Get thinking about inclusive food this Veganuary

Veganuary is an annual challenge encouraging people to try a vegan lifestyle in January.

Some of your members might be giving it a go for the first time this month, and some members might be vegan all year round.

What's the difference between veganism and vegetarianism?

Being vegan means avoiding all animal-based products. As well as meat, this also includes products that come from animals, like milk, eggs and honey. It’s different to being vegetarian, which is avoiding just meat and fish.

Members might be vegan or vegetarian for a range of reasons, but it’s important to make sure everyone feels included in unit meetings, so we’ve put together some ideas for easy vegan swaps. Make sure to check for allergies beforehand.

Vegan swaps you can make in unit meetings

Bananas instead of eggs

If your unit is baking and you have vegan members, you’ll need to substitute the eggs. There are lots of vegan alternatives to eggs, but one of the cheapest and easiest options is to use one banana for every egg that would have been used. Mash up the banana and add it in when the recipe says to add in eggs.

You can replace butter in baking recipes with margarine - just check the label to make sure it's suitable for vegans.

Vegan sweets instead of gelatine-based

Did you know lots of sweets are vegan? Squishy sweets often contain gelatine, which comes from animals, but hard sweets are usually vegan and vegetarian. Many brands also have made vegetarian versions of sweets.

Dark chocolate instead of milk

Dark chocolate is often vegan (again, be sure to check the label because sometimes it can still contain milk) and can be used instead of milk chocolate. There are also vegan milk chocolate alternatives, but dark chocolate is usually a cheaper option.

Nice cream instead of ice cream

Why not try making vegan 'nice cream'? This activity needs extra preparation before a unit meeting or try it at home instead.

• Start with 1 banana per person.
• Peel and chop them into rough chunks or slices.
• Place in a freezer-proof container and freeze them for at least 8 hours.
• When the bananas are completely solid, put them in a food processor and blitz on a high speed for a few minutes. You might need to add a few tablespoons of water or a milk alternative to help the bananas break down and blend together.
• Serve immediately for a yummy treat, or mix with other flavours to make different types of nice cream. You could add berries, tropical fruits, or dark chocolate chips.

More foods are vegan than you might think!

Lots of carbohydrates like crisps and bread are vegan, and there are lots of surprising vegan foods too. Did you know bourbon biscuits are completely vegan?

Programme activities and interest badges to do this Veganuary

Take Veganuary even further and try these activities to help girls have fun while they learn about veganism and different diets. The Feel good skills builder has lots of ideas you could incorporate.

• Try out food for thought in Stage 1.
• Stage 3’s build it with food is all about the different nutrients we need.
• In Stage 4’s chop chop you can investigating swapping food in meals for healthy substitutes.
• As part of Stage 5, use brightly coloured fruit and veg in rainbowls.

Members can also take Veganuary out of the meeting place by working towards food-themed interest badges.

• The Rainbows fruit and veg badge encourages members to find out about the hidden fruit and vegetables in their food and try something new.
• Brownies could have a go at vegan baking as part of the baking badge.
• Guides can explore the world of vegan drinks in their mixology badge.
• Rangers can try the cooking badge, changing up their favourite dishes, trying new recipes and building their cooking repertoire.

Dietary choices should be someone’s personal decision. But it’s important to remember that a young person’s diet might be down to more than their beliefs and preferences. Things like money, allergies and living circumstances might mean that a young person can't eat the food they might want to.

Never tell a young member the way that they eat or what they eat is wrong or unhealthy, unless you're a professional. We can empower young people to choose for themselves to eat healthier and to understand what their body needs, but not make them feel negative about their way of eating.

If you think there could be a safeguarding concern, follow the advice in A Safe Space.

Other diets to think about

Kosher food

Many Jewish people eat according to the kosher rules found within the Torah, the Jewish book of sacred texts. There are 3 main kosher food categories: meat (fleishig), dairy (milchig) and pareve, which is any food that is not meat or dairy, such as fish, eggs, and plant-based foods.

These kosher traditions might affect how you run a food-based activity in a unit meeting. If you have members who keep kosher and you are planning an activity around food, it's useful to remember that meat (fleishig) must never be served or eaten at the same meal as dairy (milchig).

People who keep kosher don’t eat meat from pigs, rabbits, camels, kangaroos, horses, scavenger birds and certain cuts of beef. Fish is only considered kosher if it comes from an animal that has fins and scales. Meat must also be prepared in a certain way to be considered kosher.

Most other foods are kosher, unless they’ve been prepared in a non-kosher way.

Many foods have labels on them which specify if they are kosher or not. There is lots of advice online about kosher traditions and there is even a website where you can search for different foods to find out if kosher members can eat it. Read more about kosher traditions.

Halal food

In general, every food is considered halal in Islam unless it is specially prohibited by the Qur’an or the Hadith. Food that isn’t halal is called haram. Foods you might use in a unit meeting that are not halal include lard, anything that comes from pigs (like bacon or ham), meat-based broths and stocks, gelatine and carnivorous animals. This isn’t a full list, so be sure to check before a food-based activity what might not be halal.

Like kosher foods, many halal products are clearly marked and there is lots of advice online. Read more about halal diets.

Other diets

As well as religious diets, vegetarianism and veganism, members could also have certain foods they can’t eat because, for example, they’re allergic. You should be made aware of this by the young member’s parent or carer.

Some common dietary requirements include being gluten-free, lactose intolerant and dairy-free. Most supermarkets have a ‘free from’ section and affordable substitutes for lots of dietary requirements other than veganism and vegetarianism. You’ll find everything from gluten-free biscuits to lactose-free milk and dairy-free cream.