First, well done to all of you who have committed to Veganuary! You’ll be pleased to know that more than a third of people who do Veganuary, stays vegan. And the main reason is that they find it much easier than expected. Besides, more than 80% of people significantly reduce their intake of animal products permanently. So, yes, Veganuary works!
A conscious option
One of the reasons why Veganuary has become so popular in the last years, is the fact that its positive effects go far beyond personal health and fitness. A vegan or plant-based diet (vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruits) has the lowest carbon impact of all the possible diets, as well as being the most animal friendly.
How sustainable your vegan diet is would also depend on whether you will have meal substitutes or go for a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet, WFPBD, which is essentially a vegan diet without any refined and processed food.
Embrace new vegan recipes
Doing Veganuary is not just eating vegan food. You will have to decide first what is it that you are going to eat plan your meals; and buy the right ingredients. Beyond being healthy and environmentally friendly, a vegan diet offers you the opportunity to try new recipes. There are so many delicious dishes out there for you to taste over your Veganuary! How about a delicious carrots and aloe vera soup? Or a sundry tomatoes and mint risotto.
Make sure you take some time to plan your weekly meals. Some of them will need vary more than others. For example, you may already have a vegan breakfast without even knowing (smoothies, vegan energy bars…). The same happens with snacks. Both nuts and fruit are widely available vegan snacks. Also, a lot of the products we have on a daily basis are vegan friendly, including ketchup, baked beans, and chutneys. Others will have to be substituted with alternative natural products or commercially processed alternatives. Have a look at the table below showing what products we commonly have are vegan; as well as which ones aren’t and how you can substitute them.
Processed vegan substitutes, yes or no?
Whether you want to have processed vegan substitutes or not during your Veganuary is another decision you would need to make. These days supermarkets offer a whole range of commercially made processed vegan alternatives to meat products. From sausage rolls to pies to burgers to you name it. Some of them tasting more realistic than others.
This is a very personal choice, and you need to feel comfortable with it. Some people don’t see the point in having alternative products and would go for a non-processed vegan diet. There is clearly a debate around this point, not only conceptually speaking, but also from a sustainability point of view. What is it involved in producing a vegan sausage roll? Is that more sustainable than an omelette made with locally produced eggs?
Often, the way to go is the “middle way” and have a cheeky non sausage roll in the middle of the week if you haven’t had time to prepare anything else shouldn’t make you feel bad in any way. Ultimately, what you want if to complete the whole month, and you might have to take a few short cuts to do so.
Allow more time for food shopping
Once you have planned your meals for the week, make sure you allow more time for shopping. The chances are that some of the ingredients will be new for you, or you simply might have never had them before.
Remember that eating only plants will mean that you would have to eat bigger portions in order to fill full. Otherwise, you might end up snacking your way through Veganuary, which it’s something you probably don’t want to do.
How about your drinks?
A lot of vegan drinks like, smoothies or kombucha are absolutely delicious and you can have them throughout the day as a meal or as a snack. Alcoholic drinks are normally ok too. However, you should be aware of the triggers associated with some of them. For example, you might be used to always drink red wine when you eat meat, and therefore drinking red wine might make you crave this dish. Adjusting your drinks to avoid potential triggers will make your life easier.
Veganuary is a great resolution to start the year with. It will make you feel good about yourself, healthier and probably will help you lose some weight. Do follow us on Instagram and Facebook for vegan recipes and to buy our vegan products, including smoothies, kombucha, energy bars and chutneys.
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