For the second year running I signed up to Veganuary, which means I pledged to eat vegan for the whole of January. Beginning in 2014, every year the campaign has grown and grown and this year there was a record-breaking 580,000 sign ups.
The environment has always been one of the biggest driving forces behind my diet changes. In 2015 I committed to a pescatarian diet, swapping to vegetarian in 2018. Recently, IÔÇÖve become more informed about the impact of the dairy and egg industries on animal welfare and the environment. Although I had drastically reduced my consumption, common obstacles stopped me from fully committing to a vegan diet.
Starting Veganuary
So, after the over-consumption of all things rich and delectable over Christmas, I decided to approach this Veganuary with a different mindset. If the month went well, I would commit to avoiding eggs and dairy wherever possible after January. If I struggled to eat a well-balanced diet that was providing me with the essential nutrients, I would go back to vegetarianism.
In the early days of 2021, the one thing that surprised me most was how widespread Veganuary had become. Vegan options have certainly become much more prevalent and it no longer feels like plant-based means youÔÇÖll be missing out. Yes, there is a long way to go in ensuring that vegan diets are accessible to everyone. Companies shouldn’t just see it as a way to profit on this new ÔÇÿtrendÔÇÖ that everyone wants a bite of. However, hopefully the more common it becomes to eat vegan, the more these inequalities will be resolved.
Meal prep is key
Enjoying cooking from scratch definitely helped with ensuring my diet was varied, and didnÔÇÖt rely too much on heavily-processed alternatives. Some of my favourite dishes I made were sloppy joes, pulled jackfruit buns, and roasted cauliflower soup. The sloppy joes were especially delicious, using green lentils to replace the meat which my family didnÔÇÖt miss at all. The ‘meat’ mixture is commonly served in buns, but I also served mine with vegan coleslaw and grated Violife cheddar.
Last Veganuary, I avoided vegan cheese completely because I couldnÔÇÖt face it- it was nothing short of disgusting. However, I found that taking a break from normal cheese and then trying popular brands such as Applewood and Violife completely changed the game. No, it isnÔÇÖt ever going to taste identical to real cheese. However, I can now enjoy my favourite foods like grilled cheese with an alternative that’s tasty in itÔÇÖs own right.
Let me eat cake (please!)
The one time I slipped up was when my sister baked a cake and I couldnÔÇÖt convince her to swap to a vegan recipe. I only had a small slice, and it was worth breaking it for cake! Next time she baked I won her round to follow a vegan recipe, and it was just as tasty.
As a huge lover of baking myself, I enjoyed finding new ways to adjust old recipes to make them vegan-friendly. ThereÔÇÖs pretty much nothing you canÔÇÖt veganise nowadays, if you simply search online and place the word ÔÇÿveganÔÇÖ before it. I wanted to challenge myself, so I took recipes with dairy and eggs and found my own swaps.
The toasted coconut buns above were one thing I was pleasantly surprised with, as the recipe originally called for two eggs. With no suitable egg replacers at home, I simply increased the amount of oat milk and used milk and maple syrup to glaze. They were just as soft and rich, making me question why the recipe used eggs in the first place!
Reflection
Now January is over, there are elements of eating vegan that make it tempting to revert back to vegetarianism. ItÔÇÖs easier than trying to explain to my friends and family that thereÔÇÖs even less they can feed me now, and sometimes, all IÔÇÖm craving is a good old bar of Dairy Milk. However, I want to continue to eat vegan as much as possible. I’ll only change my diet if itÔÇÖs going to prevent food waste or if thereÔÇÖs no other option that appeals. Personally, I know that IÔÇÖd rather my diet be 90% plant-based and sustainable for me to continue than food becoming an area of guilt if I slip up.
If you fancy eating vegan for a month (it doesnÔÇÖt have to be January!), sign up here.