Over 580,000 people from many walks of life took the Veganuary pledge this year, including residents at Adept Care Homes in the midlands. Rebecca Lambert, Adept Care Homes’ Hospitality Manager, participated and encouraged residents to explore everything a vegan diet can offer.
Rebecca was also eager to show that care homes can cater for different dietary requirements and respect people’s individual beliefs. There are approximately 7,000 vegetarians and vegans in residential and nursing care homes in the UK, but not all care homes have provided suitable dishes for these residents. Rebecca said: “I was horrified to hear recently about some care homes not respecting people’s vegan and vegetarian diets when they have dementia and feeding them meat.”
So, what did the residents make of Veganuary? Ann, an advocate for exercise and a healthy diet, said: “I was completely surprised that there are alternatives for everything. We tried a plant-based spaghetti and meatballs. I couldn’t tell the difference – it was delicious.”
There are many benefits of eating a plant-based diet, from reduced risk of type 2 diabetes to lower blood pressure. Last year, over 50% of Veganuary participants reported health benefits after a month of eating vegan, such as increased energy, better sleep, improved mood and weight loss.
Rebecca concluded: “I think it is important that we try new and exciting things and change people’s perceptions. I try to ensure the residents’ lives are exciting and adventurous and I hope that one day someone will do the same for me when I reach their age.”
Adept Care Homes’ residents are living proof that you can thrive on a vegan diet at any stage of life. Fancy taking our free pledge? Sign up to try vegan for 31 days.
