After the Christmas gluttony and the wet and happy end of the year, good resolutions bloom particularly well. Supermarkets advertise plant-based products, restaurant chains put vegan dishes on the menu at the beginning of the year. Many people make a resolution not to drink alcohol in January. So why not take up the challenge of living vegan for a month?
But what is behind the veganuary nutrition trend, composed of vegan and the English january? And what’s the point of that: going without meat, fish and honey for a month and not eating sausage or dairy products? We answer important questions about plant-based nutrition and name good vegan foods from the Stiftung Warentest tests, such as sausages and tofu.
Why our Veganuary Special is worth it for you
test results
We say what to think of milk, meat and sausage alternatives. To do this, we summarize the results of our tests of veggie products over the past three years and name ten good vegan products that are essentially unchanged, including vegan meat and sausage alternatives and plant-based spreads.
Participation tips
We clarify for whom a “vegan January” makes sense and who should be more careful. We tell you how you can recognize vegan foods and which are particularly important for vegans.
Nutrients in balance
We explain whether food supplements are necessary for a temporarily vegan diet – and what to consider if you want to live vegan permanently.
Magazine article as PDF
If you unlock the topic, you get access to the report from test 1/2023.
The no-meat challenge
What eating vegan brings to health and climate
A plant-based diet offers many advantages – not only for your own health, but also for environmental, animal and climate protection. After all, food is responsible for around a third of all man-made greenhouse gas emissions. Much of this, in turn, is due to animal products. Vegetable foods, on the other hand, usually have a much better climate balance. Of course, if people only eat vegan for a month, this effect is only limited. But according to surveys, many people want to stay vegan after January or eat less animal products.
What is behind the Veganuary idea
A British couple founded the organization Veganuary in 2014, whose campaign calls on people around the world to try a vegan diet for a month. Veganuary is financed primarily through donations and wants to promote the variety and availability of plant-based foods. It supports manufacturers, restaurants and retailers and names products in the newsletter – free of charge for the companies. However, these recommendations say nothing about the quality of the products.
How to reduce your own CO2 emissions
© Stiftung Warentest
What’s next after vegan January? Even those who do not want to eat vegan or vegetarian permanently can still reduce their own emissions by up to 40 percent per year with the right diet. The guide to eating climate-friendly with the CO2 challenge explains how to do this. It helps with the selection and storage of food and offers 50 climate-friendly recipes. It also answers important questions, such as:
- Are avocados really that bad for the environment?
- Is it also possible to buy meat and fish responsibly?
- What can be substituted for animal protein?
