I want to tell everyone about them.

I’ve realised that our lives are hugely affected by the companies around us – the products and services they provide for our everyday lives, routines, enjoyment and health…and it is safe to say that vegans are not the target market for most businesses. With (apparently) only 1% of the population being vegan, why would a company want to invest in this lifestyle, my lifestyle? It makes no business sense to target us and for most companies; ethics doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason. Everyone of course needs to make a profit – but when I do go to a vegan/ vegetarian restaurant, cafe, shop, hairdresser, etc in London, it’s usually heaving. I always have to queue to get to the till, and sometimes give up as it’s just too busy! So is there more of a market than we think – is veganism on the rise? During these 5 years, being a vegan has become a lot easier. This tells me that we vegans are multiplying…and businesses know it. We are a rapidly growing market for them and it’s only a matter of time before the other 99% of the population catches on. Many mainstream restaurants provide a separate vegan menu now – see my blog ‘Eating Out At The Chains‘.

Of course if I had a magic wand (a real one, not one from the Leavesden studios gift shop), I would want there to be no animal suffering. But this website is for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. The vegan lifestyle has all kinds of benefits (aside from the animal cruelty motivation) – it reduces your intake of saturated fats and therefore risks to all kinds of common health problems, and widens your palate! Maybe you’re a meat eater and just want a great smoothie recipe or the occasional meat-free dish, or just want to know more about buying ethically sourced meat products. Or maybe you’re a vegan in search of hot-off-the-press vegan news, ethical fashion or a new recipe. This website is for everyone, so don’t be put off by the vegan label – I am only one person with my opinion and I’m not here to judge.

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Copyright © Holly Piggott 2013

