As a new year begins, it’s a time to set new goals, embrace new habits, and use the turn of the calendar as an opportunity to challenge yourself and move outside your comfort zone.

If you’re looking for just such a challenge, consider joining ‘Veganuary’ – a great way to learn more about nutrition, become more conscious about your food-related carbon footprint, and do your bit for the environment.

What is veganism?

Veganism is defined by The Vegan Society as a way ‘to seek an end to the use of animals by man for food, commodities, work, hunting, vivisection, and by all other users involving exploitation of animal life by man’.

Most people understand veganism as a diet that excludes all animal products and derivatives. That means no meat, no fish, no dairy, no eggs, even no honey, as that is considered as sustenance for the bees. When considering veganism, you can either choose to follow just the diet or adopt it as a philosophical and moral stance.

Veganism in other domains includes not supporting zoos or circuses, not wearing fur or leather, choosing to buy products that aren’t tested on animals, and so forth. Veganism, in this way, becomes a way to actively reduce the harm inflicted on animals. It is also, as research from the University of Oxford has revealed, the ‘single-biggest way’ to reduce your impact on the planet.

What is Veganuary?

Going vegan can seem daunting, and many people build up assumptions surrounding what vegans are like such as only eating vegetables, being obsessed with animal welfare, and trying to impose their views onto others. Veganuary was created in part to counter that stigma and turn veganism into a challenge, something fun to try and do – either alone, or with friends and family.

What you can eat (and what you can’t)

A common misconception surrounding vegans is that they can’t eat anything, and you would need to wave goodbye to all your favourite meals, including all fast food and comfort food! That is far from true – veganism doesn’t need to be restrictive. You may be surprised with the amount of accidentally vegan food you already eat. Most crisps are vegan, as are Oreos, Bourbons, jellybeans. Also, a lot of Indian and Mexican cuisine is vegan or can easily be made vegan by simply taking out the cheese or cream.

It’s worth remembering though, that just because a food is labelled as vegan, it doesn’t mean it is going to be good for you. Especially with the rise of vegan fast food, and processed vegan meat, you need to make a distinction between healthy and unhealthy veganism.

Veganuary was created in January 2014 by the company of the same name as a campaign to inform and encourage people to support veganism. By January 2022, Veganuary had 629,000 sign-ups and that’s excluding those who attempted the challenge on their own or tried it out during other months.

The concept of Veganuary is to introduce people to the world of veganism through a 30-day challenge during which time you adopt as much or as little of the vegan lifestyle as you want. When you sign up, you are given access to a community space where people can share their experience, their tips on making the transition easier, and a place to meet like-minded people. You will also be given guides to veganism relating to food and lifestyle, information on nutrition, and ideas for recipes in order to kickstart your journey.

Increasingly, this challenge has paved the way for companies to start launching vegan-friendly products in January as the market demand is there. The famous Greggs’ vegan sausage roll made its appearance in January 2019 and in January 2022 both Burger King and KFC announced new vegan additions to the menus. Vegan products are not confined to fast food chains and all supermarkets now carry a wide variety of vegan products that make transitioning easier.

Veganuary aims to create a community of people who share the same concerns for animal welfare, environmental issues, or personal health and spread awareness of how veganism can have a real impact while also being sustainable with regards to maintaining your health and getting all the necessary nutrients.

Much of a vegan diet is made up of whole foods: legumes, grains, pasta, rice, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, etc. Nowadays a lot of the foods that vegans can’t eat can be replaced: use margarine or oil instead of butter, use plant-based milks instead of cow’s milk, use flax-eggs or bananas for egg replacements depending on whether it is a sweet or savoury dish.

Tofu is a big part of veganism and can be used as a replacement for meat in a lot of curries or stews. It is made out of soya and is a great source of protein.

Getting inspiration for good recipes will make or break your experience of veganism as you can always make food tasty if you know what you are doing. To find inspiration you can look on the Veganuary or The Vegan Society’s website, and a lot of supermarkets will have vegan recipe ideas linked to their vegan products.

Common concerns (that shouldn’t concern you)

Some common concerns about going vegan surround protein intake and not getting all the nutrients necessary for your body. In a UK study, research showed that the average person eats generally twice the daily recommended intake for protein, which means that moving to a vegan diet, while it might reduce your protein, will not leave you in a deficit. If you are worried about protein, then make sure to research the vegan foods that contain the most and include them in your meals: tofu, lentils, nut butter, and peas come to mind.

Calcium is another common concern as a leading source is milk and is vital for bone health. Luckily, calcium can be found naturally in beans, green vegetables, sweet potatoes, figs, and almonds. You can also buy plant-based milk which is fortified with calcium to up your dose even more. If you are mindful of your calcium intake, you should ensure that you are getting lots of vitamin D, which helps your body absorb the calcium. It is recommended that everyone in the UK take a vitamin D supplement during the winter months regardless of diet because of the lack of sunshine. Those who live in warmer climes may not require vitamin D supplements.

Iron, which is mostly found in red meat, can also be found in lentils, chickpeas, molasses, and dark chocolate and needs to be paired with vitamin C (think citrus fruit, carrots, etc.) in order to help you absorb it.

Even Omega-3 and Omega-6, which are essential fatty acids and are called ‘essential’ because our body cannot create them, can still be consumed from a wide variety of foods with fatty acids in them such as flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, seaweed, or walnuts.

The only vitamin that is very difficult to get on a vegan diet is vitamin B12, but that can easily be taken as a supplement, or plant-based milks are often fortified with it as well.

Top tips on beginning your vegan journey:

Whether you decide to jump on the Veganuary bandwagon, or embark on your own vegan journey, here are some tips on getting started. There are three main approaches to becoming vegan:

If you are already vegan by diet, or have already done Veganuary, then you could look towards branching out of just the diet and introduce lifestyle changes that align yourself more completely with the spirit of veganism. You could research your skincare products to see whether they are tested on animals, or you could switch to vegan leather, for example.

Committing to Veganuary is a great way to start the year and develop an awareness of how you live, what you eat, and what you choose to spend your money on will affect both the world at large and support your own health. More than anything, Veganuary is a challenge that brings people together and creates a sense of community which sets up the New Year on a good, positive, healthy footing.