Hi there, everyone! It’s World Vegan Day today! And the whole month of November is World Vegan Month, so I thought to myself… Well, there can’t be a better time than this to launch my brand new vegan food blog!” I’m so excited about it! I’ve been working on it on and off in my free time for ages – longer than I’d like to admit!
I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to launch it at a time as symbolic as this! It’s a great time to go vegan! Or at least have a few more meatless and dairy-free meals. At the end of this post, I’ll be sharing some budget-friendly, nutritious plant-based recipes with you!
So, what is World Vegan Day?
World Vegan Day is celebrated by vegans around the world every year on 1st November. The first World Vegan Day was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then chair of the Vegan Society in the United Kingdom. The event was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the organisation. That means 1944! Can you imagine how hard it must have been to be a vegetarian (let alone a vegan) back then? World Vegan Day came to be observed officially in 1979.
Which are the top ten vegan countries in the world?
It’s very difficult to calculate which countries have the highest number of vegans, which cities are the most vegan-friendly, which have the most vegan restaurants, etc, with the data we have available. We don’t have reliable stats on the number of vegans anywhere, really.
It seems fairly universally agreed, though, that the UK, Israel, India, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and Ireland have the highest percentages of vegans, although not necessarily in that order.
Which country has the most vegans is not really that important. What is important, is that the world is changing, and veganism and vegetarianism are on the increase, giving rise to an ever-increasing demand for plant-based products. From food and cosmetics to clothes and accessories – but in particular, food.
We know this because of the huge growth in vegan restaurants, vegan foods and vegan products in general. In addition, the various search engines out there are all reporting huge growth in vegan-related terms. So, whilst we might not be sure where exactly all these vegans are, we can at least be sure that there are more than ever before!
Veganism in Switzerland
Veganism is on the increase here in Switzerland too. Every time I go to the supermarket, there’s something new. Last Saturday, I came home with a packet of New Roots vegan fondue – it was delicious! It was a 500g pack and I had to hold myself back from scoffing the lot! New Roots make the best shop-bought vegan cheeses I’ve ever tried. That’s good news for the Swissies, but at the time of writing, their products are only available in a limited number of European countries and unfortunately, the UK isn’t one of them. For details on where they ship to, click here.
Aldi, Coop, Migros, and Lidl have all added lots of interesting new plant-based goodies to their vegan product ranges. We have so much more choice today than we had even just a year ago.
We’ve never been made so brutally aware of the predicament we humans face as guardians of the planet. A while ago, I read “The uninhabitable earth” by David Wallis Wells. It seems we are all doomed unless we act now. People like David Attenborough and Jonathan Safran Foer have been trying to make us come to our senses for some time now. And it seems that we are finally starting to listen.
How to go vegan
Read my motivational quotes and my helpful 30-day guide on how to go vegan this November.
I’m going to make going vegan easy for you! You’ll find lots of healthy vegan recipes here on Vegan Hot Stuff. At the time of writing, my blog is just launching, so there’s not a lot of content right now, but I’ll be posting new recipes all the time – so keep checking, or subscribe to take advantage of all those delicious recipes and tips!
One of the most difficult and stressful things I faced when I first went plant-based, was racking my brain trying to think what to put on the table for dinner for my family, who were used to eating cheese, meat, fish and eggs on a regular basis. It’s one thing embarking on the vegan journey alone, cooking things that are okay for you. It was quite another trying to come up with dishes that would satisfy a companion who is allergic to a number of things and won’t eat pasta and a son who doesn’t like umpteen vegetables and was anything but enthusiastic about the idea of either having to go vegan or cook his own dinner.
However, I stuck at it. People who decide to go vegan very rarely change their minds. I have never been more convinced of my choices or more compelled to act and do everything I can to help people make that step and end animal suffering. That’s why I’m here writing this blog post – to help you. It’s going to be so much easier for you than it was for me.
What to cook in November
On a budget? Want to make meals that are deliciously satisfying and nutritious, yet inexpensive and filling? Check these recipes out. They’re crowd-pleasers, made of ingredients that are in season right now, and they’re inexpensive. But above all, they’re mouthwateringly delicious and healthy too!
