The vegan lifestyle has grown rapidly over the last few years globally, and South Africa is no exception. People are discovering the benefits of foregoing meat, dairy and eggs in favour of veggie burgers, nut cheese and tofu scramble. This October, ProVeg South Africa is organising the South African Vegan Challenge – encouraging anybody who’s interested in improving their health, reducing their environmental footprint or avoiding harm to animals, to try a plant-based diet for one month. ProVeg is making it as easy as (vegan) pie with daily emails to participants with helpful tips, delicious recipes and informative articles. Plus, the team will be hosting over 20 festive and educational food-centered events in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, including a vegan cheese tasting, cooking classes, film screenings, braais, dinner parties and MORE!

This challenge is a great way to begin to eat and live more consciously: we raise more than 1 billion land animals for food every year in South Africa and those numbers are continuing to grow. The last ten years have seen an increase in the consumption of pork and poultry by 77% and 63% respectively, and we are consuming more beef, eggs and dairy than ever before. All of this comes at a price, as raising animals for food contributes to climate change, deforestation, water pollution and global food shortages.

There are also major health benefits that come with consuming a plant-based diet. In South Africa, nearly 30% of men and 56% of women are either overweight or obese. Studies show that people who eat fewer animal products and more plant-based foods have lower rates of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. Lastly, but most importantly, becoming vegan benefits farm animals in South Africa, millions of whom spend their entire lives in cages or crates, not being able to exercise natural behaviour.

The South African Vegan Challenge is for everyone and taking part is easy! Simply join the challenge online, and sync your social calendar with the many events happening in October. Participation is free, but there will also be a goodie bag available to paying participants to kick-start their journey, which will include a selection of vegan products, vouchers, recipe books and merchandise.

This year, lots of restaurants will be offering vegan specials for the month of October, and various local personalities and influencers will be joining the challenge and committing to being vegan for one month to make a positive difference to their health, the planet, and animals. Keep an eye out on their social media platforms to see what fantastic vegan food they will be feasting on.

The challenge has changed the lives of many South Africans and as a result, has saved the lives of countless farm animals in South Africa.

“All of the events to keep people on track and motivated are a brilliant idea. I thought I would need to go to all of them but I found the lifestyle so easy to get into.” – Georgia, Cape Town.

This October, take a stand for animals, a more sustainable city and your health every time you sit down to eat. For more information about the challenge and a list of events, visit www.veganchallenge.co.za and join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag: #SAVeganChallenge.