Malayalis like experimenting with diets. Most of them are vigilant about their diet and they always strive to learn about new lifestyles. Veganism is one such lifestyle that has caught the fancy of Malayalis, especially after actor Parvathy declared that she has turned a vegan. This trend is pretty popular in the global scenario. Celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Bryan Adams, Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan, Murali Karthik, Kareena Kapoor, Madhavan, and Shahid Kapoor are vegans. They abstain from using dairy products and anything that is made from an animal. The trend is slowly catching up with Malayalis, too. While some follow this plant-based diet out of their love for animals, others find it as a means to stay healthy and to fight food allergies.
“I turned a vegan in 2008,” says Ronz, an entrepreneur and animal lover. Of course, it was not easy. He had to give up many favourite things in life and during that time, Kerala didn’t have a vegan-friendly atmosphere. “I had to give up coffee, ice creams and all. Also, during that time, we had no vegan dishes in our restaurants. The situation remains more or less the same even now. But, it is available at least in a few places,” adds Ronz.
Gerard Antony John, a Bengaluru-based Malayali, concurs with Ronz. “Our culture includes a lot of meat-based products. We are known for that. I haven’t come across many vegans in Kerala. But, I have met Malayalis who chose to be vegan, outside the state,” says Gerard, who has just begun following this lifestyle. At what point did Gerard decide to be a vegetarian first and then a vegan? “Since my childhood I wanted to be a vegetarian because I love animals. But, religion and society convinced me that eating meat was fine. When I matured, I started researching on the topic and found otherwise. Since then, I decided to be a vegetarian. No living being should suffer to satiate our taste buds,” he says firmly. That was Gerard’s baby step towards this. It was not at all difficult for him to follow this lifestyle. “The only difficulty I find is distinguishing vegan products from others,” he says and adds, “Veganism helps us reduce health risks.”
If Ronz and Gerard embraced veganism in tune with their ideologies, Sujith Varghese, a Public Relations Officer from Kochi, opted for it to stay fit. “I learnt about veganism mainly from guests who visit our hotel. Interacting with them gave me a fair idea about this and I realised that it is one of the best ways to remain healthy. It was just a few months ago that I shifted to veganism and I could feel the change,” he says. However, Ronz is of the opinion that veganism may not be a good option for travel enthusiasts. “You may not find vegan dishes everywhere.”
In Kerala, food makers have started doing vegan delicacies. Jeemol Koruth Verghese, a baker from Kochi says, “I bake vegan cakes and cookies. I have people who are allergic to dairy and egg products and those turning vegans by choice, as clients. Vegan baking is very tricky as there are no eggs, animal fats, or any such products that help to add volume and fluffiness to the cake. We need to be careful about timing and mixing,” explains Koruth. Tofu scramble, vegan kadhi, and peanut curd are a few other vegan dishes.
While most of them unanimously agree that veganism is a perfect diet, a few believe that it lacks protein, iron, vitamins and minerals. According to a woman who moved out of veganism, being a vegan made her bones and nails brittle. Nutritionist Gayathri Asokan observes. “No matter which diet you follow, there should be a balance. If the balance is not there, it will adversely affect your body. If you avoid some products, replace it with some equivalent things which are in tune with your diet,” she says. And vegans advice adding healthy vegan protein sources such as whole grains, oatmeal, beans, brown rice, peanut butter, soya milk, etc. They recommend fortified foods like breakfast cereals and soya milk or multivitamin for vitamin B12.
