Nowadays, more people are seeking a healthier lifestyle in hopes of building their immune system and fighting the potentially fatal Covid-19. Going plant-based may feel like a no brainer at a time in history where we must take responsibility for our health, and protect ourselves and our loved ones in every way possible. Consuming more fruits, veggies, grains, and healthy fats while avoiding all meat and dairy products is proven to reverse many health problems. Arterial clogging is the main contributor to the number one killer in the U.S. (heart disease) which is caused by the consumption of cholesterol (only found in animal products.) The key to building up your immune system starts on your plate. Get those greens!

Going vegan doesn’t have to happen overnight. Many people ease their way into it so that their efforts promote lasting change. Veganuary is a completely free 31-day at-home challenge provided to inspire people to try a vegan lifestyle. The website allows you to take a vegan pledge for the month of January guided by a personal coach. Meal plans and easy to follow recipes are provided. It helps you transition into a lifestyle that not only will benefit you and help you combat many types of health issues. You will also be making a huge contribution to the betterment of our environment and saving lots of innocent animals’ lives.

Why Go Vegan?

Whether you’re an animal lover, an environmentalist, or passionate about good nutrition, veganism is a suitable lifestyle for people of all ages, including infants and the elderly. 

For the animals:

“We torture them in the name of money and greed and call ourselves a lover of animals. We rip them from their lands and discard them as garbage. We use them for coats when we needn’t. We forcefully drive them from rainforests to make way for cattle grazing. We empty our oceans too quickly to repopulate, and we dump fishing materials that deplete various species. We test makeup on them so we don’t burn our skin and we poison their bodies when various alternatives and brands widely exist.

We race them and make them fight or perform tricks for our entertainment through starvation or beating. We breed cats and dogs at such a rapid rate that senior pets and abandoned animals are put down because nobody wants them. We tail dock them to make a sweater of wool or pluck their feathers out for the filling of a jacket. We wear their skin as boots or purses and use them for the seats of our cars when we don’t need to. We display their antlers or heads on our walls to please the eye. We hunt them for fun. We mutilate them, kidnap their babies, and drink their breast milk and eat their flesh. We throw their babies in macerators as they are deemed useless to the industry. We gas them to death to eat their bodies.” -Susie Pinon

For your health:

Lots of people who don’t agree with the vegan lifestyle think that you will become deficient in something and fall ill when you go vegan. With every change in diet, you should consult your physician to tailor your needs based on  your body. And while plant based eating is certainly a healthier way to live, it’s essential to remember that just because something is vegan does not make it healthy. Opting for whole, unaltered plant based foods in the closest way to how nature intended it will serve you best. 

For the environment: Read about 17 major reasons here.

Eating a vegan diet is the single most effective step you can take to reduce your carbon footprint by up to 73%. For every meal that you choose vegan, you are:

  1. Conserving Water (devastating act: ¼ of freshwater is used to operate the meat and dairy industry.) Annually, one vegan preserves 200,000+ gallons of water per year
  2. Keep Soil Clean
  3. Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  4. Reduce World Hunger: most crops used to feed livestocks are shipped from countries where there are many people starving. Livestock feed production largely impacts food availability.

How to Educate Yourself

You won’t learn everything at once. It takes time, and it’s not expected of you to know everything when you first start out, or even in the first few years of being vegan and so on. Learning is eternal, and when it comes to nutrition and good health, it is worth the investment to take the time to learn.

Vegan documentaries to watch:

Don’t Forget Your Why

If you’re planning to go vegan because you think it’s a cool fad, you will never last. Just doing something to jump on the bandwagon won’t fulfill you and you will never sustain the lifestyle. When people ask me why I am vegan, in one sentence I sum it up like this. “I realized that I no longer wanted to contribute to the torture and killing of innocent animals when I can thrive without eating dead animals.” 

Of course, I care about the environmental effects of the animal agriculture industry as well, but I initially went vegan for the animals and my health. That is my “why” and it makes me want to stay vegan. I don’t secretly eat animal products while promoting plant based living. I am a living, breathing, passionate vegan who made the connection that you simply cannot love animals and eat them, too. I also considered how many vegans die of clogged arteries, and the vast data connected the dots and pushed me over the edge. 

Going vegan is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family, especially now. Take the leap and sign up for Veganuary today to put your best foot forward this new year towards a healthier life.