A vegan influencer has addressed a common question about plant-based diets: why do vegans eat imitation meat if they claim to dislike meat? The TikTok user, known as plantbasedguero, posted a video explaining that many vegans actually loved the taste and texture of meat before adopting a plant-based lifestyle.
He said: 'I haven't eaten meat in eight years but, wow, I used to absolutely love it. I used to buy five kilos of chicken on the internet quite regularly.' The influencer argued that vegans often give up meat for ethical, environmental, or health reasons, not because they dislike the flavour.
'So many vegans loved the taste and texture of meat. The point is that, despite loving the taste and texture of meat, they've educated themselves on the environmental, ethical, and even health reasons against eating meat,' he added. He suggested that fake meat helps people transition away from a meat-based diet while still enjoying familiar flavours.
Comments on the video were mixed. One supporter wrote: 'I don’t hate meat, I hate cruelty.' Another said: 'If I can have a very similar thing without unnecessary killing, why wouldn’t I?' However, a critic argued: 'If you're not eating meat, don't eat meat. Don't make your food look or taste like it. Simple.'
According to The Vegan Society, around two million people in the UK now follow vegan or plant-based diets, representing about three per cent of the population. Women are twice as likely as men to be vegan, and London, the North East, and South West of England have the highest proportions of plant-based eaters.
