January is Veganuary

Linda Johnson, a member of Green Christian, explains why she adopted a vegan lifestyle

Editor’s comment: Whilst only a small percent of members of Green Christian are vegans, many members aim for a more vegan diet – for environmental footprint, carbon footprint, animal welfare and health reasons.

The campaign Veganuary encourages people to become vegan in the month of January. November 1st is World Vegan Day Link to statistics on Veganism in the UK

Why adopt a Vegan lifestyle?

I took up the challenge of becoming vegan by following Veganuary in 2017 because I wanted to reduce the impact I had on the planet.

Emissions caused by the farming of animals, poultry and fish for food are calculated as contributing at least 14.5% of world-wide CO2 total.

It also seemed to me to be crazy to be using land to produce food to feed to animals which we could eat ourselves, especially as every 100 calories we feed to an animal only provides 10 in return.

Brazilians use 5.6 million acres of land* to grow soya beans which are sold to Europe for animal feed – Brazilians are becoming impoverished so that we can feed farm cattle which we then eat. Instead, they could be using the land to grow plant proteins which they can eat themselves. As only a third of the land and much less water is required for a vegan diet, Brazil could probably grow enough protein crops to sustain them and us as well, if we became vegan.

I frequently get asked whether I really think I can get all the nutrients my body needs – the answer is yes!

The only vitamin which is lacking in a vegan diet without supplementation is Vitamin B12 – but Vitamin B12 is added to many products for the general population, such as milk alternatives and breakfast cereals. Many vegan spreads contain Vitamin B12 and nutritional yeast flakes, which have a nutty taste, can be added to soups, stews, quiches, lasagne, dips and burgers. Or there are vitamin tablets, which also ensure there is enough iodine in the diet. Everything else – protein, iron, trace vitamins, omega 3 & 6, calcium etc – is all readily available from the vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds which I eat.

We know there is food poverty in the world, with too many people undernourished or even starving. Yet we waste valuable land by using it unsustainably to produce animal protein. This is without considering the ethics of farming animals for food, which I now think is unjustifiable. Or those CO2 emissions!

Being vegan is a way of life. It’s a way of living which seeks to exclude as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. Vegans avoid meat, fish, shellfish, insects, dairy, eggs and honey as well as products tested on animals, and products such as leather which is only available because an animal has been killed.

Both for climate and animal welfare, I think the commitment to veganism is compelling.

AND – Because there is a lower incidence of Type 2 Diabetes and raised blood pressure in vegans, it’s healthy, too!
(Ed: provided you choose a healthy vegan diet as opposed to a junk food vegan diet)


This post is slightly updated from the post first published in Oct 2019


Next:

Previous:

Date: 22 December, 2024 | Category: News |Topics: | Comments: 4


Comments on "January is Veganuary"

Ruth Jarman:

January 3, 2025

Yes, I think I agree with you, Tony, we need to eat a whole lot less meat and dairy, which means a lot of us need to be either vegan, or verging on that. And the B12 deficiency is easily dealt with - I made a lovely macaroni cheese last night using the B12-enriched cheesy yeast extract instead of cheese.

anthony roper:

January 1, 2025

When the Loaf campaign was first promoted quite a few years ago it seemed a very good idea. Having both learnt a lot about how our food is produced and seen the rapid rise of factory farming methods, particularly in animal agriculture and learned that over 80% of arable land is use to grow animal feed, I don't think it goes far enough. For me a wholefood plant based way of eating is more compassionate, more animal friendly, and causes less animal suffering. I read recently that many people are B12 deficient, I don't suppose they are all vegans?

anthony roper:

January 6, 2019

I agree Christians need to think about the food they put in their mouths. Going vegan makes sense on so many levels. I like, so many others, prefer to think of my food as whole grain, plant based.

Barry Miles:

November 5, 2018

Ed.- Even a junk food vegan diet would be a lot more healthy than a junk food omnivore diet! This is because much of what damages us is from animal based products. Actually, I don't know any vegans who follow a junk food diet. I suppose one could eat chips every day, but I don't know of anyone who does that.


Add your own comment to "January is Veganuary"

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.