You may or may not be aware of World Vegan Day, which falls annually on 1st November, and is a global event to celebrate and spread awareness for veganism. World Vegan Day originated in England 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary for the Vegan Society and draw attention to the positive benefits of being vegan. These include health benefits and contribution to animal and environmental protection. It doesn’t just stop with World Vegan Day though, World Vegan Month starts 1st November with an entire month to celebrate!
There are plenty of fun activities people engage in for World Vegan Day, such as setting up stalls, hosting potlucks, planting memorial trees, handing out flyers and making delicious vegan recipes. The list is endless, and is all to spread awareness of the positive impact veganism can have on not only your health (both physical and mental), but also for animal welfare and the environment.
Vegan diets provide many nutrients which are important for mood and health, such as being rich in antioxidants and vitamins, as well as reducing risk of cardiac diseases associated with meat intake. It is also important when starting a vegan diet to make sure you are eating enough and a wide variety to ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need. Foods which are high in nutrients for vegan diets include fruits/vegetables, nuts/seeds, legumes (e.g. beans, lentils), tofu etc. and there are plenty of dairy alternatives (e.g. soy/coconut/almond milk). Another benefit of veganism is that is protects animal life, and a reduction in the demand for animal products due to veganism ensures that fewer animals are bred in masses to be slaughtered. This also leads to a positive environmental impact, as less destruction of wildlife is necessary, as well as less water usage. It is already well known that meat and dairy, from farms, have a negative effect on climate change, and veganism is a step in the right direction to help combat this.
There are plenty of fun activities and recipes to try out for World Vegan Day, such as creating flyers to spread awareness or trying out new vegan recipes you find online to give to friends and family. And it doesn’t just end with one day, World Vegan Month starts 1st November, so you can try being vegan (even just one day a week) and see if you enjoy it!
How can you prepare for World Vegan Day and World Vegan Month? You can always spread the word to friends and family, and encourage them to try being vegan for the day or month. There are many vegan recipes (for example online BBC Good Food or the Jamie Oliver website) or order some vegan food from restaurants as thankfully there are more and more vegan options!