Monthly Musings: January aka Plant Power 2020

To kick start 2020 and the month of January, it only seems right that we talk about Veganuary. Going Vegan for January – adopting a plant-based diet, lifestyle and mindset for the month – is such an amazing initiative. Taking the pledge adds you to the more than half a million individuals worldwide who have given up animal products for the month. Since 2014, Veganuary has encouraged people in 178 countries to take the pledge, with more than ¼ of a million in 2019 alone. It is not surprising to hear that last year in the UK, more than 500 brands, restaurants and supermarkets promoted the campaign and launched more than 200 new plant-based products and menus in the market.

Not just for January, the Veganuary non-profit organisation encourages and supports people and business throughout the year to show how amazing veganism really is. And 98% of people can’t be wrong as they would recommend Veganuary to a friend. There are so many reasons to participate and Veganuary have noted that 34% of pledgers do so for the animals, 46% for their health, 12% for the environment and 8% for other amazing reasons.

But this post is not about sounding preachy or judging anyone in any way for the choices they make, I simply want to show off how amazing this campaign is.

While I never took the pledge myself – I had not heard of it before naturally transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle myself – I think it can be a wonderful way to try it out. Without the pressure of being vegan for life, you can see it as a little experiment, a test, something fun to do with friends for a month and see how you feel.

Eating Cake in London

Eating Cake in London

And you can’t “fail”. You may have a moment where you choose something that contains animal products, or you consume something accidentally, but it’s OK. We are not perfect. The important thing is to carry on, let it go and move on to the next meal. It’s similar to people saying they could never be vegan because they can’t give up eggs. That’s fine, be vegan in every other part of your diet and keep the eggs… they’ll probably fall by the wayside after time, anyway. The same with cheese, bacon sandwiches… do everything that you can but don’t deprive yourself as you’ll feel like your life is lacking. And veganism is anything but dull and boring.

A few quick tips to a successful Veganuary and beyond…

  1. Take a look at the Veganuary website and find out more about the campaign.
  2. Follow some new vegan food accounts and blogs, read a few plant-based recipe cookbooks to inspire you to get in the kitchen.
  3. Research restaurant chains offering vegan meals, so you know where to dine out.
  4. Get your friends and family involved.
  5. Document your meals, how you feel, your energy, what you found harder and easier than expected.
  6. Take a look at my previous Veganuary article.
  7. Read about Vegan Egg replacements.
  8. Take a look at my Vegan Milk and Dairy post.
  9. Read more about living a vegan lifestyle, too.
  10. Take a look at my brand-new eBook with 12 exclusive plant-based recipes to nourish you this Veganuary and forevermore (coming soon!!).
  11. Have a quick google of a few famous faces who embrace veganism.
  12. Watch some documentaries for a different take on the plant-based movement.

Being vegan isn’t for everyone right now but how about for a month? The world will not magically turn vegan overnight but each day more and more people are persuaded by the benefits that it brings – and all of those people can’t be wrong! For me, it was the best decision that I ever made and every time I feed my friends and family a plant-based meal or snack or gift them a cruelty-free present, it feels amazing. It’s quite literally, the gift of life.

All facts about Veganuary are taken from the Veganuary website, linked above.

  1. Sophiedlol says:

    Happy New Year 🥳 2020 Amy and into a new decade. Send my best wishes to your parents, bro and Mickey from me and my parents. My dog 🐶 says woofs to your cat.
    I am trying out new vegan foods let a known I am not vegan- I think having a bit of everything. I do feel bad when I don’t choose vegan foods but like you say it doesn’t matter. We are all different and you honestly inspire me every day with your culinary delights. You are such a great friend to me, I so hope I can start out in my beginner cook/lifestyle food page of my self. I so can’t wait wait to read your e book 📚 been waiting so long for it and yay 😁 I am over the moon.
    Yes Veganuary team and their socials is such great info on veganism etc. Brilliant info and during Xmas I watched The GameChangers movie on Netflix. It was amazing and our local sport hero Lewis Hamilton featured on it!!! Movie was so inspirational 😊🌱😋xxxx
    Looking forward to hopefully seeing you and events in London and at pot luck events as well.
    *Amy you are never preachy at all and all of your fellow food bloggers have given me such encouragement and not judgemental that I am non vegan at events. You are super Amy 😊🌱🙉🌴Hope you liked Australia 🇦🇺 I definitely miss my travels xxxx

  2. Sophiedlol says:

    Saved to WordPress collection. Yay I have caught up with your new blog posts

  3. Asha says:

    Just found you via Coconut bowl website, can’t stop browsing about you.

  4. […] I also have lots more tips on my website in my Veganuary post here, my dairy hacks post 1 and 2, my egg replacement hack post, my vegan lifestyle post and my Veganuary 2020 post! […]

  5. […] Dairy Hacks I and Dairy Hacks II, Egg Hacks, Vegan Lifestyle Advice and my previous Veganuary and Plant Power posts has a lot more information, […]

  6. […] more reading, have a look at my Veganuary 2019 and Veganuary 2020 posts as well as my November World Vegan Day 2018, World Vegan Month 2019 and celebrating World […]

Leave a Reply