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Veganuary tips!

29 January 2021

We're nearly at the end of another Veganuary! The Veganuary campaign started in 2014 encouraging people to try going vegan for the month of January. The campaign rapidly grew and in 2020 400,000 people took the Veganuary pledge (Veganuary, 2021). Veganism has never been so popular: Mintel: The continued rise of veganism.

Did you try this year or would you consider it in the future? Take our Veganuary poll

If you didn't quite make it through Veganuary this year or are considering trying veganism another time, here are some useful tips:

1) Veganise what you know

You don't have to stick to vegetables and grains! There are vegan alternatives to butter, milk, yoghurt, eggs, mayo, cheese, milk chocolate, ice cream, cake and lots of meat substitutes (sausages, burgers, steak, chicken, duck, chorizo, fish fingers, nuggets, black pudding, the list goes on.....). Just veganise what you eat already, there will be a vegan replacement or recipe for nearly all your favourite meals.

2) Balance meals

Bread, pasta, rice, noodles, potatoes - the carbs are usually vegan! Add a bit of meat substitute or lentils or pulses or tofu or seitan for protein. Cook in vegetable or coconut oil for fat, and then fill out with vitamin dense veggies! Heard of the Eatwell Guide? There's a vegan one: Vegan Eatwell Guide.

3) Vegan for health

If you are trying veganism as part of a healthy lifestyle then you might want to shun the processed alternatives in favour of more traditionally known vegan foods such as lentils, tofu, seitan and tempeh. Many plant based milks are super health too!

4) Eating out

Chain restaurants usually offer numerous vegan options and you can easiy get a vegan pizza delivered. During Veganuary there are often deals on the menu. It can be trickier to get vegan food at smaller local restaurants, but the options are increasing all the time and there are many vegan/vegetarian establishments. Happy Cow (app and website) is a great aid to eating out while supporting local business too, no matter where you are in the world!

5) Labelling

Not all vegan products are labelled as such. Don't assume you can't eat it if it doesn't say vegan. If it says vegetarian and doesn't have milk or egg as an allergen then you are usually good to go! Just watch out for honey and vitamin D too (vitamin d3 is commonly from lanolin - from sheeps' wool).

6) Treat yourself!

A surprising amount of sweet stuff is suitable for vegans; check out this list of Accidently vegan treats. There's also many online shops that specialise in all vegan sweets and goodies!

Hope you found these tips useful if you are considering veganism, I'm off to eat a vegan doughnut!

Topics: Wellbeing