January Challenge: Veganuary
Take on the Veganuary challenge this year!
Often, we start the year with resolutions - New year, New me. This year an environmental challenge you can take on is going vegan for the whole month of January, that is if you aren’t already vegan. Last year in 2021 over 500,000 people took part in the Veganuary challenge, which helped businesses launch more than 825 new vegan products and menu options. The three main benefits of having a plant-based diet are protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering, and improving your health.
What is veganism? Veganism is the practice of eating food that has not come from any animal products. There are many plant-based alternatives to ensure you still get all of the necessary nutrients your body needs.
How does being vegan help protect the environment? It helps protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions. Dairy and meat farms are responsible for about 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. Even though those numbers are so high they only provide 18% of the world’s calories and 37% of the world’s protein in a study by science.org. This study also looked into the effect veganism has on climate change, and it noted that a vegan diet is one of the best ways to reduce our impact on Earth, more than just greenhouse gasses, but global acidification, eutrophication, land, and water use. Even when you buy fish that is from freshwater fish farming and grass fed beef, both which have been thought to be environmentally better, they still cause environmental problems. In a study, researchers found that if you cut meat and dairy products from your diet, your carbon footprint can be reduced by up to 73%. So by going vegan for 1 month you could save 620 pounds of carbon emissions, 913 square feet of forest, and 33,481 gallons of water.
Another reason that many people switch to either veganism or vegetarianism is to avoid animal suffering. Cutting dairy and meat products out of your diet and becoming vegan helps stop animal cruelty. If the demand for animal products decreases enough then producers will stop breeding so many to be used for food.
Many people find that by switching to a plant-based diet, they lose extra weight because their diet is a lot cleaner and natural. By cutting out meat your cholesterol levels are lowered significantly and you also have a lower risk of heart disease. When going vegan it is important to make sure that you are still getting all of the nutrients your body needs, whether that be by taking supplements or finding a plant based alternative. By going vegan for a month you may find you have more energy and feel better.
Veganuary is an awesome way to try out veganism, there are many recipes on the Veganuary website or through many social media platforms. Many restaurants and cafes in the United Kingdom have started to offer plant based options. And the good news is you can still enjoy your favourite NEMI Teas Spicy Chai Syrup as it is vegan.