What is Veganuary?

As it sounds, Veganuary is a campaign to encourage people to try vegan food in January.

This year, it's set to be bigger than ever with Veganuary, a registered charity, predicting more than 150,000 people will go vegan for the month.

Although the campaign was set up five years ago, this year its profile has grown - although not everyone is a fan. Piers Morgan recently tweeted: "Veganuary....what new special kind of Hell is this?"

So, who takes part and why?

Last year, there were 60,000 registered participants from 172 countries, and one of the 2015 participants was Charlotte Sims, from Droitwich.

She said: "I was already vegetarian and had been since I was eight because of my love for animals.

"I couldn't understand how I could have so much love for my pet cats and then be sitting down for dinner and eating cows and chickens.

"Why love one animal and then eat another?! I was really passionate about being vegetarian and it never even crossed my mind that I could be doing more until I heard about Veganuary in 2015.

"The more I researched the dairy industry the more it shocked me and I was ashamed I hadn't tried veganism sooner."

Reducing animal suffering, helping the planet and improving personal health are the three main reasons given.

Charlotte credits that month with changing her health and her life.

She said: "At the time of going vegan, I was training for a bikini fitness bodybuilding competition and my diet consisted of a lot of eggs and dairy protein powders.

"I was worried that my health may suffer as a vegan but it has been the complete opposite.

"I have never looked better, I have lost weight, always feel energetic and my teenage skin problems have finally cleared up at the age of 29."

Charlotte who is training for her first bikini competition as a vegan says she now has added motivation and aims to show you can transform your body on a vegan diet just as well as on an omnivorous one.

Simon Winch,Veganuary's CEO, said: "Most people, like Charlotte, take part in Veganuary because they have concerns over the way animals are farmed and slaughtered, but thousands more take part for their health or because they want to reduce their environmental impact.

"These are all excellent reasons, and everyone is welcome. But no matter what prompts someone to try vegan, good food is really important, and those taking part in Veganuary will soon find out that they do not need to compromise on great flavours, and nor will they struggle to eat out with friends."

What are the top tips for taking part?

Charlotte says: "My top tips are to be prepared, plan your meals and research accidentally vegan options so you have some go-to food products.

"Interact with vegans on Instagram, ask people if you need suggestions for alternatives to what you would normally eat.

"Join Facebook Vegan groups local to you and attend some meet-ups as they are great social events and you will get to try new restaurants.

I have met lots of cool new people this way and I even went to a UK Vegan Camp Out event earlier this year in Nottingham where there were more than 3,000 vegans. There are a lot of us out there!"

But is it difficult to find places that sell vegan food?

Here are 8 local places Charlotte suggests for trying out vegan dishes.

1. Mendhi, Worcester Road, Wychbold

"This restaurant is very special as it is a vegetarian Indian restaurant.

"If you ask they have a separate menu clearly labelling the vegan options and there are lots. You can bring your own drinks to this restaurant too. My favourite dish is the Punjabi Chole."

2. Chesters, New Street, Worcester

"This place is the best for vegan Mexican food. They have a whole menu for vegans and there is so much choice. My favourite is the vegetable burrito with garlic and cheese mash potato."

3. Natural Healthy Foods, Allison Street, Birmingham

"This restaurant is a bit further afield and is a new concept to dining.

It is a self-serve buffet and at the end you weigh your plate and pay for your food. It is a fully vegan healthy menu with no sugar or salt. The raw desserts are mouth-wateringly good, especially the fudge and vanilla caramel cheesecake."

4. The Copcut Elm, Hungry Horse, Worcester Road, Droitwich

"I love that they now have a vegan dessert on the menu, chocolate coconut torte."

5. Chateau Impney, Droitwich Spa

"If you give the hotel notice they will prepare a vegan afternoon tea."

6. The Farmhouse Restaurant, Jinney Ring Craft Centre

"A great place for afternoon tea as they normally have a vegan fruit cake and offer soya milk for tea and coffee."

7. Zizzi's, High Street, Worcester

"Leading the way for a mainstream restaurant with plenty of vegan options!

"I love to be able to go somewhere that all my friends will enjoy but where I will also have great options too. I especially like the lentil ragu and the vegan pizza. The chocolate and praline torte is amazing, too."

Is everyone a fan?

No. Worcester food blogger Adam Eats says that people should take a cautious approach before taking a sudden plunge into veganism, claiming that, just because a food is classified as vegan, it does not necessarily make it a healthy food choice.

He said: "Unless you are locked and loaded with numerous vegan recipes, staying on track and not burning out too soon is something that many will find difficult this Veganuary."

"There are also risks associated with suddenly making such a drastic change to your diet.

"A safer alternative for those looking to reduce their meat and dairy intake is flexitarianism.

"This allows people to gradually reduce their meat and dairy intake, meaning that they are likely to stay on track for all of January and perhaps beyond."

He added: "At Adam Eats, we believe that guilt has no place in our diets. Flexitarianism is a great solution for anyone who wants to make a change but doesn't want to feel ashamed if they have one or two days off each week."