Celebrate Gandhi’s Birthday by Bringing Non-Violence Into Your Diet

Tomorrow, 2 October, would have been Mahatma Gandhi’s 145th birthday. It’s also the United Nations’ International Day of Non-Violence.

One meaningful way to celebrate Gandhi’s legacy and the peaceful principles he stood for is to refrain from all forms of violence – specifically in your diet. Last year, MPs from all political parties accepted our invitation to go vegan for the day. This year, we’re encouraging everyone with an interest in justice, non-violence and respect for life to do the same.

Gandhi was himself a strict vegetarian and wrote the book The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism. It makes sense: in the meat, dairy and egg industries, animals are violently mistreated, mutilated without painkillers, separated from their loved ones, shoved into crowded spaces and killed – often painfully. This abuse is hardly compatible with the ideas of compassion and kindness that Gandhi is so well known for.

Go vegan for the day, and you’ll be taking the first step towards eliminating violence from your diet.

If you’re new to plant-based eating, here are a few ideas for what to eat on your first vegan day:

Breakfast

• Muesli, cornflakes, Weetabix, Rice Krispies and many other cereals are vegan-friendly. Just swap dairy milk for soya, almond, rice or any other plant-based milk.
• Spread toast with vegan margarine, peanut butter, Marmite or jam.
• Construct an indulgent vegan fry-up with veggie sausages, fried mushrooms and hash browns.

Lunch

• Snack on houmous and crackers or healthy carrot and celery batons.
• Grab a ready-made soup and some bread. New Covent Garden Soup Company, Pret a Manger and many supermarket lines have vegan options.
• Check out our list of vegan packed lunch ideas for more inspiration.

Dinner

• Keep it simple with whole-wheat pasta and marinara sauce (this is usually vegan, but check the ingredients to make sure) topped with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Toss tofu, thinly sliced carrots, cabbage, mangetout and baby corn into a wok for a vibrant stir-fry. Serve with rice or wheat noodles.
• Explore hundreds of delicious vegan recipes from all over the world at PETALiving.com.

Let us know how your day of peaceful vegan eating is going by tweeting using the hashtag #GoVegan. And if tomorrow goes well, why not extend the exercise by taking our 30-day vegan pledge?