Self-care & LOVEly Vegan Valentine's Day gifts

Veganism is becoming increasingly common, not just as a personal dietary choice but as a deeply held belief that shapes many aspects of human life, from what people eat and wear to where they choose to work. As more people embrace a vegan lifestyle, a growing number of employees are asking questions about how their beliefs are recognised at work. Do vegan employees have legal protection? Can they ask for vegan options at work events? Are they allowed to challenge the use of animal products or animal testing in company practices?

We will be celebrating Father’s Day later this month and it got me thinking about how men feel about veganism. I think there is a general preconception and very much outdated concept of meat being linked with masculinity. Meat eating it would seem is still seen very much as a part of a man’s identity. The Vegan Society's survey on this made interesting reading with 63 percent of people who identified as vegan being female, while only 37 percent were male. And this year for Veganuary just 14% of men took up the challenge, this was, however, a 4% rise on the previous year, so not all doom and gloom.

Just because you've gone vegan doesn't mean you have to miss out on one of life's great pleasures: eating cheese. Fortunately, there are now plenty of delicious vegan cheeses available, made from a variety of plant-based ingredients.