Is Veganuary bad for you? A nutritionist explains why plant-based diets need proper planning

Veganuary is upon us again, with thousands of people around the world giving up animal products for the month of January. The movement, which encourages people to follow a vegan lifestyle, started in 2014 and has grown rapidly since, with 629,000 people from 228 countries taking part in 2022.

When it comes to internet searches, figures for 2020 show that the UK had the most Google searches for veganism in the world. In 2019, there were 600,000 vegans in the UK. And, according to the Vegan Society, this number is expected to continue to rise with vegans and vegetarians predicted to make up a quarter of the British population by 2025.

Of course, veganism and vegetarianism originated long before westernised veganism became popular. Vegetarianism was practised as early as the 5th century BC in India, and it is strongly linked with a number of religious traditions worldwide, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. And tofu, a well-recognised alternative to meat, originated in China over 2,000 years ago.

When it comes to vegetarianism and veganism, the basic principles are similar, both involve eating plant-based food for environmental, ethical, health or religious reasons. But while vegetarians mainly just exclude meat, vegans follow a much more restrictive diet excluding all animal products as well as any animal-derived foods such as milk, eggs and honey.

Pros of veganism

There are several benefits attributed to a vegan diet as long as it is carried out…