Every year, there are people who take part in Veganuary without any idea that it is about to change their lives!
Sometimes the change can be a significant physical or mental health improvement, but for others it is a new career, a new relationship, or a whole new way of looking at the world. Here we catch up with some Veganuary alumni to find out how their lives changed after that first vegan month.
A New Career Thanks to Veganuary
“I took part in Veganuary in 2021 during one of the covid lockdowns,” says Lesley from Nottingham. “As well as finding a real purpose in life (my main motivation is animal welfare) I’ve never felt so well. Win-win!”
Win-win indeed! And yet that wasn’t all because a change of career was also on the cards for Lesley. “Since becoming vegan I now work as a vegan baker!” she told us. “I regularly trade at local vegan markets and love the community of vegan traders and customers that I meet.” We think everyone would agree that Lesley’s cakes are a sight to behold!
Lulu from West Sussex also had a change of career which has taken off like gangbusters. Four months after training with the CNM Vegan Chef College, she launched a vegan event in her rural area. “I thought we would have to cancel through lack of interest at first,” she told us, “and then the bookings started coming in and just didn’t stop. We had 150+ covers over the 3 lunches and were blown away by the interest and response.”
Since then, Lulu’s feet have barely touched the ground. There has been “a whirlwind of interest” in her work, and if anyone has tried her beautiful vegan sushi or plant-based burger, they would know why.
Audrey from Nairobi took part in Veganuary 2021 and not only did she experience some very positive health improvements – including an end to her severe stomach ulcers – a change of career seemed inevitable.
She had been working as a pharmacist but, recognising the changes in her own health through eating a plant-based diet, she decided to focus fully on food as medicine. Today, she is working towards a university degree in herbal medicine and nutrition. Good luck Audrey!
Interestingly, for some people, Veganuary doesn’t guide them into a new career, it guides them away from one. Jennifer from Cupar had always loved animals and her lifelong dream was to have a goat dairy farm. But after Veganuary she started to have second thoughts.
Having already adopted some chickens and seen how her children loved and cuddled them, she started to wonder whether it was right to farm goats. “I absolutely love goats,” she told us, “and whilst I still plan to have them one day, they will be pets.” Instead of being a farmer, Jennifer is now training to become a herbalist instead.
Fitter and Stronger Since Veganuary
Mark from Hampshire took part in Veganuary with his wife and decided to stay vegan afterwards. That journey led to a surprising turn of events and Mark suddenly felt motivated to start exercising. Today, he runs 5k two to three times a week, and on non-run days can be found lifting weights. A plant-based diet, regular cardio, and weight-bearing exercise is a winning health combination, and we’re delighted for Mark!
Louisa from Halifax also took up running after Veganuary and, six months later, completed an incredible 5km run every day for a whole month to raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund.
Existing runners also noticed changes from switching to a plant-based diet. Anders from Cardiff took part in Veganuary 2024 in solidarity with his vegan partner and says, “I definitely felt healthier and fitter.” Not only that, he recorded a personal best time in the Cardiff 5k parkrun at the end of January, “which at the age of 30,” he says, “is no mean feat!”
Alongside some outstanding health improvements, including in her rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, Sabiene from Oxford says that her running endurance increased “dramatically” and she was happy to find a new community in the Vegan Runners. And Kristy from Bedfordshire found that her fitness and energy levels both improved and she has not sustained an injury from running or weightlifting since going vegan six years ago.
A New Relationship
Amy from Liverpool was about to have her life changed too. She matched with someone on a dating app and was intrigued when he said he knew all the vegan spots in town. “I had no idea there were any vegan spots in my town!” she says.
But something about this vegan man must have clicked because, although he lived 100 miles away, Amy went out on that first date with him. “Fast forward almost 3 years,” she says, “I’m now living in the same city as him, bought a house together and I’m still vegan!”
Achieving Self-Acceptance
“Through my life I have had a really hard time with food textures and flavours,” Luna from Canterbury told us. “I’ve had a lot of people not understand what that’s like and sometimes bully me. I was given rules around what I could and couldn’t eat and when, and I used to base my worth on my size. I have gone through many phases from starving myself, replacing meals with protein shakes, to binge eating, hiding food packages and compensating what I ate with exercise or pretending I wasn’t hungry to avoid having to eat in front of others.
Since becoming vegan I have become braver to explore food and have come to accept my size and eating habits. I live as an intuitive eater now which has been a game changer and I am a total foodie and I aspire to continue teaching other people to feel more ok with who they are, no matter their size.”
Luna says that since becoming vegan she has also developed a deeper connection with animals and nature, which she shares through her work as a parent coach and mentor. She has also been able to develop personal boundaries which have improved her confidence and her relationships. For Luna, the vegan journey has been both life-enhancing and life-changing.
Everything Is Better Since Veganuary!
“Veganuary fundamentally changes every aspect of my life – for the better,” says Lisa Farrell from Leeds, which is a wonderful endorsement! Lisa had been vegetarian for many years because she didn’t like the idea of eating meat, but it had never really been a moral consideration. Then, one day, her conscience started tugging at her and she began educating herself about dairy.
“I knew at that point that going vegan was where I was heading,” she says, “but it felt like such a big lifestyle change (I LOVED cheese!!) that I needed to build myself up to it, so I slowly started trying to eat more vegan food until Veganuary, when my boyfriend and I decided to trial going fully vegan for a month.”
That was six years ago, and Lisa and Phil have never looked back and have just launched Two Can Tofu to share their vegan journey together. They loved taking part in the challenge and felt both energised and motivated by the “amazing empowering movement”.
So, what exactly changed for them? “Firstly, the food,” says Lisa. “It’s honestly the most creative, exciting food we’ve ever eaten!” And, connected to this, they have been empowered to understand more about nutrition and as a result, “feel very connected to what we eat and the positive impact it’s had on our health.”
But the positive changes didn’t end with their food. “It’s also empowered us to ensure every aspect of our lives is vegan – from the beauty products we use and the carpets we’ve had fitted, to even ensuring our dog Sasha eats a vegan diet.”
Taking part as a couple also had a positive impact. “From a relationship point of view, it’s definitely brought us closer together,” says Lisa. “I love that we’re on this journey together. It’s the best decision we ever made – so thank you, Veganuary!”
Are you ready to give it a go and see if Veganuary changes your life, too? Try vegan with us and we’ll send you lots of free resources, tips and recipes to help you along the way.
