Keeping your Veganuary streak going

How did it go for you? Have you decided to keep it going?

Some of us were disappointed that more businesses didn’t take part – but that’s partly down to businesses already having plant based offers and veganism being considerably more mainstream.

We know that it isn’t due to less vegans as the number of people calling themselves vegan increases year on year.

One of my personal pet hates during Veganuary, though, is loving a product brought out for the month then it gets dropped on January 31 – so frustrating. I have taken to bulk buying and freezing a certain pasty from a certain pasty shop so I can get my fix way beyond January!

But seriously, now January has passed how easy is it to keep going? If you are doing it for the right reasons, it is very easy.

The main reasons are for the animals, for your health and for the environment.

Some people come into veganism for health and the environment but we stay vegan because of our concern for animals. Here are some tips for continuing with veganism:

Don’t spend a fortune buying loads of new ingredients and products you don’t know how to use.

Start with ‘veganising’ favourite recipes. The internet is awash with amazing recipes; all you need to do is add the word ‘vegan’ ahead of the recipe you want in any search engine.

Experiment with a few basic recipes then personalise them to your taste, for example, the addition of cocoa powder to vegan chilli gives it a delicious dark, smoky taste, adding garlic granules to a pizza gives it a delicious depth.

Swap out different vegetables for those that are in your cupboards or in season and cheaper in the shops. Enjoy comfort foods and the junk foods out there but keep them in moderation.

You aren’t going to feel any health benefits if you swap animal ultra-processed products for plant based ultra-processed products (although the environment and animals do of course benefit by switching to these).

Look at other areas of veganism where you can make changes – for example by buying cruelty free household products, toiletries and make –up.

Again, you don’t need to spend a fortune to buy kinder products - of the main shops in our borough have inexpensive cruelty free product ranges.

The hardest thing being a vegan is living in a (currently) non-vegan world – so get the support where you can.

Whether it is within social media groups or in person, it makes a difference.

There are also lots of really good websites which will break it down for you in areas you can change immediately or those which may take a little longer.

Families and long term friends are always the hardest people to understand any changes you make but just keep on being you and know that the reason you are doing this is important – to the animals, to the planet and to you.