My thoughts on recent vegan food trends

I became vegan on May 13th, 2007. I don't necessarily want people to remember the exact date, haha.

I read the books "Conversations with God" and "The Ecological Diet" and decided to become vegan for three reasons: environmental protection, animal welfare, and health.

However, I wasn't sure if becoming vegan would make me healthier, as at the time, I didn't know anyone who was vegetarian or vegan, so I didn't have any confirmation.

I thought I would try it out for a while, and if it made me healthy, it would be lucky for me.

After a few months of being vegan, my skin cleared up, my migraines disappeared, canker sores were rare, and bad breath disappeared.

Although there are various other benefits, those are the ones that stood out for me.

At the time, I was working at a macrobiotic cafe in Yamanashi and enjoyed exploring a new "diet" that seemed full of potential, eating at vegan restaurants, and studying raw food in America.

As time passed, the word vegan isn't used much anymore, but instead, the word plant-based is used everywhere.

Even major Japanese chain stores like CoCo Ichibanya, Mos Burger, Doutor, and Starbucks have vegan menus.

While it's fantastic, I always wonder how much food additives are used in these products.

I'm not the type of person who thinks, "Anything is fine as long as it's vegan." I want to eat only things that are healthy.

People I know who have been vegan or vegetarian for over ten years are knowledgeable about food and health, and I think many people are practicing it in real life.

However, among those who have recently started incorporating vegan or vegetarian diets, I think there are many people who are like, "What's trans fat?"

Although it was unimaginable a decade ago, vegan butter is now available in many varieties as a product.

Not only in America, but it can also be purchased at regular stores like AEON in Japan. However, many products don't indicate "trans fat-free" anywhere, and vegetable oils are often the primary ingredient.

Isn't that almost the same as margarine? If someone who knows the oil industry well could tell me, that would be great, haha.

In recent years, there has been a growing number of vegan restaurants opening up in Tokyo and other areas.

While I personally don't rule out the possibility of patronizing these establishments, I'm glad to see more vegan options becoming available and the flavors being tasty.

However, I've noticed that many of these products often contain yeast extract as an ingredient, which is essentially the same as MSG.

I wonder why people don't seem to mind this, even though it's possible to make these products without it.

Personally, I always think it's better to avoid it if possible.

When it comes to the difference between the vegan food of the past and present, I think the quality of taste has improved, but the quality of the food itself has decreased. That's just my opinion.