It's 2020, a whole new decade has begun. For a lot of people the new year is a time for new year's resolutions, breaking old bad habits and starting new, good, ones. Stopping smoking, getting more exercise, making positive changes in their lives. January, the first month of the new year, is also Veganuary month, but what is Veganuary and how does it work?
Veganuary is a crowdfunded campaign that sets the challenge, to anyone that wants to take part, to be vegan for a month. This is based on the idea that it takes 30 to form a habit, i.e. if you eat vegan for 30 days you will remain vegan after the 30 days. People that take part can either do the challenge on their own or the can go to the Veganuary website and take the pledge. When you sign up you will be able to download a "starter kit" that contains restaurant guides, recipes and other really useful information, like which foods don't seem vegan but actually are, you even get daily support emails.
In the 2019 Veganuary more than a quarter of a million people took the pledge to try a vegan diet, more than 500 brands, restaurants and supermarkets promoted the campaign, and more than 200 new vegan products and menus were launched in the UK market alone. But Veganuary isn't just about January, throughout the year Veganuary encourages and supports people and businesses to move toward a plant-based diet as a way of protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering and improving the health of everyone.
We inspire people all over the world to try a vegan diet in January and beyond through our 31-day pledge. Already half a million people from 178 countries have taken part, but we are aiming for a fully vegan world!
If you're thinking about trying a plant-based diet you can go to the Veganaury website and take a look. You don't have to make the pledge, you could decide to cut out animal products without signing up for anything. You can read websites like The Vegan Society, you can watch videos on Youtube or follow people on Instagram like Bite Size Vegan. It has never been easier to change to a vegan diet. There are lots of meat replacements, dairy replacements with loads of flavours of ice creams and yogurts to choose from. But, there are also more options for people that don't want to eat processed foods. Supermarkets are selling more whole foods, beans, grains and vegetables, that they didn't sell before and products that previously contained animals products are being reformulated to be vegan friendly.
This is an absolutely amazing time to go vegan, if you're thinking about giving it a try you don't have to change everything in one go, you could cut out dairy, then cut out eggs, do it bit by bit. If you're already vegan you can support others that want to join you, show them how easy it is and how amazing you feel when you eat in such a healthy way. Being vegan is a loving thing to do, for yourself, for the animals and for the planet. #Veganuary #GoVegan #StayVegan