What is veganuary?
Veganuary is a company that has inspired and supported over 620,000 people to try going vegan. During their 2022 campaign they had participants from over 220 countries and territories. They work with businesses to drive up vegan food provision in shops and restaurants, and have made veganism more visible and accessible through our work with national and international media.
Wherever you sit on the vegan spectrum, there are ways to eat a healthy and sustainable plant-based diet, and it can also open the door to a whole new world of recipes where veg is the delicious star of the show, and that’s something everyone can enjoy.
Why try veganuary?
Here are just a few of the reasons and considerations for some doing Veganuary this year:
Health
Many people choose to try a vegan diet to increase their consumption of fruit and veg for health reasons, and it’s not without reason. Rising rates of obesity, not enough fibre and consumption of processed meat are listed as possible reasons for higher rates of bowel cancer, with more younger people being diagnosed than ever before. Eating more plants (such as in a plant-based diet) increases your intake of fibre, while eating a greater diversity of plants improves your gut microbiome by feeding it with a broader range of good bacteria. In turn, gut health is associated with better immunity, mental health and digestion.
Environment
Along with giving up flying, reducing your intake of red meat and dairy is named as the best way to reduce an individual carbon footprint. This is largely due to the methane emissions from ruminants, which is a potent greenhouse gas, as well as the indirect link between deforestation to grow crops for animal feed. Eating mostly, or all plants, is likely to mean your diet has a lower carbon footprint, but it is not a given on its own; how far your food has travelled, on what mode of transport and how it was produced also play a part.
Animal welfare
There surely aren’t many people who could look at the realities of industrially-farmed livestock and carry on eating it. Animal welfare is as good a reason as any to try Veganuary. Some people don’t agree with killing animals for food full stop if we can get our nutrition elsewhere. Living in a relatively wealthy first world country, some of us do have the luxury of choice so it’s important not to dismiss the moral, cultural or other defining principles of others.
Starting the year with purpose
The New Year has long been associated, rightly or wrongly, with a sense of restart. Unhappy with your weight, dietary health or just want to start the year with a sense of purpose? Many people find the challenge of Veganuary a useful structure to follow, and it’s not uncommon to hear of people trying it alongside increased exercise or cutting out alcohol as part of a wider reimagining of their lifestyle. At its essence, some see Veganuary as a helpful way to take back control and start the year with feelings of positive empowerment.
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