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You may choose to go vegan for your health, the planet, or the billions of animals slaughtered each year for food. They’re all good reasons to move meat and dairy off of your plate for Veganuary and make room for plant-based food instead.
Vegan food is everywhere these days. From the fresh, whole foods at our local supermarkets and farmers markets to the not-so-healthy-but-still-healthier-than-meat-and-dairy vegan junk food options at fast-food chains around the world, it’s never been easier to go vegan, and Veganuary is the perfect time to start.
There are scores of studies pointing to the benefit of eating a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables. But there’s good reason to leave meat off the plate entirely—even prior to the covid link to animal consumption.
According to the World Health Organization, regular consumption of red and processed meats can greatly increase the risk of certain types of cancer; eating fewer than two slices of bacon a day increased the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18 percent.
Just like reducing or fully eliminating meat from our diets is good for our health, it’s better for the planet, too. According to the United Nations Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture Programme, reducing intensively farmed meat consumption is “good for people and the planet.”
A 2018 study conducted by Beyond Meat and the University of Michigan found a big gain in reducing GHGs by reducing meat consumption. The study found that swapping beef burgers for plant-based options just three times a week on average could save the equivalent emissions produced by 12 million cars. Ready to get started? Here’s some Veganuary motivation.
101 Reasons to Eat Vegan
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Lentils
- Black Beans
- Cauliflower Steak
- Burritos
- Coconut Smoothies
- Veggie Pret
- Cashew Cheese
- Beyond Burgers
- Beyond Chicken
- Vegan Ben and Jerry’s
- The One Trillion Fish Caught From the Oceans for Food
- Pretzels
- Peanut Butter
- Tomato Soup
- Red and Processed Meat’s Cancer Risk
- Ramen Hood (a Los Angeles must)
- Impossible Nuggets
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Tofu
- Eggless Mayo
- Hong Kong’s Vegan Movement
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen and Plant Chef Vegan Ranges
- Baby Cows
- Seaweed
- Keeping CO2 Out of the Atmosphere
- Kale
- Croutons
- Lemons
- All the Vegan Brands JAY-Z Invests In
- The McPlant
- Tickling a Pig’s Belly
- Low Cholesterol
- Olives
- Vegan Butter
- Hummus
- Steamed Broccoli
- Artichokes
- Feeding Blueberries to Chickens
- Watermelon
- IKEA’s Vegan Meatballs
- Veggie Dumplings
- Tofurky Roasts
- Vegan Butchers
- Deforestation
- Guacamole
- Spotted Owls
- Popcorn
- The Paris Agreement
- Greta Thunberg
- Gelatin-Free Gummies
- Gelatin-Free Marshmallows
- Dark Chocolate
- So. Many. Antioxidants. From. Plants.
- Oat Milk Tastes Better Than Cow’s Milk
- Flax Seeds
- Vegan Ribs
- Hot Sauce
- Oyster Mushroom Fried Chicken Like Lizzo Makes
- Vegan Tuna
- More Fiber
- Seitan
- Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing
- Pickles
- The 1.5 Billion Pigs Killed for Food Every Year
- Impossible Whoppers
- Juicy Marbles Vegan Steak
- Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
- Starbucks Vegan Lattes
- Dairy Farmers Switching to Vegan Milk
- Starbucks’ No Longer Charging for Vegan Milk
- Dairy Farmers Switching to Vegan Milk
- Regenerative Agriculture
- IKEA’s Vegan Hot Dogs
- Dairy-Free Cheeseburgers
- Plant-Based Corned Beef
- Tempeh
- Cauliflower Wings
- 46 Million Thanksgiving Turkeys
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Billie Eilish
- Avocado Toast
- Candy Apples
- 39 Million Cattle Raised for Milk and Meat
- Lewis Hamilton
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Black Bean Soup
- Vegan Sausages
- Chia Seed Pudding
- IKEA’s Vegan Ice Cream
- Kite Hill’s Dairy-Free Ravioli
- Dosa
- 50 Billion Chickens Killed for Meat
- 300 Million Chickens Caged for Their Eggs
- The 8,100 Vegan Restaurants Worldwide
- Reduced Cholesterol
- Your Health
- Your Planet
Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels