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  • This cheeseburger, loaded fries with bacon and milkshake are made

  • entirely out of plants and non-dairy products.

  • I think we're happiest when a lot of people come in and they don't even really

  • realize what they're eating is plant-based.

  • You knowwe're not trying to trick people.

  • Sophia started this fast food restaurant which is fully vegan

  • but you'd never know it from its exterior.

  • Because in this surfer town on the island of Bali, Indonesia

  • vegan restaurants are, kind of, the norm.

  • While vegetarian options are often an afterthought for restaurants in most cities

  • Canggu is fast becoming a paradise for plant-based food.

  • Innovative restaurants that serve vegetarian and vegan are popping up, everywhere you look.

  • And as part of my journey exploring the future of food, I am attempting a vegetarian diet

  • for the next 21 days — a daunting prospect as I eat meat in most of my meals.

  • I didn't know there can be so many options in vegan cuisine.

  • Besides talking to restaurant owners and people choosing to become vegan,

  • I'm also meeting former vegans too, to find out how the trillion-dollar food industry is evolving

  • and if this is just a fad... or is it the future of food?

  • While Plant Cartel is technically a vegan restaurant, Sophia wants to change

  • the stigma that vegan food is just for vegans.

  • In fact, the word 'vegan' isn't even mentioned on the menu board.

  • That stigma of tofu vegan food is not here.

  • We wanted to normalize plant-based food and we want to encourage

  • both omnivores and vegans to come and eat here. You've got to nail the cheeseburger.

  • Many of the comfort food staples here are made in-house out of seitan

  • a popular meat replacement made out of wheat gluten.

  • Here, the cheese is made from carrot and potato.

  • Bacon is made out of eggplant.

  • And of course, they have been able to recreate their version of the hot dog.

  • When you're eating — a lot of the experience is the visual, smell, sight.

  • It's really important, so I think all those factors were something

  • to consider when we were doing the menu development.

  • Of course, it has to taste good, but it has to look like a cheeseburger,

  • it has to look like a hot dog.

  • And I have to admit the taste comes pretty close to the real thing.

  • Cheesy fries are hard to resist.

  • She hopes that by creating everyday staples out of plants, it will inspire people

  • to rethink the amount of meat they need to consume.

  • Meatless alternatives are gaining traction globally.

  • According to the Good Food Institute, retail sales of plant-based food

  • in the U.S. grew by 17% last year and is worth over $4.1 billion.

  • Globally, the alternative meat market may be worth $140 billion in the next 10 years,

  • which may threaten the $1.4 trillion global meat market.

  • Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, which recently went public

  • and has a market capitalization of over one billion dollars are making

  • plant-based protein products for the massesand it appears promising.

  • Fastfood chains like Carl's Jr and White Castle have introduced vegetarian burgers on their menu,

  • while Burger King is rolling out meatless Impossible Whoppers

  • at its more than 7,000 locations in the U.S.

  • In London, salad and sandwich chain Pret a Manger is testing vegetarian-only locations,

  • while co-working company WeWork said it will no longer reimburse

  • its 6,000 employees for meals containing meat.

  • Numerous celebrities such as Beyonce and Jay Z are also promoting plant-based diets.

  • But as meatless meat options soar, critics argue there is no conclusive evidence that

  • it's better for you than real meat.

  • We can't really market it, however, as necessarily better for you because we don't know,

  • because we have a lack of nutrition science in this country that's a part of our medical system.

  • So, some people eat itit certainly won't hurt youit can be very tasty

  • but it doesn't mean it is better for you.

  • Globally, there are multiple campaigns to promote the vegetarian diet

  • such as the Veganuary movement, which drew a record 250,000 people worldwide

  • pledging to be vegan in January.

  • And the Meatless Monday movement, which was founded in 2003.

  • Despite this rise of these movements though, make no mistake.

  • Global meat consumption is still on the rise, driven in part by countries like China,

  • which has a booming middle class.

  • Globally, the average amount of meat consumption has nearly doubled over the past 50 years.

  • Yet, some countries like the U.K. might have reachedMeat Peak” — one in three people

  • in the U.K. say they've stopped or reduced eating meat.

  • As part of my three-week journey as a vegetarian,

  • I'm discovering the popularity of local vegan cuisine in Bali.

  • I'll have some of the green beans, in front of you there.

  • William is from London and now living in Bali.

  • He's been a vegetarian for eight months, but this week,

  • he's transitioning to becoming a vegan.

  • At dinner parties, someone has got to cook something special for you,

  • so you do feel like that guy.

  • To aid his transition, he has come to Canggu.

  • For me, I think it's a really nice place to start being a vegan, develop the habits of being

  • a vegan, and when I do leave and go somewhere that's more challenging I'm not going to quit

  • or give up the "vegan-ness" because it is entrenched within me.

  • So, I'd actually say if you want to start being vegan, if you find it too hard in London,

  • wherever you live, come here.

  • Because obviously in Canggu, it's the easiest place in the world to become a vegan.

  • A week after I cut meat out of my own diet, I'm definitely feeling a bit different

  • a little lighterbut I'm certainly not convinced this will be a permanent lifestyle change.

  • There're some really interesting things here that you wouldn't think of as vegan.

  • Kebab capers, shady lasagne.

  • But with innovative menu items like these, I don't feel deprived like I normally might

  • when picking a vegetarian dish at a meat-heavy restaurant.

  • Next, I'm heading to a vegetarian restaurant called Shady Shackwhere I meet Jason,

  • an Australian who says that six years ago, he decided to turn vegan, basically, overnight.

  • Did you feel different after you switched?

  • Definitely, I didn't feel goodbut that took some time because a lot of people will say,

  • "as soon as I go vegan, I felt fantastic", but that's a really bad way to lead people

  • into veganism because not everyone feels great when they first change diets.

  • But how did this surfer town Canggu become such a paradise for plant-based food?

  • A lot of yogis have come here and I think it's something

  • that vibe of people tend to agree with?

  • It's more so because of the vegan message and I think it needs to spread to a lot more

  • people which is what we are seeing here.

  • While Jason was inspired to change his diet when thinking about the environment,

  • he thinks everyone needs to do their own research.

  • The world's food system is responsible for about 25-percent

  • of planet-warming greenhouse gasses generated by humans annually.

  • Beef and lamb, in general, have the biggest climate footprint per gram of protein.

  • Jason says he became vegan mostly for environmental reasons.

  • But a few months after meeting him, he says he's tired of all the labels associated

  • with being vegan and where the movement is heading.

  • He's now planning to slowly reintroduce some animal products back into his diet.

  • He isn't alone.

  • During the course of my three-week vegetarian diet, I meet some people who were vegan for a while,

  • but ultimately said it wasn't for them.

  • My skin was definitely acting up when I was a hardcore vegan.

  • I think that's because of all the processed food or potentially like, the soy,

  • alternative milk, I don't know, or maybe even the faux meats that are processed?

  • Maria has gone through phases of being vegan, vegetarian

  • and even pescatariansomeone who doesn't eat meat, but does eat fish.

  • Ultimately though, she doesn't want to restrict her choices.

  • I try to be vegan most of the time, but I don't like to put a label on it.

  • Eli experimented with being vegan and said at first he felt lighter, mentally and physically,

  • but six months later, he wanted to reintegrate animal protein into his diet.

  • Once I started reintegrating meat into my diet, I can feel the difference in my body.

  • I can see the difference in my body.

  • I'm quite active, I gym a lot, I surf a lot.

  • I can feel a little more ripped, or shredded, I can see it a little more.

  • I'm learning that food is highly personal, and there's no one size fits all approach to take.

  • The first two of three weeks here in Canggu are up, and I feel good for sure,

  • but I still crave meat occasionally.

  • My experiment thus far has been easy, especially in a place like Bali.

  • But I'm now headed to Hong Kong.

  • Will I be able to continue with my meatless diet for one more week in a place that has

  • one of the highest meat consumption per person in the world?

  • Hey guys, it's Uptin. Thanks so much for watching.

  • Do you think meatless is the future of food?

  • Let us know in the comments below and while you are at it, subscribe to our channel.

  • And don't forget to check out part two where I continue the journey in Hong Kong.

This cheeseburger, loaded fries with bacon and milkshake are made

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