Veganism isn’t just limited to the bright #cleaneating Instagram accounts and yoga bunnies any more - more and more of us are going dairy-free for environmental, health, and ethical reasons. But if you thought that someone turning vegan was purely on a moral stance, then think again. Turns out, going vegan is a sign of a midlife crisis… but only in men. So what’s it got to do with men picking up tofu in the supermarket?
Do you know a man who's switching up his supermarket choices?
A study by Bupa Health Clinics revealed that men going vegan between the ages of 40 and 50 is a key sign of a midlife crisis, as it’s when Brits start to get concerned about their health. Bupa surveyed 3,000 adults and found out that 47% of us start to worry as we hit the big four-zero, and for men, this manifests as turning vegan (24%) or signing up to a competitive event such as a marathon or Tough Mudder (31%).
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Whereas women feel the impact slightly earlier in their thirties, men follow a decade or so later, so they start to make changes to their diet or schedule in extra doctor’s appointments. Women tend to join a gym or hire a personal trainer, and around two thirds admitted that they adopt a healthier eating plan. Jake Williams from Bupa Health Clinics said: "Entering a new decade is one of many triggers that can prompt us to think about our health. In our clinics, we often see customers coming in for a general health check shortly before, or after turning, an age ending with a zero."
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Plus, 6% of all men surveyed said that they want to get fitter because they have a younger partner - aw! So perhaps those couples membership deals at the gym are no bad thing - but we may wait until our New Year's resolutions in, um, 2020 to make use of them...
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