Don’t pass the ribs! Veganism is skyrocketing in popularity

There are 324 vegan restaurants in Seattle alone as more people avoid animal products to improve their overall health.

The Guardian reports there are about 79 million vegans worldwide.

Vegan diets are skyrocketing in popularity. With the rise of obesity and its related complications, many Americans are eating vegan to improve their overall health.

The staff at Easy Vegan Recipes looked at searches for vegan phrases in every state in the U.S. Surprisingly, California did not clock in at number one. That honor went to New York, with about 595 searches of vegan phrases per 100,000 residents. New Yorkers looked for vegan restaurants, vegan recipes, vegan desserts, and vegan substitutes, which could mean almost anything.

The other contenders

Oregon came in second place, with 593.89 searches for vegan terms. Oregonians look for vegan restaurants and recipes. Hawaiians also love to eat their veggies, with about 550 searches for vegan terms per 100,000 people.

California ranks fourth, with 414 vegan-related searches, but did top the charts in almost every vegan-related term in the study. Nearly 49,000 of the recorded searches in one month were for vegan restaurants. California, in fact, hosts 7,902 vegan restaurants statewide, the majority of them located in the Los Angeles area.

Washington residents have an advantage over other states in the vegan restaurant category. Even though they rank fifth overall in the study, with 407 searches per 100,000 people, the state has more vegan restaurants than Oregon or Hawaii, with 324 vegan-friendly restaurants in Seattle alone.

Everywhere else

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that coastal states, whether the East or the West Coast, rank highest for vegan searches. Southeastern states and those in the Upper Midwest ranked lowest on the list.

The fondness for pork and beef in these areas won’t easily submit to a vegan lifestyle, regardless of the touted health benefits. Most Southerners aren’t going to stop eating pulled pork barbecue, nor will Minnesotans omit bratwurst from their dinner tables. It’s just not going to happen.

Veggie love

The media and entertainment outlets are picking up on the vegan trends. The Food Network premiered a vegan food competition show called It’s CompliPlated in 2022, hosted by vegan foodie Tabitha Brown. Even Guy Fieri has featured several vegan restaurants on his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, according to VegNews.

Public Television, long the home of egghead and granola-style viewing, has hosted vegan-friendly cooking shows for years, including Cooking with Christina, hosted by Christina Pirello, Delicious TV with Toni Fiore, and Laura Theodore as the quirky host of Jazzy Vegetarian.

Other popular PBS shows like America’s Test Kitchen and Milk Street routinely feature vegan recipes on their programs, occasionally devoting entire episodes to vegan or vegetarian recipes.

Long known for his vegan activism, singer Sir Paul McCartney teamed up with his daughters Mary and Stella to release Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen in 2021. It’s a tribute to the late wife and mom, as well as a means to spread the word about vegan living and kindness to animals.

Many other celebrities profess veggie love, including actresses Demi Moore and Alicia Silverstone, singer-songwriter Lizzo, actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Casey Affleck, and singer Will.i.am.

Vegan, vegan everywhere

According to Women’s Health Magazine, the number of vegans in the United Kingdom has risen by 350% in the last ten years. The Good Food Institute said plant-based food sales were three times greater than overall food sales in 2021.

Statista Global Consumer Survey estimates 1 in 10 people in India are vegan, with about 3 percent of the German population and 1 percent of Chinese consumers. So going vegan is a worldwide trend.

Truth to tell, vegan and vegetarian options are better and more varied than they were even ten years ago in the United States. A casual look in the freezer section shows single-serve vegetarian dinners, veggie crumbles (a ground beef substitute), vegan bacon and “chicken” and the now-ubiquitous Impossible brands.

Even fast food chains like Burger King and Taco Bell offer meatless entrees for their vegan or vegetarian customers. Although some are suspicious of the vegan lifestyle, it’s clear that veggie lovers are here to stay.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

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