The organizers of Veganuary estimated that 350,000 people will be switching to a plant-based diet this month. Some people do it for their health, others for animals, but increasingly people are quitting animal products to help protect the planet. What with there being dry January you might as well do both! The goal is to go vegan “for January and beyond,” according to the British non-profit organization behind the effort.
What is a vegan diet?
A vegan diet consists of cutting out meat and all animal products including fish, poultry, dairy, eggs, and even honey. Instead, vegans load up on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy like tofu, edamame, and tempeh.
Studies have found a vegan diet could lead to weight loss, boost psychological well-being and potentially improve most people’s health. When taking the diet up you will need to think about supplements but that does not necessarily mean in the form of a pill. Nuts are high in protein and a good replacement for meat. I must admit it takes great preparation and slowly removing these foods out and replacing them with good alternatives to accomplish this. It is much easier to live on a plant-based diet due to many restaurants and supermarkets now catering to this sector.
If you are feeling skeptical about Veganuary and really love meat, maybe try meatless Mondays to get a feel for it and slowly up the days that you do not eat meat and animal products. Again, every little helps so even eating a vegetarian diet is better for the environment and most likely your health.
You will be surprised at the number of junk food products that are already vegan including :
- Hummus
- Air-popped popcorn are naturally vegan,
- Asda’s crunchy whole nut peanut butter
- Cadbury Bournville
- Betty Crocker Baking Mix
- Pringles Original, BBQ Sauce, Texas BBQ, Paprika and Smokey Bacon flavors
- Oreos
- Skittles
Even some of the coca-cola drinks are now Vegan, there seems to be a replacement for most things these days. It might be easier than you thought it would be, for more information on Veganuary and for recipe ideas, visit uk.veganuary.com
By Abi Trunk
Feature image courtesy of Vegan food and living