ProVeg South Africa dismisses image of man as a “meat-dependent consumer”

03 Nov 2023 --- In the spirit of World Vegan Month, ProVeg South Africa lends its support to this year’s campaign by The Vegan Society to prioritize the myths and perceptions that endure about plant-based diets in male social circles. 

“Especially in developing countries such as our own, there still seems to be a lingering, somewhat mythological belief that there is a direct causal link between meat consumption and being masculine or embodying masculine traits. We don’t believe that this is the case and it’s a viewpoint that we would like to challenge,” Wikus Engelbrecht, communications manager, ProVeg South Africa, tells Nutrition Insight.

Referring to The Vegan Society’s findings that 41% of UK men want vegan options, Engelbrecht says: “It’s very encouraging to see that such a strong percentage of younger men are considering going vegan, and the gender split for the already-vegan population is broadly commensurate with what one may notice in other countries.” 

Antiquated diet and self-image ideal
Despite the exponential growth of the global vegan community, negative stereotypes about plant-based consumption and masculinity persist in the popular imagination, even with an abundance of evidence that there are ample nutritional sources for vegan diets and many high-performance athletes and sports competitors endorsing plant-based eating. 

“Man as a ‘meat-dependent consumer’ is a fading cliché; however, in today’s world where gender and identity are being so thoroughly re-examined, reshaping some of the rigid tenets of the past into the nuances of modernity,” Engelbrecht notes.ProVeg South Africa describes the meat-dependent male consumer as an antiquated ideal. 

“Diet and self-image is a topic which is now being frequently discussed in the media, but what could be more ‘manly’ and more responsible than making the best nutritional choices to improve one’s health and longevity — allowing one to live a long and productive life to support one’s family and community better?” 

He describes the claims of enhancing gender status as justification when eating meat as illusory, facetious and antiquated. 

“How many men eat meat not because they think it makes them more masculine but because they are worried that other people won’t regard them as masculine if they don’t? In primitive times, hunting was considered a high-risk occupation and, therefore, in the crude and uncompromising rationale of the era, masculine,” Engelbrecht underscores. 

“But today, it’s no more difficult or dangerous to grab a cut of meat off the supermarket shelf than it is to buy some beans or lentils. Today, we hunt with our wallets, not with spears. We comfortably drive to our local shops instead of crossing a savage savannah on foot.”

Tips to transition to plant-based
“Reduction is better than perfection” for those looking to become vegetarian or vegan. ProVeg advises that it can be more sustainable to gradually increase their plant-based consumption and decrease their animal product consumption rather than immediately making a complete transition. 

“Education plays a key role, and just learning and trying some plant-based recipes, for example, is part of the journey that won’t happen immediately. ProVeg recommends its Veggie Challenge to effectively guide people new to the plant-based lifestyle through their inaugural month of attempting to transition,” explains Engelbrecht.A significant barrier to plant-based eating is the notion that it is not nutritionally adequate. 

Veganuary is another option. The annual campaign in January can also help thoughtfully steer participants through their initial steps into veganism. Green Mondays is a campaign to onboard people to eating plant-based by starting with just one day a week. 

“One of the major barriers to people making a transition to plant-based eating is the falsely held idea, and perhaps the fear, that a vegan diet doesn’t supply adequate nutrition and that once people give up animal products, their health will deteriorate,” says Engelbrecht.

“It’s understandable that people are reluctant to change their diets, perhaps one of the most deeply ingrained personal habits of all, but with the emergence of more plant-based people in society, it should help defuse concerns that it isn’t a healthy lifestyle.” 

“The number of vegans globally has grown rapidly over the past decade or two, and that should inspire confidence. The more the plant-based movement grows, the more it becomes self-evident as a health-giving choice,” he concludes.

By Inga de Jong