We’ve reached a turning point. Vegan has entered the mainstream vernacular—and cut it’s way on to our plates.

As a vegan eater for over 10 years, the days of explaining “Vegan. That’s no meat, milk, cream, cheese or eggs, please”, often met with an unwavering inquisitive look, is almost passé. “Hooray!,” shout vegans like me. “We’re making progress. Big time!” But why? Why is veganism moving from alternative niche to elevated cool, now? And, will kale continue to edge out steak on our dinner plates?

Wellness is the new status

Today, personal wellbeing, physical performance and mental mindfulness are the new status points—superseding luxury items. Remember the days of the very un-vegan Louis Vuitton monogram totes, or way back when to the don of the McDonald’s milkshake, when fast food consumption was a sign of extra pocket change?

Now in the age of an experience economy, looking good and feeling great are the ultimate demarcations of self-actualized success. And, we humans now know enough—thanks to science, documentaries, activists and global health gurus—to alas accept that a plant-based diet has been proven to dissipate, if not eliminate, many major health ailments—from cancer to heart disease—that diminish the vibrancy of our lives. And with knowledge, comes action. If you eat it (or simply live it), why not show it, and tell the world who you and what you value? That’s why, today, rarely a wholesome kale quinoa bowl, acai smoothie or yoga twist goes un -Instagrammed or -Snapchatted.

Purpose in practice

“Why?” just may be the question of our decade. “Why do I exist?”  Popularized, in part, by author Simon Sinek and his famed book and TED Talk centered around starting with why. Translation: “What is my purpose on this planet—as an individual, or, as a brand?” As we, humans, climb Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs—from the basics of security, shelter and food in developed communities, to self-actualization—these are the musings we meditate upon. In so doing, we’re caused to question ourselves and our own actions.

In the shift of consciousness, change may occur, often starting, you guessed it, with breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. Food. What could be more foundational yet more flexible to change—notably in the midst of global warming outcries, often linked to cow’s methane emissions, and proposals for a ‘meat tax’? Every day, at least three times a day, we can create change and cultivate our own deeper connection with ourselves. One bite. At a time. With purpose.

A rooted awakening

Thanks to “The China Study”—a book based on a 20-year study by the Chinese Academy of Preventative Medicine at Cornell University and the University of Oxford—the health benefits of a plant-based diet have been scientifically supported. The results of the study notably linked a whole food, plant-filled diet, with a reduced, and even reversed, incidence of chronic illnesses such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Even The American Dietetic Association has now noted that “appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

And, documentaries from “Forks over Knives”—focused on The China Study, to “Food, Inc.” and “Cowspiracy” have exposed new, wide-ranging audiences to think about where their food comes from and the health repercussions, or benefits, of these everyday choices.

With such evidence at hand, for the most cerebral of humans, the question, really is “Why NOT vegan, now?” As a trend watcher, my personal prediction is that we, humans, will be predominantly vegetarian and even vegan in the next 30 years. Simply, it’s may be the only sustainable solution to preserving our own lives on Earth. Why not give life—all of life—a chance?