One of the buzz words of this year has to be Veganuary – the campaign encouraging people to try going vegan for the month. While many may have embraced it, others decided to opt for more meat-free days to ease them gently into the plant-based way of life.
And it is a growing way of life for more and more of us, with a recent poll showing that around 7% of the UK population is now vegan. If that figure doesn’t seem very big, it equates to 3.5 million people.
The plus side is that going vegan is good for you! You’re less likely to develop heart disease and get certain types of cancer if you follow a healthy vegan diet. The emphasis is on healthy, however.
Dr. Kim A. Williams, president-elect of the American College of Cardiology, often sees patients who are Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. One of the things he advises them to do is to go vegan. Plus the British Dietetic Association states that, “well-planned plant-based, vegan-friendly diets can be devised to support healthy living at every age and life-stage.”
Tickle Your Taste Buds
If you’d like to find out a bit more, then there are plenty of upcoming Vegan Events UK festivals coming up this year.
There’s everything to tickle your taste buds from the latest gourmet vegan cheeses, indulgent creamy chocolates to some tasty vegan kebabs, and everything in between. It’s like all the food you’ve ever enjoyed but with the unhealthy bits taken out. You can try before you buy and sample foods that are so new they haven’t even hit the shops yet. You can also bathe vegan, too – with a range of deliciously scented soaps and handmade bath bombs from various brands. And if you’re feeling stressed from a busy week, you can have the chance to chill out in a relaxing yoga session.
Festival organiser, Victoria Bryceson, says, “ The wonderful thing about our events is that they’re for everyone whatever your lifestyle. Just come along and bring your friends for a great, fun day-out.”
The festivals will be nationwide from Glasgow to Portsmouth – you can check the venues and dates at the link below.
Yvonne McKenzie I work on the Features team and admit to being nosy, so I love looking after the Between Friends letters and finding out all about our lovely readers. I also look after our health copy and enjoy writing about inspiring people that help make the articles in the magazine so interesting.
