Healthiness builds case for month of veganism

She misses pizza and hamburgers, and she longs for eggs.

Grocery store runs that would have taken an hour now take two, due to factors such as the need to scan labels for hidden ingredients.

But a week without meat or animal products has already yielded rewards, she says, from less puffiness under her eyes to what feels like a bit more speed in her morning run.

“I’ve always had a lot of energy, but it’s a different energy,” said Penny Shack.

“My sleep is so much better. And so far, I don’t feel hungry or miserable.”

Shack is one of tens of thousands of North Americans who have signed up with the British charity Veganuary this year, agreeing to try a vegan diet free of all animal products. Participants are free to just try going vegan for a meal or two, but some — including Shack — are attempting a full January of veganism without even honey (yes, it’s an animal product.)

Worldwide, 226,000 people have signed up for Veganuary this year, up from 168,000 in 2018, according to a Veganuary spokeswoman.

Health, animal welfare and environmental concerns are the biggest reasons to go vegan, according to Veganuary U.S. trustee Seth Tibbott.

“If you were to rank them, you’d probably go health first: ‘What’s it going to do for me? Is it a healthy diet?’ And then you’d go into animal welfare, and then you’d go environmental,” said Tibbott, the founder and chairman of the Tofurky Co., which makes vegan meat substitutes.

“That said, the environmental reasons are taking a bigger and bigger piece of the pie, now that there’s all the concern about: ‘Hey, what’s the climate doing? And are we going to be able to live on this planet?’ ”

Veganuary, a high-profile campaign in Britain, provides information for newcomers, including recipes, tips for eating out and nutritional information. Vegan eating is different from the popular meat-free diet the Daniel Fast, which allows fewer foods and has a religious component.

Shack, a sales representative for a nutritional company said she was moved to try Veganuary this year in part because her 2018 diet, heavy in fruits and vegetables with some meat and dairy, was already fairly close to vegan.

“I think a majority of people, come January, they just want a reset. They want some sort of cleanse or detox,” she said. “I figured let’s take it up a notch.”