Celebrating Vegan Awareness Month
Happy November! Did you know that it’s Vegan Awareness Month? If you’ve been looking for a way to jumpstart your health, be kinder to your body, and help the environment all at the same time - then this is it. Embracing a plant-based lifestyle isn’t hard – there are tons of great foods out there waiting to be discovered. So let’s talk about why veganism is so great, as well as some quick tips to get you started.
Plant-based Health Benefits for People
You don’t have to look hard to find good reasons to embrace a plant-based lifestyle. For one, you’ll get more nutrients, period. This benefit increases the more you include fresh, whole foods (rather than processed) into your daily diet.
Since a plant-based diet is higher in fiber and lower in calories and saturated fats, it can lead to healthy, sustainable weight loss. This is even if you don’t count calories and eat until you are full (making healthy choices, of course).
Also, it’s better for your body. A plant-based diet can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, even prevent the development of diabetes and arthritis. Awesome!
For a wonderful primer on the health benefits of a plant-based diet, take a look at our Plant-Based 101.
Plant-based Benefits for the Planet
Our choices are no longer just about us, what we choose to consume can also have a sustainable impact on our ecosystem. While you can certainly reduce carbon emissions by making other choices, such as driving an electric vehicle, plant-based eating can help you make an immediate change by reducing your carbon footprint.
One major contributor towards climate change is methane gas, and a big source is animal gas. The fewer animals we raise for meat, the less negative impact those animals will have on the environment.
In addition, meat production takes a lot of water; in fact it takes on average 2400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat. When you consider that ½ of the water in the United States goes to meat production, you can see how reducing your meat consumption can help conserve water.
Getting Started with a Plant-Based Diet
You can get a good start with a plant-based diet with just a bit of planning. If you try to just “wing it” you’ll either find yourself hungry and reaching for an unhealthy snack, or reverting to old habits.
Use a cookbook like The 22-Day Revolution Cookbook to find delicious recipes to start with. Spend an afternoon each weekend preparing and putting aside a few make ahead meals, soups, or slow cooker meals for the week ahead. If you’re busy, consider signing up for meal delivery, like our Vegan Meal Delivery, to have freshly prepared plant-based meals delivered to your home.
However you do it, just take action. You can embrace a vegan lifestyle and enjoy all of the benefits. Give it a few weeks (try it for 22 Days!) and you’ll feel like a whole new person.