Veganism is on the rise and it's time you got involved

This year I took part in Veganuary.

No this is not a spelling error, and whilst I am not a fan of modern culture's love for the amalgamation of words and phrases like 'Veganuary' or 'Brexit' (urgh *shudder*), the concept behind this new trend is an interesting one.

For a long time Brits have decided in January to try something new or ditch something old in an attempt to get a fresh start and change for the better, and whilst many of us try dry January or start going to the gym only to stop after not very long, I'm here to tell you that veganism is one the rise and most people jumping on the train are not getting off in a month's time.

In the UK, Vegan January had the biggest and most successful year yet, and this is part of a larger trend towards veganism. The tide is turning and it's here to stay. This has been largely helped by some very effective animal rights and environmental documentaries that have shown up on widely available platforms like Netflix and Youtube. The likes of Cowspiracy (funded by Leonardo di Caprio), Earthlings and Fork over Knife have gone a long way to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits.

But it has gone past that - mainstream media and businesses are beginning to cotton on to the trend, as indicated by this article in the Huffington Post.

For the first time in my life, I've seen articles about veganism on the main page of the BBC website and popping up in a number of major newspapers. But even this is just the tip of the snowball of change.

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The momentum is shifting, and not only in England - in Sweden and many other European countries it is becoming easier to be vegan, with more options and more awareness. Not only is it causing less harm to the planet, yourself and animals, veganism is now overwhelmingly economically viable. In the same way that we are begging to see green energy be more profitable than the fossil fuel alternatives those businesses investing in, vegetarian and vegan options are seeing their profits soar.

This January tonnes of businesses joined in by offering promotions or vegan options, and nearly all of them recorded a massive increase in the returns they expected to see. Vegan products are popping up a lot more than I can ever remember and the sale of these items is going through the roof. Sainsabury's and Zizzi have returned massive profits, not to mention most major food stores reporting huge sales of vegan alternatives. The increase of products like 'Oatly', a milk alternative brand from Sweden, have not gone unnoticed.

With more and more people becoming aware and seeing the benefits, the trend towards a Vegan Lifestyle isn't just here for January. It seems to be a tide rapidly growing in force. Will it be long before it sweeps you in too?

If you want to learn more about why someone would make steps towards a vegan diet, for environmental reasons, animal ethics, moral reasons and health benefits, don't just take my word for it.

I recommend watching the three documentaries mentioned above: Cowspiracy (environmental impact) Earthlings (animal ethics) and Fork over Knife (health benefits), and visiting https://www.vegansociety.com/

Veganism is on the rise and it's time you got involved

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