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Many Going Vegan During January

Motivated by Climate Change
Posted at 9:24 AM, Jan 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-09 10:24:58-05

With so many people trying eat healthier for their New Year's Resolutions, some are going vegan through the month of January.

University of Oxford researchers say it's not necessarily health that's motivating people to take on this challenge.

It's actually climate change.

They estimate if 350,000 people eat vegan just during January.

We could save as much Greenhouse Emissions as turning off 160,000 cars.

Or the same as canceling 400,000 to 500,000 flights from London to Berlin.

But for those who are thinking of going vegan for the health benefits, there are things to consider.

We spoke with a dietitian, who she says being vegan alone won't necessarily make you healthier.

Registered Dietician Gabrielle Mancella says, "Often times what I'm finding is that their diet is predominantly carbohydrate based. So it then becomes a shift in their macro-nutrients. So they won't get enough protein. Or they're still monitoring fat because they still have the idea that fat's bad for them. And they're not balancing out their meals."

Instead make sure your meals are made up of mostly fruits and vegetables.

You don't even have to quit meat right away.

Our dietitian says you can start off by making sure you have one or two pieces of produce at each meal instead of making your meal fully vegan.

"Just because that will be repetitive, and you'll run out of foods that you actually like, so it'll get boring. So just start off with 1 or 2 that you like and learning to how to incorporate them throughout the day and then learning how to make those differently. Like air fry them, bake them, roast them, try to eat them raw."

You can eventually transition to an all vegan diet.

Health experts say contrary to popular belief, you can still get all your nutrients.

But as with any major change involving your body, check with your doctor first.

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