The Vegan Lifestyle in Mauritius

This trending lifestyle has been making some buzz for quite some time and it’s usually synonymous to a healthy lifestyle. But we’re often confused about what it really is. What do vegans eat? Is it the same thing as being vegetarian? Are they able to get all the necessary nutrients such as proteins? To find out more about the vegan lifestyle, we interviewed Vegan Islanders, a friendly couple living in Mauritius. You will find them on Facebook where they share their vegan adventures with everyone.

What’s veganism?

You may think that veganism is something recent but the term exists since the early 1940s and was coined by Donald Watson to point out the difference between vegetarianism and veganism. Vegetarians eat fruits, vegetables and avoid meat, poultry or fish but they do consume dairy and products derived from animals. On the other hand, vegans stick to a non-animal diet and they also do not consume any product derived from animals such as cheese or honey. But it doesn’t end there. Veganism isn’t just about food but it’s also about not using animal products or by-products in their daily life; that means no leather, wool, fur, silk, cosmetics or any product derived from animals.

The Interview

Let’s find out more about the vegan lifestyle in Mauritius with Meling and Kris from Vegan Islanders.

Foodwini: How did you guys decide to go vegan?

Vegan Islanders: When I met Kris, he was already vegan but at that time I wasn’t. Kris actually told me about his lifestyle and showed me videos. I decided to give it a go for a month and see how it goes and that became 3 years.

Foodwini: Did you notice immediate changes in your body when you started?

Vegan Islanders: You do feel healthier especially as you consume more fruits and vegetables. You don’t feel bloated after your meal and you lose weight. It’s like undergoing a detox. I should add that we read about those changes but we also saw them happening too from the moment we changed our eating habits. For example, Kris’s dad became vegan a year ago and his health has improved significantly since.

Foodwini: How hard is it to be a vegan in Mauritius?

Vegan Islanders: It’s actually very easy as fruits and vegetables are always in abundance. Sometimes you may crave for things like Spaghetti bolognaise but with some research, you’ll find that you don’t actually give up on your favourite dishes but just need to find alternatives for certain ingredients. Furthermore it’s easy to find vegan products such as vegan mock meat in supermarkets across the country.

Foodwini: People are often under the misconception that meat is the main source of protein and that vegans and vegetarians do not have enough protein in their diet. What do you consume as proteins?

Vegan Islanders: We get our proteins from pulses such as chick peas and red beans. We often have chickpea salad. And we found that some vegetables such as broccoli have contain more protein per calorie compared to a steak. We’re consuming more proteins now. Besides, if you think about it carefully, animals get their proteins from plants. So we’re actually getting our protein from the original source itself.

Foodwini: What would you eat on a normal day as breakfast?

Vegan Islanders: We usually have overnight oats and instead of dairy, we use almond milk, soy milk or coconut milk along with chia seeds. We also have smoothies on other days or if we’re craving for our English breakfast, there’s vegan sausages, baked beans and we also tried our vegan version of scrambled eggs where we used tofu, a bit of turmeric powder and black salt. The taste is just the same. We like research and find new ways to vary our meals and there’s a lot of vegan products available.

Foodwini: is it hard to find vegan options in Restaurants in Mauritius?

Vegan Islanders: We don’t find it difficult to find vegan meals in Mauritius. There’s a vegan restaurant such as Eat with Fingers in Grand Bay. Else, when we’re at any restaurant, we take a good look at the vegetarian options and when we order, we ask them not to put ingredients like cream, cheese or dairy in our meals. We also noticed that many restaurants across the country are now including vegan options in their menu. It was harder to find vegan meals three years ago but not anymore. And if you look at street food, our local dholl puri and gato pima are vegan dishes.

To sum it up, being vegan is Mauritius isn’t as hard as you’d think as we have an abundance of vegetables and fruits and alternatives to meat products but it’s important to do some research in order to know how to get all your nutrients your body needs to function.

We thank Meling and Kris from Vegan Islanders for giving us an insight on the topic. Make sure to visit their page and give them a like to keep track of their vegan adventures.