The family who put their pets on a vegan diet
More and more Australians are going vegan – and some are even making their pets adopt the vegan diet.
Market research says Australia’s vegan food industry is one of the fastest growing in the world and will be worth more than $200 million dollars by next year.
The Bradley family, from Perth, don’t eat any animal products, and haven’t for six years.
Even their pet dogs are on the strict diet.
“I looked into the way animal food is produced for dogs and I didn’t like it because it was all the scraps, all the blood off the floor,” Irina Bradley said.
But veterinarians say a vegan diet isn’t recommended for pets.
If you want to change what your pets eat, they suggest you talk to a vet first and make sure whatever product you are feeding them meets Australian standards.
When it comes to humans, the Dieticians Association of Australia doesn’t advise jumping straight into a vegan diet because if you don’t get it right, it could lead to deficiencies in calcium, iron and zinc.
It urges consulting the services of a dietician or GP, getting baseline blood tests and following up after a few months.
“More people are getting on board with this way of eating but I think that’s because research is coming out that it can be very healthy and it is safe,” says Dr Alyce Churchill, herself a vegan.
“But you can be a vegan and eat hot chips and soda,” she adds.
“Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you’re healthy.”
