Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, May 22, 2026

Beyond Veganuary: Is going plant-based a smart way to lose weight?

Search for #Veganuary on Instagram and you'll find meatless burgers, dairy-free croissants and porridge topped with just about every plant-based food you can think of.

You'll also find people posing in gym wear, adverts for "diet" protein powders and posts about weight loss.

People do Veganuary for a wide range of ethical and health reasons. For some it's weight loss - especially if they're inspired by celebrities like Beyonce, whose pre-Coachella diet was described by nutritionists as potentially dangerous.

But is it a viable or healthy way to shed pounds in January, or in the long-run?

For Laura Banks, 23, losing weight was one of the main drives behind doing Veganuary, and she has been documenting her progress on Instagram.

"I do feel a lot more healthy," she says, three weeks in. "But I've had a similar weight loss to when I was an omnivore."

She says she feels adequately informed about maintaining a balanced diet because she studies nutrition at university, and stresses the importance of planning meals ahead.

One challenge she's found to weight loss, however, is the availability of vegan fast-food - especially since she doesn't have enough room in her student accommodation to store the fresh produce she'd like to buy.

Sam Calvert, spokeswoman for the Vegan Society, stresses that being vegan doesn't necessarily mean being slim, and that whether or not you lose weight by going plant-based will depend on what you eat.

"You can eat nothing but vegan chocolate and chips and be vegan, but you won't lose weight and it won't be good for you," she says.

She adds that veganism is a broader "belief" that goes beyond diet, and hopes that ethical considerations are the main reason people choose to stay vegan after January.

Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert takes issue with celebrities promoting vegan diets.

She thinks Veganuary is founded on "good motives", but that doing it to lose weight is "not very sustainable" if shedding pounds is a long-term goal.

"Straight away if you have one month in your head, or one way of eating in your head, you're limiting yourself and making it harder for yourself to keep up those changes," she says.

She urges people considering going plant-based after January to make small changes such as meat-free Mondays.

This way your body can get used to having fewer animal products over time, rather than having to cope with a sudden change that can be a "shock" for the digestive system, she says.

She adds that people who do go plant-based need to ensure they get enough protein, iodine, calcium, B12, iron, vitamin D and omega 3.

Toni Vernelli, spokeswoman for Veganuary, says people who signed up through the campaign's official website receive daily emails about nutrition.

She stresses that going vegan "doesn't mean deprivation" but, like Laura, says it does require common sense and planning.


'I wasn't very educated'

Sumaya Tarabi, a vegan food blogger from west London, says she didn't know enough about nutrition when she became vegan at 15, and warns people against going plant-based to look like "skinny" Instagram influencers like she did.

"I wasn't very educated so I used veganism as a way to restrict myself," she says, adding that she was "constantly starving" because she didn't know enough about nutrition.

She says she also exercised excessively, and was forced to reassess her diet and attitude when a treadmill she had been setting up collapsed on her because she was too weak to hold it.

Now 18, Sumaya follows vegan influencers who promote strength and a balanced diet.

She wants people who want to go plant-based after Veganuary to make sure they know how to fuel their bodies.

"I realised I can be vegan and I can be healthy... I don't need to be super-thin," she says.


'Spot the signs'

Tom Quinn, spokesman for eating disorder charity Beat, says some people with eating disorders may use veganism as a "socially acceptable" way to follow a restrictive diet.

"It may make it harder for people around them to spot the signs," he says.

However, he adds that for those in recovery, meal plans can provide "reassurance and stability".

He says more research is needed into the "risks" that veganism could potentially pose for those who already have problematic relationships with food.

After Sumaya's accident, her mother told her to pause her vegan diet and gain weight - and now Sumaya wants other parents to keep tabs on their children's eating habits too.

"Check [your children's] habits, make sure they're eating enough, and make sure that they're not... following influencers and YouTubers that are talking about random life hacks and silly fitness things that aren't backed up with science," she says.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Strategic Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Security Concerns as Trump Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Keeps Red Sea Oil Exports Flowing Despite Regional Tensions
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
Saudi Business Leader Abudawood Appointed Chairman of Merit Incentives Group
TotalEnergies Confirms Damage at Saudi Refinery Following Security Incident
Saudi Arabia Launches Early Construction Phase for King Salman Stadium Project
Saudi Shift Away from Longstanding Dollar Oil Framework Gains Attention Amid Iran Conflict
Türkiye and Saudi Arabia Resolve Long-Running Transit Visa Dispute
Saudi Oil Capacity and Pipeline Flows Reduced as Supply Risks Intensify
TotalEnergies Reports Damage to Saudi SATORP Refinery Following Security Incidents
Gulf States Assess Prospects of U.S.-Iran Truce as Regional Stability Efforts Intensify
South Korea Resumes Honey Exports to Saudi Arabia Following Sanitary Approval
Saudi Arabia Carries Out Sentences in Eastern Province Following Security Convictions
Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund Backs King Street’s Regional Credit Strategy
Saudi Arabia Secures World Cup Return as Egypt Celebrates Landmark Qualification
Iran and Saudi Arabia Intensify Diplomatic Engagement Amid Regional Tensions
Russia and Saudi Arabia Open Visa-Free Travel Corridor for Citizens
Saudi Oil Output Capacity Reduced by 600,000 Barrels Per Day Amid Regional Conflict
Saudi Arabia Suspends Operations at Select Energy Sites as Precautionary Measure
Saudi Arabia Halts Operations at Multiple Energy Facilities Amid Heightened Tensions
Global Markets Jolt as Iran Signals Ceasefire Breakdown and Rising Regional Tensions
King Street Aligns with Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund to Expand Alternative Investments in Middle East
Attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Petrochemical Hub Raises Global Supply Concerns
Debate Emerges Over Saudi Strategic Decisions as Gulf Cooperation Council Dynamics Come Into Focus
Saudi Arabia Expands Full Workforce Localisation to 69 Professions in Major Labour Reform
Emerging Alliance of Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Signals New Regional Power Dynamic Amid Iran Conflict
Iran Linked to Strikes Across Gulf States Following Refinery Attack Escalation
Saudi Arabia Voices Concern Over Fragile US–Iran Ceasefire Stability
Starmer Warns Sustained Effort Needed to Ensure US–Iran Ceasefire Holds
Saudi Arabia’s Key East-West Oil Pipeline Targeted Following Ceasefire Announcement
Iran Targets Saudi Arabia’s East-West Oil Pipeline in Escalating Regional Tensions
Trump Warns of Civilizational Stakes as Iran Halts Negotiations
Saudi Companies Expand Remote Work Measures Ahead of Iran-Related Security Concerns
Iran Warns of Strikes on Saudi Energy Infrastructure if US Targets Its Facilities
Iran Urges Civilians to Form Human Shields Around Nuclear Sites as Diplomatic Deadline Approaches
Saudi Arabia Raises Oil Prices to Record Premiums Amid Supply Pressures Linked to Iran Conflict
Key Saudi-Bahrain Causeway Closed Amid Heightened Security Concerns Linked to Iran
Formula One Calendar Gap Explained as Fans Await Next Grand Prix
×