Veganuary: Should you go vegan in January?

Blog

Dec 31

In January, many of us eagerly make New Year’s resolutions to better our health, our personalities, our financial positions, you name it. At Boosh Food, we mark the calendar change by taking part in the annual Veganuary challenge. Some to great success, some not so much. And that’s OK because we believe adding any number of plant-based meals to your diet is better than not adding any.

Since 2014, over a million people from 192 countries have gone plant-based with a vegan diet in January, or aptly named Veganuary. They’ve eliminated all meat, dairy and animal by-products from diets and lifestyles for the month, giving the vegan lifestyle a test run. While that’s an admirable goal, it’s a challenging one.

If you can go completely vegan – awesome! If the idea is daunting to you, we recommend taking baby steps. Start with Meatless Monday, adding a second meatless night every other week. List your favourite vegan foods (nuts, avocados, almond milk etc.) and mix them into your everyday meals. Start having vegan lunches every other day. When you’re ready, endeavour to go plant-based for one entire day.

Everybody loves a list, so we’re sharing our list of Veganuary tips to help you eat more plant-based meals at your own pace.

1. Stock the pantry with plant-based go-to’s

Have some easy meals ready to make if you're h-ANGRY, cranky or tired: crispbreads and nut butter, canned chick peas and dried lentils, frozen fruit/vegetables and protein powder to make a quick shake. Or load up your bag with protein bars and nuts if you're out and about and nothing is easily available.

2. Have a plus-one cooking buddy

Make soups and stews in a batch and trade meals with a friend you’ve wrangled into trying Veganuary with you. Try ethnic recipes like South Asian curries or Japanese ramen soup. Share in single portioned containers as a homemade meal exchange (this will stop the “I guess I’ll have salad again tonight” scenario).

3. Make cooking easy and convenient

Admittedly, cooking can get tiring, and you want variety. Head to the freezer section of your local grocery store and pick up some Boosh Food. Load up your freezer with Mac & Cheeze & Peas or Mexican Fiesta Bowls. Then you can pop one into the microwave for some comfort food on those days when you just don’t feel like eating your cooking, again.

4. Set a table for two with options

You may be trying Veganuary on your own. And our partners or friends may not be so happy about such a drastic dietary change. Figure out some "together" meal options. Try roasting veggies with "choose your protein" burgers. Pull together a charcuterie board with vegan cheese and spreads. Or try a Boosh Food Rustic Veggie Pot Pie for Two Entrée. Then you can share the "eat together" vibe with your partner.

5. Reward yourself … without food

Whether you’ve gone 100% vegan for a day, a week or a month, celebrate your milestones with a treat that has nothing to do with food.

Eating plant-based food as part of Veganuary is a lot more achievable a New Years’ resolution than, say, running a marathon or learning how to play the guitar. Trust us; we’ve tried. You’ll likely eat something that wasn’t vegan (and not realize it until after the fact). Don’t feel terrible or that you’ve totally messed up Veganuary. It's easy to feel like it's hard to make dietary changes like this, so don't be tough on yourself. And really, we won’t tell.