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Vegan Food

There are now more than half a million vegans in Britain. 5 Live Investigates hears concerns that for some, it could have serious health consequences.

There are now more than half a million vegans in Britain 鈥 with more than a quarter of a million people trying out a vegan diet last month 鈥 double the number of people who signed up for 鈥榲eganuary鈥 in 2018. There鈥檚 no doubt that veganism is a more humane and potentially more sustainable alternative to a traditional diet containing meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. But could going vegan actually be bad for your health? 5 Live Investigates hears concerns that for some, it could have serious health consequences. Rebecca Hills, 20, tells the programme she used a vegan diet to conceal her eating disorder. But for Rebecca Hills, 20, going vegan wasn鈥檛 about 'ethics' and 'healthy eating', like she told people. It was to cover up her eating disorder. 鈥淚n the back of my mind I was thinking that veganism would be a really good way to lose weight,鈥 she said. The charity Beat Eating Disorders believes Rebecca may not be alone: 鈥淪ome people may use veganism or vegetarianism to conceal their eating disorder, as it becomes socially acceptable to follow a restrictive diet.鈥

(Photo credit: REDA&CO\Getty)

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51 minutes

Last on

Sun 10 Feb 2019 11:00

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  • Sun 10 Feb 2019 11:00

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