The concept of veganuary was started all the way back in 2014 by Jane Land and her husband Matthew Glover and is just the words ‘vegan January’ smushed together. The idea is simple – for the whole month of January, you go completely vegan, giving up all animal products including meat, eggs and milk. This simple idea gives people a taste of the vegan lifestyle without the stress of having to implement it in your life forever. You can just take on the challenge yourself and go at it alone or you can sign up online and you’ll receive lots of support. Veganuary will send you emails with information including meal plans, restaurant recommendations and nutrition guides. Or why not get your pals involved too? You could cook for each other and support each other through any sudden brie cravings!
This small change has turned into a massive movement that shows no sign of slowing down. It’s now a nonprofit organisation that has grown exponentially, gaining 12,800 sign ups in 2015 and in their 2021 campaign, they signed up a massive half a million people! But if you’re still in need of some convincing then let’s take a deeper look into why you should give veganuary a go.
The fear most people have when trying out veganuary is that they won’t be able to enjoy their favourite meals. Food is a big part of everyone’s lives and enjoying what you eat is paramount! But going vegan doesn’t mean you should be miserable at mealtimes.
There are already some of the best meat substitutes out there and more keep being added all the time. This means there’s no hassle when it comes to turning your favourite meat based meal into a healthy vegan recipe – simply swap out the meat for the meat alternative!
When it comes to creating a vegan meal from scratch, there are loads of wonderful creators out there making easy to follow healthy vegan recipes – including us! We’ve got a great blog on how to make the best vegan BBQ food. Veganuary also have a super informative blog where they share some great vegan recipes such as these winter warmer soups.
And if you’re looking for a healthy vegan snack then look no further than our very own Nakd bars! Tuck into some fruity goodness with our Blueberry Muffin bar or indulge in rich chocolate with our Cocoa Brownie bar.
We know that fossil fuels are causing dramatic and severe changes to our planet in the form of climate change. But it’s not all doom and gloom – did you know that as well as driving less, eating less meat can also dramatically reduce your personal carbon footprint?
This might come as a surprise but animal agriculture accounts for a massive 18% of our global greenhouse emissions which is more than the combined exhaust emissions from all transportation. A vegan lifestyle also uses around 50% less water on average than a diet that includes meat.
So making the swap over from a meat eating diet to a vegan diet will not only help you but it helps the planet too. And that doesn’t mean it has to be all or nothing! There’s no reason why you can’t have a couple of vegan days a week and then have meat and animal products in moderation. There is no rule book, veganuary simply gives people a taste of the lifestyle and you can adapt it in any way you see fit.
We know that adhering to a vegan diet is great for the planet but it’s also great for us too! Studies show that sticking to a vegan diet can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers. Another 2018 study showed that going vegan for just four weeks managed to reduce their cholesterol levels.
So not only can you help the health of our planet but taking part in veganuary but you can drastically improve your own health as well. With a plethora of meat substitutes out there and our wonderful selection of recipes to choose from, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get involved in veganuary!
