There are a lot of reasons to keep up the Veganuary trend. If you try it for the month as a new year’s resolution and you find you are getting results or you just like the idea, there’s nothing stopping you. If you need a refresher, or a few extra tips, take a look at our guide to continuing on your vegan journey.
What are the benefits?
There are a lot of benefits to becoming vegan, and whatever motivates you to stick with it is fine.
You can assuage a little guilt for your carbon footprint by going vegan, avoid the deaths of animals, or simply swap to a diet that is low in calories and slim down.
Preventing the deaths of animals is more of an emotional decision, but you can see just how big an impact your lack of eating meat and fish will go by visiting The Veganalyser app, which will calculate just how many animals you will be saving. Meat production is also a leading cause of global warming, so by abstaining from it we can start to reduce the amount of meat needed for the market.
On the other hand, keeping to a plant-based diet will force you to explore the more forgotten aspects of the diet plan, like whole grains, fruits, veg, beans, nuts, and seeds. These foods are rich in nutrients that are usually lacking in a meat-based diet and can improve your overall health, including improving kidney functions, protecting against certain cancers, lower heart disease and more.
Where do I start?
Starting to go vegan might depend on your tolerance for weaning off something you enjoy. If you don’t care about meat in your diet, good for you, going, ahem, cold turkey, will be easy. Others might have to replace meat with plant-based alternatives. If you’re worried about missing out on the nutrients that animal products offer, you can find the best spirulina powder here.
Plant-based alternatives have come a long way in a few years. Not only are big chain stores offering their own brands of vegan alternatives that taste a lot better than you’d expect, but fast-food chains are also offering their own alternatives. Never miss that meatball sub from Subway ever again. Don’t believe the chat about it not tasting the same. It doesn’t, but it comes very close, and you might even find replacements that you prefer.
As a tip for meals, try to base them around a carb-filled foundation. Once you’ve got your pasta, potatoes, or rice, you can add your plant-based surroundings.
If you find you’re getting bored, expand your options. Don’t abstain from meat-based cookbooks but take their ideas and tweak them. Find recipes from all around the world for a new spin on a classic. And keep a collection of staples you will never get sick of. Everyone needs a bowl of soup in the winter, for example.
What about non-food products?
The beauty industry has finally caught up with the rest of the world. Online, they have learned that customers aren’t going to stand for products that aren’t vegan and cruelty free. This is aided by a lot of products coming up with sustainable alternatives, like bamboo toothbrushes rather than plastic.
Avoiding wool, fur, and leather when you are shopping is an obvious choice to make, but some are sneaky. Check the tag of your items for a vegan logo or a bunny logo to be sure that the rest of the products you are buying are vegan.
To sum up, Veganuary is a great way to get into the idea, but if you’re going to take it seriously it might need a little more forethought. Too many items are not in fact vegan, so check before you buy.
