Veganuary & Plant-Based Eating

Hello Eco pals!

Hope you’re all having a fine start to 2022 so far. It’s been great seeing so many of you getting involved with Green January and tagging us in your Instagram photos with green swaps!

Today’s issue will cover plant-based deliciousness in honour of Veganuary and the record-breaking 600,000 people who’ve signed up to get involved.

Whether you’ve dabbled in plant-based eating or have taken the plunge to go vegan for January, it’s becoming more difficult to ignore the sustainability (and health) benefits of reducing meat and dairy in our diets. Fortunately, there are more and more resources out there to help us on our way to incorporating more plant-based options, making it easier than ever to eat sustainably!

(Although, if anyone else works on hospital wards where there seems to be an endless supply of Quality Street and chocolate biscuits, Veganuary is proving very challenging!)

This non-profit organisation has taken the world by storm by raising awareness about plant-based diets and encouraging 100,000s of people to pledge to go vegan for the month of January.

Their website have some great resources including recipes, nutrition tips, challenges and insightful information about environmental impacts of the food industry.

You can still sign up for Veganuary 2022 to get a copy of their celebrity vegan cookbook and email newsletter with helpful tips!

There are some great vegan alternatives on the market now, including milks, yoghurt, meats, mayo, cheeses.

Here are some great substitution ideas for home cooking:

In general, you can’t beat beans, pulses and nuts as a good bulk of protein and they are a staple ingredient in a wide range of dishes.

The Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust have implemented several forward-thinking strategies towards sustainable healthcare, including Meat-free Mondays and fruit and veg markets outside of the hospitals. Find the full sustainability report here.

If you haven’t already checked out the classics (Cowspiracy, What the Health, Game Changers, Seaspiracy), they are very worthwhile! Kiss the Ground is a Netflix documentary that explores sustainability in agriculture and the need to replenish soil and water to help combat climate change.

For diverse plant-based food inspo, follow these energetic Irish twins @thehappypear or for healthy, wholesome recipes@deliciouslyella.

Mob Kitchen have gone fully vegan for January and are sharing delicious plant-based recipes! @mobkitchen

“We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters.” - David Attenborough

New subscriber or haven’t used the calculator yet? Take our 5 minute quiz to find out!

After taking the test, make a few pledges to reduce your carbon footprint, and then have the opportunity to carbon offset the rest in Gold Standard approved projects. After all, carbon offsetting only costs up to £10 a month and is the pretty much the only way to achieve carbon net zero with today’s technology. Not convinced? Read more here.

A final thought when transitioning to a more plant-based diet is that stumbles are inevitable and are not worth getting hung up about! Ultimately, it is more beneficial to have millions of people reducing their meat and dairy intake haphazardly than than a handful of perfect vegans!

Small steps on a large scale can not only add up to improved environmental outcomes, it can make a statement to the food industry that there is a demand for sustainable food options.

Happy experimenting,

Aisling :)

Today’s issue was written by Aisling Ahluwalia, an FY2 Doctor in Leeds and Eco Medics committee member. Follow Aisling’s plant-based food blog @smash.vegan for some delicious food inspiration!