The protein content of each yogurt pot ranges from 16g to 23g per 350g. All are free from both dairy and soy, and are suitable for vegans. The yogurts come in six flavors: strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, vanilla fudge (a brand-new addition), and natural.

The natural flavor packs the highest protein content, while raspberry contains the lowest. All yogurt pots are now available to buy from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, Marks & Spencer, Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market, and select independent health stores. They are priced at £3.25 for a 350g pot and £1.90 for a 120g pot.

Read more: Tiba Tempeh Launches New Smoky Block As Distribution Expands

The UK’s ‘first-ever’ high-protein, soy-free yogurt?

Nush Foods is a UK-based dairy-free brand founded in 2016 by former London police officers Bethany and Paul Eaton. Motivated by Bethany’s personal health journey and her background in nutrition, the couple set out to create a plant-based yogurt alternative that matched the taste and texture of traditional dairy products. They began by crafting almond milk yogurts in their kitchen, eventually launching Nush as the UK’s first producer of nut milk yogurts.

The new range is believed to be the first high-protein, soy-free vegan yogurt available in the UK. The products are said to be creamier, tastier, and more nutritious than previous versions.

Read more: You Can Now Buy Lion’s Mane Mushrooms In UK Supermarkets

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Dr Greger began the longevity talk by discussing data from Blue Zones, areas in the world where the local people live unusually long lives. “The Blue Zones organization distilled findings from the 150 dietary surveys from the world’s longest living people to create a set of 10 food guidelines. The foundation of the Blue Zones food guideline is to make your diet at least 95% plant-based, avoiding highly processed foods, emphasizing beans as the healthiest source of protein, water is the best beverage, and nuts as the healthiest snack.

“The final five guidelines are to go easy on fish, eliminate eggs, slash sugar, reduce dairy, and retreat from meat. There are a number of Blue Zone lifestyle characteristics: avoiding smoking, daily exercise. But plant-based nutrition is considered to be the principal component. No surprise, since the number one risk factor for death in these United States is the American diet.”

Read more: The Best 5 Foods To Eat For Longevity, According To Dr Greger

His speech was given in tandem with a screen showing the graphs, studies, and data from which he was drawing evidence from. He illustrated that the Standard American Diet is the top cause of USA mortality, placed above tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption.

“Cigarettes only kills about half a million Americans every year, whereas our diet kills many more,” he added.

Never too late to add years to your life with whole plant foods

Speaking about when is the best point in life to switch to a whole plant foods diet, the answer is now, whatever age you are. 

“For the few of us who aren’t 20 anymore, not to worry. Starting to eat healthier at age 60 could still mean adding eight or nine years to your life. Even in one’s 80s, it could add years, and it doesn’t take much.”

Dr Greger spent portions of the 12-minute talk speaking about how heart disease can potentially be both prevented and even reversed by a whole foods diet. He also presented the data on two of the other leading causes of mortality in western countries, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and the role the diet can play in preventing them. 

Read more: Is A Plant-Based Diet Healthy? What You Need To Know

Who is Dr Greger, and what foods does he recommend eating?

Dr Greger has become one of the most recognisable advocates of the whole foods plant-based diet, often abbreviated to ‘WFPB’. The plant-based physician is the author of the New York Times bestselling titles How Not to Die, How Not to Diet, and How Not to Age. He also founded NutritionFacts.org, where he shares the latest scientific evidence about foods and diets and videos.

The WFPB diet revolves around meals rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), whole grains, and some healthy fats (for example, nuts, seeds, and avocado). Dr Greger recommends reducing processed food as much as possible, with a few exceptions such as tofu and tempeh. He is known for strongly advising people to avoid meat, dairy, eggs, and other animal-based foods as much as possible. 
Read more: Dairy Is Worse Than Coca-Cola, Says Leading Longevity Expert

This article was written by Adam Protz on the PBN Website.

Read more: Vegan Brand Launches Triangle Chocolate Bar For The Holiday Season

Mamame Whole Foods has brought its Tempeh Chips to Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic. They come in an assortment of flavors, including Original, Sea Salt, Rosemary, and Barbecue. Each pack is vegan, gluten-free, and packed with protein. They’re also surprisingly free from soy. While tempeh is traditionally soy-based, this version is made from fermented black-eyed beans instead. According to Mamame, it’s “making tempeh in ways the UK has not seen before.”

Read more: UK Brand Unveils Powdered Dairy-Free Milk

About Mamame Whole Foods

Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food usually made by fermenting cooked soybeans with a specific culture, resulting in a firm, cake-like product with a nutty flavor. Though soybeans are the primary ingredient, other legumes like black-eyed beans, chickpeas, or lentils can also be used to make tempeh, offering variations in taste and texture. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Mamame Whole Foods uses fermented bean tempeh to make all of its products.

The company was founded by Alvina Chun, who has lived in Jakarta for over two decades. On a mission to feed her kids with the best local foods, she found tempeh to be a “game-changer” when she discovered it.

“With my kids all grown up, I wondered how I could share my love for tempeh with the world,” she previously said. “I started experimenting in my kitchen, and after countless hours of trial and error (my kids called me a mad scientist!) I perfected the art of making tempeh chips that were not only delicious but also healthy and convenient.”

Read more: THIS Collaborates With Fresh Pasta Brand Dell’Ugo To Launch Vegan Ravioli

This article was written by Polly Foreman on the PBN Website.

Now named “Neat,” the fast food concept is “evolving from the occasional to the every day.”

The new brand comes with brighter, healthier, and fresher ingredients, the vegan chain has said. This will allow it to showcase innovative plant-based food that does better for people and planet.

Backed by F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton, the chain was founded in 2019. Neat has four UK venues, as well as restaurants in New York, Dubai, and Milan.

Zack Bishti, Co-Founder and CEO of Neat told Plant Based News: “As we adapt to consumer requests shifting to an increase in healthier options, we look forward to welcoming a new audience to experience the next chapter of Neat.”

“Healthier” vegan fast food

According to the chain, the newly rebranded Neat was four years in the making. The design also drew on customer feedback and shifting global attitudes towards “natural food.”

“This initiative has been driven by our unique advantage and the proximity to our guests, which we see as our superpower,” Bishti added.

“With four years of consistent feedback, we’re evolving to meet changing consumer needs in nutrition, taste preferences and dining convenience. This 360-brand evolution is a very exciting time for us,” he told PBN.

Neat’s brand refresh has started in Soho and Victoria. The Camden restaurant is next in line for a rebrand, before the global restaurants become Neat later in the year.

The power of plants

The new menu prioritizes natural and nutritious whole foods, according to the chain. It will focus on “simplicity, honesty, and transparency.” For example, Neat will use whole ingredients and “cook from scratch.” Neat will also make in house and source locally from trusted farmers and partners.

New menu items include “superfood” salads and a range of organic freshly baked ciabattas. The brand’s best-selling “Neat Burger” will stay on the menu, though with a new recipe.

Last year, Neat announced the closure of half of its UK restaurants faced with difficult market conditions.

More like this:

• Lewis Hamilton’s Neat Burger To Close Half Of UK Restaurants
• From McDonald’s To Taco Bell: The Ultimate Guide To Vegan Fast Food
• ‘Vegan Unilever’: VFC Becomes ‘Vegan Food Group’ In Major Rebrand

This article was written by Daniel Clark on the PBN Website.

As awareness of the issues of meat and dairy grows, plant-based foods have become more accessible and convenient. This drives a self-reinforcing cycle where more vegans demand more vegan food and more vegan food pushes more people to be vegan.

The research is part of an annual survey by finder.com, a personal finance comparison site. It suggests there are now 2.5 million vegans in the UK, equivalent to 4.7 percent of the total population.

Louise Bastock, editor at finder.com, told Plant Based News (PBN): “The number of vegans in the UK has surged by an impressive 1.1 million since the start of 2023, according to our annual research. While there were reports of a dip in sales of meat substitutes in 2023, our survey suggests that this hasn’t impacted the number of people identifying as vegan.”

One million new vegans in a year

Meat consumption dropped to record lows last year, with more people switching away from animal products.

As the climate crisis worsens, the benefits of shifting away from meat and dairy are becoming clearer to many. Meanwhile, the health benefits of veganism have been well documented in the last year, with notable studies published on type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Moreover, awareness is growing of the risks to human health of antibiotic use on animal farms.

Influential documentaries that address environmental, ethical, and health aspects of veganism also reached millions of viewers in the UK in 2023.

Recent lists by HappyCow ranked two British restaurants in the world’s top 10. In a separate list, London came out on top as the top vegan city in the world.

More growth to come in plant-based eating

A further two million people intend to adopt a plant-based diet in 2024, the study claims.

When including vegetarianism and other non-meat diets, the study suggests that almost one in five people in the UK is now leaving meat entirely off their plate. This figure is expected to increase by 6.4 million in 2024.

The move towards veganism comes as more younger people are avoiding meat. Generation Z is at the forefront of the dietary shift; more than half of Gen Z could be following a meat-free diet by 2025, the study projects.

Bastock offered some advice to those considering a switch to veganism. “There are plenty of delicious meat-free meals that you can make without spending a fortune on branded substitutes,” she told PBN. Whole foods like beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, grains, and vegetables can offer an economical and healthy way to transition to eat a plant-based diet.

“If you do want to try a meat substitute, keep an eye out for any deals, such as discounts with your supermarket loyalty card. To save money, you can also buy some items in bulk, such as grains and dry foods.”

More like this:

• ‘It’ll Never Catch On’: New Film Tells Story Of Veganuary’s First Decade
• The Top 20 Vegan Cities In The World Revealed By HappyCow
• 7 Times Plant-Based Athletes Triumphed In Sports In 2023

This article was written by Daniel Clark on the PBN Website.

The INFINITE Study saw lead author, Adam Sud, work with dementia experts Ayesha and Dean Sherzai, plus clinical researcher Dr. Tara Kemp. Together, they conducted what’s thought to be the first controlled trial to observe the effects of nutrition and nutritional education on addiction recovery. Results were observed in people in a rehabilitation program.

The project came about as a result of Sud’s own experience of recovering from both opiate and stimulant dependency. During his rehabilitation journey, Sud observed how embracing a whole-food plant-based diet appeared to vastly improve his substance addiction recovery. In addition, his mental wellbeing and general health vastly improved. This realization led Sud to pursue a scientific investigation into the connection.

The overarching findings of the study revealed that rehabilitation patients who added a whole-food plant-based diet into their recovery program “experienced statistically significant increases in resilience and self-esteem compared to the control group.” 

How the INFINITE Study was conducted

A group of 48 people initially agreed to take part in the study. However, only 33 remained for the full duration. Those who did were observed for 10 weeks.

Consenting individuals already in a rehabilitation program were asked to self-select into either the whole-foods plant-based group or the control group. The latter would be given regular treatment center meals, including animal products. Both groups were given nutritional education to help them understand how what they were eating could affect them.

At the end of the observation period, participants were asked about their experience, through interviews and questionnaires. It was revealed that those in the plant-based group felt, overall, more confident and strong in their substance addiction rehabilitation.

“This is valuable as these two variables are powerful factors in recovery and the findings may make a plant-based diet advantageous in recovery,” Sud told Forbes.

Further research into plant-based eating and substance addiction

The study was a small-scale pilot to gauge the potential for future research. It is considered to have produced results that signpost the value of larger analysis. 

“Early addiction treatment outcomes show modest but important effects of whole-food plant-based nutrition and suggest value in further exploration of its use in substance use disorders treatment,” the authors wrote. 

Potentially more significant is that none of the study participants demonstrated negative effects from eating a plant-based diet. The authors hail this as proof that recovery centers can offer animal-free foods to patients, free from concerns about them impacting their treatment plans.

This article was written by Amy Buxton on the PBN Website.

The findings come from researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, along with Brigham and Women’s Hospital (a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School). They were published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

Central to the claim is that healthy plant-based foods require less water, cropland, and fertilizer than animal products.

Healthy “plant-rich” diets were deemed to be those including ample vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Less healthy plant-based foods included refined grains (such as white rice and bread), sugary drinks, sweets, potatoes, and fruit juice.

“The differences between plant-based diets was surprising because they’re often portrayed as universally healthy and good for the environment, but it’s more nuanced than that,” Aviva Musicus, co-author of the study, said in a statement. 

They emphasized, however, that despite being less environmentally friendly than whole grain and vegetable-heavy diets, a more junk food-based vegan diet is still superior to those featuring animal products in terms of impact on the planet.

As well as using the most cropland, irrigation water, and fertilizer, animal-based foods also made up the most greenhouse gas emissions. Red and processed meat contributed to 31 percent of all participants’ dietary greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, dairy and poultry made up 13.2 percent and 9.3 percent respectively. 

“To be clear, we’re not asserting that less healthy plant-based diets are worse for the environment than animal-based diets. However, our findings show that plant-based diets can have different health and environmental impacts,” Musicus explained.

‘Human health ultimately depends on planetary health’

For the study, researchers assessed the food diaries of more than 65,000 US participants. They looked at the health outcomes and climate impact of their eating habits.

Analysis of the collected data found that those following a healthy animal-free diet were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. In addition, they were impacting the environment less than those who consumed plant-based foods deemed less healthy.

Daniel Wang, a co-author of the study, says that the findings should influence the development of national dietary guidelines. 

“Because human health ultimately depends upon planetary health, future US dietary guidelines should include nuanced consideration of environmental sustainability and recognize that not all plant-based diets confer the same health and environmental benefits,” he said.

The impact of meat and dairy

The team’s findings support previous studies’ claims that diets featuring animal products have a larger environmental footprint than their plant-based counterparts.

Further, a recent report revealed that 15 meat and dairy companies are producing almost as much methane as the entire EU. This is critical due to the ultra-efficiency of methane in increasing global warming. Climate experts have been explicit that, to slow the climate crisis, a drastic reduction in methane emissions is essential.

This article was written by Amy Buxton on the PBN Website.