Vegans reveal the foods they miss the most - including cheese toasties and bacon

From dailyrecord.co.uk

A plant-based diet has plenty of benefits, but that doesn't mean vegans can't pine for their old favourite snacks 

Adopting a vegan diet is a great way to cut down on your environmental impact and potentially make healthier choices.

And long gone are the days when the only vegan options around were tofu and beans. Exciting new products are forever being released in shops and at restaurants, so it's no surprise that 23 percent of Brits are trying out a plant-based diet this year.

According to new research, 63 percent of these people are making the switch in order to be healthier. But changing your diet overnight often means that the meat and dairy cravings hit hard - with certain foods being more missed than others.

Vegan confectionary company NOMO carried out a survey to find out what people miss the most when they're trying out a plant-based diet.

Chocolate and roast chicken topped the list, with 36 and 32 percent of people saying that they were pining for the taste.

Bacon sandwiches (29 percent), cheese toasties (26 percent), full fry up (25 percent) and toast with real butter (23 percent) also made the list, alongside burgers (21 percent), ice cream (20 percent), kebabs (14 percent) and garlic bread (13 percent).

Yet one in five (20 percent) simply miss a cup of tea with real milk the most, while Yorkshire puddings were on the mind of 14 percent of British vegans.

                      A lot of vegans are apparently pining for the taste of a proper cheese toastie (Image: Getty Images)

Experts at NOMO also set out to discover why people were keen to try out a vegan diet.

Being kinder to the planet and animals (37 percent), being mindful about food consumption (31 percent), saving money (20 percent), and because their partner wanted to (12 percent), were popular reasons for making the switch, with health reasons coming out on top.

But nine months was the average length of time people stuck to a plant-based diet, with craving favourite foods (59 percent), being bored (45 percent) and lack of willpower (29 percent) the main reasons cited for giving it up.

The study was commissioned by NOMO to mark their launch of ‘Flexi-Feb’, a month-long campaign to encourage Brits to adopt vegan substitutes to help satisfy cravings to cut back on meat and dairy.

Jac Tyrrell, Brand Manager for NOMO said: "The research shows how difficult it can be to commit to a fully vegan lifestyle – but with the amazing choice of plant-based ranges available, there has never been a better time to try phasing out meat and dairy by introducing vegan substitutes.

"Flexi-Feb is all about encouraging people to extend Veganuary whilst welcoming new people to the fold who might want to trial a vegan diet without going all the way."

                             Snacking on chocolate is something that a lot of vegans miss (Image: Getty Images)

The top 25 foods British vegans miss the most

1. Chocolate - 36%
2. Roast Chicken - 32%
3. Bacon sarnie - 29%
4. Cheese toastie - 26%
5. A full fry up - 25%
6. Toast with real butter - 23%
7. Cheesy pizza - 23%
8. A juicy burger - 21%
9. Cheese and biscuits - 20%
10. Ice cream - 20%
11. Chocolate cake - 19%
12. Sausage and mash - 19%
13. Tea with real milk - 19%
14. Scrambled eggs on toast - 18%
15. Sausage sarnie - 17%
16. Chocolate biscuits - 16%
17. Spag bol with beef - 16%
18. Slow roast lamb - 14%
19. Late night kebabs - 14%
20. Yorkshire pudding - 14%
21. Garlic bread - 13%
22. Ham sandwich - 12%
23. Tuna mayonnaise - 11%
24. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs - 9%
25. Jelly sweets - 9%

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/vegans-reveal-foods-miss-most-29147018