There are plenty of vegan meats; and tastier than actual ones

DaJeong is a South Korean who’s currently working and living in London. Since this year she began to only have plant-based meals, after taking on the Veganuary challenge. Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her.

She told Meatless Movement that she feels healthier and very happy knowing that she is not eating ‘dead bodies’.

Tell us more about yourself, please

Hi, my name is DaJeong from South Korea.

I have always been interested in fashion, and exploring the world to learn, grow, and improve through new experiences.

Despite little-to-no external support, I had the privilege to design in Korea, Japan, Canada, and Australia.

During my time at Canada Goose in Toronto, I witnessed the PETA protest in front of my office due to the use of down, and coyote fur trims, and this sparked my interest in, and passion for, vegan cruelty-free fashion. Since then, I have become much more interested in various social issues and daily living.

I restarted my career with a focus on sustainable and ethical fashion with a goal of improving the profession to create a better world.

I truly believe in a solution to help our planet and its life, while innovating in fashion.

Last year, I graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) to get the official credentials I need to work in the UK. Thankfully, I am currently working as a design assistant at Baukjen which is a fashion company in London.

I always desired to make better choices for saving our planet, and the lives on the Earth
DA JEONG 다정

I am very into Sustainable & Ethical living for our planet and always interested in vegan diet – my small choice can make less harm to the environment, and why not? My friends in London introduced me to the Veganuary movement & various alternative vegan food & restaurants in London.

Thanks to Veganuary, I started to be a vegan in 2022 January, and have since continued the meatless diet for about three months now.

The Best Places To Eat Vegan Food In London

I love seafood – particularly prawns. While I don’t have any challenge finding vegan meat, I couldn’t find any suitable alternatives for seafood yet. When I go eating out with friends, I am the one to find a good restaurant that is plant based such as The Spread Eagle, Mildred, Clean Kitchen, and Club Mexicans in London. They have amazing various foods so my non vegan friends don’t mind!

These fine places in London offer plenty of vegan meat options which taste much better than real meat! Staff are amazing too.

Mildreds King’s Cross – 100% plant-based restaurant

The Spread Eagle – the first vegan pub in London 🙂

The Spread Eagle – all food, drink and fixtures are plant-based

How does it feel being vegan?

Living in the present is A present
DA JEONG 다정

I think it has been amazing, my body feeling has been lighter and healthier – also exploring vegan food is super fun! I am so grateful that we can have various plant-based alternatives. It makes me elated.

Some non vegans asked me, “ What about animals having other animals??” – I think we need to remember that human beings are at the top of the food chain. According to a 2019 paper from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 70 billion animals are reared for food worldwide. Again we have alternatives for meat – we have choices but animals don’t. – It’s also controversial as some have pointed out plant-based meat (processed food) or Super food are also bad for the environment.. but we all know it’s better than consuming meat. it’s all about making a small step, making a better choice.

A right plant-based diet focuses on exclusively plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Vegans should also take particular care to consume enough vitamin B-12. As long as you do it correctly, following a plant-based diet can benefit your health.

Veganism is not only about caring for animals, it’s better for our planet too. It is one of the best ways to reduce our environmental impact on earth. There is a study that the Carbon footprint of a vegan diet is less than half that of a meat heavy one. I am currently into learning more about the environmental and ethical case for a diet free of animal products. Is it really Green written by Georgia Wilson Powell is my main source of inspiration.

Eating vegan food also helps stop animal suffering, and improves and protects our health

To eat meat or not to eat meat, when it comes to food choices, the question becomes a complex one. It’s natural for people to disagree and people may respond to vegans negatively.

Some think that vegans are overprotecting animals, or that vegans love animals more than human beings. But animals are inherently innocent and animals are sentient beings too. I choose to be vegan because I don’t see animals as meat.

Others may question that the vegan diet is not always green. Some processed foods or specific crops such as Avocado and palm oil could be environmentally harmful – and dangerous for health! However, by choosing to go vegan, we minimize our intentional damage to the environment. A study shows a Vegan person can reduce the number of greenhouse gases which means contributes to climate change by up to 60%.

There are plenty of vegan meats; and tastier than actual meats too- so why not?:)
DA JEONG 다정

I used to call myself a meaterian and also loved eggs. However, now I don’t like the smell of eggs or meat since I started a vegan diet and educated myself for veganism. Also I have enjoyed exploring cooking vegan food! I thought the essence of food taste is based on meat – but It was not at all – it’s from Veggies! I have always been amazed whenever I tried to cook new vegan food!

If you are interested in contributing to save our planet and healthier diet for you and our planet – but you don’t know how to do it! Just start with Veganuary – they offer really good sources for being a vegan and amazing recipes you can easily follow 🙂