Veganuary
Why not try Veganuary, this January? Judith Russenberger talks about what it is like to be vegan
Editor’s comment: Whilst only some Green Christian members are vegans, most of us aim for a more vegan diet – see our LOAF campaign.
I became a vegan back in 2019, having previously been vegetarian for a couple of years.
I enjoy cooking and find great variety and taste in vegan food.
Each week I precooked four or five different varieties of beans and peas – having different colours (you can get black, white, red and pinto beans, pink, blue, green and yellow peas, several different shades of brown curling peas) and textures (some firm that hold their shape well, others that are soft and smooth). To this variety, I add lentils (and they too come in a rainbow variety), different sorts of nuts and different forms of tofu.
Add to this the diverse range of vegetables and fruits, grains and spices, and you quickly see how variety is the very nature of a vegan diet.
But this is not the reason why I follow a vegan diet – although it is a welcome plus! A vegan diet is more sustainable in terms of its carbon footprint, water footprint (how much water is needed to produce it) and land footprint. It is a diet that, if widely adopted, can sustainably ensure enough food for everyone – even in a world where the population reaches 10 billion. It is also kinder to animals, and in particular can release land for re-wilding and thus improves the wellbeing of wildlife. It is also healthier – for humans and the planet.
What I find frustrating is that my choice to follow such a sustainable, eco-friendly diet is often looked down upon by others as being unimportant or even deviant – whereas following a diet that involves killing and eating sentient creatures is seen as normal.
I recognise that not everyone will want to follow a vegan diet but what I would commend is the Planetary Health Diet which is designed to both optimise human health and the health of the planet. Whilst it promotes higher proportions of fruit, vegetables and pulses, it does allow for meat and dairy but in much smaller portions than has become the norm. They have a super two minute video that explains it all.
And here are some tips on swopping to a vegan diet from my blog.
Judith Russenberger is a member of Green Christian writes a blog greentau.org
And here are a couple of quotes from another Green Christian member, Colin McCulloch, to help us remember those pulses:
Pulses – the beating heart of a healthier, planet friendly diet!
and
People without pulses are usually dead đ
Comments on "Veganuary"
tony roper:
I think the comments about the environmental benefits of grazing animals is a bit of a smokescreen. Yes I think they have a place, dung beetles come to mind. The truth is however that most animals people eat never see a grass field but spend their miserable short life in filthy conditions crowded together to make as much money as possible fo the owners. Then they are killed and chopped up by people who spend their lives carrying out the job for others and meanwhile often paid the lowest of wages. For me I'd prefer to live a kinder life, which values both animals and people and treats them as I think Jesus would
Barbara Echlin:
I support Drawdownâs take on this with farmers using regenerative grazing practices â where they still graze livestock â for the environmental benefits. âIf we can improve grazing practices and see some environmental benefits, letâs do it. But that should not get in the way of reducing the massive levels of livestock grazing we have in the first place.â And I don't see how cows can be described as carbon neutral as methane is such a potent GH gas. And cows and sheep can graze around solar panels if they are planned to enable that to happen.
Ruth Jarman:
Thanks, Melanie, yes we absolutely need to support our British Farmers. Grazing animals can be used in very low numbers on large areas to help with rewilding, regeneration and carbon absorption. For us to be able to do this we need to reduce our meat consumption drastically - moving to small quantities of high welfare local meat and dairy.
Miss Melanie Fryer:
I disagree, eat plenty of dairy for fat and meat for protein. Support British Farms and know where your food comes from i.e. the farm that produced it. I would rather see grazing animals which are carbon negative than fields full of solar panels or batteries.
Ruth Jarman:
Love it!
Judith Russenberger:
And some excellent slogans -Pulses - the beating heart of a healthier, planet friendly diet!People without pulses are usually dead!
Judith Russenberger:
Some further reading! Beans, beans, the more you eat, the more your ⌠meals are healthier and cheaper | Beans, pulses and legumes | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/dec/17/beans-beans-the-more-you-eat-the-more-your-meals-are-healthier-and-cheaper
Karen Burridge:
Thank you Judith. I am a vegetarian, married for 30 years to a staunch meat eater. Over the years I have introduced more and more vegetarian and more recently vegan meals into our diet, including some that now rank in his 'top ten'. Some of the issues around adopting any reduced meat diet is showing that there is no loss of taste and variety.
Cat Jenkins:
Thanks for this encouraging post, Judith. I'm not vegan myself, but rarely buy meat these days (I'll eat it if I'm given it as a guest somewhere).
Ruth Jarman:
Yes, this seems a good compromise, Margaret, as this might work better in terms of encouraging people to to join us.
Margaret Roberts:
I call myself 'mainly vegan' in that I eat a vegan diet when I cook for myself, which is most of the time, but I will revert to being vegetarian if the situation requires it. This usually happens when I'm away from home, or if people are too daunted by cooking for a vegan (or if there are nice cakes or home made ice cream on offer.) For me, having that flexibilty takes the pressure off and my end goal of having a reduced carbon footprint and contributing to animal welfare is achieved.
gill millman:
âA small act that makes a big differenceâ. Thereâs so many reasons that anybody who has a conscience really must be be on a vegan or plant based diet - veganism is the ethical choice - for the animals - for the people - for the planet. Thank you Judith for the helpful advice and linksđ
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