Up until a few weeks ago I literally thought that nutrition was all about eating when you’re hungry. But apparently there’s a lot more to it than that.  And there’s a hell of a lot of bullshit out there.

At the risk of sounding like some kind of diet Diva know-it-all, I’ve noted that since jumping on the restrictive eating bandwagon that my eyes have been opened to the number of different diet and nutritional lifestyles out there. I’ve found that talking to some people about their diet is like being indoctrinated into a cult.  So in the interest of fairness and balance whilst writing about my escapades as a meat loving caveman on the Carnivore Diet I thought I would explore the ever increasing lifestyle of Veganism.

What I think I should make very clear here is that I literally don’t give a shit who you are, what you eat or the reasons behind your choices. This post is purely about some interesting facts and tid bits I’ve picked up along the way as well as some of my personal experiences with veganism.

All you vegan trolls and BBQ trolls out there put your BBQ pitch forks away, WE’RE ALL FRIENDS HERE!!

It’s reported that there has been an increase of over 350% of the UK population opting to go vegan in the past ten years and there’s more to committing to veganism than just not eating meat. Ethical vegans oppose the use of animals for any purpose and environmental vegans avoid the use of animal products on the premise that the industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable. As with everything there are counter arguments against veganism in the amount of wildlife killed on farms used to produce vegan foods. What about the bunnies???

As I say there are tonnes of opinions out there and I'm not getting involved one way or another. Do what makes you happy is what I say.

My interest stems from my brother-in-law who went vegan about a year ago after watching a documentary on Neflix. He was slowly followed by my sister-in-law who resisted for some time but then gave in to the fact that she was bored and tired of cooking two meals every night!  Most recently it was my mother-in-law who became a pescatarian to address a high cholesterol issue.  For a moment there I was genuinely worried that the family had been taken over by aliens.

I’m gonna be honest here, at first I thought that they were a pain in the arse. I mean vegans literally can’t even eat most breads as it contains eggs and butter and every packet has to checked for traces of egg white extract or gelatin.  If that’s the case then how the hell are they going to feel when I’m cooking a piece of brisket which is red and bloody and as big as a house?

But let me tell you, we make it work. Mrs Shack spends a considerable amount of time researching and producing vegan breads as well as one pot dishes which go straight on the Traeger including vegan moussaka and lasagnas.   On one occasion she made a vegan puff pastry pie as an alternative to my rump roast as part of a roast dinner and let me tell you the beef didn’t get touched, the pie won hands down.

Check out our recipe for WHOLE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

As a family we make it work. We have Mike (bro in law) on the gas grill tending to some beautiful grilled vegetables and the Linda McCartney burgers whilst I’m tending to half a cow on the Traeger.  As I said we’re all friends here.

There are TONNES of options available to vegans nowadays in the supermarkets as well as multiple vegan restaurants popping up all over the country.  No wonder that it is becoming increasingly popular. But the truly ground breaking revolution in vegan food is occurring across the pond, where, in true yank style where they have taken it one step further…

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE BURGER??

Impossible Foods claim that their meat delivers all the flavor, aroma and beefiness of meat from cows but made entirely from plants... Sounds like a normal vegan burger you say? No chance, this fucker BLEEDS.

The secret is Heme or haemoglobin, a molecule extracted from fermented yeast that mimics the same molecule which is found in animal’s blood.

The nutritional content is pretty similar to a normal burger coming in at approximately 220 calories and 10g of fat and I’m genuinely interested in what this cow impersonator actually tastes like as the reviews are mixed.

But before you get all worried that I may have gone over to the light side, fear not BBQ Comrades, the shutters aren't coming down on the Meat Shack just yet.  Keep your veggies to yourself and pass me that T Bone, I'm team meat all the way.