How to Get Ready for Veganuary, the Vegan New Year's Resolution

Every Jan. 1, people all around the world make New Year's resolutions — and one that becomes more popular every year is Veganuary, a challenge to eat vegan for the entire month of January. For those planning to kick off your 2022 with this plant-based pledge, we’ve put together our top five tips on how to prepare for Veganuary.

If you aren’t quite prepared to start things off on the first day of the year, fear not: Veganuary is actually a nonprofit that operates year-round, and you can begin your vegan month at any time. Either way, when you sign up, Veganuary will send you daily emails with tips, recipes, inspiration, and more, as well as add you to a Facebook group, all of which will help guide you through the month.

In the meantime, here are some tips for getting ready for Veganuary.

As you prepare for Veganuary, you should ask yourself why you want to be vegan — and a good way to do that is to learn about why so many others are vegan, as well as the animal agriculture industry. There are so many incredible documentaries that we recommend, such as: Cowspiracy, Dominion, Earthlings, Vegucated, Meat Me Halfway, They're Trying To Kill Us, Eating Our Way to Extinction, and the upcoming Milked.

There are also plenty of educational YouTube videos about the animal ag industry, such as “Best Speech You Will Ever Hear” and “Dairy Is Scary: The Industry Explained In 5 Minutes.” Plus, YouTube is filled with numerous hours of entertaining vegan cooking videos that will inspire you to up your vegan cooking game.

For some people, making the switch to veganism overnight is totally possible, but for many, it’s easier to ease on in. So as we near Jan. 1, start eating one vegan meal a day — this is also a great way to motivate yourself to get in the kitchen. Then, as the first day gets even closer, up your game to two vegan meals a day.

That way, when it’s Jan. 1 and your month of veganism officially starts, you’ll already be two-thirds of the way there — and incorporating one additional vegan meal a day (plus snacks and dessert, of course) will be a breeze.

There’s no reason to deprive yourself of anything during Veganuary — so if there are any animal-based foods that you really enjoy eating, treat yourself to the vegan versions. We have guides to some of the best vegan eggs, vegan cheeses, vegan desserts, vegan meats, non-dairy milks, and so much more.

And these days, specialty vegan foods can be found in so many grocery stores; everything from vegan chicken nuggets to dairy-free yogurts are commonly stocked in the most basic of supermarkets.

Start doing your research on local vegan restaurants, or restaurants that offer yummy vegan options. That way, if you ever feel unsure of what to eat during Veganuary, you’ll have a list of takeout options bookmarked.

Veganuary’s emails and Facebook group will certainly help you feel supported throughout the month, but expanding your support network will really help set you up for success. In addition to signing up for Veganuary, you can also register for Vegan22; after signing up, you’ll be put into a Facebook group for about a month, along with several hundred other new vegans, a group of mentors, and registered dietitians, all of whom are there to offer free support.

It’s also a good time to set up friend dates with any vegans in your life. That random vegan coworker, classmate, or friend of a friend will be thrilled to hear about your interest in veganism, and will probably be happy to meet up at a plant-based restaurant with you to share a vegan meal — as well as advice.