Posted on: Jan 5, 2022
Veganuary is an annual challenge, run by a UK non-profit organisation that promotes and educates people about veganism. They encourage people to follow a vegan lifestyle for the month of January, and hopefully inspire them to be vegan throughout the rest of the year.
The event began in 2014, and participation has doubled each year. In 2020, 400,000 people signed up to the campaign.
By October 2020, Veganuary had surpassed one million participants!
Some stats about the growth of Veganuary:
- 582, 538 individuals signed up for Veganuary 2021.
- 1,500 + media stories were published about Veganuary.
- 259 new vegan menus were added to chain restaurants for Veganuary.
- 57 major companies took the Veganuary workplace challenge.
- 85% of participants plan to at least halve their intake of animal products after January
- 74% of participants were meat-eaters
- 22% of participants were in the 25–34 age range; 22% were 45–54 years of age; and 21% were aged 35–44
- More than half of the 2021 participants took part for ethical reasons, either to spare animals from suffering (46%) or protect the environment (21%), while 22% said health was their main motivation
- Half of the participants reported an improvement to their overall health
- More than half of non-vegan participants maintained a fully-vegan diet for the entire month (61%)
- Before participating in Veganuary, 30% planned to stay vegan at the end of their pledge but after participating 40% now plan to stay vegan
Stats on vegans and growth during 2021.
When the vegan society started their first newsletter only went out to 25 members. The Vegan trademark was introduced in 1990 to help businesses show that their products met the standard set by the Vegan Society. Today, over 56,000 products from more than 2,500 companies are registered globally. This includes 24,000 cosmetics and toiletries and 18,000 food and drink items.
There was an increase in the Vegan Society registering products from 2018 and 2019, or 49%, when 14, 262 products gained the Vegan Trademark.
After recent research, the Vegan Society revealed that 1 in 5 Brits will be incorporating vegan dishes and desserts into their Christmas dinner this year. This means an impressive 20% of us will be enjoying some kind of vegan meal or dish during the festive period.
There is growing interest in reducing meat consumption in the UK. Meat eaters have become flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans.
Flexitarians are people who eat fruit, vegetables, plant proteins, plant-based milk, eggs, and dairy (or dairy alternatives) and only occasionally eats meat or fish.
Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish. Vegetarians who eat fish are called Pescatarians.
Vegans do not eat any food derived from animals or products derived from animals.
The idea of not eating meat is far more widespread among the younger generations, such as Generation Z. These are the biggest share of adults who do not eat meat in the UK.
This has been linked to their support for climate change being the most important issue facing the planet. Research has shown that 35% of this group want to be meat-free by 2021. Because of this, meat-free food consumption will grow in importance in the British market in future years. The UK market for meat substitutes is already worth over 500 million euros, making it the largest in Europe.
How do superfood products support health and fitness?
We talked in more detail about being vegan in our November blog in 2020:
Vegans have to consider their food group choices more carefully as they cut out meat, e.g. protein.
Some foods contain protein and the other nutrients needed for a healthy diet, but if you live on a vegan diet, you often need added supplements and superfoods.
What are the benefits of superfoods? It is the high vitamin and mineral content found in superfoods that help your body ward off diseases and keep you healthier.
We have a range of superfoods that can provide some of the vitamins needed to supplement vegan diets.
Goji berries, which are handpicked in the Ningxai region of China. They are a good source of Vitamin C, and have one of the highest contents of carotenoids in all known foods. Carotenoids are plant pigments that can be converted to vitamin A in the human body, and important for eye sight and healthy skin. They help to boost immunity. Perfect for snacks, or additions to baked goods, salads, or breakfast granola, porridge and smoothies.
Spirulina Pacifica is popular, because the blue-green algae, ground to a powder, can be used to boost the nutritional value of smoothies, juices, and raw/vegan desserts. It offers a wide range of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including vitamin K1, K2, and A, as well as iron, magnesium and a range of antioxidants. All of these add to your health.
Shelled Hemp Seeds are a vegan source of omegas 3, 6 and 9, offering a source of good fatty acids – linked with improved heart health. They are also a good source of magnesium, zinc and protein.
Here is a link to all of the superfoods we offer on our website.
Two recipes with the addition of our Superfood, Hemp seeds.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli Salad
Ingredients:
- 450g sweet potato
- 410g black beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 64g chopped fresh coriander
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 lime
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp Creative Nature hemp seeds.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 fan.
- Peel and cut the sweet potato into 3/4 cubes. Add to a baking tray.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil over sweet potatoes, add the cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, making sure it covers all the potato.
- Place in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes until tender, making sure to stir halfway through.
- Whisk 2 tbsp olive oil and lime juice together and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the dressing to the sweet potatoes and black beans.
Tacos (meatless)
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 packed of Meatless Meat
- 850g black beans, drained and rinsed
- 170g sweetcorn, canned or cooked
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1tbsp Creative Nature hemp seed
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 6 small corn or flour tortillas
- 1 tub of guacamole
- 1 tub of salsa
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 3 handfuls of shredded iceberg lettuce
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the diced red onion and cook until it starts to go translucent.
- Add your chosen meatless meat to the pan and mix in with the onions. After about a minute, add the black beans and sweetcorn and mix well.
- Season with the smoked paprika, garlic powder, hemp seed and salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Cook for the amount of time your Meatless Meat requires.
- While the filling is cooking heat up your tacos (follow instructions provided on packet).
- Once your filling is cooked and your tacos are ready to eat, it’s time to fill the tacos.
- We suggest putting the filling in first followed by the shredded lettuce, guacamole, salsa and grated cheese.
- All that’s left to do now is to TUCK IN and ENJOY!