UKZN Graduate Examines the SA Vegan Diet

University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) graduate, Sansha Kohidh has earned a Master’s degree in Dietetics for her research on the vegan diet in South Africa – dieters’ motives for making the lifestyle choice, challenges they face and nutritional quality.

Kohidh who studied on the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus, says a vegan diet which is plant-based and excludes meat and animal products is becoming “popular internationally as well as locally, yet there are very few studies on this diet from a South African perspective.”

She conducted a cross-sectional study, the first of its kind in South Africa, by posting an online questionnaire to vegans on the SA Vegan Society Facebook page. Her results indicated that the main motive for following the diet was to help prevent cruelty to animals and protect the environment and its resources. A serious challenge faced by vegans was finding vegan options in restaurants. Kohidh highlighted the need for fortified food products and the use of nutritional supplements to reduce possible nutrient deficiencies.

“Despite its growing popularity, there are a lot of misconceptions about the diet, including that the food is bland and tasteless, expensive and lacking nutrition having no dairy or animal products in it,” said Kohidh, pointing out that as vegan food grows in popularity, plant-based meat and dairy alternatives were becoming more easily available.

Kohidh has been interested in health and helping people since her early life when she became aware of the chronic conditions of cancer and obesity suffered by people in her community. Aiming to help alleviate these conditions, she chose a career that would help individuals develop a healthy relationship with food and nutrition.

After completing her community service at Montebello Hospital in Ozwathini and witnessing first-hand the challenges faced by rural communities owing to poor health and nutrition, Kohidh decided to further develop her expertise and skills in dietetics, aiming to contribute to the connection between scientific and technological research innovations.

Kohidh said completing her masters had been challenging but extremely rewarding, especially knowing that her research would contribute to advances in knowledge that can benefit society, “Completing my masters gave me a great sense of confidence and accomplishment in my academic career.”

Kohidh was honoured by the University who recently hosted a virtual spring graduation celebration.

For media interviews contact Kohidh : sanshak@hotmail.co.za / 079 565 2546