VEGAN PLANTS SEED OF MEAT-FREE LIFE

A VEGAN cookbook writer says Gold Coasters are coming to her in droves for advice on plant-based living as Gold Coasters continue to switch to a meat-free life.

Susie Tagarro, 26, hosts sold-out cooking classes every month, teaching locals how to cook vegan food at home.

Ms Tagarro (pictured), who released her first cookbook, The Hippie Cook, in March and said she would “100 per cent” recommend people give it a go to reap the health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables.

“About 95 per cent of people I talk to have had massive increases in energy, better digestion, they’re happier after becoming vegan or vegetarian,” she said.

“A lot coming to my classes are very new to veganism or they’re thinking about becoming vegetarian … even though there’s a lot of information and recipes out there, a lot would prefer to talk about it face-to-face. They want to taste the food and see for themselves.”

It comes as economists predict fake meat products could surpass sales of US$104 billion within the next decade.

Coles began stocking the new Beyond Meat line last month and has already had to ship in more supplies from the US to keep up with demand while the Grill’d burger chain introduced a Beyond Meat menu in April and said it has surpassed expectations.

According to 2019 Roy Morgan research nearly 2.5 million Australians, or 12 per cent of the total population, are vegetarian or vegan, nearly double that of a decade ago.

Ms Tagarro said the choice to turn vegan was much more accessible for people these days: “There’s more cafes and restaurants and so much more vegan stuff in the supermarkets as opposed to having to go to health food shops.”