Many South Africans Welcome a Vegan Lifestyle

 

Vegetarianism¹ is growing in popularity in a lot of countries.

And now, South Africa is one of them.

Today, more and more South Africans are experimenting with the vegetarian² way of life by cutting all meat out of their diet.

Others are exploring veganism. Vegans are similar to vegetarians³ but they avoid all animal-based products, including milk and eggs. Some vegans do not eat honey.

A Google Trends report puts South Africa at 14th around the world in searches for the word "vegan," the only African nation to be listed so high.

There is no official count of how many vegans there are in South Africa. But the interest has led to the birth of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Johannesburg, the nation's economic center. And this year, Africa's first big vegan and plant-based festival launches in Cape⁴ Town. The Vegan & Plant Powered Show takes place at the end May.

When VOA News spoke⁵ with some new vegans in South Africa, they gave moral and health reasons for giving up meat and animal products.

Dayalan Nayagar is 41-years-old and works as a financial advisor⁶. He says he decided⁷ to change his diet in 2019 after being a meat-eater his whole life.

"And I got introduced to this whole new way of eating, you know healthy, eating organic-type food from plants and I couldn't believe it. Like I said, [it] blew my mind and I got fully⁸ involved into it and haven't turned back."

But the owners of one of Johannesburg's newest and most popular vegan eateries say vegans do not owe anyone an explanation.

Banesa Tseki is one of two owners of Nest Space, a vegan café and yoga space.

She says people have given her warnings about veganism. For example, someone told her she would "definitely die."

"All I'm trying to do is live a life that's sustainable for me and that makes me happy."

Her business partner, Anesu Mbizvo, is a medical doctor. Mbizvo says science supports a vegan diet. Both she and co-owner Tseki teach yoga and said they feel stronger and better since cutting meat from their diet.

Traditional values

But veganism can be a lonely road for many South Africans.

The country is Africa's top consumer of meat from cows, pigs and sheep, based on information from the Organisation⁹ for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Many South Africans express shock at the thought of giving up meat, which is central to celebrations and spirituality.

This is an issue for many African vegans, including Anesu Mbizvo.

"In African culture, a big part of a family's net worth is their livestock¹⁰. Their livestock define the wealth of a family. And so when you slaughter¹¹ an animal at a gathering¹², it's seen as you giving of yourself."

But offering home-grown vegetables, she added, would not be considered as valuable.

She said, "I think that's one of the barriers to veganism for people of African cultures."

But she also understands giving up meat can have undesirable¹³ effects on some lives.

Her father heads a large farm in Zimbabwe and employs many members of the community. If he cut out his meat business, she says, all of those people would lose their jobs.

Gradual transition

Some South Africans are finding their path somewhere in the middle.

Thirty-one-year-old Thandiwe Ngubeni is a communications specialist. She still eats meat — but less and less of it as time goes by. When VOA spoke with her, she was at the Nest Space awaiting a food order of vegan pancakes.

"I feel way more energized¹⁴ when I eat a vegetarian or vegan meal. It actually just gives me more energy."

Ngubeni said the vegan food does not cause a heavy feeling in her stomach.

Tseki – the co-owner of Nest Space – has been vegan since 2017 and supports the slow method. She said there is no right way of cutting back on meat and animal products. Doing so has a lot of benefits but it's "a choice only you can make."

Words in This Story

honey – n. a thick, sweet substance made by bees

introduce – v. to cause someone to learn about or try something for the first time

blew my mind – expression. to overwhelm a person with intense excitement, pleasure, astonishment¹⁵ or dismay

yoga – n. a system of exercises for mental and physical health

sustainable – adj. able to last or continue for a long time

livestock – n. farm animals that are kept, raised, and used by people

slaughter – v. to kill an animal for food

pancake – n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people

benefit – n. a good or helpful result or effect

1 vegetarianism   

n.素食，素食主义

参考例句：

• More and more people are believing in vegetarianism and diet for health. 而今越来越多的人们相信素食和节食有利于身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is an exponent of vegetarianism. 她是一个素食主义的倡导者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 vegetarian   

n.素食者；adj.素食的

参考例句：

• She got used gradually to the vegetarian diet.她逐渐习惯吃素食。
• I didn't realize you were a vegetarian.我不知道你是个素食者。

3 vegetarians   

n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 )；素食者；素食主义者；食草动物

参考例句：

• Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
• Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

10 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

11 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

12 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

13 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

14 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

15 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。