Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay is Going Vegan – Food Pharmacy

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Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay is Going Vegan

Yup, we’re just as surprised as you are. It can’t be true, right? Last week, Ramsay revealed on Twitter that he is “Going to give this #vegan thing a try… Yes guys, you heard that right”. The comment was made alongside a photograph of what appears to be a vegan pizza.

So far so good.

If Ramsay is really going vegan, that’s great news to us, not least in relation to the environment. However, his newfound appreciation for veganism comes as a surprise to everyone, given his track record for mocking vegetarians. In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Ramsay said that his “biggest nightmare” would be if his kids ever came up to him and said that they would want to try a vegetarian diet. “Then I would sit them on the fence and electrocute them”, he jokingly added. Any comments on that?

Considering all of this, Ramsay’s sudden decision to try a vegan diet comes as a complete surprise. Perhaps, he read this very interesting study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology a couple of weeks ago. The study shows that healthy diets can be advocated based on protein sources, preferring low contributions of protein from meat and higher intakes of plant protein from nuts and seeds.

The scientists selected 81 337 men and women from the Adventist Health Study-2 (a health research study of the close relationship between diet and health). For 6 years, they looked at the participants’ diets and, during a follow-up time, their cardiovascular health. The study showed an association between protein from meats and 61% increased risk of heart disease. Consuming protein from nuts and seeds was linked to a 40% reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Wow! Plant-based diet for the win!

Apparently, Gordon Ramsay is not alone. According to the Swedish Board of Agriculture, meat consumption in Sweden dropped by record amount in 2017. The average consumption of meat in Sweden dropped by 2.6 percent – the biggest yearly reduction since the organization started recording the figures in 1990. According to Swedish youth research agency Ungdomsbarometern, the decrease in meat-eating is particularly prevalent amongst young people. 9% of the participants (age 15-24) would call themselves vegetarians, compared to 3% in 2009. Happy numbers, right?

Even though the happy numbers tell us that the average consumption of meat in Sweden has dropped, most of us still eat too much meat. According to the guidelines from the Swedish National Food Agency, the intake of red meat should not exceed 500 grams per week. Unfortunately, the average weekly intake of meat is currently 575 grams.

So, what’s in the crystal ball? Rumor has it that Ramsay has lost a lot of weight after his wife told him that he needed to take care of his body, or risk ending their marriage. Maybe that’s the reason he ordered a no-cheese pizza for lunch. Some say the move might be related to his latest venture, and that he’s just promoting the opening of his new restaurant in London, called Gordon Ramsay Street Pizza. Only time will tell whether Ramsay is actually planning to stick to a vegan diet, or if he’s just open to trying plant-based options. Calculated PR move or not – we’re happy to announce that both Gordon Ramsay and the Swedish people are moving in a healthier direction.

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