Alice Coffey, PhD Candidate part of the Global Sustainable Development team at the University of Warwick said: “If you are looking for encouragement to give Veganuary a go – or encouragement to keep going - there are a number of health benefits to consider, focusing on a wholefood plant based diet in general would help lower cholesterol, manage blood sugar, increase heart health, improve gut health, here’s how:

• Increased fibre intake, which helps with digestion has also been shown to help lower cholesterol and manage blood sugar.
• Vegan diets high in wholegrains, legumes and vegetables have been shown to help heart health, lowering your risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
• Vegan diets score high in nutritional assessments, due to the variety of foods, supplying a good range of vitamins and minerals, and tend to be lower in saturated fats. This variety in the diet, also helps improve gut health, due to plants containing high amounts of prebiotics and polyphenols.

There is also the added benefit of sustainability with plant-based diets being far lower in emissions, reducing your carbon footprint.”