Veganuary – going vegan for a month

As the month of January hits, we suddenly see gyms filled to the brim with new-years-resolutioners, carrot sticks and hummus go flying off the racks, and half of our friends and colleagues become permanently crabby as they give up smoking cold turkey. What if I told you, a charity founded in the UK, in 2014, allowed you to bundle up all those new-year’s resolutions in one convenient package? It’s simple. Go vegan for one month.

At this point, you’ve probably all heard of Movember – but there’s a new kid in town. Continuing with the so-called, “punths” I give you “Veganuary”.

Co-founded by husband and wife team, Matthew and Jane, they both became vegans when the state of the agricultural industry was brought to their awareness. Founding this company, they endeavour to provide others with the opportunity to feel the health and moral benefits of making the switch. The challenge? To become vegan for a month. It is then your choice whether or not to continue into the rest of the year. This year 52,000 people signed up for the challenge.

What can vegans not eat?

Vegans do not use or consume any animal or animal products.

What are the benefits of becoming a vegan?

1. We can help stop the negative consequences associated with the mass production of meat.

• Animal cruelty – animals experience torture during their farming, you can read more on PETA’s website.
• Environmental degradation – agriculture is responsible for 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. For example, 1 cow releases a startling 53 kg of methane per year. Current estimates number the population of cows at 1.5 billion cows – this means that cows are solely responsible for 7.95 x 10¹⁰ kg of methane per year.

2. Enjoy the health benefits.

• Non-organic meat is injected with hormones that stimulate growth, some of these hormones have shown to increase the likelihood of developing certain types of cancer when digested my humans.
• Meat contains a high amount of saturated fat which increases the risk of heart disease and obesity. Giving up meat will improve your cardiovascular health.
• A vegan diet is high in micronutrients. Consuming more vitamins and minerals will boost your immune system and protect your body against forming some types of cancer.
• Digesting meat is a long process. Eating food which is more easily digestible, like vegetables and nuts, will give you more energy.
• Eating more vitamin A and E will give you healthier skin, hair and, nails.

Tips to reduce your consumption of meat

Although it is difficult to stop these companies from producing in the short term, Veganuary teaches us that we can all make small changes to improve the quality of meat we purchase and reduce the quantity that we buy. Here are some tips to do this:

1. Substitute red meat for white meat.
2. Buy “free-range” and “organic” animal products.
3. Try cooking vegan recipes for dinner a couple of times a week.
4. Participate in “Meat Free Monday”.
5. Look for meat substitutes, plant-based milk and, vegan ice cream in your local supermarket. If they’re missing anything, ask the manager to order it in for you.

The food we eat has an impact on the planet we live on. Veganuary, for many of us, might be a push in the right direction towards making it a better place. Even if it turns out not to be your cup of tea, it will certainly help out with shifting some of that Christmas excess.

Written by Sophie Z.