For many of us, this time of year presents an opportunity to reflect on New Year’s resolutions. Ultimately, it’s a make it or break it moment and studies show that for the majority of people, it’s the latter. With Veganuary exceeding expectations, perhaps the plant-based revolution can teach us how to reimagine our resolutions and re-envision the goals we want to achieve.
The new year represents an opportunity for renewal – a time to recommit to established goals, pursue new ones, and build momentum for the year ahead. Invigorated by the prospect of “New Year, New Me”, we say to ourselves, “This year, I will spend less time on social media” or “I’m going to exercise more” or “I promise to stop procrastinating.” Yet, if we enter the new year with such willpower and optimism, why do 80% of people abandon their resolutions by February? More importantly, why do we make the same resolutions year after year only to break them a few months later?
As each January rolls around, we start off strong but by February, we begin to tire and by March, the buzz has worn off and we revert to our old habits. A research paper published by Harvard Business School entitled “Goals Gone Wild” attributes this to the goals we set; those that are unreasonable, too narrow, or too ambitious can in fact cause damage and having a tunnel vision hurts us in the long run.
Britt Frank, a trauma specialist and author of The Science of Stuck
“We often set lofty goals for the future without honestly assessing why we’ve struggled in the past. Without examining where we are resistant to change … the cycle of resolve, relapse, repeat continues year after year.”
Behaviours we want to change essentially symbolise deeper patterns of action and inaction and so, the first step in setting New Year’s resolutions is deeply anchored in self-awareness. Herein lies the struggle for most people. Thinking about ourselves isn’t related to knowing ourselves; in fact, 80% of people think they are self-aware, but it is only 10-15%. Developing self- awareness is an introspective task and not an easy one. It requires not only a recognition of one’s strengths but also one’s weaknesses and hidden biases. It is also a task that should not be isolated to the month of January every year; it should be a continuous process of self-reflection and honesty as we evolve throughout our lives. This recognition has been fuelled largely in part by the impact of COVID-19.
The pandemic not only altered the way we work, learn, and socialise, but also the way we view mental health. As a society, we are seeing an increased empathy and willingness to recognise mental health as an essential part of one’s psychological well-being. Resolutions no longer have to be huge life changing decisions but can be small changes that are rooted in self-care and positivity and are ultimately more attainable and gratifying for oneself.
Let’s examine this societal shift in the context of one annual challenge that has been exceeding expectations for the past 11 years: Veganuary. Since its launch in 2014, the UK non-profit has been encouraging consumers to try being vegan for January. The campaign’s success has largely been fuelled by the endorsement and encouragement from notable celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Evanna Lynch, Ricky Gervais, Billie Eilish, and Mayim Bialik.
Not only this, but the campaign has experienced a rapidly growing social media presence – this January over 300 million people engaged with its international social media channels and Veganuary had 894 million views on TikTok. Altogether, the campaign saw over 700,000 participants marking a 300% sign-up increase over the past five years and almost double that of 2020, making 2023 the most impactful year yet.
When you first transition to veganism, it is essential to know your why. Once you find power in your why and connect to it on an emotional level, your focus and attitude shifts. In 2022, the number one motivation for approximately half (44%) of all surveyed participants was animals, followed by health (21%) and the environment (19%). According to researchers at the University of Oxford, cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%. Moreover, half of the 2022 respondents witnessed some improvement to their overall health, with the most common benefits being improvement in energy levels (49%), mood (48%), skin appearance (39%) and body weight (37%). Yet, at some point there is a realised inspiration that no matter what your primary motivation is, what affects one motivation directly, will always impact at least one other motivation indirectly and herein lies the remarkable intersectionality of veganism.
In 2020, nearly 1/3 of people were eating more vegan food. Toni Vernelli, Head of Communications at Veganuary, affirms that this surge was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which it seems not only changed how we view our mental health, but also our physical health and the environment around us.
Toni Vernelli, Head of Communications at Veganuary
“2020 brought much hardship and heartbreak, but it has also allowed us to change and build a better future. Consumers have become focused on improving their health, and a plant-based diet is known to help reduce some of the risk factors associated with the severe novel coronavirus including Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Our consumption of animal products and destruction of nature are heavily linked with the outbreak of pandemics, so many consumers are adopting a plant-based diet to reduce the risk of future pandemics. It’s an opportunity to take positive action at a time when so much is out of our control.”
Whilst the ‘why’ is the foundation of becoming vegan, we are often dismissive of the fact that humans live extremely complex lives. Food is more than fuel. It’s memories, satisfaction, tradition, home, comfort, and culture. Labels such as ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ can be quite intimidating. Many feel required to fit the label or risk being judged by friends or feeling like a failure. By perpetuating a mindset that fosters shame and guilt, many people turn away from veganism in fear that they won’t satisfy the label perfectly. Not only this, but there are also barriers that we must question and address; are there accessible vegan options in underfunded neighbourhoods that are also affordable for those residents and their families?
So, whilst we feel that every individual should choose veganism, we must acknowledge that not every individual can choose veganism. We won’t truly scale back our impact on the planet when only a few are living a perfect vegan lifestyle. To see true progress, we need to see systemwide change on a societal level; a more approachable and realistic mission whereby we inspire people to make small changes in their consumption habits whilst also absorbing as much knowledge as possible.
After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, American politician Eric Adams, adopted a plant-based diet in 2016. Within six months, he lost 30 lb, reversed his diabetes, and reduced his blood pressure and cholesterol levels. So, when Adams made history in 2021 as New York City’s first vegan mayor, he made it his mission to empower New Yorkers to lead a healthy lifestyle by aiming to bring affordable, whole food plant-based options to all NYC communities.
Adams has advocated for and promoted the following initiatives:
- Spearheaded a plant-based medicine program within NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue – the city’s largest medical system.
- Helped establish the Food as Medicine Initiative, a supplemental program to the existing nutrition curriculum, which teaches future medical professionals the healing power of plant-based foods.
- Worked with former NYC mayor Bill de Blasio to implement Meatless Mondays at 15 schools in Brooklyn – a program the then mayor expanded to all 1,700 NYC public schools in 2019. Today, NYC is the nation’s largest school district to implement vegan meals on a broad scale for its students.
Moving forward, a similar approach should be seen in setting resolutions whereby growth is the goal, not perfection. Together, Kelsey Alpaio, Christine Liu, and, Elainy Mata map out 5 tips on how we can start rethinking New Year’s resolutions, appreciating their nuances, and effectively taking them on:
- EVALUATE your resolutions: Does this goal align with my values? Should I start next month? Do I need to have to have a New Year’s resolution at all?
- Consider the negative RISKS: Are my goals unreasonable, too narrow, or too ambitious?
- Break goals into MICRO-HABITS: “I’m going to read more” > “I’ll read for 45 minutes a day.” > “I’ll read a paragraph before bed every single night”.
- REFRAME to make it fun: If you want to eat more veggies, research exciting recipes and what ingredients are in season!
- Create “FRESH-STARTS”: By setting monthly resolutions, you remain motivated throughout the year.
If we apply these tips, the reward will not only be seen in taking actionable steps towards a more sustainable future but also in planning to do something and committing to it. We will ultimately be empowered to treat self-improvement not as a goal based on an arbitrary date in the New Year but as a continuous endeavour rooted in joy and fulfilment.
