Le Vegan Week plants seed of healthy eating

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This article was published 04/01/2021 (1726 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

December’s gluttony often leads to new year’s resolutions focused on healthier diets and lifestyles.

That’s the thinking behind the inaugural Le Vegan Week, which runs Jan. 17-23 with 22 Winnipeg restaurants offering plant-based dishes to vegans or those who wish to add more veggies and plant-based protein to their diet.

“January was chosen on purpose because people want to make healthier choices, they want to make improvements on their lifestyle,” says spokeswoman Stasa Veroukis-Regina.

Le Vegan Week is a side project for Winnipeg VegFest, an annual event that began in 2017 but had to cancel in 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. VegFest plans remain on the table, but its chair, Jason Hannan, says interest from restaurants in Le Vegan Week will likely mean it will become part of Winnipeg’s culinary calendar, which includes weeks focusing on foods such as burgers, poutine and potatoes.

Le Vegan Week also rides the coattails of the Veganuary campaign, which since 2014 has inspired more than one million people around the world to try a vegan lifestyle for January, working with restaurants, supermarkets and other businesses to increase vegan options.

Growing interest in veganism and the popularity of meat substitutes such as Beyond Meat makes this a “golden age” for those interested in trying plant-based diets, Hannan says.

“There’s just so many options in restaurants and grocery stores and so many people who are able and willing to offer help and suggestions,” he says.

The participating restaurants will have takeout and delivery options available in order to comply with provincial COVID-19 regulations.

Veroukis-Regina turned to a vegan diet four years ago this week after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Her research convinced her that a plant-based diet, along with medical treatment, would help her fight the disease.

Hannan chose a vegan lifestyle 10 years ago, also for health reasons, but his interest in the growing trend has gone beyond just what’s he’s eating.

“My dad’s a cancer researcher so I’ve always been hyper-conscious of cancer, and I had read some papers about the link between meat consumption and cancer,” he says. “After that I became aware of the ethical reasons and the environmental reasons (to avoid eating meat).”

Restaurants paid $50 to participate; funds raised go to the Good Place Farm Rescue & Sanctuary, which focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating horses. It also serves as home for many other rescued farm animals, including cows, goats, sheep and chickens.

alan.small@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter:@AlanDSmall