Happy Veganuary 2023! If you haven't heard of Veganuary before it is a movement designed to raise awareness of the vegan diet and lifestyle and to encourage people to try it for the month of January. Get where the name comes from?!
Veganuary was the reason that I first discovered veganism a few years ago. I adopted a vegetarian diet when I was 13 and I had toyed with the idea of going vegan for a while but always thought it would be too difficult to cut out cheese, eggs and chocolate and I was a big milk drinker too. However, I do love a challenge and I figured that committing to a month was achievable.
I'm not going to lie, I have found it so much more difficult to follow a vegan diet than I found becoming vegetarian. Luckily over the last few years there has been an explosion of awareness of the vegan way of life and finding recipes, eating out and shopping for vegan food has gotten so much easier. We have access to many a vegan restaurant and most restaurants and cafes offer vegan options.
If you are reading this because you are thinking about joining in with Veganuary 2023 then I'd love to encourage you to go for it. 31 days of cutting out animal products will have a profound affect on your mind and body, I can promise that.
What is the difference between vegan and plant based?
This was something that took me a little while to get my head around. I like to think of it that being vegan is about the animals and animal welfare. Ideally as vegans we should look to stop not only consuming meat, dairy products and eggs but also anything produced by or from an animal such as wool, honey or leather. A plant-based diet is more of a healthy lifestyle approach, with a focus on plant-based food, not necessarily the other things. It should also be noted that plant-based food is very different from vegan food, even though ostensibly they sound the same. A lot of food that we find in supermarkets is heavily processed, with added chemicals and unknown ingredients. A plant-based lifestyle focuses on whole foods, real plants and grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, with less of a focus on meat replacements. Personally I live a life somewhere between the two - I avoid leather and honey and wool where I can, but not exclusively and I do eat meat replacements on occasion. Ideally I would like to balance the two and embrace a vegan lifestyle whilst focusing on the natural elements of a simpler, plant-based lifestyle choice.
What about protein?
Oh this must be one of the most asked questions I have had to field over the last 20 years! I am going to write a post about vegan myths and misconceptions, and also a post about how to ensure that you are eating enough vegan protein so keep an eye out for them. For now though I will say that it is completely possible to follow a vegan diet and not be nutritionally deficient. You will of course have to think about what you are eating (which is why meal planning is a must). You will need to be ready to learn more about food and nutrition and you will need to supplement your diet with vitamins where necessary. I would argue that if you did this, you would actually be much more aware of what you are putting into your body and more aware of your nutritional balance than a regular meat eater.
I send out weekly vegan family friendly meal plans so you can use those as a template for your meals or just use the vegan recipes as inspiration. Sign up to get them delivered to your inbox every week for FREE!
If you can commit to 31 days of no animal products I can certainly do my best to help you through it. No expectation or requirement to continue past that. Even if in the future you commit to one vegan day a week or you stop eating dairy or cheese, or if you aren't vegetarian even, you stop eating meat - every little you do will make a huge difference.
Share this post far and wide with your friends, encourage them to try Veganuary 2023 - every person who joins in will be making a huge difference.
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