‘The Hippie Cook’ says people are ‘happier’ after becoming vegan as meat-free living booms on the Gold Coast

A vegan cookbook writer says Gold Coasters are coming to her in droves for advice on plant-based living — and are feeling much better for it.

A VEGAN cookbook writer says Gold Coasters are coming to her in droves for advice on plant-based living as Gold Coasters continue to switch to a meat-free life.

Susie Tagarro, 26, hosts sold out cooking classes every month, teaching locals how to cook vegan food at home.

Ms Tagarro, who released her first cookbook, The Hippie Cook, in March and said she would “100 per cent” recommend people give it a go to reap the health benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables.

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Susie Tagarro teaches Gold Coasters how to live a plant-based life with her cooking classes. Picture Glenn Hampson

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“About 95 per cent of people I talk to have had massive increases in energy, better digestion, they’re happier after becoming vegan or vegetarian,” she said.

“A lot coming to my classes are very new to veganism or they’re thinking about becoming vegetarian … even though there’s a lot of information and recipes out there, a lot would prefer to talk about it face-to-face.

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“They want to taste the food and see for themselves.”

It comes as economists predict fake meat products could surpass sales of US$104 billion within the next decade.

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Since going public in early May, Beyond Meat's stock has soared more than 450 per cent and its market value is over $8 billion, for its vegan versions of burgers and sausages. Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

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Coles began stocking the new Beyond Meat line last month and has already had to ship in more supplies from the US to keep up with demand while the Grill’d burger chain introduced a Beyond Meat menu in April and said it has surpassed all sales expectations.

According to 2019 Roy Morgan research nearly 2.5 million Australians, or 12 per cent of the total population are vegetarian or vegan, nearly double that of a decade ago.

Ms Tagarro said people were “more aware” of where their food comes from thanks to a range of confronting documentaries.

She said the choice to turn vegan was much more accessible for people these days compared to when made the jump seven years ago: “There’s more cafes and restaurants and so much more vegan stuff in the supermarkets as opposed to having to go to specialty health food shops.”