Feeling ready for a healthy 2022? Don’t worry if not! 💚

Happy New Year 2022! 🥂

2021 was not an easy year, we appreciate all of your support and we wanted to thank you for being by our side during this year. 2022 will be a new year full of amazing surprises! 

There are two types of people when it comes to the new year… Which one are you?

1. You’re excited, you’re motivated. You’re here to start new habits and conquer new goals.
2. You don’t understand the hype around creating a new version of yourself suddenly just because a calendar changed. And you’re focused on doing your best every day, whatever that looks like.

Both are great options and it doesn’t matter if you’re somewhere in the middle! Do what makes you feel happy and don’t feel the pressure!

2022 is a year full of events and activities for you to get involved in. Have you heard of Veganuary and Dry January? 🌱🍷

Keep reading this blog to find out what these two are, find out the health benefits of participating in them and how you can get involved in them if you want!

What is Veganuary all about?

Veganuary is an annual challenge run in the UK that’s aim is to promote and educate about veganism by encouraging people to follow a vegan lifestyle during the month of January. 🌱

We are often told that carrying a vegan diet is positive for our own health and also, beneficial for the environment. But… In what ways exactly can this lifestyle improve our well-being and be environmentally sustainable? 🌲

✅ A vegan diet is rich in vitamins and nutrients

✅ It can help you lose excess body weight

✅ It lowers blood sugar levels and improves kidney function

✅ A vegan lifestyle is linked to a lower risk of heart disease

✅ Being vegan cleans planet soil and conserves water

✅ It reduced energy consumption

✅ Veganism purifies air

✅ It protects animal species

Wanna go vegan or try this challenge? GreenJinn can help you!

At GreenJinn, we strongly believe in sustainability. One of our values is being “Green”. But what does this mean? This means that as a company, we care about the Earth, through the brands we work with, our community and to us as a team. We do the right thing, not always the easiest thing. 🌎

As well as all the projects we have participated in related to taking care of the environment, the brands we choose to work with are sustainable, between them, many are vegan and on discount with the GreenJinn app!

Also, Tom, our chef, shares with us healthy recipes which our users try at home. Many of these are vegan meals. Why not give them a try? They are not hard to make!

The Complete Book of Vegan Compleating is an A-Z of zero-waste eating for the mindful vegan by Ellen Tout. If you are interested in zero-waste eating and veganism, we recommend you reading her book! Ellen Tout is a vegan and sustainability writer that is passionate about maximising the benefits of veganism, and through just a few simple tips, tricks and ingenious recipes she can revolutionise the way you cook. 🍳

Have you heard of Dry January?

Dry January is a public health campaign urging people to abstain from alcohol for the month of January, practised in Europe and the US. “Dry January appeals to someone who may have noticed a pattern that they’re drinking a little bit more than they should, especially during the holidays,” explains Michael Levy, Ph.D. For a normal woman for example, a moderate consumption of alcohol is about 1 glass per day and no more than seven per week. Drinking more than that can lead to health issues such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.

Starting the year with Dry January is a good start to push a healthy lifestyle. But… What are some of the benefits behind getting involved in Dry January?

🚫 Weight loss: Alcohol contains empty calories that don’t have beneficial nutrients to our bodies and by reducing consumption, this can lead to weight loss.

🚫 Improved sleep quality: Drinking alcohol in excess prevents you from a deep and restorative sleep. By reducing your consumption, your sleep quality improves and you have increased energy levels. Win win!

🚫 Improved mental health: Alcohol is classed as a depressant drug that may lead to anxiety feelings and stress. Reducing your alcohol intake can help cope with these feelings and in consequence, improve your mental health and brain function. With a clearer head free from hangovers, you can do more with the extra time you now have from not drinking. You can do activities for you and your mental health, go for a walk, learn something new or try a new restaurant.

🚫 Upgrade physical health: Drinking alcohol in excess can lead to high blood sugar, higher blood pressure and more liver fat. Sober October can help reduce these health issues, improving your overall physical health.

🚫 Sense of achievement: Being able to leave your comfort zone and change some of your habits like ordering a Diet Coke instead of a pint during this period is challenging. Therefore, being able to do so leads to an incredible feeling of accomplishment.

🚫 Did we forget you can also save money!

References

1. https://www.instagram.com/greenjinnapp/
2. https://www.greenjinn.com/
3. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a25656740/dry-january-benefits/
4. https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january
5. Images sourced from:

• https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960×0/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F5f3d400d274eb86e9755995a%2FShould-Americans-be-limited-to-just-one-drink-a-day-%2F960x0.jpg%3Ffit%3Dscale
• https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSo48dMGZ9ADKpmA2YBvnwirzDroo_vFCAyrw&usqp=CAU
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spotahome.com%2Fblog%2Fnew-years-eve-madrid-traditions%2F&psig=AOvVaw1mwoLyHjBxGF9dIyhCVLbA&ust=1641488895920000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCOC_mueMm_UCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
• https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoodandnutrition.org%2Fblogs%2Fstone-soup%2F7-considerations-going-vegetarian-vegan%2F&psig=AOvVaw2Li7hT6LTTGzha_wH2ujRF&ust=1641634648255000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCLjbo-Orn_UCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAJ