Going Vegan This January? 8 Tips for a Successful Veganuary

It’s only a month. A mere 31 days without huevos rancheros or a scoop (OK, pint) of Cherry Garcia. But joining the international happening called Veganuary may change your life. It might even change the world. Find out what Veganuary is and how to set yourself up for a successful month eating a vegan diet.

What Is Veganuary?

The original 31-day vegan challenge called Veganuary began in the U.K. as a nonprofit organization that promotes and educates about the benefits of veganism by encouraging people to give up all animal-based foods (there are many more than you think) for the month of January and eat vegan food instead. Since the crowd-sourced event began in 2014, participation has more than doubled each year.

More than 400,000 people from 193 countries signed up for the 2020 campaign, according to founders Jane Land and Matthew Glover. The campaign estimated this represented the carbon dioxide equivalent of 450,000 flights and the lives of more than a million animals.

Of course, you don’t need to join an organization to challenge yourself to a month of vegan eating and living. Maybe take the challenge with your bestie or a competitive sibling if you really want to go chard— oops, hard — on this challenge as a way to usher in the new year!

Unlike other month-long initiatives that benefit a charity, this initiative benefits you. And, oh, yeah, the entire planet. And if you missed the January 1 start date, that's OK too. Any 30 days will do.

Why Go Vegan Even for a Month?

Going vegan, even for one month, reduces your carbon footprint. How? Raising animals for commercial slaughter, especially beef, requires tremendous amounts of land, feed, water and energy. Raising commercial meat pours millions of gallons of animal waste into our planet’s waterways. The benefits of not eating meat go far beyond saving the animal itself.

But what if you only eat fish? Overfishing has reduced many fish populations dramatically so abstaining from seafood also has its benefits.

These are just a few examples of how eating animals contributes to the climate crisis we all face. Cutting out animal products may literally lighten your footprint in other ways, too. Moving your menu to a plant-based diet is often a helpful step toward healthy weight loss. And removing or even reducing animal products and their fats from your plate often is helpful in preventing heart disease.

Going vegan can also save you a nice chunk of change since seafood and red meat can be pricey, and you'll naturally be limited in the restaurants you can visit. Going vegan has so many benefits even if it's just for one month. But who knows? That month could change your perspective and lifestyle forever.

Source: vegamour