Journalist Inspired To Go Vegan After Watching 'David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet'

A national newspaper journalist has written an article revealing how watching Sir David Attenborough ‘s new documentary, A Life On Our Planet, inspired her to go vegan.

Claudia Tanner, a writer for i, was vegetarian from the age of eight, after connecting lambs she had fed on a farm with meat served at home.

Throughout her twenties and thirties, she learned more about animal ag. But what she describes as a ‘cheese addiction’ and concerns about eating too many processed vegan foods put her off making the switch to plant-based.

A Life On Our Planet

This was until she watched A Life On Our Planet. She cites a moment that stuck with her – Sir David Attenborough’s urgent message that the planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters.

“And so for the last fortnight, at age 40, I’ve given up Gouda and got inspiration from the tonnes of online recipes out there. I’ve gone from scratching my head about what to eat to not being able to work though my recipe wish list fast enough,” says Tanner.

“I eat a wider range of food now as I experiment with new ingredients. And I consume more protein-rich foods than before, for instance edamame tagliatelle and pure soy mince…And as for feeling denied, I genuinely don’t. I’m discovering new flavors and using lots of spices.”

Middle-class hypocrisy

Tanner’s revelation via her i article follows Sir David chastising himself, admitting that he still eats meat. He recently described the free-range chicken and fish he eats a ‘middle-class hypocrisy’.

The broadcaster made the comments during a recent interview with the Radio Times magazine.

Sir David said he ‘couldn’t remember’ when he’d last eaten meat, and that it was ‘years ago’. But he then revealed: ” I eat fish, and chicken, and my conscience does trouble me. I’m affluent enough to afford free-range, but it’s a middle-class hypocrisy.”