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Paloma Faith has said that she was vegan for six months and doesn’t eat dairy.
In a recent appearance on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Faith discussed veganism and diet. The musician also taste-tested a dairy-free cheese board with host Romesh Ranganathan, a comedian and vegan of more than a decade.
Read more: Alicia Silverstone Says ‘Everything Changed’ About Her Health When She Went Vegan
When asked about her lifestyle by Ranganathan, Faith said, “I have been vegan for a very short amount of time,” approximately six months. She continued, “I like vegan stuff anyway. It fits in with my food groups, because I eat everything apart from dairy.”
“I hate cheese-cheese,” she added, referring to traditional, dairy-based cheese.
Ranganathan explained that the show’s present for Faith was a selection from a “proper vegan cheese place,” including a soft white cheese containing flower petals, a yellow wedge, and an “Italian” herb-flavored goat-style plant-based cheese.
“The flowery one is not bad,” said Faith.
During the segment, she and Ranganathan talked about whether liking dairy-free cheese is a litmus test for being vegan, and went on to discuss alternative proteins in general. Faith said, “If you just eat whole foods, then you lose loads of weight, but this is terribly processed. […] What’s the point of being something if you’re going to try and consume replacements of all the things you had before?”
Read more: French Vegan Cheese Brand Launches Camembert In The UK
Processed foods, health, and plant-based alternatives
As noted by Faith, some people may experience weight loss if they swap animal products for plants. However, every body is different, and eating a vegan diet doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Weight loss is also not equatable to good health.
Faith is not alone in feeling wary of “processed” foods, some of which may negatively impact human health, but the processed and ultra-processed labels themselves do not accurately reflect nutrient-density, or whether an item is healthy. For example, tinned fruit and frozen peas both count as processed foods, while some white bread contains more artificial ingredients than the average plant-based meat alternative.
When it comes to the popularity of meat and dairy alternatives in general, people choose to eat them for many different reasons. The “point” is: they’re convenient, healthier, and better for the environment, do not require animal cruelty, and – as noted by Ranganathan in the video – can help people easily transition from animal products to a plant-based diet. However, many of the vegans and meat-eaters who choose to eat alternative proteins do so simply because they like them.
Read more: 5 Benefits To Food Processing
