Veganuary – try going vegan this January

It’s one of those New Year’s resolutions that people make fairly often: eat less meat and animal products. But because actually following through with it is not easy for everyone, the organisation Veganuary has made it it’s job to help participants with this month-long challenge. To find out why you might like to give the challenge a try this Veganuary as well as several tips and tricks on the topic of eating vegan and the consequences of making the transition away from animal products, read on.

The key points

Participants in Veganuary eat a vegan diet for one month.
A vegan dietcompletely eschews the use or consumption of animal food products.
There is now a wide range of so-called substitute products for cheese, eggs and more.
The vitamin B12 must be introduced into a vegan diet in the form of supplementary food.
Due to the wide array of plant-based ingredients they consume, vegans often enjoy a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre and are proven to sufferless frequently from diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Arguments for a vegan diet involve the protection of animals and the environment as well as our own health.

Creation and background of Veganuary

Veganuary is a non-profit organisation and campaign that first started in 2014 in the UK. The action challenges people worldwide to go vegan for one month. In January 2022, over 629,000 people registered, although the total number of participants is thought to be ten times higher than the official number of registrants. The organisation offers support for all participants by providing a number of tips and recipe ideas. Celebrities and companies also support vegan January. The result is that at the start of the last New Year – counting only the biggest participating countries – 1,540 new vegan products and menus were brought to market. But what exactly is veganism and what should you keep in mind if you take up the challenge?

Basis for Veganuary: what is veganism?

A vegan diet completely eschews the use or consumption of animal food products and ingredients. That means that, unlike vegetarians, not just meat and fish are off the menu but also eggs, cheese, milk and honey. This purely plant-based diet is characterised by a variety of vegetables, fruits, pulses, grains and whole grains, as well as nuts and seeds. Anyone who loves the taste of cheese and eggs etc. need not fear as there is a range of substitute products available that imitate many animal products by using soy, peas or nuts.

Due to the wide array of plant-based ingredients they consume, vegans often enjoy a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre – a very good reason to try the Veganuary experiment! However, because of the lack of animal products, there are a few nutrients that one has to keep in mind. One of the classics is vitamin B12, which can only be produced by micro-organisms and must therefore be introduced into a vegan diet in the form of supplementary food. One should also pay attention to iron and calcium. Furthermore, the vegan diet is not recommend for everyone. Pregnant and breast-feeding women should seek individual consultation.

Reasons why it’s a great idea to go vegan during the month of Veganuary.

Perhaps the best known arguments for a vegan diet involve the protection of animals and the environment as well as our own health. By enjoying a purely plant-based diet, many animals are spared the suffering caused by intensive livestock farming. Additionally, it avoids the enormous stresses placed on the environment by industrial animal husbandry, which is one of the leading causes of climate-damaging gases. In concrete terms, that means that if one million people eat vegan for one month as part of Veganuary, 103,840 tons of CO2-equivalent gases are not produced. That’s approximately the same as 15,000 trips around the world in a car. And our health will thank us as well. According to studies, the rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer are lower in people who eat a purely vegan diet. One’s general feeling of well-being is also increased by such things as better sleep, better digestion – even better skin.

Tips for a successful Veganuary

So now if you’re all fired up and ready to try a January without animal products, we have four tips and tricks for you to make your Veganuary a huge success:

The right preparation

Before the big day on January first, we recommend buying a couple of basic food, such as plant-based milks, soy yoghurt, a lot of fruit and veg, oats, rice, pasta and tofu. Feel free to try out different brands of the same product, so that you’re not put off, if one particular brand isn’t to your taste. Keep in mind, a lot of the food you already eat is vegan, so you should have no problem continuing to use them, such as jam, spices, coffee, tomato paste, a lot of sauces etc. You could even draw up a daily menu so that you can slip right into the new routine.

Take your favourite dish and make it vegan.

Not to worry! You don’t need to throw all your eating habits out the window and start over. A lot of the dishes you already love to eat can be “veganised” with relatively little effort. Just use vegan mince or tofu for your chilli con carne, or prepare your béchamel with plant-based milk. You can bake your favourite casseroles using vegan cheese, and even dessert is taken care of thanks to soy-based ice creams and plant-based cream

Vegan snacks when you’re on the run

The variety of vegan alternatives in shops and restaurants is becoming ever larger. And yet, just in case you’re out and about and can’t find anything vegan, you might want have one or two vegan snacks at the ready. Whether nuts, muesli and/or chocolate bars or fresh fruit, with the right snacks, you’ll never have to worry when you venture out beyond your own four walls. We also recommend the apps HappyCow and Vanilla Bean, which show you restaurants and cafés with vegan dishes.

Remember to relax and have fun with your Veganuary challenge

You don’t have to do everything perfectly, right from the beginning. You might, once or twice, accidentally let a not-purely-vegan product pass your lips or have a little breakdown and eat some sausage. That’s no reason to beat yourself up or chuck your Veganuary overboard. Transitioning to a new diet takes time, and nobody’s perfect the first time. Another tip: it might help to find co-conspirators who are willing to take on the challenge with you. Maybe your friends and family also take part. That way, you can all share your victories and confess your minor transgressions, as well as cook together. You’ll see: it can be loads of fun!

Here’s how you too can participate in Veganuary!

If you’d like to become an official participant of the Veganuary 2023 Challenge, all you have to do is go to the following link and register yourself:https://veganuary.com/. You’ll get loads of tasty plant-based recipe ideas, an all-star cookbook and a few helpful tips.

Six months after Veganuary, a questionnaire will be sent out in which participants can talk about their experiences. Just look at the results from last year! Of those who responded to the questionnaire, 82 % drastically reduced their consumption of animal products and 30 % even continued to eat vegan. Another 68 % of the participants also talked about positive changes in their feeling of well-being – and that was just after one month!

Should you take up the Veganuary challenge, we wish you lots of luck and tonnes of fun!