6 Things I Learned During Veganuary

In January 2022, I decided to participate in Veganuary. I’d been on the fence about it for months beforehand. I’ve always wanted to try, but something usually stopped  me. I was pregnant or breastfeeding, maybe I just figured since I was already vegetarian that I was mostly there and it wouldn’t be that big of a challenge. I also wasn’t (and still am not) planning on going vegan for the long term. But doing it gave me a lot of confidence in making better choices and to just buy things out of my normal realm. 

So, what did I learn? 

Animal products are in [almost] everything

If it’s not a fresh fruit or veggie and it isn’t labeled vegan, chances are good that there are some animal products in it.

My veggie sausages? Egg whites. 

Wonton wrappers? Egg yolks.

Margarine? Whey. 

Burger King’s Impossible Whopper? Don’t forget to ask for no mayo. 

Did you know that there’s even beef extract in Crayola crayons? Yeah, they’re in everything. 

So if you plan on eating anything processed, make sure to read the label before buying. 

Note: I already had these things in my house and had cooked them. I hate food waste, so I ate them anyway. 

Chia eggs are my preferred substitute in baking

I’ve experimented with flax eggs in the past, but haven’t had much luck. This month, I tried chia eggs in molasses cookies and in pancakes and both were good! They’re very dense, so I may need to play with it a bit, but I’ll definitely be using them regularly.

Of note: you can still see them in things and the seeds still have a subtle texture, so if you’re trying to sneak them on someone who’s skeptical of plant-based eating, be cautious. 

This post contains affiliate links.

Vegan food still comes in plastic

I generally try to stay aware of what I buy and the plastic that surrounds it. Plastic packaging isn’t abnormal, I’m just saying that plastic waste surrounding food is even a problem with the more sustainable form of eating. Maybe the weight of plastic packaging v. factory farming is neutral (if you have data on this, please share below), but I found this a little disappointing. 

Vegan butter isn’t good on popcorn

I didn’t get too crazy experimental with this, but vegan butter is not oil and it makes for soggy popcorn. I did try olive oil with nutritional yeast, garlic salt, dill, and a bit of balsamic vinegar. It was pretty good, but it also wasn’t quite what I look for in popcorn. I asked what others used in a vegan group and, outside of nutritional yeast and vegan butter, two of the best options I saw was spray liquid aminos and butter flavored coconut oil. Apparently butter flavored coconut oil is pretty close to what’s used in movie theaters, so that’ll definitely be my choice going forward. I’m excited to learn what else it’ll be good in! 

Tofu scrambles aren’t meant to be eaten like scrambled eggs

Honestly, my desire to try making a tofu scramble may have been my reason for giving Veganuary a shot. I’ve always intended to try it, but making the familiar is always easier than trying something new, especially when kids are involved. 

Every time I see a photo of someone’s tofu scramble, it looks so delicious! It’s full of chopped onion and peppers, fresh herbs and broccolini and it looks so tasty! Unfortunately, my kids don’t dig cooked veggies and hubs prefers eggs plain, so it was solo and… very lackluster. I do imagine, however, that tofu scramble would be delicious in breakfast burritos, which I do occasionally prep as a grab and go breakfast or for camping.

Also on the note of tofu scrambles is plastic packaging again. I felt kinda icky making tofu scramble with plastic-wrapped tofu when eggs typically come in a compostable and/or reusable container. (Farmers in our area typically reuse containers returned to the grocery store, if available. I also reuse them for seedlings.) Which brings me to my next point:

We live in an area where friendlier, kinder options are readily available

Wisconsin is the dairy state through and through. If you ask any dairy farmer in this state, they will wholeheartedly argue with you on animal welfare and how their animals are treated. Same goes for chickens, goats, and sheep. Now, I’m not a meat eater and never intend to become one again, but I regularly see animals in fields and —in my banking days — underwrote a number of loans for family farms. While the ultimate fate of almost all farmed animals is an untimely demise, these farmers care about their livestock: the animals have room to roam; production ebbs and flows with the seasons; products are sold locally. I understand that none of it is vegan, but it’s more difficult to argue with ethically sourced, local products, especially if they come in more sustainable packaging than the vegan version.

(This isn’t new information as of this month, but my weight on it is heavier.)

So, how did I do?

Well, the month wasn’t perfect. I didn’t anticipate that it would be, nor did/do I plan on making veganism my full time lifestyle quite yet, but all in all I learned a lot about my dairy and egg consumption habits, as well as my eating habits on the whole. I also became more aware of vegan alternatives and learned of a few more random, sneaky places where you can find hidden animal products. 

I still ate the veggie sausages with egg whites and the wonton wrappers with egg yolk because throwing them away would be wasteful. I ate some chocolate ‘cause chocolate and hormones go hand in hand and the hankering wasn’t going away. And near the end of the month, I had a slice of cheese pizza because contractors had taken over our kitchen and, while I love these black beans, I’d had them for the last three meals.

I didn’t eat any cheese or eggs outright and I learned that there are a lot of times that I can probably just omit them from my diet. 

I was astounded by how much less cheese and butter we went through. My family wasn’t even included in this challenge; I just do most of the cooking. 

I consumed a lot more nuts and seeds, particularly as breakfast options. I also used fresh fruits and veggies as snacks more often, which I generally overlook as a quick and easy snack for myself (my kids eat lots of them). 

What habits will I be moving forward with?

• More stir fries – I’m finally becoming more confident in these, so that makes it easier. 

• Fruits and veggies as snacks – Not just for the kids, but for me, too. Especially for late night snacks.

• Fewer eggs for breakfast – the kids still like them for dinner from time to time, but we can limit it to once a week and be sure they’re locally sourced.

• Buying more local dairy options – there are so many dairy farms in our area and we have a phenomenal cooperative. It’s just an extra step, but I’ll definitely be taking it.

• Dairy free sour cream and cream cheese from time to time. I may even try making my own, as I didn’t find the store bought ones I tried to be as flavorful as the dairy version.

Will I participate in Veganuary again?

Yes! I love a good food challenge. They’re a great way to learn more about and adapt my eating habits. I’m certainly not getting any younger and the planet’s not cleaning itself, so taking a month to eat a little cleaner (especially post-holidays), sounds like a good thing. 

Have you ever participated in Veganuary or done a food challenge? Tell me about it in the comments below!

—Melissa, Funky Crunchy Mama