The motives and challenges facing South African vegans and the nutritional quality of their diet.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Introduction: A vegan diet is a voluntarily chosen plant-based diet that excludes all meat and
animal products and includes wholegrains and legumes, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds
and healthy fats. There are many different motives that influence an individual to become vegan
including ethical motives, environmental motives and health motives. Internationally, many
studies have been conducted to investigate these motives along with the nutritional intake and
quality of the vegan diet. This diet is also becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, yet
there is a paucity of studies that have been conducted to determine what motivates South
Africans to follow this diet, what challenges they face while following the diet and what the
nutritional quality of their diet is.
Aim: To determine the motives of South African vegans, challenges faced and the nutritional
quality of the South African vegan diet.
Objectives: To determine the demographic characteristics of South African vegans; the
motives that influenced the decision to become a vegan; challenges associated with following
a vegan diet and how these challenges are overcome; and to determine the nutritional quality
of dietary intake compared to recommendations (EARs) consumed and identify the variety of
food groups and types of processed food in the vegan diet.
Methods: A cross-sectional study in the form of an online questionnaire was conducted using
South African vegans who were part of the South African Vegan Society online group on
Facebook. The questionnaire consisted of four sections. Section one obtained information
regarding the demographics of South African vegans. Section two obtained information on the
main motives for following a vegan diet. Section three obtained information on the challenges
experienced while following a vegan diet and how these challenges were overcome. Section
four obtained information on the nutritional quality of the vegan diet which included a veganspecific
Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) with 291 food items and one 24-hour recall.
Results: The first two sections of the online questionnaire were completed by 205 respondents,
of which 82.4% (n = 169) were female and 17.6% (n = 36) were male. The respondents were
predominately White (82.4%, n = 169), resided in the Gauteng province (43.9%, n = 90), were
more likely to be single (53.2%, n = 109) and belonged to the 18-29 (29.3%, n = 60) and 40-49
age category (22.0%, n = 45). Most of the respondents had followed a vegan diet for one to
less than three years (38.5%, n = 79). A significant number of respondents did not engage in
smoking (83.9%, n = 172) but did consume alcoholic beverages less than once a week (60.0%,
n = 123) (p<0.0005). Most of the respondents participated in varying amounts and intensities
of physical activity (84.9%, n = 174) and made use of nutritional supplements (72.7%, n = 149).
There was a significant agreement that ethical concern for animals (p<0.0005); followed by
protecting the environment (p < 0.0005); and the effect of animal product consumption on
climate change (p < 0.0005) were the main motivating factors for choosing to become a vegan.
Most of the respondents reported that their initial motivation to become a vegan had not
changed (71%, n = 146) and there was a significant agreement that experimenting with food
assisted the respondents during their transition into the vegan diet (p < 0.0005).
Section three of the questionnaire was completed by 197 respondents. Over one third of the
respondents reported that it was “easy” to transition into the diet (35.1%, n = 72) and their initial
emotions were enthusiasm and excitement (29.3%, n = 60). A significant number of
respondents reported that they did not experience any financial challenges following the diet
(74.6%, n = 176) and that their main challenge was finding vegan meal options in a restaurant
(p < 0.0005). The respondents in this study overcame any challenges by conducting research
on the internet and agreed that vegan recipes were easily accessible (p < 0.0005). The
respondents significantly agreed that a vegan diet was nutritionally complete and adequate for
a healthy lifestyle (p < 0.0005).
The FFQ was completed by 113 respondents. Respondents consumed a wide variety of fruit;
most often bananas (22.4%, n = 46) at least once a day, leafy-vegetables- most often cooked
spinach (24.9%, n = 51) at least once a week, non-leafy vegetables- most often cooked broccoli
(36.1%, n = 76) at least once a week. The starches most often consumed were whole-wheat
bread (18.0%, n = 37) once a week, grains and cereals- most often white or brown basmati rice
(20.0%, n = 41) once a month, peas and beans- most often chickpeas (32.2%, n = 66) at least
once a week, fats- most often olive oil (20.5%, n = 42) at least once a day, snacks- most often
potato chips (19.0%, n = 39) at least once a month. Desserts most often consumed were eggless
cake (17.1%, n = 35) at least once a month, sweeteners- most often brown sugar (17.1%, n
= 35) at least once a day and beverages- coffee decaffeinated or regular (29.3%, n = 60) at least
once a day. The most commonly consumed plant-based milk alternative and meat alternative
was soy milk (21.0%, n = 43) consumed at least once a day and soya products (28.8%, n = 59)
at least once a week respectively.
The 24-hour recall was completed by 134 respondents. The mean total energy of the
respondents was 7471.15 kJ (SD = 3093.39). Males had a mean total energy of 7893.76 kJ (SD
= 3415.37) and females had a mean total energy of 7374.22 kJ (SD = 3023.43).
All respondents met the estimated average requirement (EAR) for protein (56 g for males and
46 g for females), carbohydrates (130 g) and the percentage of total energy for fat (10 - 35%).
The respondents mean intake for protein was 74.73 g (SD = 52.28), carbohydrates 190.40 g
(SD = 190.40) and fat 62.34 g (SD = 62.34), which contributed 18.5%, 47.36% and 33.7%
respectively, of total energy in the diet. Females consumed significantly greater amounts of
added sugar than males (M = 20.51 g) vs (M= 13.18 g). Both gender categories met their EARs
for fibre, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, folate and vitamin K.
The respondents had a decreased intake of cholesterol, saturated fat and mono-unsaturated fatty
acids and higher intakes of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Females met their EARs for zinc and
niacin, 9.02 mg and 15.32 mg respectively, while males were below their EAR, consuming 9.8
mg and 15.59 mg respectively. Males met their EAR for vitamin E consuming 20.32 mg, while
females were below their EAR, consuming 13.56 mg of vitamin E. The respondents were
shown to be lacking in calcium, sodium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
Conclusion: This study revealed that although veganism is widespread in South Africa, White
females living in Gauteng were more likely to be following this lifestyle and be members of the
South African Vegan Society online group on Facebook. Their main motive for following the
diet was preventing cruelty towards animals and protecting the environment and its resources.
This suggests that South African vegans are concerned about animal rights and the environment
and their knowledge about veganism should be further investigated. The main challenge faced
by the respondents was finding vegan options in restaurants. Therefore, restaurants that are
vegan-specific or have vegan options available are recommended to list their restaurants online
and upload their menus to assist vegans, as the internet was commonly used for research among
this group. Major retail supermarkets are recommended to increase their stock and variety of
options of vegan products especially plant-based milk and meat alternatives as these products
are widely consumed. Research has shown that the vegan diet is linked to many potential health
benefits, yet there is concern regarding whether the diet leads to nutrient deficiencies over time.
As veganism is growing in South Africa, this study highlights the need for fortified food
products and nutritional supplements to reduce nutrient deficiencies in the vegan diet.
Longitudinal studies will also assist in examining trends and sustainability of a vegan diet in
South Africa as well as determine whether nutrient deficiencies develop over time.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.