Many South Africans Welcome a Vegan Lifestyle
2020-02-16
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1Vegetarianism is growing in popularity in a lot of countries.
2And now, South Africa is one of them.
3Today, more and more South Africans are experimenting with the vegetarian way of life by cutting all meat out of their diet.
4Others are exploring veganism.
5Vegans are similar to vegetarians but they avoid all animal-based products, including milk and eggs. Some vegans do not eat honey.
6A Google Trends report puts South Africa at 14th around the world in searches for the word "vegan," the only African nation to be listed so high.
7There is no official count of how many vegans there are in South Africa.
8But the interest has led to the birth of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Johannesburg, the nation's economic center.
9And this year, Africa's first big vegan and plant-based festival launches in Cape Town.
10The Vegan & Plant Powered Show takes place at the end May.
11When VOA News spoke with some new vegans in South Africa, they gave moral and health reasons for giving up meat and animal products.
12Dayalan Nayagar is 41-years-old and works as a financial advisor.
13He says he decided to change his diet in 2019 after being a meat-eater his whole life.
14"And I got introduced to this whole new way of eating, you know healthy, eating organic-type food from plants and I couldn't believe it. Like I said, [it] blew my mind and I got fully involved into it and haven't turned back."
15But the owners of one of Johannesburg's newest and most popular vegan eateries say vegans do not owe anyone an explanation.
16Banesa Tseki is one of two owners of Nest Space, a vegan café and yoga space.
17She says people have given her warnings about veganism.
18For example, someone told her she would "definitely die."
19"All I'm trying to do is live a life that's sustainable for me and that makes me happy."
20Her business partner, Anesu Mbizvo, is a medical doctor.
21Mbizvo says science supports a vegan diet.
22Both she and co-owner Tseki teach yoga and said they feel stronger and better since cutting meat from their diet.
23But veganism can be a lonely road for many South Africans.
24The country is Africa's top consumer of meat from cows, pigs and sheep, based on information from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
25Many South Africans express shock at the thought of giving up meat, which is central to celebrations and spirituality.
26This is an issue for many African vegans, including Anesu Mbizvo.
27"In African culture, a big part of a family's net worth is their livestock. Their livestock define the wealth of a family. And so when you slaughter an animal at a gathering, it's seen as you giving of yourself."
28But offering home-grown vegetables, she added, would not be considered as valuable.
29She said, "I think that's one of the barriers to veganism for people of African cultures."
30But she also understands giving up meat can have undesirable effects on some lives.
31Her father heads a large farm in Zimbabwe and employs many members of the community.
32If he cut out his meat business, she says, all of those people would lose their jobs.
33Some South Africans are finding their path somewhere in the middle.
34Thirty-one-year-old Thandiwe Ngubeni is a communications specialist.
35She still eats meat - but less and less of it as time goes by.
36When VOA spoke with her, she was at the Nest Space awaiting a food order of vegan pancakes.
37"I feel way more energized when I eat a vegetarian or vegan meal. It actually just gives me more energy."
38Ngubeni said the vegan food does not cause a heavy feeling in her stomach.
39Tseki - the co-owner of Nest Space - has been vegan since 2017 and supports the slow method.
40She said there is no right way of cutting back on meat and animal products.
41Doing so has a lot of benefits but it's "a choice only you can make."
42I'm Alice Bryant.
1Vegetarianism is growing in popularity in a lot of countries. 2And now, South Africa is one of them. 3Today, more and more South Africans are experimenting with the vegetarian way of life by cutting all meat out of their diet. 4Others are exploring veganism. Vegans are similar to vegetarians but they avoid all animal-based products, including milk and eggs. Some vegans do not eat honey. 5A Google Trends report puts South Africa at 14th around the world in searches for the word "vegan," the only African nation to be listed so high. 6There is no official count of how many vegans there are in South Africa. But the interest has led to the birth of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Johannesburg, the nation's economic center. And this year, Africa's first big vegan and plant-based festival launches in Cape Town. The Vegan & Plant Powered Show takes place at the end May. 7When VOA News spoke with some new vegans in South Africa, they gave moral and health reasons for giving up meat and animal products. 8Dayalan Nayagar is 41-years-old and works as a financial advisor. He says he decided to change his diet in 2019 after being a meat-eater his whole life. 9"And I got introduced to this whole new way of eating, you know healthy, eating organic-type food from plants and I couldn't believe it. Like I said, [it] blew my mind and I got fully involved into it and haven't turned back." 10But the owners of one of Johannesburg's newest and most popular vegan eateries say vegans do not owe anyone an explanation. 11Banesa Tseki is one of two owners of Nest Space, a vegan café and yoga space. 12She says people have given her warnings about veganism. For example, someone told her she would "definitely die." 13"All I'm trying to do is live a life that's sustainable for me and that makes me happy." 14Her business partner, Anesu Mbizvo, is a medical doctor. Mbizvo says science supports a vegan diet. Both she and co-owner Tseki teach yoga and said they feel stronger and better since cutting meat from their diet. 15Traditional values 16But veganism can be a lonely road for many South Africans. 17The country is Africa's top consumer of meat from cows, pigs and sheep, based on information from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 18Many South Africans express shock at the thought of giving up meat, which is central to celebrations and spirituality. 19This is an issue for many African vegans, including Anesu Mbizvo. 20"In African culture, a big part of a family's net worth is their livestock. Their livestock define the wealth of a family. And so when you slaughter an animal at a gathering, it's seen as you giving of yourself." 21But offering home-grown vegetables, she added, would not be considered as valuable. 22She said, "I think that's one of the barriers to veganism for people of African cultures." 23But she also understands giving up meat can have undesirable effects on some lives. 24Her father heads a large farm in Zimbabwe and employs many members of the community. If he cut out his meat business, she says, all of those people would lose their jobs. 25Gradual transition 26Some South Africans are finding their path somewhere in the middle. 27Thirty-one-year-old Thandiwe Ngubeni is a communications specialist. She still eats meat - but less and less of it as time goes by. When VOA spoke with her, she was at the Nest Space awaiting a food order of vegan pancakes. 28"I feel way more energized when I eat a vegetarian or vegan meal. It actually just gives me more energy." 29Ngubeni said the vegan food does not cause a heavy feeling in her stomach. 30Tseki - the co-owner of Nest Space - has been vegan since 2017 and supports the slow method. She said there is no right way of cutting back on meat and animal products. Doing so has a lot of benefits but it's "a choice only you can make." 31I'm Alice Bryant. 32Anita Powell reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 33________________________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35honey - n. a thick, sweet substance made by bees 36introduce - v. to cause someone to learn about or try something for the first time 37blew my mind - expression. to overwhelm a person with intense excitement, pleasure, astonishment or dismay 38yoga - n. a system of exercises for mental and physical health 39sustainable - adj. able to last or continue for a long time 40livestock - n. farm animals that are kept, raised, and used by people 41slaughter - v. to kill an animal for food 42pancake - n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people 43benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect