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Make living healthy easy in the new year with Veganuary
Veganuary, a month-long challenge in January to try vegan, offers you a supportive community, lots of recipes and daily motivation to help you stick to your healthy New Year’s Resolutions this year.
Probably one of the most common New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier, lose weight, or to get more fit. At one stage or another, most of us have had these as our New Year’s resolutions, but how long did it last? Did you make it past the dreaded Quitter’s Day, 19 January, when most people are likely to give up on their New Year’s resolutions?
According to research conducted by Strava, using over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019, most people are likely to give up on their New Year’s resolution before 19 January. Aptly called “Quitter’s Day”.
By signing up for the free Veganuary challenge, living a healthier, plant-based lifestyle is easier, enjoyable and significantly improves your chances of sticking to your healthy resolutions past January. When you register to join the Veganuary challenge, you receive 31 daily emails full of helpful advice, recipes, nutritional info and more. You are also invited to join a closed Facebook group with fellow participants past and present who can help answer your specific questions. Best of all, it is completely free – perfect for that wafer-thin Janu-worry budget.
And after we have indulged in all those delicious festive delights, getting back into a healthy eating plan can be just what we need to start the year off on the right note. According to ProVeg International, it is now widely accepted that a plant-based diet offers many benefits compared with a diet centred on animal products. While animal-based diets carry several health risks, a rich and varied plant-based diet can offer prevention and treatment of a host of modern lifestyle diseases, including some forms of cancer and hypertension.
Dr Nanine Wyma, Managing Director of the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) South Africa, agrees.
“A whole food plant-based diet has been proven to help with the management and prevention of lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity. A balanced plant-based diet is suitable for all stages of life as well as athletes. Eating whole plant foods including vegetables, fruits, beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds will provide a diet that is high in fibre with zero cholesterol and adequate amounts of protein.”
What is Veganuary?
Veganuary is a non-profit organisation that encourages people worldwide to try a vegan diet and lifestyle during January and, hopefully, beyond. Veganuary also encourages and supports people and businesses to move to a plant-based diet as a way of protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering, and improving the health of millions of people. Veganuary inspired more than half a million people to try a vegan lifestyle during their 2021 campaign – with participants from over 200 countries and territories.
Veganuary in South Africa
Although beautifully diverse, South Africans share a love for food and gatherings. We are a social nation known for our hospitality and mouthwatering cuisine. But we are also a very unhealthy nation, with the Western Cape Government reporting that 25.1% of men and 62.2% of women in South Africa are obese, with many struggling with resulting illnesses.
Veganism has gained popularity in South Africa in recent years, with several successful vegan restaurants popping up across the country. According to Forbes, Johannesburg is rated as one of the top 10 vegan-friendly world cities. Some of our national fast-food chains have also joined the movement, including meat-free options on their menus. There is also a vast selection of delicious plant-based foods already available in South Africa, including an ever-growing range of affordable alternatives to animal products, such as meat, eggs, and milk. You can also choose a low-cost, whole-foods plant-based lifestyle with everyday grocery store items. A vegan lifestyle is accessible to everyone, during Veganuary and beyond.
On local soil, ProVeg South Africa is a partner of Veganuary and will share various tips and delicious recipes to use for any occasion. They will also be promoting several events to celebrate the exciting month of Veganuary. No one has to go at it alone. Be part of a community that cares about making the best decisions for humans, animals, and the planet.
For more information from ProVeg South Africa or to set up interviews, please contact:
Arleen Nel
Communication Coordinator (ProVeg South Africa)
T: 072 649 2346
Simamkele Cikizwa Nyembezi
Programmes Assistant (ProVeg South Africa)
T: 071 813 5743
Media contact for Veganuary:
Toni Vernelli
International Head of Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
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ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organisation working to transform the global food system by replacing animal-based products with plant-based and cultured alternatives.
ProVeg works with decision-making bodies, companies, investors, the media, and the general public to help the world transition to a society and economy that are less reliant on animal agriculture and more sustainable for all humans, animals, and our planet.
ProVeg has offices in nine countries across four continents and is active around the world. ProVeg has permanent observer status with the UNFCCC, special consultative status with ECOSOC is accredited for UNEA, and has received the United Nations’ Momentum for Change Award.
