PETALING JAYA: The vegan community is growing with millennials getting more conscious of how their lifestyle could impact the environment.
Along with the bigger vegetarian population, the demand for plant-based food has led to a mushrooming of vegan and vegetarian eateries in urban areas in the Klang Valley and Penang.
“When I opened my cafe four years ago, there were only two vegan restaurants in the Klang Valley,” LN Fortunate Coffee founder Jeremy Loo said. “Today, there are more than 10 vegan restaurants.”
“Malaysia is a food haven with rich culinary culture which is heavily into meat.
“Appealing to non-vegans is an uphill battle,” he said.
“If we only market to vegans, it’s definitely not sustainable as the numbers is too small.
“Even vegans would not limit themselves to eating in vegan restaurants because of our human nature of wanting choices.”
Loo turned vegan when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer seven years ago.
“I had a severe health crisis with stomach cancer, hypertension and high cholesterol,” he said.
He sought natural holistic healing for his illnesses along with conventional medicine.
“All my ailments were gone within six months from adopting a vegan lifestyle.
“From there, I began to look for a platform to share the power of natural food and beverages in healing.”
“The vegan diet excludes all animal-based food and animal by-products such as eggs, dairy and even honey for some,” KPJ Damansara Hospital dietitian Farah Farhanah Hashim told theSun.
“You can get enough protein from plant-based foods such as legumes, soybean and lentils.
“However, the quality of protein in plant-based food is still in question.
“Plant-based foods have no complete protein like animal-based foods.
“Complete protein is referring to nine amino acids essentially needed.”
Farah, who is also a member of Malaysian Dietitian Association, said having a vegetarian diet is healthier than being vegan.
She said when patients request for a vegan diet, their preference is respected due to their environmental, ethical, spiritual or religious commitments.
“We even use separate plates and utensils if requested,” she said.
“If patients are critically ill, we have to discuss with them and their relatives about the possible deficiency in a vegan diet.”
Farah pointed out that veganism has been linked to micro-nutrient deficiency such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium and Vitamin D.
Malaysian Vegan Society president Rina Pang said there is a growing awareness of the positive impact of vegan diet on health and the environment.
“The Malaysia Vegan Festival organised by the society held at Publika on Aug 17 has attracted many people,” she said.
“There is an urgent need to make conscious choices in our daily actions if we want to make a difference to our health, the environment and the lives of others.
“Veganism can help make that difference.”
