Want a new holiday to celebrate? A potentially life-changing holiday? Then gear up for World Vegan Day on November 1st 

While the day is designed to promote the Vegan Society, in a greater sense, its purpose is to promote the benefits of living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. 

Benefits of Being Vegan

If you’re asking yourself why you’d want to celebrate World Vegan Day, consider the potential health benefits of making vegan choices.

♦ Weight Loss

♦ Supports a healthy heart

♦ Protection against Type 2 Diabetes

♦ Some protection against certain cancers

♦ A healthy vegan diet is richer in nutrients

♦ Lower blood sugar levels

♦ Improved kidney function

♦ Reduction in arthritis pain

While that’s a great list of healthy reasons to go vegan, there’s an environmental impact to also consider.

♦ Reduces global warming

♦ Less CO2 production

♦ Reduction in methane/nitrous oxide production

♦ Saves large amounts of water

♦ Less animal and livestock farming waste means less pollution in waterways

♦ Reduced destruction of topsoil and tropical rainforests

♦ Smaller ecological footprint

♦ Doing more for environmental sustainability

The good news is that you don’t have to commit to a lifestyle of vegan eating to reap some of the rewards of a plant-based diet. Give it a try for one day, and see if you can find some meals you like that you can incorporate into your regular eating plan.

Even participating in Meatless Mondays can make a big difference in your health and the environment. And don't forget to keep an eye out for our recipes that can help you on this path, just visit our Facebook @weliveconscious and Instagram @weliveconscious feeds. 

Ways to Celebrate World Vegan Day

Whether you’re all in or just intrigued, you can certainly celebrate this holiday by participating in a few of these epic activities.

1. Learn more about veganism. You should learn something new every day, make today’s knowledge vegan based. Read a scientific article that expands upon the benefits of a diet that’s centered around eating plants.

2. Try a vegan recipe. You don’t have to go full-on tofu to have a fantastic vegan meal. The internet is packed full of delicious vegan recipes that will help you find the ingredients you need to create a well-balanced meal that doesn’t use any meat or animal by-products. It’s probably easier than you think.

3. Dress vegan. No, this doesn’t mean wearing produce, but have you considered all of the animal by-products that you wear on a regular basis? Leather is probably the first thing that comes to mind, but what about silk, cashmere, shearling, wool, and other fabrics. 

4. Share. Whether you bake an incredible vegan dessert, like black bean brownies, or you find a fantastic article on veganism, share it with others. Why not involve other people in your vegan celebration. You’re not pushing an agenda; you’re simply opening their eyes to some options.

5. Visit a vegan restaurant. Come up with a special event to help you celebrate vegan day. You can gather the work crew together to go try your local vegan restaurant for lunch. Take it up a notch, and get your friends or family together for a vegan dinner. 

6. Watch a vegan movie. This isn’t for the faint of heart; vegan movies can be quite eye-opening and disturbing. But sticking your head in the sand and ignoring some of the cruel practices that are used to create animal-based products doesn’t help anything either. 

7. Donate. Support a vegan charity or an animal rescue or sanctuary. A big part of the vegan movement is anti-cruelty to animals. You can do your part by contributing to any cause that is designed to help animals live a better, cruelty-free life.

8. Visit a farm sanctuary. Check to see if there’s a farm sanctuary in your area and if they have visitors days. This is a great way to get in touch with nature, especially for people who live in bigger cities and don’t have daily contact with animals. 

While being around farm animals certainly isn’t the same as having a pet, there are still a lot of benefits in visiting a farm that you and your family can get out of this day adventure. Animals bring a lot of light into our lives, and it’s important to acknowledge all that they do.

9. Become a member. If you’re really excited about veganism after your celebration day, why not become a member of the Vegan Society. This group was started in 1944, and it’s a great organization that gives you valuable information and news, helps you find groups to be involved with and support, and it eases a transition into a vegan lifestyle.

As mentioned, you can reap some of the rewards of plant-based eating without the commitment to being vegan all the time. There is the option of opting for a vegan meal once a week or more often. 

You could also go the vegetarian route, and there are seven different types of vegetarian diets to choose from. The best part is you get to choose what you eat, and you can opt to include vegan meals as much or as little as you want to.

Waking Up To Wellness

Becoming more educated on plant-based diets is the first step toward a healthier life and being more green. November 1st is World Vegan Day, and it’s the perfect time to learn a little more about the vegan diet.

There’s no commitment to make, and you don’t have to give up meat forever, but you may find that you enjoy learning about a different way of eating and that you’d like to get in on all of the benefits available to people who choose to focus on eating plants. 

Try a couple of the celebration ideas above or come up with your own way to participate in this holiday. You’ll be happy you’ve opened yourself up to this experience.