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Plant-Based Opportunities / Vegan Business Opportunities

AFMKelvin

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This is changing fast.

I've been able to find everything that I once loved, from cheeseburgers to pizza to cheese.

The "alternatives" have really improved. Interestingly though, I stopped craving a lot of that stuff.

I wish I could invest in the Beyond Burger company -- they make some really tasty stuff.
This is changing fast.

I've been able to find everything that I once loved, from cheeseburgers to pizza to cheese.

The "alternatives" have really improved. Interestingly though, I stopped craving a lot of that stuff.

I wish I could invest in the Beyond Burger company -- they make some really tasty stuff.

Yes and it will keep changing because awareness is growing.

The alternatives are just there for people that are making the transition. Food it's not just food. Food carries memories and significance. When you see a burger you also think of all those times you ate a hamburger with your friends and family. So you crave it more. But once you've trained your body not to associate good times with a hamburger and instead with veggies your body stops craving it. My end goal is to eventually be on a diet that is a mix between paleo and vegan. A lot of vegetarians get obese because they eat too much carbohydrates I want to avoid that.

Thank you for the link I just checked out their page and they just got a new customer. I'll be going full vegetarian from now on. I refuse to eat tofu or any vegan food that contains soy. Soy increases estrogen and that's not something you want more of as a male. This company has solved that problem.
 
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Some more news about this growth space...

Where’s the beef? One-third of Americans are going meatless this BBQ season

Some quotes...

In fact, the total market for the plant-based food sector was more than $3.1 billion in sales as of last year, according to data from Nielsen, The Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Foods Association.

And recent trend reports support this. Grubhub’s Mid-Year Data Analysis found a 19% increase in vegan orders in 2017 than the previous year
 

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Wow - I will admit I didn't see the potential here when this first got posted but it does seem to be blowing up in a big way.

Can't wait to see if any Fastlaners get in on this in a big way.
 

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Wow - I will admit I didn't see the potential here when this first got posted but it does seem to be blowing up in a big way.

Can't wait to see if any Fastlaners get in on this in a big way.
Yeah, wish I had some innovative ideas to get a piece of the action. I am a life-long veggie looking for ideas.
 
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msufan

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As a life-long vegetarian/vegan, I would love to find an an gle somehow in this niche, other than selling affiliate products.

Vegan recipes -- either as a book or on a website/blog?

Vegan forum?
 

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I've thought about the recipe/blog, but there are TONS of free recipes online, so I don't where the monetization would come from in that case, again - other than selling Amazon books or coming up with recipes that are hard to find. Thanks for your input, however. Much appreciated.
 

MTF

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As a life-long vegetarian/vegan, I would love to find an an gle somehow in this niche, other than selling affiliate products.

Consider that it doesn't have to be strictly revolving around the diet in itself. What kind of problems do vegetarians or vegans face? How can you help them solve them? Here are just a few ideas:
  • Vegan review website - provide in-depth reviews of vegan products that are usually hard to get as vegan (for example shoes or cars).
  • Vegan-friendly travel - tips on how to find vegan options abroad, how to say "no meat, fish, eggs, or milk" in foreign languages, etc.
  • Vegan career guide - how can you make impact and promote veganism with your career? Which careers are anti-vegan and which are in line with its values? Sort of like the https://80000hours.org/ website.
  • Eco-friendly vegan furniture and other expensive items - vegans generally make more conscious purchasing decisions (they constantly need to check the labels to make sure it's vegan-friendly). Make their life easier by developing a brand that makes everything 100% vegan or set up an e-commerce store specializing in it (make sure to do really thorough research, though, as many vegans are super strict and want to know what type of glue was used during the assembly).
  • Vegan supplements - though this is already a pretty huge industry, but I believe there's always room for another player, particularly if you focus on a neglected subset (say, vegan endurance athletes).
  • Food gardening tips - vegans eat a lot of produce, and many of them love buying local and organic. Why not help them by offering items to help them set up their own small garden (even if they're growing vegetables in containers at home) or provide information on how to do it with the least impact on the environment?
  • Vegan-farmer platform - connect vegans with local farmers who want to sell their organic produce directly to their customers.
  • Vegan subscription site - weekly vegan food or supplement delivery, monthly vegan boxes, etc.
I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Also, it doesn't even have to be a business exclusively for vegans. You can market it as such, but it doesn't mean that you'll limit your customers to vegans only. In the UK, they recently opened a vegan climbing gym.
 

pwright

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MTF - Thank you for sharing your ideas - very insightful! I had given some thought to a few of them, including the subscription option & supplements. You have definately given me a few more ideas, so many thanks for your help.
 
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jon.M

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So many brands will need to adapt to a world where more people eat vegetarian food. Everyone from large fast food chains to small, family-owned restaurants. The thing is... many of them have no clue about that world.

Oh, you're vegan? Well... we've got some cucumber, tomato and lettuce... Wait! You want some salmon?

I even know of a nationwide* fast food chain that sells vegan burgers made from soy. But all of their employees are so ignorant of what soy is... that they tell their customers that it's made from mushrooms!

Does this look like a mushroom to you?

soybean-890x395_c.jpg


Things like this just needs to become better. What if someone's a soy allergic?

One idea could be to become an expert authority on vegan foods and what restaurants will need to know about it. Then sell it as consulting / seminars / an online course etc.

Because the awareness and knowledge does seem low. Maybe it's a bit better in the US, but in my experience many restaurants have a long way to go in terms of appeal to vegetarians.

But those who have already walked that road enjoy immense popularity among vegetarians and even meat eaters, which should be an incentive for others to do the same.

* not in the US
 
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pwright

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You are exactly spot-on about the lack of awareness with some of the main-stream eateries, and my own experience of living here in U.S. has not been too favourable either. The UK are far more ahead of the game when it comes to vegan/vegetarian awareness/options.
 

steelandchrome

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Don't say I didn't tell you!

Where’s the beef? Why your favorite burger chains are going vegetarian

And demand isn't going to go away.

Most people who go plant-based (usually due to animal cruelty reasons and/or health) tend to stay there. They don't go back.

Wife and I tried the beyond burger today based off this thread and the suggestions of how good they are. Not to be a hater, but the thing tasted more like a smoked tuna burger than a beef replacement. Not a fan. We have been trying "zoodles" however after she bought a zucchini spiralizer to replace pasta noodles every couple dishes. I definitely see a market for those looking to test the waters vs go full on Vegan. ;)
 
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but the thing tasted more like a smoked tuna burger than a beef replacement.

Did you grill it on a BBQ?

We have been trying "zoodles" however after she bought a zucchini spiralizer to replace pasta noodles every couple dishes.

Very yummy, we do that a lot. Throw in some Italian seasonings, olive oil, and some fake parm, and you got yourself spaghetti without the wheat, cheese, or other inflammatory items.
 

steelandchrome

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Did you grill it on a BBQ?



Very yummy, we do that a lot. Throw in some Italian seasonings, olive oil, and some fake parm, and you got yourself spaghetti without the wheat, cheese, or other inflammatory items.

We cooked it on a Traeger so it may have soaked up some of the smoke flavoring from there. And the Zoodles we have done a few different fully vegan meals with them so far. I like them and will probably switch over 90% of the time to that going forward which is surprising because I had never really thought about going Vegan but wanted to try it out and was pleasantly surprised. The beyond burger on the other hand I don't know that I will try that again, it stuck with me for hours and maybe my experience was unique, but that's not something I wish to try again ;)

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

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Many vegetarian frozen foods in our country mainly came from China or Taiwan. I believe those "meat" contain lots of preservative and artificial flavorings.
 
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rybanez

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I've been vegan for 4 years so I had to see if there was a "vegan business opportunity" thread on here, and wasn't surprised to find it. The opportunity is growing by the month, and if my Tekel Syndrome flared up again, I'd be all over it.

I've noticed more and more vegan products on the shelves of my local Wegmans, however, I prefer products with as few ingredients as possible. I don't mind paying a few dollars more for a pint of vegan ice cream (sometimes up to $8-10/pint, if it's good enough). Perhaps there's an opportunity there at the higher end of the price spectrum. Ingredient sourcing, fair trade, packaging, etc. might be ways to skew value.

A 100% vegan bakery might also be a great opportunity. I frequent a vegan bakery, and I've heard (not confirmed) that the owner pulls in $300k annually. They have a small shop, do a lot of "Veg Fests," and also sell wholesale (which is a HUGE business). They've been around for over 15 years and have a large following, but I believe there's room for more businesses like theirs.
 

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Imagine being one of the first people to build a following on Instagram or Snapchat before it became popular and saturated. While everyone else is trying to fight their way to the top, you area already have tens of millions of loyal followers who are more than willing to buy your products.

Wouldn't that be nice?

This is one of those opportunities...

The Opportunity

For the past 10 months, I've been immersing myself in a new market - and I've noticed a massive amount of opportunities for entrepreneurs who are looking to enter a market with a potential to be very successful ...

I originally got involved with them while doing research for a book I'm writing, and I'm starting to learn about the opportunities that are on the table to start a business in this market.

Investment group looking to invest $1.25 Trillion:
$1.25 Trillion Coalition of Investors Wants Walmart and Others to Ditch Meat for Plant-Protein

One of the largest meat producing companies begins investing in a plant-based protein company:
Tyson Invests in Vegan Company

Why is this a great market to be in?

The passion.

For many of you, you may have the image of vegans being "angry". After taking the time to get to know things from their point of view, I started to understand where they came from, and there is a lot of energy behind what they do.

Most people view veganism as about health - The most common replies I get when I talk about it is comparing it to the Paleo Diet.

But when you get to know the market, they do this to save the lives of animals.

Imagine for a moment that your loved ones: Your family, your kids, your closest friends, your lover - is packed up in a cage, sent to a warehouse, and murdered - and then packaged for food.

I'll keep it PG here - but there is a documentary called Earthlings that goes into detail about why they feel so passionately about their cause.

What extent would you go to in order to save your loved ones from murder?

That's the same energy that all of your customers would have to help grow your brand.

If you support this movement, they will support your company at all costs. I've seen over 100 vegans go into a supermarket with fliers petitioning the place to cary a type of vegan cheese....and then that company got instant retail distribution.

I'm sitting here in Geneva, Switzerland with my friend and she is vegan. She says that when a new vegan product comes out - everyone in her community buys it.

AKA - Free advertising

What happens when 16 Million people are so passionate about growing a moment that will grow your business?

View attachment 13470


This is more than just a trend.

They are comparing this any social justice movement (such as civl rights)- where once the change is made, it's here to stay.

It's not like Pokemon Go

So in the past, when you might have viewed animal rights activists as "angry vegans", now you can understand that the energy behind all their actions is based on passion - and your very customers will be the ones who will do anything to grow your company...because you support something many of them would do anything for.

So yeah - I'm niching down my business to work in this market in my own unique way.
  • Vegetarians - don't eat meat, but they DO eat dairy (cheese/milk,etc.).
  • Vegans - don't eat meat, don't eat any products that come from animals (dairy), and don't use any animal products such as leather.

Opportunities off the top of my head:
  1. Cosmetic products - A lot of these products are tested on animals (which is a big no-no in the vegan communities). By solving this, there is a lot of room to grow here.
  2. Food products
  3. ...more to come.
I'm personal working in this market and reaping the benefits from it; and made this post so some of you can do the same.

Ride the wave while it's getting started, or one day you may look back and realize it's already too late...

View attachment 13472

View attachment 13473
View attachment 13471
Crazy! When you posted this, I would have said you caught lightning in a bottle...and you did.

Only thing is, I just heard a segment just this month on NPR that 2019 was "The Year of the Vegan."

From what I understand, they only compromise 3% of the U.S. population.

The oppprtunity for wealth in this industry is INFINITE, LITERALLY.
Thank you very much for this post (especially the articles - the first one is mind blowing)!

I just turned 50 and have been a vegan for about 8-9 years...grew up with the typical American/Western diet of lots of chicken, fish, steak and dairy...made the change for health reasons after doing a lot of research on heart disease after my brother had a heart attack at age 38. The books "The China Study" and anything by Dr. John McDougall (this is a great one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452266394/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20) and "Diet for a New America" are highly recommended for anyone interested. I feel better than I ever have and am stronger than ever. I have a 34 year old girlfriend who can barely keep up with me in the bedroom or otherwise.

Over time, I have come to see, as you mention, the ethical aspects of veganism: the documentary "Cowspiracy" on Netflix cogently describes the impact of industrial animal agriculture on the planetary land, water and air supply and the documentary you mention, "Earthlings" is intensely stunning in terms of one's connection and interdependency to/with other sentient life forms/species on this planet. There are many others..."Food Inc." is good one.

At any rate, I think you are spot on in terms of your analysis of the market in terms of passion, loyalty, motivation and commitment as consumers. I would love to hear more of what you are working on as I am also working on how to create additional vegans and serve existing ones. Let me know if I can help you in some way. Presently I am a professional project manager and consultant in Silicon Valley and skilled at bringing very challenging endeavors to fruition.

Ray
Quality post, especially on the documentary links that you dropped.

I would like to offer "In Defense of Food."

I was a heavy fan of "Fork Over Knife." It was all the evidence I needed to see to completely understand the power of plants on healing.
There's a couple of huge problems with these new meat alternatives and the vegan community though.

One is that most don't want a meat alternative. They don't feel it's something that they are "missing"

Two is that lots of vegans are also "anti establishment" which would include meat "grown in a lab"
This is a great point. I share this perspective whenever I am out.

I am not vegan, but I am eating plant based without the need of it needing to be mimicked as meat.

Now, obviously, there is a marker for this. However, it is limited. Right now, it is a great product. It reaches the masses who are traditionally meat eaters, but as their education rises, they will no longer need the semblance of meat to eat a vegan diet.

As market share is gobbled up, so is the opportunity.
One of the AR groups I've been spending time with in CO keeps bringing up an Animal Liberation Conference in Berkeley, CA next May. I registered to go.

Vegan Conference | DxE Forum 2018

I'm noticing different sub-sections of the vegan market:
  1. The passionate animal rights activists.
  2. The healthy eating (gluten-free, soy-free, fruititarian, etc.) vegans.
  3. The ones who do it for the environment and sustainability.
  4. The junk food vegans.
Group #1 is the most vocal and most passionate about making a change.
This is the best sub-segment of the vegan market breakdown that I have seen to date.

At first and second look, this assessment is spot on to me.
Few years ago, there was a great success story in Germany: Attila Hildmann - he made vegan cookbooks, worked out & lost weight, made vegan products and books (Vegan for Youth, Vegan To Go, Vegan For Fit, ...). He was very successful, became rich and bought a Porsche. I don't know how people got to know this, but I remember a real big sh*tstorm started. Really, it was everywhere, facebook, magazines, ..., and his vegan fans critized him very harshly. Reason: Porsche uses leather seats. It was just last week, I wondered about the sentence "As soon as you succeed, you can do everything" ... in this case, i think, it's problematic, since the target group is extremely idealistic. It seems problematic driving such cars in the public, wearing fur or leather, ... without damage of his image.

I'm surprised the thread started in 2016, i thought the peak is over. Maybe I'm wrong, though! The idea with the milkshakes sounds really great!
This just the beginning. I co-run a plant based lifestyle brand and I have to do less and less selling, every year. 95% of our sales are face to face. I am just there to put the products in the bag because the products can't do it themselves.
If you want some next level stuff watch this:
This opportunity is relentless. There is no end in sight once this adopted.
 

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The rumors of a meat tax being bandied about as a disincentive for the high emission agricultural sector could add significantly to the impending exponential growth of this industry.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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This opportunity is relentless. There is no end in sight once this adopted.

What a lot of people fail to understand is that it isn't a "trend" like Atkins, Keto, or Paleo. It's a mega-trend, like the internet, like the automobile, like the outlawing of slavery or suffrage. Obviously such a drastic change won't happen in a few years, but slowly over a decade. Millions and billions stand to be made.

Millennials Driving a Rise of Veganism

This shift is happening in young people and when they have kids it will continue.

Veganism will happen. And sadly because older people are so rigid in their beliefs and Scripted ideologies, its adoption will happen one funeral at a time.
 

G-Man

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What a lot of people fail to understand is that it isn't a "trend" like Atkins, Keto, or Paleo. It's a mega-trend, like the internet, like the automobile, like the outlawing of slavery or suffrage. Obviously such a drastic change won't happen in a few years, but slowly over a decade. Millions and billions stand to be made.

Millennials Driving a Rise of Veganism

This shift is happening in young people and when they have kids it will continue.

Veganism will happen. And sadly because older people are so rigid in their beliefs and Scripted ideologies, its adoption will happen one funeral at a time.
I think vegan will become the new Kosher. When I was in grocery, everyone needed the kosher designation, even though something like 2% of the total population are Kosher. Why I asked? The answer:

Kosher people won't buy your product if it's not kosher.
Non-Kosher people will still buy your kosher product, they don't care that it's kosher.

Vegan will be the same thing. I'm currently working with my wife on a hair/skin care line, and we decided to make the extra effort to formulate the products as vegan for the same reason. Vegans won't buy it if it's not vegan. Non-vegans don't care and will still buy it if it's vegan.

Vegan will become one of those weird skin in the game factors that has a broad impact across a lot of product categories even before veganism goes truly mainstream.
 

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What a lot of people fail to understand is that it isn't a "trend" like Atkins, Keto, or Paleo. It's a mega-trend, like the internet, like the automobile, like the outlawing of slavery or suffrage. Obviously such a drastic change won't happen in a few years, but slowly over a decade. Millions and billions stand to be made.

Millennials Driving a Rise of Veganism

This shift is happening in young people and when they have kids it will continue.

Veganism will happen. And sadly because older people are so rigid in their beliefs and Scripted ideologies, its adoption will happen one funeral at a time.


I'm not sure I agree.

I've kept a close eye on diet trends for the past 15+ years or so, and Veganism's story arc is remarkably similar to other similar movements.

The pattern is this:

1. A small group champion the idea.
2. Mainstream talks trash about it.
3. Junk science comes forward to support the claims.
4. Non-founding experts emerge and push the agenda.
5. A tipping point is hit – the eating ideology becomes mainstream.
6. Acolytes and zealots appear where all they talk about is the eating ideology
7. Products hit shelves catering to the trend
8. The bubble pops, and mainstream loses interest.
9. A nice plateau of "lifers" emerges, which is substantially lower than the bubble.
10. In the background, another trend was rising, and is on the cusp of hitting step 5.

This has been the general outline for every dietary trend since at least the 60s when "better eating through science" emerged. Then it was low fat, high grains, artificial sweeteners, Vegetarianism, Atkins, Keto, Paleo...the list goes on and on.

I don't believe the cycle will ever stop due to fundamental human nature.

So, from your vantage, what makes Veganism any different?
 
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I'm not sure I agree.

I've kept a close eye on diet trends for the past 15+ years or so, and Veganism's story arc is remarkably similar to other similar movements.

The pattern is this:

1. A small group champion the idea.
2. Mainstream talks trash about it.
3. Junk science comes forward to support the claims.
4. Non-founding experts emerge and push the agenda.
5. A tipping point is hit – the eating ideology becomes mainstream.
6. Acolytes and zealots appear where all they talk about is the eating ideology
7. Products hit shelves catering to the trend
8. The bubble pops, and mainstream loses interest.
9. A nice plateau of "lifers" emerges, which is substantially lower than the bubble.
10. In the background, another trend was rising, and is on the cusp of hitting step 5.

This has been the general outline for every dietary trend since at least the 60s when "better eating through science" emerged. Then it was low fat, high grains, artificial sweeteners, Vegetarianism, Atkins, Keto, Paleo...the list goes on and on.

I don't believe the cycle will ever stop due to fundamental human nature.

So, from your vantage, what makes Veganism any different?
Veganism isn't technically a diet. Those who only eat plant-based are vegetarians. Vegans live completely without animal products -- leather-free, vegan cosmetics, vegan glues and what not.

And if veganism isn't merely a diet, the reason veganism has grown in popularity can't only be for health-related reasons.

Veganism is closer to halal-eating, fasting during ramadan or kosher, than Atkins and keto as it's based on personal values beyond the desire for a healthier life or a fitter body.
 

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So, from your vantage, what makes Veganism any different?

IMO - the answer goes way beyond diet. Veganism, unlike paleo or atkins, but like kosher, has moral or pseudo-moral implications for people that adhere to it. We could argue all day about whether it's legitimate moral conviction that will last and be passed to further generations, or if it's the virtue signal du-jour that will fade and be replaced by another form of righteousness through consumption. I honestly don't know.

It also ties to other societal mega-trends like acceptance of global climate change, which is part of the orthodoxy of western democracies and will probably become part of the universal progressive pantheism as society becomes more post-religious.

Again, before the mob comes out, this is all IMO.
 

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And if veganism isn't merely a diet, the reason veganism has grown in popularity can't only be for health-related reasons.

We could argue all day about whether it's legitimate moral conviction that will last and be passed to further generations, or if it's the virtue signal du-jour that will fade and be replaced by another form of righteousness through consumption. I honestly don't know.

I agree that it will last generations for those reasons.

I just don't see it being a mainstream way that most people live...whether that's food or overall lifestyle.

I think it will explode into a diet trend, with an ultimate peaking bubble soon to come, then recess back to a small niche that lives a particular lifestyle.

Similar to a church.
 
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Surf16

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What a lot of people fail to understand is that it isn't a "trend" like Atkins, Keto, or Paleo. It's a mega-trend, like the internet, like the automobile, like the outlawing of slavery or suffrage. Obviously such a drastic change won't happen in a few years, but slowly over a decade. Millions and billions stand to be made.

Millennials Driving a Rise of Veganism

This shift is happening in young people and when they have kids it will continue.

Veganism will happen. And sadly because older people are so rigid in their beliefs and Scripted ideologies, its adoption will happen one funeral at a time.

Couldn't agree more.

My wife has been Vegan for about 2 years now. I fought it tooth and nail for the first year.
Since I don't cook that often and am in my office working on impacting millions most of the day I sometimes forget to eat.
So I have been eating whatever she brings in for me.
At first it was hard to eat. But now I love it.
As I am writing this I just made myself two slices of avocado toast, onion and tomatoes with a half of avocado. 5 years ago I would of laughed at that for a snack.
When I do venture off her diet, surprisedly I feel nauseous.
I also have ulcerative colitis and changing my diet has been great.
We have been researching how we can create a business sharing my adventure from a hard headed husband of a Vegan into what we have become now.
I know there is a business out there where we can help others make the switch.

Shaka!
 

Xeon

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I don't mind Veganism taking over the world, but please do so in 60 yrs time when I'm probably already not around.

I love my unpretentious omnivore diet, the way humans were designed to eat.
 

Zcott

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I'm not sure I agree.

I've kept a close eye on diet trends for the past 15+ years or so, and Veganism's story arc is remarkably similar to other similar movements.

The pattern is this:

1. A small group champion the idea.
2. Mainstream talks trash about it.
3. Junk science comes forward to support the claims.
4. Non-founding experts emerge and push the agenda.
5. A tipping point is hit – the eating ideology becomes mainstream.
6. Acolytes and zealots appear where all they talk about is the eating ideology
7. Products hit shelves catering to the trend
8. The bubble pops, and mainstream loses interest.
9. A nice plateau of "lifers" emerges, which is substantially lower than the bubble.
10. In the background, another trend was rising, and is on the cusp of hitting step 5.

This has been the general outline for every dietary trend since at least the 60s when "better eating through science" emerged. Then it was low fat, high grains, artificial sweeteners, Vegetarianism, Atkins, Keto, Paleo...the list goes on and on.

I don't believe the cycle will ever stop due to fundamental human nature.

So, from your vantage, what makes Veganism any different?

Veganism isn't a fancy weight loss trend for someone wanting to lose 20 pounds though. It's a lifestyle. It has been around for a long time and it's only in the last five years that we are seeing a rise in it. Before it was just about not eating animal products, but now there's more impetus with the amount of carbon and methane solely eating meat produces. I'm not vegan myself, but I completely understand why someone would want to be one.

And there's massive money to be made in it, and some countries are better at tapping into it than others. The UK and east coast of Australia are great for it, Canada not so much.

.

And sadly because older people are so rigid in their beliefs and Scripted ideologies, its adoption will happen one funeral at a time.

That's pretty poetic.
 
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csalvato

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Veganism isn't a fancy weight loss trend for someone wanting to lose 20 pounds though. It's a lifestyle. It has been around for a long time and it's only in the last five years that we are seeing a rise in it. Before it was just about not eating animal products, but now there's more impetus with the amount of carbon and methane solely eating meat produces. I'm not vegan myself, but I completely understand why someone would want to be one.

I may be totally wrong here, but I think you and many others are falling prey to a cognitive bias that's pervasive in the diet space.

The idea that a particular way of eating is a "lifestyle" that's "been around a long time" is not new. Paleo and Keto can make the same claims. Paleo was getting it's foothold in the 90s. Keto has been around since the 80s. Vegetarianism has been around thousands of years in cultures around the world.

Regardless, the trend of mainstream-adoption for each of these has followed the same pattern.

I am willing to concede that Veganism may be different if there's a compelling argument - but simply saying "it's a lifestyle, not just a diet" is not enough for me to buy it.
 

Zcott

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I may be totally wrong here, but I think you and many others are falling prey to a cognitive bias that's pervasive in the diet space.

The idea that a particular way of eating is a "lifestyle" that's "been around a long time" is not new. Paleo and Keto can make the same claims. Paleo was getting it's foothold in the 90s. Keto has been around since the 80s. Vegetarianism has been around thousands of years in cultures around the world.

Regardless, the trend of mainstream-adoption for each of these has followed the same pattern.

I am willing to concede that Veganism may be different if there's a compelling argument - but simply saying "it's a lifestyle, not just a diet" is not enough for me to buy it.

I think the best thing for us to do is reconvene this discussion in twenty years time and see what the state of veganism is like then. ;)
 

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