Veganuary Challenge Details + Dairy Free Alternatives
What is Veganuary?
Veganuary is a non profit organization and charity that originates in the U.K; more specifically, England and Wales (https://veganuary.com). The sole purpose is to inspire people to attempt eating vegan for the month of January which hopefully leads to the rest of the year. Although it began in the U.K it has taken over internationally as a universal challenge in hopes to combat climate change, save animals and better your health. Many people, businesses and restaurants over the years have pledged to partake in veganuary and it continues to grow each year! Over the years I have also noticed specific church’s take part in something similar. Although church’s do it for religion and a different belief.. it still occurs every year and subsequently saves animals and our planet.
You can join this challenge for many reasons one being your own health and kicking off the new year with a healthy lifestyle.
Sooooo… How do I start?
Since we have yet to begin January and still have one week left of December I’d highly recommend starting off with some inspiring movies/documentaries. You can check out my vegan resource blog post for my personal top 3 documentaries. These are packed with information and the benefits of a vegan diet. I break down each option so you can determine which is best for you. Cant stomach the site of animal slaughter footage? I got you. Just check out this post and try to watch at least one before January :)
(my favorite is the game changers)
It is important to remember when switching to a plant based diet you need to eat more than you ate on a meat based diet. A lot of people fail fast and easy and then claim that it made them feel weak. If you feel like this, it’s likely that you are simply not eating enough. I am not a nutritionist, I am not a health professional and I do not have any certifications in nutrition. I am just someone who has lived on a plant based diet for nearly five years and feel amazing. I simply want to share my tips, tricks and meal ideas with you to help you; all while providing you with the best vegan brands out there. Since I am not a health professional or a nutritionist this is why I am suggesting that you watch at least ONE of the documentaries provided above- before kicking of Veganuary.
How can I do this challenge and give up dairy? ILL DIE WITHOUT IT!
Good question! Before I went vegan I was like everyone else and could not give up cheese and dairy for the life of me. I wasn’t big on milk but I ate cheese on a day to day basis. If you watch any of the documentaries I linked above, you will learn from professionals, doctors and scientists that dairy has an ingredient called “protein casein,” and these compounds “attach to dopamine receptors in your brain.” This is why many people feel they cannot give up dairy under any circumstances. But I have good news.. once you break that couple week detox you will likely stop craving it like you used to. I think of it like an annoying work out routine.. You know when you just cannot get yourself back to the gym for the life of you? but once you do… you cant remember how you were being so lazy and can no longer skip a day and break the cycle? This is like the same thing; only not annoying as physically going to the gym lol. YOU GOT THIS!
What are good vegan alternatives to switch out dairy?
This is probably the most common and beneficial question when switching to a vegan diet. When I first went vegan I was so reluctant to try any vegan alternatives because I was afraid I’d be so turned off and flip back to eating dairy. I also found that Youtuber’s recommendations were NOT hitting the spot. There were also less options to choose from back when I first turned vegan. Now that I have been vegan for almost five years I am able to depict what is “good” for a someone who’s been a vegan for years and can tolerate any alternative and what is “good” for someone who is newly vegan and NEEDS it to taste identical. So I am going to recommend the best tasting dairy alternatives for those who want to participate in veganuary. This will help you eliminate the process of waisting money on bad vegan alternatives and you can go straight to the good stuff!
Note: I am not going to include non-dairy milk because there are SOOO many good ones. The only thing I will say is SKIP almond milk (it tastes like water) and grab oat milk or soy milk!
First as a little hack (that I use)- the best way to find out where each of these items are found closest to you and the price is via Instacart. You don’t have to purchase from them but just by going to their website and typing in the product you’ll be able to find which store has it nearest you i.e. Vons, Ralphs, Walmart, Target or Sprouts.
1.) CHEESE
Simple Truth hot pepper cheese slices
Follow Your Heart cheddar cheese slices
Follow Your Heart feta (delicious over tacos, quesadillas, chilaquiles, salads)
Violife Feta
Tree line feta (more pricey but worth the splurge as it lasts awhile)
Daiya Cheddar cheese Block (perfect for shredding)
Daiya Jalapeno cheese block (my personal favorite I dice it into blocks and eat it by itself- the most realistic and also perfect for shredding)
Trader Joe’s cashew fiesta dip (toss it in the microwave to warm it up and use it for nachos- its amazing)
2.) SOUR CREAM / CREAM CHEESE:
Follow Your Heart sour cream
Toffiti sour cream
Kite Hill cream cheese
Daiya cream cheese
3.) MAYO
Good & Gather Dressing (found only at Target, best priced for $2.49 + my personal favorite— this is found in the dry food condiment section)
Best Foods Vegan Dressing (non-vegan brand made a vegan option)
Follow Your Heart Veganaise
4.) Ranch
Follow Your Heart Ranch Dressing (this brand also has thousand island sauce which is to die for)
Unfortunately, the vegan ranch world needs to up their game. They do the job, but they do not taste identical to real ranch. Some vegans may beg to differ; however, I used to be a ranch fanatic and I can forever tell the difference. Follow your heart is the best you’ll get but I always adjust it. By adjusting I mean that I add a spoon of mayo, fresh dill and garlic powder to make it 10x more realistic.
There ya have it! Those are my personal ALL TIME favorite vegan alternatives for cheese, mayo and cream cheese. I hope these help you! If you’d like to know what I would personally grab to kick off the new month; it is the Target brand Good & Father Vegan dressing (mayo), Follow Your Heart Feta (for salad, tacos, street corn, etc.), Follow Your Heart Cheddar Cheese slices (for quesadillas, sandwiches and grilled cheese) and Trader Joe’s cashew nacho cheese (for nachos)!
Please let me know if you have any questions! Just email me at Madelyn@lovebyplants.com or you can comment below.
disclaimer: some of the product images above (with white backgrounds) were taken off google to save my wallet ;). In addition, the information provided on this blog is strictly based on personal opinions and ideas. Do not rely on Love by Plants for professional medical, health or nutritional advice. All details and blog posts on Love by Plants reflects personal opinions and suggestions; the information provided on this blog is not a substitute for any professional advice and you should always follow what your body needs.
