The ap-peel-ing Innovations of Vegan Cooking

Did you know that SPASH serves little to no vegan menu options for breakfast and lunch? On the breakfast menu there are a maximum of 3 possible vegan items and the lunch has about 2 or 3 options. Being vegan is defined as a person who does not eat any food derived from animals.Veganism has been growing for over the past years, as either a diet, lifestyle, or as a growing market trend. There are now an estimated 79 million vegans in the world, about 2% of that includes people 16-17 years old. It is shocking to see the impacts and growth vegan innovations have made in the culinary world and on the modern generation. These innovations have impacted the food supply by expanding it, creating new food products and new processing techniques. Overall, Vegan cooking has brought many innovations into modern cooking, restaurants and lives, bringing lots more people towards veganism even the younger generations. 

To start, throughout the years of the expansion of veganism, there have been many new innovations introduced to food that have good energy, health and lifestyle impacts. There were impacts included within these innovations that led to plentiful new food products and ways of supplying food.  Such as for Terry Sargent who wrote an article about going vegan after having a love for barbecue. He talks about how he “…experimented with meat substitutes, wood and flavor enhancers such as brewed coffee and mushrooms.” “A line of customers half a mile long.” He had a love for barbecue that did not go away after he stopped consuming meat. His burnt ends and smoked jack fruit can be connected to traditional BBQ.This shows an impactful innovation, by allowing him to open a whole VBQ restaurant. Next, is a recipe I did in food science that showed the impact that vegan innovations can have on nutrients and fullness. “Adding a layer of mashed white beans underneath the creamy avocado spread. This packs in extra protein that will keep you feeling full and focused.” This recipe consisted of making avocado and white bean toast.  It becomes a great nutritious breakfast, with the avocado and the beans instead of an egg. These ingredients make it vegan, it’s telling us the nutritional value that the additive of the white bean brings to this breakfast.

There are multiple benefits to vegan cooking on the environment, food supply and health benefits. In ways like expanding the food supply, creating new food products, and new processing techniques, vegan cooking can lead to a more energized and healthy life. Starting with BBQ chefs that have seen and “These chefs have embraced vegan diets for reasons such as environmental impact and animal compassion.” This shows the impact that vegan cooking has on our environment and why these chefs have started to cook vegan and also eat that way too, in their everyday lives. It can help the issues that the world faces, figuring out how to preserve our environment and animals. An important benefit from veganism was stated on my lab recipe sheet about how, “How food innovations have an impact on the food supply including expanding the food supply, creating new food products and new processing techniques.” Vegan cooking has a positive impact on a lot more than just the people who eat vegan. It can lead to a lot broader thinking when it comes to cooking and food in general. Another impact that vegan cooking has on a bigger scale is on the food supply, by leading into lots of new opportunities.

Lastly, is the more specific health benefits of vegan cooking and eating. Coming from Terry Sargent he had seen first hand what a change the type of food you eat makes. “Sargent, influenced by his previous job serving fried foods to seniors, learned that veganism improved his health.” He has seen the impacts of consuming fried foods for a developing human body and states that veganism has changed his health. Especially in young adults, it’s good to be eating nutritious foods. Another source of mine, the email interview with Megan Buenkea, a vegetarian from Minnapoius who has dabbled in a vegan diet, said a positive health factor of eating vegan. ”Vegan diets eliminate a lot of the unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients in food.” Vegan diets have less saturated fats and cholesterol so more heart health. These factors in food can really have outstanding benefits on your way of life and the way you feel when and after consuming food. 

To conclude, the components of this article have shown the benefits of the vegan diet and how it can impact more than just the people. Here I hoped to display the lesson that food, the type and the way it’s prepared really has an effect on how your body feels and how it runs, the amount of energy or lack of in your body from your diet. It doesn’t mean veganism is the answer, but there are so many new innovations in the culinary world coming from our current generation. Everyone in SPASH has their own preferences, likes and dislikes especially when it comes to food, is good to have all options open and available.