world vegan monthDid you know that it’s World Vegan Month? World Vegan Day was celebrated on November 1st. I was busy making a vegetable barley soup and cooking portabella mushroom steaks. World Vegan Month was started in 1994 by Louise Wallis, the President of the Vegan Society, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Society.

In the last several years there has been an explosion of popularity of veganism. Medical reports continue to prove that eating a plant based diet can actually save your life. Veganism is starting to fight back against the dairy and meat industries.  The Dairy Union and Beef Eaters Association pushed for the consumption of their products back in the 1950s and 1960s. “Three a day” became a thing. Eat three servings of dairy every day. Eat meat every day. This was a targeted campaign to increase the sales of meat and dairy.

Over the last twenty years, as awareness has increased, the pushback has been incredible. The internet brought awareness of veganism into mainstream view. People could no longer ignore the possibility that they have been taught how to make themselves sick. Every society has its decadence, this was ours: meat consumption. The raised consciousness of today is even more prevalent in younger generations who spends hours a day on social media,

Veganism can no longer be ignored nor denied. World Vegan Day was reported on national and local news channels. And VegNews brought it to our attention.

Most restaurants now sport meatless items on their menus. Grocery stores are carrying products like soy milk and faux meats. Tofu can be found in most mainstream stores and there are plenty of local classes springing up all over that teach you how to cook vegetarian, if not vegan, meals.

I hesitate to call eating vegan a “diet.” To me the way I eat isn’t a diet. It’s the way I eat. A diet is something you go on to get healthy. How I cook and what I put in my body is vitally important to my health and wellness. I choose to be healthy by eating lots of plants!

In celebration of World Vegan Month, here at Kitchen Shaman we’ll be posting some of our favorite recipes from the last few years, soups to warm you, and dishes to get you through the cold months. I’ll be highlighting vegan YouTubers, and rounding up some of the restaurants I’ve traveled to over the years.

Even if you’re not vegan, you can observe World Vegan Month by changing your food choices just a little. Here are a few ideas:

Vegan Rocky Road ice cream from Sweet Action

  • Follow “Meatless Monday” every week this month
  • Eat one vegan meal every weekday
  • Try the “vegan before six” plan (eat vegan during the day, and meat products only after 6pm)
  • Visit a vegan restaurant, bakery, or ice cream shop
  • Visit the “health food” section of your grocery store and try at least one vegan product each week (vegan ice cream, vegan mac n’ cheeze, meatless burgers, etc.)
  • Try out a vegan soap, lotion, or other body care product
  • Take a vegan cooking class
  • Check out the Veganalyzer that will show you how many animals YOU can save by going vegan today

As always, if you have a favorite place to eat/visit that’s vegan, or a great YouTuber we haven’t met, leave a comment below or share it with us on social media.

And if you’d like to find other cool vegans to follow, check out Vegan Mofo. The Month of Vegan Food was started by Isa Chandra Moskowitz in the early days of the internet, as an homage to NaNoWriMo. It has been continued by some faithful champions of veganism with the idea that the message can be carried anywhere.

Enjoy!