Vegan football club blazing a trail

Jamie and Jimmy look at how a vegan diet can be a great way to support a healthy lifestyle.

Veganism is becoming increasingly popular. The number of people following a vegan diet has quadrupled between 2014 and 2018. There are various reasons people choose to eat a plant-based diet – it is good for the environment and research shows there are health benefits, too.

World’s first vegan football club

Jamie and Jimmy head to Forest Green Rovers FC, which is the first all-vegan football club in the world.

Everything at the club is vegan, from what the players eat to what’s served to fans. The club’s head chef explains that these meat-free dishes, including a BBQ jackfruit, are proving to be big crowd-pleasers too.

Feeling inspired, Jamie and Jimmy dish up a vegan feast at the local pub – to continue demonstrating just how exciting and delicious meat-free food can be. They make a Keralan pineapple and roasted squash curry, plus a roasted whole cauliflower and mezze dips. Delicious!

Should we eat more vegan food?

A vegan diet is made of food from plant-based sources (like vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits) and eliminates foods from animal sources including meat, dairy products and eggs.

As Jamie and Jimmy explain on Friday Night Feast, there are clear benefits to following a vegan diet, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

Simply enjoying a few more plant-based meals in the week, and gradually reducing our consumption of animal-based foods is helpful for the environment – without necessarily following an entirely vegan diet.

People following a vegan diet typically consume more fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fibre, and less saturated fat, compared to meat eaters.

But it’s also important that vegan meals are planned well, to make sure people eat a variety of protein and enough iron, calcium, vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids and iodine.

Overall, vegan and vegetarian diets are associated with lower risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and obesity.

3 TASTY VEGAN RECIPES

BAKED SQUASH

Based on a beloved old recipe of Jamie’s, this method really takes advantage of stuffing and slow-roasting the sweet, versatile squash. You get great textures and wonderful flavours exchanging in the centre, and the slices look amazing.

VEGAN TOFFEE APPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE

Sticky sweet and topped with lightly spiced apples, this makes the perfect afternoon tea treat!

VEGAN MUSHROOM, CHESTNUT & CRANBERRY TART

This tart is perfect for getting ahead – make it the day before and heat through once dinner’s nearly ready. If you can’t get wild mushrooms, use more chestnut ones.

Read more about Jamie’s campaigns on Friday Night Feast, here.