Hey, did you know that November is World Vegan Month? It’s a month of celebrating all things vegan and hilighting the accessibility of a vegan diet as well as its benefits.
Here at Moo Free, we know that many of our awesome supporters are vegan and they appreciate the fact that our lovely choccy is vegan. We also know that many of our supporters are not vegan and it’s never our intention to try to influence anyone’s beliefs.
However, we will be celebrating Vegan November and as part of that, we’ve put together a little article for those who might be “Vegan Curious”. We’ve outlined some reasons why you might consider it, suggested some small steps if you don’t fancy jumping right in and we’ve also listed some alternatives for everyday staple food. We like to help!
Why you might consider trying out veganism
For the planet
According to the Independent, researchers at the University of Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce your carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.
Leading researcher, Joseph Poore said: “A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use and water use." “It is far bigger than cutting down on your flights or buying an electric car”, he said.1
So if you’re concerned about your impact on Planet Earth, reducing the quantity of animal products that you consume might be beneficial.
For your health
In recent years, a lot of research has emerged showing that reducing your intake of meat and dairy, or removing it completely, can have substantial health benefits. As well as enriching your vitamin and mineral intake from all the extra lovely veg, there is evidence to suggest that you can also lower your blood sugar levels, reduce bad cholesterol and lose weight. According to Healthline, all of these factors have the potential to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and other diseases.
However, a vegan diet must be managed well and it is really important to make sure that you are getting all of your essential nutrients. Happily, there is loads of brilliant information available for those who want to make changes to their regular diet.
For your purse
There is a common misconception that following a vegan diet is expensive. We usually find it to be the opposite. The fact is that meat is one of the most expensive things you can buy. So it stands to reason that if you remove it from the weekly shop, the bill will be lighter. However, if you substitute the meat for lots of processed alternatives then you’ll find that the cost can creep up. Remember that vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy, and experts always recommend that you go easy on the processed food – whether vegan or not.
For the animals
You don’t need to hear horror stories from us about the meat or dairy industries. If you love animals then trying out a vegan diet might be a way to help them.
Fancy it trying it out? Here are some ideas
Changing your diet completely can seem like a big commitment. Most of us are pretty stuck in our ways and we know what we like. So the idea of finding a whole new way to live can be daunting and time-consuming. If you like the idea and fancy jumping straight in, we wrote an article for Veganuary that contains tips on how to survive one month of going vegan. If you feel like Vegan November is too soon to commit then you can always do a little research and then sign up for Veganuary.
If you’d like to make a change but are not ready for veganism or don’t fancy it, you could always:
Go vegan one day a week
Many countries have a tradition of eating fish instead of red meat on Fridays. You could make that a totally meat and dairy-free day.
Have one vegan meal a day
You could dedicate one meal to being totally vegan. That could be as simple as putting oat milk in your Weetabix or you might swap the cheese and ham sarnie for a yummy Mexican spicy wrap.
If you’re going to go bold and make dinner your meat-free meal, check out our favourite Lentil Bolognaise recipe.
Swap out a handful of staples for vegan alternatives
Just choose a few bits in your weekly shopping that could be easily substituted for vegan alternatives.
Because we like to be helpful (we don’t get paid for any of these links), We’ve made a few suggestions for you.
We’ve suggested because Sproud Barista Pea Protein Milk Alternative because it’s gluten-free and organic. Yup – peas! Who knew? Obviously there are a lot of milk alternatives to choose from.
For a quick dinner, we’re a fan of Linda’s McCartney’s Chorizo and Red Pepper Sausages. We like them especially because they contain no palm oil. They do contain soya, though.
Also, if you’re looking for meat alternatives, Jack & Bry have taken jackfruit to a whole new level. Check out their selection of burgers, sausages, mince, all made from their unique jackfruit recipes.
You don’t ever have to give up chocolate! Since you’re here reading this article, you probably already know that our mission is to make sure that everyone can eat delicious chocolate. All Moo Free choc is vegan (as well as being free from gluten and soya) so you can wade in without concern.
For your lunchbox, we’ve found a great list of vegan sandwiches and wraps. For those living with gluten, a lot of these ingredients can be used to make a yummy salad (salad doesn’t have to be boring!).
If you want to cut out the butter on your morning toast, you could try Vitalite Dairy Free spread. This is gluten-free and soya-free. We also really like Naturli Vegan Spread.
For your protein intake, just about all meat can be substituted with beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh or seitan.
Happy eating!
We hope you’ve found this article useful. Good luck!
1 https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/veganism-environmental-impact-planet-reduced-plant-based-diet-humans-study-a8378631.html
