We’ve all heard of Dry January and Veganuary by now… But what exactly are they? And what are their benefits?
We know: excess alcohol and meat are damaging to your health. This collective awareness, promoted recently by documentaries (like Seaspiracy and Live to 100: The Secrets of the Blue Zones, both on Netflix), has brought about “challenges” that are progressively followed around the world. The first is Dry January, which simply consists of banning alcohol for a month, beginning on January 1, after the excesses of the day before. The second, more recent, is Veganuary, which encourages you to do without meat – and all animal substances – for 31 days. At the time of good resolutions, an update on these two challenges which flourished on social networks, before taking on global proportions. Good news, they are both supporters, both for yourself and for the planet.
Dry January
The concept
It originated in Great Britain, during a public health campaign launched in 2013 by Alcohol Change UK, which recalls that every hour, one person dies because of alcohol. By encouraging people to eliminate alcohol throughout the month of January, the connection aims to establish a healthier relationship with it in the long term. “A new habit can be built in just three weeks,” reads the website, alcoholchange.org.uk. “This challenge therefore establishes a new healthy habit for the whole year to come, according to a study from the University of Sussex. Six months later, Dry January participants continue to drink less often and in reduced quantities.” Finally, after 31 days of sobriety, the conclusion is clear: “it is not necessary to drink to have fun, relax or socialize”.
Health benefits
A 2018 study published by the British Medical Journal and conducted by the Royal Free Hospital, highlighted the effect of Dry January on health. “Many of us know the long-term risks associated with alcohol: seven forms of cancer, liver disease, mental health disorders,… After a month, blood pressure decreases and thus reduces the risks of diabetes and cancer, while lowering cholesterol levels. Few are aware of the immediate beneficial effects such as weight loss (6 out of 10 participants) and better sleep (7 out of 10 participants). For many, too, there is a better general state of health, an increased energy level, better concentration, more beautiful skin.” Psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, for his part, emphasizes the harmful effects of alcohol on the brain: “People who drink 1 to 7 glasses of alcohol per week have smaller brains than those who don’t drink at all, according to a 2008 study. Moderate or regular drinkers have a 57% chance of more likely to develop dementia.” Yet alcohol consumption (and binge drinking) has increased across the world since the pandemic. Why? No more stress, boredom and more exposure to drinking opportunities.
Harvard Medical School shares some ways to achieve Dry January: 1. find an alternative drink that you like, 2. avoid temptations by not keeping alcohol at home or by bringing your own zero-degree bottle if invited to a dinner, 3. create a support group or download an application that could help you (like that of Alcohol Change UK).
Veganuary
The concept
An approach also created in the UK, which brought together 620,000 people in 2022, from more than 200 different countries, on the veganuary.com site . Launched in 2014, the concept, which aims to do without all animal substances for a month, has also attracted Joaquim Phoenix, Kate Mara, Kat von D and Paul McCartney. With the idea of ??”protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering and improving the health of millions of people”, as explained on the official website. On social networks, the statistics are enough to convince animal and planet defenders: according to environmental researcher Joseph Poore, if 350,000 people participate in Veganuary, 41,200 tons of CO2 will be saved (the equivalent of 450,000 flights by plane from London to Berlin), 2.5 million liters of water saved or even more than a million animals saved.
Health benefits
In addition to the obvious green impact (according to the University of Oxford, if we only had to do one thing to save the planet on our own scale, it would be to become vegan), and animal-friendly, adopt a mode of Vegan diet for a month also incredibly enhances your health. In short, “according to several studies, adopting a vegan diet could reduce cardiovascular diseases by half (a high consumption of meat promotes bad cholesterol, which harms the proper functioning of the heart and arteries) and reduces the risk of be affected by certain cancers (colon, prostate, breast, esophagus, etc.), as highlighted by the site veganimpact.com. “A meat eater is 9 times more likely than a vegan to be obese. While a vegetarian lives on average 9% longer than a person consuming animal products, a vegan lives 13% longer.”
beauty beauty trends celebrities celebrity news christmas coffee dating fall fashion fashion fashion designers fashion trends fashion week fitness hailey bieber hairstyles hair trends halloween harry potter health holidays Instagram jewelry Justin Bieber kate middleton King Charles meghan markle mental health milan fashion week movies music netflix paris fashion week prince harry princess diana prince william relationships royal family royals skincare street style television tennis travel valentine's day wellness
