Veganism: it’s easier than you think
Written by Laura Dewhurst, Alumni Communications and Engagement Ambassador
Veganuary is the new January for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe each year. The aim is simple – eat vegan for a month. Five years ago, I signed myself up, determined but apprehensive; what am I actually going to eat, I wondered.
Five fully vegan years later, I can safely say, lots! Similarly, many people continue to be fully, or mostly, vegan after completing Veganuary. Of the 2021 Veganuary cohort, 30% were fully vegan 6 months later, and another 38% ate at least 75% less meat and animal products compared to pre-Veganuary1. On trying veganism, here in the UK, the extreme challenge I had anticipated turned out to be much easier than I thought. Here are just a few reasons why:
1) My familiar favourites are still on the menu
Going vegan, I thought painful goodbyes to many of my favourite foods inevitable. In reality, almost everything can be adapted: my pizzas became sprinkled with vegan cheese; lasagne sheets were stuffed with soya mince or vegetable medleys; my cereal was doused in oat milk; my chips were dolloped with vegan mayonnaise; and my cakes were baked with easy egg substitutions, such as flaxseed. Honestly, I usually can’t tell the difference, and often prefer the vegan alternative. And I’m not stuck for places to eat out either. From independent eateries to big chain names, it’s rare for places in the UK not to offer vegan options nowadays.
You can find lots of vegan options across UCL cafés, and to help you make some simple swaps, in all of the Students' Union cafés plant milk is even set as the default milk option.
If you doubt how much variety there is check out Mob's quick vegan recipe list. They have a whole host of recipes to show just how much choice there is, and even better they all take less than 30 minutes to make.
2) There are lots of accidentally vegan everyday foods
Ingredients can differ by brand, but often, many everyday foods, such as most breads and dried pastas, are vegan without even trying. And you don’t have to give up on many treat foods such as Rowntree’s Jelly Tots, Lotus Biscoff biscuits, or Walkers crisp flavours, from salt and vinegar to prawn cocktail, any time soon either2. You probably eat a lot of vegan foods already, without even knowing it.
3) Veganism has opened up a new world of foods to me
By going vegan, a whole new world of foods and recipes has opened up to me. I’ve become much more adventurous with my cooking, incorporating a whole range of ingredients that I’d never used before. I don’t miss what I can’t have; I look forward to all the new things that I can!
If you’re thinking of introducing more vegan eating into your diet, keep in mind your why, whether that’s from reducing your carbon footprint, to preventing animal suffering, to boosting your health, to discovering a treasure trove of extremely tasty foods. I feel more energised now than I ever have, getting all the nutrients I need from a varied diet, whilst taking a vegan supplement to top anything up. To me, being vegan is an opportunity to explore more food options, whilst still enjoying all my familiar favourites – it certainly doesn’t feel like a trial – something I wouldn’t have expected to say before I started 5 years ago.
If you're thinking of giving veganuary a try be sure to visit the Veganuary website where you can signup for a free cookbook to provide you with inspiration and ideas on what you can look forward to. Also be sure to follow @theunioncafes on Instagram where we'll be spotlighting some of the vegan meals on campus you can enjoy.
1. https://veganuary.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Veganuary-2022-End-Of-Campaign-Report.pdf
2. https://veganuary.com/accidentally-vegan-products-uk/
3. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/the-vegan-diet/