Stop Food Waste Day, 2022

Approximatively one-third of the food produced globally is either lost or wasted every year. That’s an unfortunate reality that needs to be addressed. Compass Group US, the global leader in foodservice, thought the same, so, in 2017 they created Stop Food Waste Day, an international day of action aimed to educate and ignite change in the fight against wasted food.

There are numerous ways in which you can observe / participate in Stop Food Waste Day. Show your support by using leftovers and fresh produce in various delicious recipes that can be found online, get organized and make a list ahead of time before you go grocery shopping, to help conserve food usage, get in the habit of freezing leftovers etc.

I invite you to spread awareness by sharing info about this holiday on your social media accounts.

You can find numerous other ideas by visiting the following websites:

https://www.stopfoodwasteday.com/en/index.html
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/stop-food-waste-day/
https://nationaltoday.com/stop-food-waste-day/
https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/stop-food-waste-day-2022/

Let me know, in the comment section, your views on Stop Food Waste Day.

International Vegan Cuisine Month, 2022

It seems that, over the past decades, almost every month has been chosen to contain a celebration or observance of something related to veganism. While not as popular as the others vegan months, February is regarded as the International Vegan Cuisine Month.

Consisting of plant-based meals that are cruelty-free and follow a more sustainable lifestyle, vegan cuisine has increased in popularity, and is now present on almost all restaurant menus all around the world.

Vegan Cuisine Month was established by the the American Vegan Society to help bring awareness to the fact that switching from eating meat to a plant-based diet was not a difficult task. The Vegan Cuisine Month gained visibility after the founder and president of the American Vegan Society, Freya Dinshah, wrote the first cookbook published in the United States to explain veganism. Published in 1965, the book, called “The Vegan Kitchen”, described the importance and ethical purposes of veganism and became a best-seller.

Freya and her husband were a big part of creating the entire vegan movement we witness today.

Vegan Cuisine Month runs throughout the month of February. It is a month that is set out to celebrate the benefits of veganism, to bring awareness, share recipes and thoughts, as well as looking back on the past and expressing what we expect to see in the future.

For ideas on how to celebrate Vegan Cuisine Month and how to easily switch to a vegan lifestyle, check out the sites linked below:

https://navs-online.org/blog/2020/02/28/february-is-vagan-cuisine-month/
https://americanvegan.org/vegan-cuisine-month/
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2015/01/28/vegan-cuisine-month/
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/vegan-cuisine-month/
https://www.playbuzz.com/stories/Vegan-Cuisine-Month

Veganuary Month 2022

Every year since 2014, vegans all over the world have been promoting “Veganuary” as a month-long celebration of the vegan lifestyle that focuses on the vegan diet.

Although being vegan entails omitting all animal products, not just those used in food, the main goal of “Veganuary Month” is changing people’s diets, allowing participants to move onto avoiding animal products in other lifestyle products more gradually.

A common misconception about being vegan is that the diet has to be unappealing, boring and consisting of salads and fruits, three meals a day, 7 days a week. That is so far from the truth!

Although the vegan diet does center around plant-based foods (fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds), which, according to numerous studies, leads towards an optimum health, there are now thousands of alternative vegan versions of animal products, including cheese, meat, milk, and eggs. Therefore vegans can continue to eat all the things they love such as pizza, burgers, mac and cheese and ice-cream without eating animal products.

Aside from avoiding foods that contain meat, dairy, eggs and honey, vegans also try to avoid buying or using products that contain animal ingredients, materials that have been derived from animals or products that have been tested on animals.

To find out more about “Veganuary”, visit the websites linked below:

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/veganuary-month/
https://veganuary.com/about/about-us/
https://www.vegansociety.com/take-action/campaigns/veganuary-2021
https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/veganuary-2022-what-to-know-about-the-one-month-vegan-challenge/

Let me know your thoughts about veganism and the “month of Veganuary”.

Happy Eat Your Vegetables Day, 2021

While Eat Your Vegetables Day is currently celebrated mostly in the USA, I think its message is so important that it should become an international thing.

It is undeniable and scientifically-proven that vegetables and fruits are an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Thousands of studies conducted in the field of nutrition over the past decades have highlighted the benefits of a plant-based diet.

If you care about your body and want to improve your health, I recommend you increase your intake of fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. To learn more about Eat Your Vegetables Day, please visit the following websites:

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/days-2/national-eat-your-vegetables-day-june-17/
https://nationaltoday.com/national-eat-vegetables-day/
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/eat-your-vegetables-day
https://nextnationalday.com/national-eat-your-vegetables-day/

Some ideas for celebrating Eat Your Vegetables Day are to include vegetables in all your meals today, and to visit your local farmer’s market and get some locally grown produce. If your schedule doesn’t allow it, plan to do so at your earliest convenience.

Vanilla Ice Cream Day, 2020

Vanilla was discovered in regions of (present-day) Mexico back in the 14th century, when Spanish conquistadors came across vanilla-flavored foods and drinks consumed by Meso-American individuals.

After having been brought back to Spain, vanilla began being used to flavor a drink consisting of honey, water, corn, vanilla, and cacao beans.

The drink eventually spread to England and France, and then the rest of Europe by the early 1600s. In 1602, the apothecary of Queen Elizabeth I, Hugh Morgan, suggested that vanilla should be used separately from cocoa.

Later, the French began using vanilla in ice cream, which was a rather popular dessert in 18th century France. It was Thomas Jefferson who discovered vanilla ice cream in France and brought the recipe to the USA.

Vanilla Ice Cream Day is an unofficial holiday observed every year on the 23rd of July. While having a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream might no do any significant harm to you, provided you don’t suffer from any illnesses, try to not overindulge in the celebration, as too much ice cream can be bad for you, regardless of its flavor.

More info here:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/vanilla-ice-cream-day
https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/national-vanilla-ice-cream-day-2020/
https://www.wincalendar.com/Vanilla-Ice-Cream-Day

No Diet Day, 2020

International No Diet Day (INDD) is an annual celebration of body acceptance, observed on the 6th of May. This day is dedicated to promoting a healthy life style with a focus on health at any size and in raising awareness of the potential dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success; the Institute of Medicine summarizes: “those who complete weight loss programs lose approximately 10 percent of their body weight only to regain two-thirds within a year and almost all of it within five years.

First started by Mary Evans (who had battled anorexia in her life) in 1992 with the aim of helping men and women around the world appreciate their own bodies, No Diet Day has evolved over the years and currently brings attention to tough issues regarding diet and body awareness, focusing on a number of agendas. This includes the following:

  • Educating people about the right way to diet responsibly and effectively
  • Having all people take a one-day break from their diets
  • Celebrating the diversity of different shapes and sizes

To celebrate No Diet Day, you can start by recognizing that your own body is beautiful exactly as it is. De-emphasizing your efforts to shed weight to look a particular way, it is far better to celebrate the holiday with efforts at beginning to live a healthier lifestyle altogether. Worry less about your final goal, and more about getting out and being active and keeping your body healthy.

Participants are also encouraged to:

  • Compliment colleagues on skills, achievements, and contributions instead of focusing on appearance
  • Declare a day free of dieting and obsessions about weight and shape.
  • Challenge the idea of one “right” body shape and embrace body diversity.
  • Learn the facts about the diet industry and understand the inefficacy of commercial diets.
  • Help end weight discrimination, sizeism, and fatphobia.
  • Use the #NoDietDay hashtag to share on social media.

Read more about it here:
https://nationaltoday.com/international-no-diet-day/
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-no-diet-day-may-6/

International Carrot Day, 2020

Observed every year on the 4th of April, the International Carrot Day is a day when carrot lovers all over the world celebrate and enjoy this healthy and delicious vegetable.

The carrot is a orange-colored root vegetable that (according to historians) originated from Persia, wherein its leaves and seeds were the ones cultivated first. Containing alpha and beta carotene, vitamin B6, and vitamin K, among others, the carrot presents a lot of health benefits for humans.

Because of people’s love for this vegetable, a special day is dedicated just for it – the International Carrot Day. Established by an unknown creator in 2003, when the website http://www.carrotday.com was created, the International Carrot Day is aimed to spread awareness about carrots.

There are so many ways on how people celebrate this amazing day dedicated to an amazing vegetable. Some ideas for celebrating this day include the following: buying and eating carrots and carrot-based dishes, planting carrots, and sharing the word on social media.

Happy International Carrot Day, 2020!

World Vegan Month, 2019

Established in 1994 to commemorate the forward movement of the vegan ideology, as well as the creation of The Vegan Society in the UK in November 50 years prior, World Vegan Month is an annual designation observed in November.

According to DayOfTheYear.com, the date was selected to fall in line with Halloween and the Day of the Dead as a way of honoring those animals who had already passed under the unnecessary cause of supporting human life.

The underlying “rule” to embracing the vegan lifestyle is to eat a plant-based diet. The majority of vegans don’t just avoid meat; they also avoid fish, dairy, eggs, and honey, as well as products like leather or fur.

Whether you are interested in veganism for health-related reasons, due to compassion for the animals or to protect the environment, I invite you to check out the following list of links where you can find more about World Vegan Month, so you can make an informed decision in case you want to get involved:

Vegan.org
NationalCalendar.com
VeganSociety.com

Types of plant-based diets

There are several types of vegetarian or plant-based diets. The terms “vegetarian” and “plant-based” can sometimes create confusion due to the lack of consensus in regards to their official definitions. Here are some brief explanations of what the main types of vegetarians are:

Fruitarian: a person who eats exclusively raw fruits and seeds (or whose diet consists of at least 70% fruits and about 30% vegetables), mostly raw, but sometimes frozen or slightly cooked fruit is acceptable;

Raw Food Vegan: a person who excludes all food and products of animal origin, as well as food cooked at a temperature above 105 °F. It includes raw fruits and vegetables, seeds, nuts, grains, legume sprouts, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs and mushrooms;

Vegan: a person who does not eat or use animal products; vegans eat cooked products from the above list;

Lacto Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and eggs, but eats dairy products;

Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat and dairy, but consumes eggs;

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian: a person who abstains from eating meat, but eats eggs and dairy products;

Pescatarian: a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish;

Flexitarian: one who consumes a plant-based diet with the occasional inclusion of meat, eggs or dairy products;