Letter: A vegan centre would be a great business idea

Krishna Govender of Burbreeze, Tongaat writes:

Many people are following the trend of “Veganuary” as a means to detox from the holiday binge.

However, I have decided to become a vegan (or at least a “flexitarian”) permanently due to health, environmental, and ethical reasons.

But the problem is that vegan restaurants are extremely rare, with most restaurants catering to meat lovers.

Sure, they do have vegan options, but it’s very difficult to choose a meat-free item off the menu when the smell of char-grilled meat is hitting you in the face.

We are a meat loving society, and you can’t blame us.

The smell of meat activates our primal instincts.

Meat and dairy are highly concentrated sources of nutrients and this usually meant the difference between life and death for our ancestors, who would eat maybe once a week.

But we now live in an age where food is readily available, so eating all of these animal-based foods on a regular basis is essentially a nutrient overdose.

This can result in obesity, diabetes, and a whole list of other illnesses that we are just learning about.

Choosing seafood is no better, due to the high level of ocean water pollution.

But it is not just our health that is affected.

The current meat and dairy industry are not sustainable, since they are much more resource intensive than plant-based farming, and produce a lot more pollution too.

The primary reason why the Amazon rain forest is being cleared is so that more room for cattle ranches can be made.

But using smaller areas to produce meat has its own ethical concerns.

Factory farming confines animals into such small areas that they can’t even move, and the treatment of animals in some countries can only be described as torture.

Ultimately this comes back to haunt us, since the stress hormones and toxins that build up inside these animals’ bodies, as well as the cocktail of chemicals that they are fed, eventually end up in our bodies.

So now, I appeal to the business people of Ballito to create a sustainable shopping centre that includes vegan restaurants and takeaways, where food is ethically and locally sourced, does not use disposable plastic packaging and is predominantly plant-based.

And a neighbouring farm where multiple crops exist alongside indigenous vegetation, forming a symbiotic relationship where wildlife is seen as being beneficial, as opposed to being pests.

All living entities are connected, and when one suffers, we all suffer.

You can try the new Roots restaurant at Burnedale.

Our foodie David Hoehler visted them last weekend and loved it! – Ed.

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