Are you feeling up to a challenge? World Vegan Day is November 1st, but the entire month is also dedicated to the plant-based diet. People worldwide are being encouraged to try veganism out and see how they feel at the end of it!
The Vegan Challenge
Grammy-award winning songwriter and producer Jermaine Dupri has been vegan for over a decade and is joining forces with 25madison’s start-up, The Beet.
The Beet aims to educate Americans on the importance of our diets and help people achieve their wellness goals. The organization can help people switch to veganism or simply add more plants to their plates.
Dupri says being vegan has improved his life and wants everyone to feel the same change. As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, now is as good a time as any to nourish our bodies in wholesome ways.
Whether you choose to eat vegan meals for the full 30 days and beyond, a week, or only one day a week, it’s a step in the right direction!
Making The Change
According to The Beet and the Plant-Based Food Association, more and more people are looking to do just that. Since the beginning of the pandemic, sales of plant-based foods are up by 148%. And meat sales have dropped for the first time in six years!
And as a sure sign of the times, vegan butcher shops are popping up around the world. In London, Rudy’s Vegan Butcher offers plant-based lookalike products, such as “bay-con,” “chili non-carne,” and “shredded BBQ porc.”
What Is The Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet means eating only plant-based foods. Meat is forbidden, but so are eggs and dairy. Anything that was derived from an animal is a big no-no when it comes to going vegan.
Vegans get the fuel for their bodies through fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Vegan Benefits
Follow the vegan diet correctly by eating only wholesome plant-based foods, and you will undoubtedly reap the benefits!
Although I am not yet vegan, my family eats mostly plant-based foods (call us flexitarians, at this stage!). I always feel more energetic and better in my skin after eating vegan meals.
And it’s no wonder; naturally low in fat and rich in nutrients, studies show the vegan diet is good for the heart, protects against certain cancers, and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Do It Right!
Finding supplements to certain nutrients you get from animal products is essential, though. You need to find other ways to get your daily intake of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-12.
I recommend following a vegan blog or purchasing a vegan cookbook. The Oh She Glows Cookbook, Vegan Recipies To Glow From The Inside Out, by Angela Liddon is one of my favorites!
Liddon swears that going vegan has changed her life and helped her overcome an eating disorder. Her skin glows, her energy levels are sky-high, and her chronic IBS has lessened in severity.
Check out her books for fresh and flavourful vegan foods that cover all the bases!
So, what do you say? Are you up for the vegan challenge?