SOver 2 million people have been introduced to plant-based nutrition thanks to Veganuary: a now global movement, born 10 years ago in the United Kingdom, he arrived in Italy thanks toessereanimali, official partner of the initiative. Participating is simple and fun. But it could also be enlightening.
Veganuary 2026, the 31-day trial without animal foods starts tomorrow
Naturally, everyone can participate in veganuary 2026 in their own way, independently: by eating a completely plant-based diet (without meat, fish, dairy products, eggs and honey) for the entire month of January. But – it is clear – for those who have always had an omnivorous or even vegetarian diet, it can be complicated.
So that’s it by registering on the Italian site created byessereanimali you can receive ideas and advice, support and “community”. Everything you need to make the challenge accessible. And therefore two daily recipes and three recipe books, one of which is dedicated to proteinsperfect for those who train or are sensitive to the topic. And another is a beginner’s guide, ideal for those with no experience in the kitchen.
January 2026 vegan, each in their own way or with the support ofessereanimali
No perfection is required: Veganuary is an opportunity to explore new tastes, with maximum freedom on how to integrate them into your lifestyle. Plus you have exclusive discounts on vegan products for the month of January.
According to a YouGov poll, in January 2025 2% of the Italian population actively participated in Veganuary, while 30% of Italians – equal to approximately 17 million people – have at least heard of the project. A fact that confirms the great attention, definitely growing, towards environmental, ethical and health issues related to nutrition. It is not a lifetime commitment, but a way to discover the pleasure that dishes without animals and animal derivatives can give. To reflect on your relationship with food, animals and the environment. And an opportunity to understand if the experience can become everyday life.
The benefits of a vegan diet
The benefits of a vegan diet are personal, ethical and environmental. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains is not only healthy for the body but reduces the environmental impact linked to farming and allows us to avoid animal suffering.
For the environmental impact
The vegan diet has a significantly lower impact than vegetarian, pescaterian and omnivorous diets both in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and soil consumption and biodiversity.
Of course, a lot It depends on how much meat you eat: those who consume less than 50 grams of meat per day have an impact in terms of emissions, water and land consumption that is similar to that of those who follow a pescatarian or vegetarian diet. And it is about half that of those who consume over 100 grams per day.
For animal welfare
Then there are other specific reasons relating to animal welfare that should lead to reducing not only meat but also milk and eggs in the diet. All animals that are bred to produce something are in fact subjected to very strong pressure – mistreatment, according to animal rights activists – to reach the desired quantities of product, and are ultimately slaughtered.
This applies to cows which, producing milk after giving birth to a puppy, are subjected to continuous insemination cycles. And it is standard practice to always separate them from the calves a few hours after giving birth, so that the mums can be immediately restarted for production. Until, around the age of 5, they are sent to the slaughterhouse because they are no longer productive.
This applies to hens used for egg production, which lay eggs at a very, very rapid pace. After about 2 years of exploitation, their production drops and they become second choice meat.
For health, creativity, wallet
A diet rich in foods of plant origin is then able to significantly lower cholesterol levels and consequently also the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases as we age. Not only that, thanks also to the suggestions of the many vegan chefs who are influencers on social media, a veg diet is generally a creative diet. And, making extensive use of legumes, it is decidedly cheaper than a carnivorous diet (considering the consumption of quality meat).