Every October, Vegetarians across the planet observe the significance of having a meatless lifestyle. This celebration was established by the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) in 1977 and was endorsed by the international vegetarian union in 1978. This cause was implemented to raise awareness regarding the humanitarian benefits of having a healthy lifestyle. This event is for all vegetarian consumers because they get to advocate their lifestyle (not just for a day but for the whole month!) by sharing ideas through exhibitions, food stalls, workshops, and nowadays, they can even set up live videos to let other people across social media know how they feel. During these events, non-vegans can learn, interact and maybe at the end of it all, they’ll convert to veganism!
World Vegetarian Day Theme 2021
Unique themes were developed annually to promote the celebration, spread awareness, and most importantly, to help people look forward and be motivated to celebrate this commemoration. Although the theme for this year is yet to be determined, below are the last few year’s themes:
2016 – “Climate is changing, so should food and agriculture”
2017 – “Change the future of migration”
2018 – “Time to contemplate what we are eating”
2019 – “Healthy diets for a zero-hunger world”
2020 – “Food Safety, Everyone’s Business”
These themes were all contemplated with a vision to one day reach each non-vegan consumer at a time and see for themselves the ill effects of eating meat products and animal-based foods.
Eat Kind Challenge
For this month, let us all show our support for veganism and vegetarian lifestyle as much as possible! Whether you’re a vegan or not, we are welcoming you to try the one-week challenge to eat kind foods that will fuel not just your physical body but also your mental and emotional health. To start your Eat Kind journey, see below for our meal plan sample or create your own meal plan good for the week!
SUNDAY:
- Breakfast: Vegan oatmeal paired with Acai smoothie
- Lunch: Vegan pepperoni pizza panini
- Dinner: Vegan Peanut Noodles with tofu on the sides
MONDAY:
- Breakfast: Vegan-Almond Granola paired with nut milk and topped with your preferred slice of fruit
- Lunch: Smoked tofu, Hummus and turmeric rice
- Dinner: Cauliflower and chickpea tacos with guacamole and pico de gallo
TUESDAY:
- Breakfast: Oats, flaxseed and whole wheat flour pancake mix topped with maple syrup
- Lunch: Lentil bean salad with tomato sauce
- Dinner: Chickpea salad sandwich
WEDNESDAY:
- Breakfast: Coconut yogurt with berries, walnuts and chia seeds
- Lunch: A mixture of sweet potato, avocado, cherry tomatoes and cashew nuts salad
- Dinner: Creamy vegan broccoli soup
THURSDAY:
- Breakfast: Peanut butter and Banana bread granola
- Lunch: Vegetable herb pasta salad
- Dinner: Crispy avocado tacos
FRIDAY:
- Breakfast: Whole-grain toast with avocado and yeast paired with a vegan protein shake
- Lunch: Eggplant curry
- Dinner: Vegan teriyaki stir fry
SATURDAY:
- Breakfast: Vegan maple-citrus salad with coconut
- Lunch: Steamed wild rice with toasted hazelnut vegan butter
- Dinner: Vegan Banana Muffins
Precautions:
The dishes listed above can be relished on a well-rounded vegan diet; however, if it is not properly planned – it can harm your health because it cuts out the important nutrients that are found in meat, fish, and poultry, which may increase your risk of nutritional deficiency. Make sure to include a high protein substitute on your meal plan to make up for your intake of these beneficial nutrients.
Verdict
Give yourself the benefit of the doubt and you’ll surely get a positive outcome, such as:
- Lower blood sugar level and improve kidney function
- Lower risk of heart disease
- Decreases rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis pain
- Improves energy metabolism and eliminates unwanted fats
- Increases production of good hormone serotonin in the brain which results in optimistic moods.
