VegfestUK descended upon London Olympia last weekend, October 21st-22nd and attracted a record-breaking total of around 14,000 visitors. The event drew attention to a vastly growing vegan population and showcased the many benefits of being vegan. The many stalls and caterers showed-off their array of vegan products and vegan cuisine, as well as inspirational talks from both scientists and vegan celebrities. We sent Healthy Living London’s Hannah to find out more.
I was excited to attend VegfestUK and open my mind to the Vegan options and health benefits of a vegan diet. I am a vegetarian that doesn’t eat much dairy anyway, so I am often choosing vegan options when I am out and where possible. I have noticed in recent years the availability of vegan choices now on offer that wasn’t so readily available a few years ago. VegfestUK was the perfect opportunity to learn more about the world of vegan options and the people that live a healthy plant based diet.
Here are few of my favourite stands from VegfestUK:
Having participated in ‘Veganuary‘ over the past few years, it was awesome to meet the team behind this increasingly popular movement. Veganuary sees people become vegan for the month of January in a bid to educate people about the health benefits of being vegan, animal welfare and the environmental impact from giving up meat. Veganuary sends out encouraging emails during January, packed full of recipes as well as tips and advice, such as how to shop for food and how to understand a menu! They also have a handy restaurant guide which, surprisingly, includes lots of familiar names. Read what I got up to whilst participating in my first Veganuary here.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Veganuary/
Website: https://veganuary.com/
I was late to meet a friend as I was distracted by the lovely citrus smell coming from Pure Ephipany. These bath products are packed with organic and natural ingredients that soothe and protect your skin. Their citrus bath bombs smell good enough to eat!
“There’s a new craze in town… and it’s Vegan, Animal Cruelty Free, Organic, Natural, Handmade in the UK and Affordable!” Pure Epiphany
Website: http://www.pure-epiphany.com/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PureEpiphany?ref=search_shop_redirect
“We take our passion for healthy and wholesome ingredients and combine them together to make treats that are nourishing and nowhere near as naughty as they look!
In fact…
Everything is raw, gluten-free, soya free, dairy-free, vegan, refined-sugar free and completely delicious.” Elspeth’s Kitchen
And they weren’t kidding, Elspeth’s Kitchen desserts were so delicious, plus they looked stunning too. I had the salted caramel cake, but also had to try a bite of @bobbythevegan ‘s Banoffee Cheezecake too.
Website: https://www.elspethskitchen.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elspethskitchen/?hl=en
“Zims Tribe aims to jiggle your palate with spicy, mouth watering flavours from the mother continent… This tweaked, time honoured traditional recipe, has been passed down through the generations and is unique to the Nigerian ethnic heritage… Growing up in Nigeria, it’s no wonder I have an intense love for punchy spicy cuisines…” Andrew EtuaZIM
This beaming smile was enough to make me stop and say hi! My boyfriend was brave and went for the hot chili, whilst I tried the medium chili. We loved these chili dips and went back for more later on!
Website: https://www.zimstribe.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zimstribe/
“Our Company Mission Is: Improving Quality of Life by radically reducing chemicals in our homes.” Norwex
I popped by this stand and had a very enlightening chat with Liz Cooke from Norwex. We discussed the harm that many popular cleaning products have, as they contain chemicals. Norwex aim to reduce chemical usage in the home. We especially loved their range of microfibre cloths as they are reusable, meaning less waste going to landfill.
Website: https://norwex.co.uk/?p=start
We loved the Perkier stand as we got to sample all the different flavours!
I also managed to see Dr. Shireen Kassam’s talk – Can Diet Play A Role In Cancer Prevention? With references to The China Study, Dr. Kassam discussed the benefits of a plant based diet. This talk was fascinating as she discussed how being a vegan dramatically decreases your chances of getting cancer and she even mentioned that people suffering with cancer, who then switched to a plant based diet, became healthier and the cancer sometimes even went away. She discussed how dairy especially is full of hormones, not intended for human beings.
“Populations that eat and drink the most dairy have the highest rate of cancer.” Dr. Shireen Kassam
As with most events at London’s Olympia, there is always so much to see and do and time quickly runs out. Disappointed that I missed the comedy zone, most of the cooking demos and the athletes from the Vivo Life Fitness Panel’s Q&A, I was pleased to meet Nimai Delgado and chat about his lifestyle. He does not ‘diet’ or spend his entire day bodybuilding, instead, he has a full time job as an engineer. He exercises for an hour a day and follows a sensible vegan diet. It’s all about balance and making healthier decisions.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nimai_delgado/?hl=en
Did you go to VegfestUK London this year? Let us know what you thought in the comment section below 👇.
*Health Advice: It is sensible to consult with your doctor before beginning any new food and exercise program.
Leave a Reply