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Vegan In Nigeria

By Bridget
10 July 2016   |   7:49 pm
The vegan lifestyle choice has never been a mainstream one. I have tried going vegan a few times and failed at it, mostly because of meat and salt addiction but also, the vegan grocery list in Nigeria is almost near impossible. I was really intrigued when i came across Veggie Victory, Nigeria's first vegan and…

The vegan lifestyle choice has never been a mainstream one. I have tried going vegan a few times and failed at it, mostly because of meat and salt addiction but also, the vegan grocery list in Nigeria is almost near impossible. I was really intrigued when i came across Veggie Victory, Nigeria’s first vegan and vegetarian restaurant, located at Freedom Park, Lagos.  I definitely had to check out this joint. Surprisingly, their menu had a lot of popular Nigerian dishes like Yam pottage, Ewa goyin and Jollof rice. I was privileged to have a chat with the CEO, Mr Hakeem Jimo. We talked about his restaurant and living a healthy lifestyle in Lagos.

Vegan In Nigeria

Mr Hakeem cleared the air on being vegetarian and vegan, the former means no meat, fish, chicken and eggs and the latter is a vegetarian diet plus no diary. He explained, “It is not about healthy eating but making sure your food tastes good.  Nigerians are becoming more aware of health everyday. The challenge a lot of people have is how to actually DO it. Many know through their doctors, that you should reduce meat intake but simply do not know how to go about it.”

In his 25 years of being vegan, living in Nigeria the last 4-5 years really was difficult for Mr. Hakeem as regards looking for his food. This motivated his choice to create this restaurant. According to Mr. Hakeem, “A lot of Nigerian meals don’t even need meat, like the beans and plantain for example, but we Nigerians go the extra mile to add meat to them, with stockfish, snails and the likes.”.

The restaurant uses innovative substitutes for meat. Mr. Hakeem shared their recipe’ We use wheat protein, tofu and we also have meat replacements made from cashews,”
I tasted these, and they are just as chewy and spicy as beef. One can easily substitute the vegan meat for the usual, regular meat. Also they use sea salt and more vegetables to achieve the same great taste.

Speaking on the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle, Mr. Hakeem said “It is scientifically proven that a vegan diet is better for your skin and general health. It takes about 4-5 days to completely digest meat. We do not have short intestines like carnivores and our bodies digest vegan food better.’ He also said “A vegan diet helps with obesity and diabetes. A large amount of Nigerians struggle with high blood pressure which is caused by cholesterol, mainly found in meat. So, we need to look into what and how we eat.”

Would you consider living a vegan lifestyle when you consider all the benefits stated. It is a lifestyle and it is totally up to you.

Find some of Vegan foods from Mr. Hakeem’s restaurant below:
Vegan In Nigeria

Vegan Suya

Vegan In Nigeria

Vegan Shawarma

Vegan In Nigeria

Vegan Pizza

 

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