What is Veganuary, you may ask? Veganuary is a challenge to go vegan for the month of January. Personally, my transition to veganism started with a 90-day-challenge I created for myself to see if I could go vegan. I had spent 4 years as a vegetarian and always felt the call in my heart to go fully vegan. My transition didn't feel huge, because I had already spent 4 years as a vegetarian, but there were definitely some major shifts that needed to happen in my life (like milk powder is in EVERYTHING - who knew?!)
Shopping quickly turned into an ingredient reading marathon as I sorted through the snack aisle on what was and was not vegan. I've been vegan for nearly 4 years now, so while shopping has become easier and I know what to buy, it's always easier when you can walk down the aisle and know that everything in that section is 100% vegan and plant-based. Enter Veganuary at London Drugs. For the month of January, London Drugs not only sections off an area for the vegan items, they also have vegan items on sale! I've teamed up with London Drugs to celebrate Veganuary and share with you some of my favourite vegan products that I love from London Drugs. Veganuary includes food, beauty, health and personal care, and household supplies - because being vegan is not just about what is on your plate! You can find their full list of Veganuary items here.
First up we have my all-time favourite cookies, Manner Wafers! Fun fact about me: I completed my university semester abroad in Vienna, Austria - the homeland of Manner Wafers. Prior to studying in Vienna, I had never tried Manner Wafers. My classmates and I quickly learned that these were a very popular Viennese treat, and we stocked up on each trip to the grocery store. I'll never forget this time in my life, laughing until our cheeks hurt, staying up late and drinking peppermint tea with our Manner Wafers. My studies took place before I went vegan, so you can imagine my delight when I discovered that these wafers are in fact vegan! Not every store in Canada has them, but I can always count on London Drugs to have them in stock - HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
I think you can see where I'm going with this - TEA. A cozy cup of tea compliments these wafers so nicely. A caffeine-free herbal tea like the Calming tea from Yogi is the perfect pairing to help you wind down at the end of the day. I love the little love notes Yogi leaves on their tea bags - a little mindfulness reminder. Of course, if you prefer coffee, they go perfectly with that too - they are hazelnut flavoured after all. Four Sigmatic coffee mix with ashwagandha is a great option!
If you've been following my journey on Instagram with natural deodorant, you'll know it's taken me years to find one that works for me. There's definitely a detoxification period that you have to go through when switching to natural deodorant - and it's not always pretty. I've used natural deodorant for years - from the salt crystal to different kinds of sprays and even rub on pastes. It's not that they were all horrible, but there's something about applying a stick of deodorant that feels so much better than a wet salt crystal. The only bar that has worked for me is Native deodorant. It's also easy to travel with and it comes in multiple scents (my personal favourites are the Vanilla + Coconut and the Lavender + Rose). The main reason I switched to a natural deodorant is to stop pumping harmful metals like aluminum into my body. Instead, I like to help my lymphatic system by removing those ingredients from my routine. There are so many lymph nodes in the armpit, and it never felt right to me to be putting the deodorant directly onto that area of my body. If you haven't made the switch already, I would say Native deodorant is the one to try first - just be wary of the detoxification period before giving up altogether!
On the topic of clean body products, I also stocked up on some Mad Hippie skincare from the Veganuary section at London Drugs. They have an abundant selection of cruelty-free skincare options with clean ingredients that will do your skin oh so good. I'm personally a fan of the Vitamin C serum and love to massage it onto my face in the morning with my gua sha. Feels amazing and is also great for lymphatic drainage in your face (okay you caught me, I have a thing about supporting the lymphatic system!)
January might turn into my favourite month with all of these vegan goodies being in one spot and on sale to celebrate Veganuary. I really just touched the tip of the iceberg with these vegan goodies. London Drugs is my go-to spot for vegan chocolate bars - they seriously have so many! When I went vegan 4 years ago, you didn't see things like Veganuary being celebrated and promoted. While I love a good vegan grocery store, it's so much more convenient to head to London Drugs and stock up there. I also appreciate how they acknowledge that being vegan isn't just about what you eat. It's also what you put on the outside of your body and the products you use in your home as well. Veganuary excites me and keeps me going on my vegan and plant-based journey to see how far veganism has come in the past 4 years.
