A non-profit organisation called Veganuary encourages people to try going vegan for 30 days in the month of January.

Making the switch can be a challenge for people who regularly incorporate dairy and meat in their diet, but it could offer some health benefits. It might even change your body in certain ways. But how it might change depends on what you were eating before.

Numerous vegan foods are high in plant-based protein, which doesn’t have the negative consequences on health that protein produced from animals has. Given how nutritious plant-based foods may be, it’s not surprising that more and more athletes and other well-known celebrities are choosing to follow a vegan diet.

Benefits:

1) Blood Sugar Levels. Blood sugars start to normalise. Elevated blood sugars will begin to come down over the first week and continue to do so over time.

2) Heart. Heart health will begin to improve with a reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These changes also begin to occur over the first week and continue over time.

3) Skin. Skin health, including acne, redness and even signs of aging, improves when inflammation is reduced and blood flow is increased.

4) Digestion. Our microbiome improves. Research shows that a plant-based diet is beneficial in promoting the development of a more diverse and stable microbiome to better support our digestive system.

5) Weight. Weight loss is another thing that begins immediately after transitioning to a healthy plant-based diet. This is because plant foods are higher in calories, more nutrient dense, and higher in fiber and water, which help regulate hunger signals to properly communicate satiety and prevent overeating.

What foods do vegans avoid?

· Meat and Fish

· Eggs

· Dairy (including milk, cheese, butter, and yoghurt)

· Gelatine

· Honey

What if I’m not a good cook?

Many foods you’d eat on a diet heavy in meat, are also available in plant-based forms. There are plenty of foods that are vegan that don’t require cooking. Canned and frozen prepared meals can be found. There are also recipes to try on the Veganuary website. Subscribe and you will get sent a free vegan cookbook. Sign up here : Veganuary | Sign Up For Your Free Cookbook and Vegan Meal Plans!

Will I be able to get enough protein in my diet?

Yes! Plant-based proteins are perfectly capable of supplying all your protein needs. As with a meat-based diet, a plant-based diet must be balanced and varied, but there are plenty of plant-based foods that contain protein. These include:

· Lentils

· Beans & Pulses

· Tofu, tempeh and edamame

· Peanuts & peanut butter

· Quinoa

Tips for Taking Part

1. Find someone to do Veganuary with you. Taking on anything alone is hard. Try and get a friend to join in with you and take on the challenge together!

2. Be kind to yourself if you make a mistake. If necessary, allow yourself shortcuts to make Veganuary work!

3. Stock up on vegan essentials. Such as, brown rice, oats, Quinoa (similar to brown rice but a higher protein value), nutritional yeast (this is used to create a cheese nutty flavour and can be used in soups and sauces. Dairy free milk (oat, soy, almond, coconut and much more!)

4. Why are you doing it? Are you interested in participating in Veganuary for health reasons? Or possibly because now is the ideal time to start if you want to change the world? Whenever you are lacking motivation or feel like giving up, keep this reason in mind.