The Vegan 2018 Issue 1

The Vegan 2018 Issue 1

The Vegan Society magazine

JAMES ASPEY Championing the power of language

MY VEGAN TRAVELS Food inspired by adventure

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Editor’s Letter & Contents

Editor’s Letter

W

hen it comes to making the world more vegan, our voices are our most powerful tool. This is why we’re kicking off 2018 with an issue focusing on how best we can use speech to champion veganism to the people around us.

I’m very excited to include an article by activist James Aspey (page 9), who took a year’s vow of silence to raise awareness of animal suffering. James now spends his time giving speeches about veganism all over the world.

We have also included an insight on behaviour change (page 18) from our own Dietitian, Heather Russell. If you’re looking for tips on how to

encourage and support the people around you to adopt and sustain a vegan lifestyle, this is the article for you.

On page 20 you can find an interview with Ric Sanders from legendary folk rock group Fairport Convention on his preferred ways of spreading the word.

All this plus an update on our latest campaign, a selection of delicious vegan recipes from a stunning new recipe book, news from our volunteers and all of our other usual features.

Happy reading!

Contents 03

Achievements

06

Media highlights

09

A Voice for Animals

13

Recipes

18

Behaviour change

20

Fairport Convention

24

Vegan on the Go

27

Annual General Meeting

28

Active vegans

33

Nutrition

34

Shoparound

09

Essential updates on Vegan Society news

The Vegan Society in the press

By activist James Aspey

From Jackie Kearney’s My Vegan Travels

13

How to help others go vegan

An interview with Ric Sanders

An update on our latest campaign

An important date for your diary

24

Keeping up with our amazing volunteers

Plant-based benefits

New vegan products to look out for Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 1

From the CEO Editor Elena Orde Design creativephoenix.design Contributors James Aspey, Jackie Kearney, Diane Smith, Sarah Rehmatullah Cover image: Simon Holding Print kingsdown.uk.com Submissions We welcome articles on a range of topics relating to veganism, as well as photographs, images, and illustrations.

Please email editor@vegansociety.com for more information.

Staff CEO George Gill Head of Communications Sam Calvert Chief Finance Officer Stephen Hirst Head of Campaigns & Policy Louise Davies Senior Advocacy & Policy Officer Amanda Baker Volunteering & Engagement Manager Alex Douglas Supporter Services Officer Andy Davidson Supporter Services Coordinator Seona Deuchar Admin Assistant Katherine Anderson Web & Digital Marketing Officer Adam Duncan Digital Content Officer Danielle Saunders Communications & Campaigns Officer Elena Orde Media & PR Officer Dominika Piasecka Campaigns & Policy Officer Tom Kuehnel HR & Office Manager Sarah Cook Sales & Merchandise Manager Dave Nicholson Sales & Merchandise Assistant Gemma Green Trademark Officers Emma Beaver, Charlotte Bracken, Paul Philbrow Trademark Relations Officer Abigail Stevens Business Development Assistants Alix Meek, Jess Olley, Stephanie Reed, Natacha Rodrigues, Annie Evans Business Operations Manager Paul Tomlinson Finance Officer Allan Oakes Research Officer Dr Lorna Brocksopp Dietitian Heather Russell Council Stephen Walsh (Chair) Jenifer Vinell (Vice-Chair) Menna Jones (Treasurer) Salim Akbar, David Gore, Constantin Imbs, Graham Neale, Sagar Shah, Patricia Fairey The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of The Vegan Society Council. Nothing printed should be construed to be The Vegan Society's policy unless so stated.

The society accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of advertisements (including inserts) does not imply endorsement.

2 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

From the CEO Making vegan mainstream

A

s you can imagine, throughout World Vegan Month it was a hive of activity here at The Vegan Society. November always presents a wonderful opportunity to come together to celebrate the great strides forward the movement has made, and we planned plenty of activities to mark the occasion.

We began the month with a series of radio interviews set up in collaboration with vegan actor Peter Egan, who acted as a terrific spokesperson for veganism. We also worked with renowned artist Benjamin Zephaniah on his track ‘Love the Life’, which celebrates the vegan lifestyle. Benjamin has long supported The Vegan Society, and it was great to work with him again on such a positive project.

At the end of 2017 we launched our latest campaign, Vegan on the Go. This campaign is all about encouraging retailers to provide more ready-made vegan options to make veganism as accessible as possible. This campaign will continue into 2018 as part of our mission to make veganism mainstream.

We will also be continuing and improving the Plate Up for the Planet campaign, working to make institutions more vegan-friendly, and pushing forwards with Grow Green, our campaign to encourage the growing of more plant protein to replace the demand for animal products. Look out for ways you can get involved in all of these projects and more throughout the year.

Our AGM will take place on Saturday 19 May in Birmingham, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in attendance. This is your chance to share your views about the work of The Vegan Society and where you would like us to focus our efforts in the future. Full details are available on page 27.

Here’s to a very successful 2018!

George Gill, CEO

Staff updates We were sorry to say goodbye to our Trademark Team Manager Laura Faliveno at the end of 2017. Laura has worked incredibly hard to make the Trademark Team what it is today, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without her hard work and dedication.

We were very pleased to welcome Gemma Green to the Sales and Merchandise Team as our new Sales and Merchandise Assistant.

Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Birmingham B18 6HJ UK

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Achievements

Achievements Changing perceptions The vegan movement has come a long way since its fringe beginnings. To kick off World Vegan Month, we commissioned research to chart how far we have come.

Our results showed that more than half of UK adults are adopting vegan buying behaviours, and Britain is more vegan-friendly than ever before. A third of those surveyed thought there should be better education in schools to teach about the impact of farming on the environment. 26% said that prisons, schools and hospitals should provide a vegan option by law, and 9% think there should be a tax on animal-based products.

Half of those surveyed knew a vegan personally, and a fifth said they would consider going vegan themselves. Far from feeling threatened by an individual’s decision to ditch animal products, 43% said they respected them for their stance, and nearly a quarter said they admired them.

Nutrition outreach Vegan Society Dietitian Heather Russell has been working with the British Dietetic Association on their latest care catering toolkit, which now includes more comprehensive advice on the care of vegan patients.

On World Vegan Day, Heather spoke to staff at The Rubens hotel about green living, nutrition and business. Heather also shared the benefits of plant-based diets at VegFest London to a packedout audience, presented at the West Midlands Vegan Festival, and spoke about vegan nutrition for children at the Leicester Vegan Fair.

Benjamin Zephaniah filming for the Love the Life music video

Love the Life As part of our World Vegan Month celebrations we teamed up with renowned artist and poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who has written a song that celebrates the vegan lifestyle. The track, entitled ‘Love the Life’, features catchy upbeat lyrics written by Benjamin, along with spoken facts about the positive benefits of veganism to people, animals and the planet.

The music video was shot in November and features Benjamin himself, plus a group of vegans dancing along to the track. Our thanks go to the wonderful team of enthusiastic vegans who showed up on the day and gave it their all.

Digital Content Officer Danielle Saunders coordinated the film shoot. She says, “It was wonderful to see so many vegans getting together to have fun and celebrate how far the movement has come.”

You can listen to the track on YouTube and SoundCloud.

Dietitian Heather Russell delivering a workshop Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 3

Achievements

Volunteer appreciation day We decided to have a day dedicated to our volunteers, where we invited a few local to us to come in for a special meal to thank them for their hard work. One Planet Pizza kindly catered the event, and volunteers were given goody bags containing treats from some of our Trademark holders.

From office volunteers who tirelessly come in to help us with admin, to volunteers who offer specialist skills such as transcription or proofreading, to those who do a fantastic job helping us at events – we couldn’t do what we do without you all.

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit: vegansociety.com/volunteers. We have availabilities for differing time commitments and a variety of skills, and would love to have you on board.

Thanks to One Planet Pizza for catering for our wonderful volunteers

Political engagement In October we hosted our All Party Parliamentary Group meeting. This well-attended session focused on Brexit as an opportunity to funnel the UK’s farming subsidies away from meat producers, and to include environmental standards in climate plans.

Louise Davies, Head of Campaigns and Policy, spoke about our new report Grow Green: Sustainable Solutions for the Farm of the Future.

Other speakers included Antony Froggatt, Senior Research Fellow at international affairs think tank Chatham House, and Helen Harwatt, a Sustainability Research Specialist.

Discussion centred on ways to improve international reporting of emissions from livestock, the positive impact meat reduction could have for the planet, and what more could be done to promote the consumption of crops that have a positive impact on the environment.

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Supporting university students Moving away to university can be a difficult time, and you may have concerns about being vegan in a new environment. This is why joining or starting a VegSoc can be a great way to meet likeminded people, make friends and together encourage more vegan options on campus.

We’re keen to support as many university VegSocs as possible, so we’ve been hard at work with our Trademark holders Fry’s. Together we have developed some free resources that offer our top tips for starting a VegSoc, or for giving your existing society a bit of a boost.

You can find these on our website: vegansociety.com/lifestyle/university-vegsocs.

Here you can also sign up to remain in contact with us, so that we can provide you with our expertise on the running of your society and send free resources to keep you going.

Trademark successes

Vegan education in schools

The first ever Vegfest Trade event took place in October, and The Vegan Society took a stand to promote our Vegan Trademark to exhibitors.

Trademark Officer Alix Meek got to catch up with a few of our current Trademark holders and speak to other companies about the importance of reliable, clear vegan labelling.

Alix took part on a panel discussing the benefits of vegan certification for businesses, the fast-growing demand for vegan products, and how businesses can go about registering their products with the Vegan Trademark. She was asked some interesting questions about our methods and appreciated the opportunity to share views with other certification bodies.

In November, Trademark Relations Officer Abigail was invited to speak on a panel at the Formula Botanica Conference in London. Formula Botanica is an online school and community of beauty and body-care formulators who are in line to be the next generation of independent cosmetics brands. The attendees were very receptive to formulating their products as vegan, with many already planning on adding vegan products to their ranges.

We’re very happy to have helped to produce a set of educational materials about veganism in collaboration with online educational publishing house Twinkl.

The materials explain what a vegan is, the various reasons for choosing a vegan lifestyle and how a vegan diet can meet nutritional needs.

They have been designed for Key Stages 3 and 4. If you have a child of this age, please feel free to get in touch with their school and request that they look into using these resources to cover these topics in class. You can find the resources by searching for ‘vegan’ on the Twinkl website: twinkl.co.uk.

Lund Animal Conference Our Research Advisory Committee is a group of dedicated vegans in a range of academic fields, who work together to support The Vegan Society’s aims.

Towards the end of 2017, the RAC went to the Animal Conference at Lund University, Sweden.

The aim of the conference was to focus on how research and academic work can contribute to the disruption and replacement of violent and exploitative practices, while also providing a platform for exploring the variety of ways that more just inter-species relations might be established.

Several members of our Research Advisory Committee presented at the conference, including Professor Erica Cudworth, Dr Matthew Cole and PhD candidate Abi Masefield.

Alix Meek (left) with her fellow panelists Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 5

Media highlights

Media highlights

The Vegan Society in the press

World Vegan Day and Month

On the radio

World Vegan Month always gets our press office busy, and this year was no different. The celebrations kicked off with #WorldVeganDay trending on twitter. We received coverage in at least 50 online publications including national newspapers the Telegraph, the Guardian, the Metro, the Sun, the Daily Express and the Daily Star. From articles featuring vegan recipes to journalists taking the 30 Day Vegan Pledge, the vegan message certainly took centre stage last November. We contributed to more articles than ever, and the requests kept coming throughout the whole month.

Head of Communications Sam Calvert joined forces with actor Peter Egan (above) to give interviews to 15 radio stations on World Vegan Day, garnering the attention of thousands. Both spoke passionately about the growing popularity of veganism and just how easy it is to avoid animal products. Our Media and PR Officer Dominika Piasecka was interviewed on Lincoln City radio, whose presenter decided to try eating vegan and invited her back multiple times over the course of the month.

Changing attitudes towards veganism Our brand new research released to coincide with World Vegan Month gained coverage across several online publications. It proved that veganism has become much more accepted, with many journalists writing about it positively.

It inspired the food industry’s trade magazine the Grocer to write a piece on the rise in veganism.

This featured quotes from our Trademark Manager Laura Faliveno, who stressed how vegan food offerings in mainstream outlets and stores have improved.

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Best of the rest Dominika wrote an opinion piece about the tremendous opportunity that veganism presents to the baking industry, which appeared in British Baker magazine. She was quoted in a Guardian article all about vegan businesses, as well as Telegraph articles on vegan beauty and prodairy adverts. Dietitian Heather Russell was also in demand, writing articles that were printed in Health Business UK and Dietetics Today. She challenged a misinformed column on vegan nutrition in Natural Products magazine and wrote her own piece providing correct information.

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Activism

A voice for animals

Activist James Aspey has worked tirelessly to bring awareness to veganism and animal rights – from undergoing a year of silence to taking his inspiring speeches all over the world

Photography by Simon Holding Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 9

Activism

own life, desires, thoughts and feelings, just like I do. It has enriched my view of life on this world.

I also feel much healthier, and have more energy than I did before. I have perfect blood test results, and haven’t even had as much as a sore throat in four years. I feel better every day knowing I am walking a far more peaceful path than the one I was on before.

Making a difference

Beginnings On 1 January 2014 I went vegan.

Prior to that, I had gone vegetarian as an experiment. I was surprised at how great I felt, and soon discovered we can be healthy and thrive without eating animal products.

That led me to the question, “If we don’t need to kill and eat animals for our health, why do we do it?” When I couldn’t find a better reason than taste, I knew I could never go back to contributing to such unnecessary violence against innocent beings. When I learned there is at least as much cruelty in dairy, eggs and other animal products, I knew being vegetarian wasn’t enough and I needed to be vegan.

Changes The most profound change I experienced was the way I viewed animals. I never cared about or even liked animals growing up. I always thought that they weren’t mentally capable to care about their own lives, so why should I? Since going vegan, my view on this has completely changed. I now look at an animal and see a person, a non-human person, who has their 10 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

But I wanted to do more than just change my own life – I wanted to raise awareness of animal rights and lead others towards their own vegan journeys. I decided to take a vow of silence for a year to raise awareness for animals and promote peace over violence. I thought it would be a great way to draw attention from a crowd that doesn’t necessarily care about animals.

My first words were spoken on live TV to a huge audience – it was a great way to get exposure for the vegan movement and to start people thinking about the choices they make.

I learned a lot during that year, firstly that animals aren’t actually voiceless. They scream and cry, but most people don’t listen. We live in a world that has conditioned us to only care about a few species, while ignoring, or even worse, justifying and contributing to the suffering of others.

Speaking up I was the worst public speaker ever while at high school. After school I was a personal trainer for several years, and in that time started training groups. This is when I started “public speaking”, although I didn’t realise that’s what I was doing at the time. I worked on cruise ships and the bulk of my work there was giving lectures on health and fitness.

Once I completed my vow of silence, people started inviting me to do speeches. I didn’t know what I would say, but didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I accepted, and went there unprepared. I told my story and what happened during my vow of silence.

Activism

Once I had two dairy farmers in the audience at one of my talks. The Q&A got heated. By the end of it they were understanding of my position, shook my hands and one said, “Thank you for opening our eyes to this.” That was when I realised that the best way to spread this message is with patience, respect and compassion while also being firm and clear about what it is we believe and what the animals actually deserve.

After my first talk, so many people told me they were inspired to go vegan. This surprised me but I was happy to learn I had a speech that got the job done. Since then it has been refined countless times and is now very effective in inspiring nonvegans to go vegan. I’ve given over 250 free speeches all around the world. The largest was to 25,000 people in Israel.

The best way to spread this message is with patience, respect and compassion while being clear about what we believe and what the animals deserve Tips for activists For people who are interested in getting into public speaking, my advice would be to start stepping out of your comfort zone until the places you were once uncomfortable become comfortable. Then take another step. And repeat.

There’s no need to lack confidence when it comes to this topic. Simply explaining your reasons and the connections you made is a powerful way to help the animals, because it guides other people to make the same logical conclusions.

If you speak about it from your point of view without being pushy or making it about anyone else, you’re far less likely to receive a defensive response because they’ll be far less likely to feel attacked. Speak up for the animals the way

you’d want to be spoken for if it was you in their situation, and focus on the fact that every seed you plant is meaningful.

It’s important to know that activism is still activism even when it’s not in front of a crowd.

We can make a difference just through speaking to the people in our lives. But remember it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it and also the person you are at the time you say it. Learn the basic answers to the most common questions and objections that people have, and then learn how to deliver those answers in a peaceful, humble and informative way. Simply speak your truth, and aim to have conversations, not arguments.

Remember, the people aren’t our enemies. It is the conditioning and unjust societal beliefs that are the enemy. Most people are victims of that conditioning, just like we were. I like to remember this wonderful quote by Martin Luther King – love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 11

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Recipes

My Vegan Travels Comfort food inspired by adventure – Jackie Kearney shares from her latest recipe book

Cauliflower ‘steak’ with green peppercorn sauce Ingredients For the green peppercorn sauce 2 tbsp olive oil 2 banana shallots, finely chopped 1 tsp salt ½ tsp ground white pepper 1 tbsp plain flour 1 litre/4¼ cups almond milk 80 ml/ 1/3 cup brandy (optional) 2 tbsp green peppercorns, drained (or fresh, if possible) 200 ml/scant 1 cup vegan cream For the cauliflower ‘steak’ 1 large cauliflower, stem and leaves removed 4 tbsp polenta/fine cornmeal 1 tbsp nutritional yeast ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground white pepper 1 tsp roughly ground black pepper 4 tbsp pomace or vegetable oil To serve Chunky potato wedges

For this dish, green peppercorns are my absolute favourite after eating heaps of them in Thailand. They have a more fragrant warmth than their cousins, so they can be used more generously without becoming too harsh. You could use this sauce in lots of other dishes or as an alternative to gravy.

Directions Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas Mark 6.

Start by making the sauce. Add the olive oil and the finely chopped shallots to a large frying pan/skillet. Place over medium heat and sauté until translucent and soft, but not coloured. Add the salt and white pepper. Add the flour and cook gently for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add the almond milk, whisking all the time to make a smooth sauce. Add the brandy (if using) and bring to a simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Roughly chop half of the green peppercorns. Add to the sauce along with the whole peppercorns. Add the cream and season to taste.

Wash and trim the cauliflower, and cut into four 2.5 cm/1 inch thick slices. In a bowl, mix together the polenta/fine cornmeal, nutritional yeast, salt and white and black pepper.

Rub the cauliflower steaks with the oil and then cover with the polenta/fine cornmeal mix. Place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Serve with chunky potato wedges, perfect for mopping up the moreish sauce.

Serves 4

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 13

Recipes

14  The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Recipes

Jerusalem artichokes with garlic cream & hazelnut crust Ingredients 1 kg/2 lb. 4 oz. Jerusalem artichokes 4 shallots 6 garlic cloves, left whole ½ cauliflower, cut into florets 1-2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp white pepper 425 ml/1¾ cups almond milk or other vegan milk, plus extra if needed 2 tbsp lemon juice ½ tsp mustard powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp salt 1 slice brown or rye bread, blitzed to rough breadcrumbs 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs 1 tbsp freshly chopped marjoram or parsley (or ½ teaspoon dried) 2 tbsp toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Serves 4-6

I tend to be led by flavours in food first rather than their health-giving properties, but it’s always a small joy to find out something I love is also very good for me. And I do love hazelnuts. This dish is rich and unctuous, and feels like a treat especially when served with crusty bread and steamed broccoli. The creamy cauliflower sauce works well with pasta for a carbonara-style sauce, or serve this dish alongside a savoy-wrapped quinoa roast and crispy roast potatoes for a big traditional dinner.

Directions Peel the Jerusalem artichokes and slice into 5 mm/¼ inch thick discs.

Set aside in salted water to prevent them discolouring. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) Gas Mark 7.

Lay the shallots, garlic and cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with half the olive oil. Season with half the pepper and toss slightly. Lay the Jerusalem artichokes on another baking sheet, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil and season with the remaining pepper.

Place both baking sheets in the hot oven and roast for about 30 minutes until the cauliflower and artichokes are tender.

Transfer all the roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender and add the almond milk, lemon juice, mustard powder, onion powder and salt. Blitz until very smooth. Add more milk if necessary, to make a smooth, pourable sauce. Adjust the seasoning to taste if needed.

Layer the Jerusalem artichokes in a deep baking dish and then pour over the sauce. Sprinkle both types of breadcrumbs, the herbs and chopped hazelnuts over the top. Place in the hot oven for about 20-30 minutes until golden on top and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 15

Recipes

16  The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Recipes

Pineapple & cardamom upside down cake Ingredients 1 fresh pineapple (or 300 g/10 ½ oz. canned pineapple), cut into rings or pieces 1½ tbsp coconut oil 160g/generous ¾ cup caster/ superfine sugar 225g/1¾ cups self-raising/selfrising flour 125g/4 oz. vegan margarine 80 ml/1⁄3 cup plant milk 2 flax ‘eggs’ or egg replacer 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 10 green cardamoms, shelled and seeds removed 20-cm/8-inch cake pan, lined

Tip: One flax ‘egg’ is made by mixing 1 tbsp ground flax seed with 3 tbsp water and allowing to rest for 5 minutes

I created this recipe following my stint in the pastry kitchen at Benares, Atul Kochher’s famous Mayfair restaurant. As well as creating exquisite Indian food, the team introduced me to the joy of Asianinspired desserts and pastries. When I admitted I was less keen on traditional Indian desserts, they taught me to take something you love and find an Asian flavour that works well with it. If you’re not a cake eater, you could simply poach the pineapple with the cardamom and serve with a scoop of vegan ice cream. Either way, pineapple and cardamom is a delicious combo however you serve it. It’s important to use the right amount of cardamom, as it can taste soapy if you add too much.

Directions Preheat the oven to 170°c (325°F) Gas Mark 3. Soften the coconut oil and rub 20 g/1 tbsp of the sugar into it. Rub this mixture around the bottom of the lined cake pan and halfway up the sides. Place the pineapple slices across the bottom of the lined cake pan. Set aside.

Grind the cardamom seeds to a powder with a pestle and mortar.

Then sift the ground cardamom into a bowl along with the remaining ingredients and whisk together with an electric hand-held whisk.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and place in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until the cake is evenly risen and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 6-8

Recipes from My Vegan Travels by Jackie Kearney, published by Ryland Peters & Small Photography by Clare Winfield

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 17

Outreach

Behaviour change Dietitian Heather Russell shares her insight into the area of behaviour change, and how awareness of this topic can help you speak to your friends and family about veganism

I

t’s always great to see colleagues and volunteers reaching out to people about veganism.

Even if you’re not involved in outreach, you’ve probably been asked questions about your lifestyle by family, friends, colleagues, or even total strangers! Whatever the situation, if you’re talking to people about veganism, it’s helpful to know a bit about the area of behaviour change.

Stages of change Have you ever heard of the stages of change? Let’s relate this model to the process of going vegan (see table to right):

Stage of change

Example

Pre-contemplation

You’re not thinking about going vegan

Contemplation

You’re thinking about going vegan

This model is often represented as a cycle. Using the example in the table, someone might go through the transition to veganism several times before it becomes a long-term lifestyle change.

Preparation

You’re planning how to go vegan

Action

You’re going vegan

Maintenance

You’re vegan

Relapse

You’ve stopped being vegan

Stage of change

Potential outreach emphasis

Pre-contemplation

What is veganism?

Why go vegan?

Understanding motivation With the stages of change in mind, it’s important to get an idea of the mindset of an individual towards veganism. Are they interested in it? And if so, why? If they’re not interested in it, what makes them tick, and how does this relate to veganism? Ethics, the environment, health and business are some of the topics that might matter to the person or people you’re speaking to.

The person’s readiness to change will influence your approach. You might focus more on describing veganism and its benefits when talking to people who are unlikely to be thinking about it, whereas covering the practicalities is more important for people who are likely to be thinking about going vegan.

If you’re giving a talk on veganism, find out what your audience knows about the topic first. This will make 18 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Contemplation

How to go vegan

Preparation

your outreach better focused. In a group setting, this might involve initiating a discussion and collating comments, and you should be prepared to adapt your session on the spot. For these kinds of situations, and also in one-to-one conversations, listening skills come in handy.

The power of listening Don’t underestimate the power of listening skills, also known as ‘active

listening’. These skills are particularly useful for communicating with people in the pre-contemplation stage, and they can help you to manage negative situations. If someone feels that they have been heard and understood, what you say is far more likely to have an impact. Essentially, the idea is to pay more attention to what you say, how you say it, and non-verbal communication as part of the listening process.

Outreach

A few tips for active listening • Keep your body language open, and don’t underestimate the effect of a friendly smile!

• Use open questions. These are questions that require people to tell you something rather than answer “Yes” or “No”. They might to start with “How?”, “What?”, “Where?”, “Who?” or “Which?”

• Encourage the person to talk using occasional nods and small comments, ideally neutral ones like “Mmm” and “Uh-huh”. Another technique is to repeat back a word or phrase.

For instance, if they’ve just said “It’s been difficult for me”, you can keep the conversation flowing by simply repeating “Difficult”.

• If you sense that the person is feeling a certain way, you could say “I’m sensing that you’re feeling...”

• Don’t be afraid to summarise and ask for clarification in order to check your understanding.

You could say, “…sounds like a difficult area for you” or, “Tell me more about…”

If you’re not used to it this approach can feel strange at first, but you’ll soon notice people responding in a positive way. Practise whilst chatting to family, friends or colleagues.

Problem solving Anyone beginning their vegan journey will be affected by factors that might hinder it. People delivering outreach need to keep potential barriers in mind, and seize opportunities to explore them.

For every barrier, there are many ways of overcoming it. Timely and appropriate support empowers people to change their lifestyles. In relation to veganism, there are a wide variety of options out there: The Vegan Society offers an array of resources. The daily emails of our 30 Day Vegan Pledge provide practical tips, useful information and recipes to help bring veganism to life. Our website is a treasure trove of blogs, and our Vegan Trademark makes it easy for people to choose vegan alternatives.

Social media can be a valuable tool during the transition to veganism, and we’re active on the following platforms: • Facebook /thevegansociety • Twitter @thevegansociety • Instagram @theoriginalvegansociety • YouTube /TheVeganSociety Some people benefit from face-toface support at meetups and festivals, which you can find at vegansoicety. com/events. Others might be

Barrier to change

Ways of overcoming it

Lack of time for food preparation

Easy recipe ideas online/in cookbook Batch cooking

Limited cooking skills

Cooking classes Online cooking videos

Lack of social support

Forums Social media Meetups and festivals Volunteering

Shopping and eating out difficulties

Online guides Information from manufacturers Product and menu labelling

interested in volunteering. Anyone who would like to become more involved with The Vegan Society can visit vegansociety.com/volunteer.

Whilst talking about veganism, it’s almost inevitable that the topic of nutrition will crop up. Our resources at vegansociety.com/nutrition are designed to give a good understanding of the basic principles, and the new VNutrition app helps people with dietary self-assessment. We welcome both public and member enquiries about vegan nutrition, but this is not a substitute for clinical care. Please encourage anyone with concerns about their diet to ask their doctor for a referral to a dietitian.

Remember that conversations about barriers to change also provide opportunities to highlight pre-existing factors that could facilitate a transition to veganism. People might need help to identify their strengths and potential too.

Take-away tips • Get to know your audience with the stages of change in mind • Practice active listening • Explore barriers to change and factors that could facilitate a transition to veganism • Be able to signpost people to different forms of support Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 19

Interview

“Compassion is the most important thing” Ric Sanders from folk rock band Fairport Convention speaks to Elena Orde about his journey to veganism and how he advocates for animals When did you get into animal rights?

I was born in 1952 – which feels like a very long time ago – and from the moment I found out where meat came from I was horrified. I remember at primary school learning that there were words which had the same sound but different meanings, so if we had lamb for lunch, I thought it couldn’t be those beautiful little animals we’d been shown living happily on farms.

I tried to go vegetarian when I was seven or eight, but in those days you just had to do as you were told. I remember one lunchtime dropping a piece of meat into a water jug rather than having to eat it, and getting into trouble for that!

And then you became vegan in later life?

Yes, about five years ago. The cruelty in the dairy industries is less obvious to people I guess. I saw some PETA films, and read an article by the musician Julian Cope, which explained how cows are artificially inseminated and have their calves dragged away. It’s so barbaric, and upsets me every day knowing what goes on.

I think it’s brilliant that people now know the word “vegan”. It’s not so long ago that if you said, “I’m a vegan” you’d get the response, “Yeah, I like Star Trek too!” (And by the way, the character Mr Spock was vegetarian, as was the actor who

20 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

portrayed him, the late great Leonard Nimoy.)

Nowadays I see lots of stuff even just in my local Co Op that is labelled vegan, which is very encouraging.

How have you found being a vegan violin player?

Violin strings were traditionally made of sheep gut, but I’ve never used those. When I started playing in the 60s there were already excellent synthetic and metal strings available. The bow hair posed more of a problem, being horsehair. I remember being told that it was from racehorses having their tails cut. Now some of my bows are strung with synthetic hair. It’s not quite as good yet, but nearly, and they’ll nail it soon I’m sure.

What do the other members of Fairport think about veganism?

They’re very understanding. Chris Leslie is vegetarian, as is John Gale who mixes sound and engineers and co-produces our records, and so is our agent Tris Bryant. When meals are provided at shows, Chris and I always request vegan, and the other guys in the band often enjoy veg food.

You know, I forgot to mention this earlier, but I actually count becoming vegetarian as the reason I became a musician.

Interview

1

Oh really, why’s that?

It was 1967, the psychedelic summer of love, The Beatles singing “All You Need Is Love”. I was 15, and wanted to be part of that counter culture, and that was made easier because I’d already made a break with convention by becoming vegetarian.

That was the first step I took to not conforming to how society wanted me to be, and the music followed on from that. Music is important to me, but what’s far more important is what the music says – what you are trying to communicate through the art form.

It sounds like vegan outreach plays a big role in your everyday life It does. In regular music interviews I always try to swing it round so I can talk about this stuff. I have some stock things that I say. For instance, I’ll set a challenge to anyone by saying “Just make me a list of five really bad things about kindness, then another list of five really good things about cruelty.” Nobody’s got back to me with the lists yet!

It’s all about compassion, probably an even more important word than love, because you can show compassion to someone you don’t love, can’t you? I also have some stock answers to those questions us veggies get fired at us. You know the ones.

1 The whole band featuring Ric (middle) 2 Ric Sanders in his element

2 Q: Animals eat other animals though, don’t they?

My answer: I’ve always felt compassion towards animals but have never, ever, not even for one moment, wanted to behave like one.

Q. You care more about animals than people, don’t you? My answer: That’s just not true.

Kindness has no limits. You can be kind to people, animals, and the planet.

The reason that I, and many others, speak for animals is simply that they don’t have a voice of their own. They need us to stand up for them.

Find updates on fairportconvention.com.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 21

Advertorial

Just V Show is heading to Glasgow!

Attend for FREE, thanks to The Vegan Society

You spoke and Just V Show listened. So, after hearing your feedback, the team will be heading to the SEC in Glasgow on 3-4 March.

Come along and discover the best in vegetarian and vegan food from brands including Follow Your Heart, Freedom Mallows and Suma Plus. You can also find vegan-friendly skincare and lifestyle products from a wide range of exhibitors.

You can hear talks from thought leaders in the veggie and vegan world in the Just V Theatre.

There will be plenty of opportunities to meet likeminded people throughout the weekend.

Are you in need of a little help or advice about the vegan lifestyle? Great news – The Vegan Society will be attending, so pop over to the stand and meet the team.

You can attend for free – complimentary tickets are unlimited. Feel free to come on more than one day, and to bring your friends and family with you. There are free tickets available for everyone!

Bring your friends This event is open to everyone, so bring your friends and family along to help them find out more about veganism in a welcoming and non-

22 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

judgemental environment. Why not bring them along to The Vegan Society’s Vegan 101 session, where they will learn everything they need to know about vegan living? You can be sure that they will leave Just V filled to the brim with new ideas and delicious food, as well as being more educated about veganism.

Two shows in one Just V Show will be sharing the hall with The Allergy & Free From Show. Due to the co-located shows, this allows The Vegan Society to do some of their best outreach of the whole year, as a whole new audience is brought along.

Plus – you get free entry to both shows!

Book your free tickets now Simply visit justvshow.co.uk/go/tvs and you can download and print off as many free tickets as you need.

London 2018 Just V Show will also be back at Olympia London on 6-8 July. Ticket booking is already open, so get the date in your diary for a summer weekend full of vegan goodness.

Events

Events Vegan Life Live London Saturday 10 February, 10am – 6pm and Sunday 11 February, 10am – 5pm Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY veganlifelive.com Blackpool Vegan and Green Festival Saturday 10 March, 10am – 5pm St. Thomas’ Church Parish Centre, 135 Caunce Street, Blackpool, FY1 3NJ facebook.com/blackpoolvegangreenfest Just V Glasgow Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 March, 10am – 4pm SEC Glasgow, Exhibition Way, Glasgow, G3 8YW justvshow.co.uk/scotland VegfestUK Brighton Saturday 24 March, 11am – 6pm and Sunday 25 March, 10am – 5pm The Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2GR brighton.vegfest.co.uk Live a Better Life Fair Saturday 24 March, 10am – 5pm St George’s Hall, St George’s Place, Liverpool, L1 1JJ labl.org.uk Bedford Vegan Market Saturday 5 May, 9am – 4:30pm Bedford town centre, Bedfordshire facebook.com/events/1351322794997461 VegfestUK Bristol Saturday 26 May and Sunday 27 May Ashton Gate Stadium, Ashton Road, Bristol, BS3 2EJ bristol.vegfest.co.uk Bridlington Vegan Festival Sunday 5 August, 10:30am – 5pm Bridlington Spa, South Marine Drive, Bridlington, YO15 3JH planetwise.co.uk Live A Better Life Fair Saturday 22 September, 10am – 5pm St George’s Hall, St George’s Place, Liverpool, L1 1JJ labl.org.uk Plant Based Live Saturday 8 September, 10am – 6pm and Sunday 9 September, 10am – 5pm ExCeL London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL

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Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 23

Campaigns

Vegan on the Go Our campaign to increase provision for vegans

I

n our last membership survey, you told us that the campaign you would most like to see would focus on increasing the number of vegan products and options available on the market. Challenge accepted!

Vegan on the Go was launched at the end of last year, with an initial aim to focus specifically on the on-the-go lunch market. As vegans, you will be familiar with the struggle to find a readymade sandwich when you’re out and about. Not only can this be a bit of an inconvenience, but it also has the effect of making veganism seem inaccessible and difficult.

We surveyed our audience, and found that a whopping 91% of vegans struggle to find suitable ready-made products when they’re out of the home. With this handy stat in our back pocket, we contacted the major food retailers to demonstrate to them the size of the audience and the niche in the market they were missing.

At the same time, we set up a function on our website to enable visitors to send a pre-written email to the retailer of their choice. The emails requested that the retailers look to produce more vegan options, and highlighted the fact that, after all, it’s not just vegans who love vegan food.

Thank you to everyone who took part and made your voice heard. Altogether we sent around 10,000 emails to the UK’s most major food retailers – that’s bound to make them sit up and listen.

We have since started to see major supermarkets increasing their vegan lines, and heard tell of more on-the-go products soon to be launched.

Later this year we will turn our attention to vegan options in the world of travel. Have you ever struggled to find something to eat on a train or plane? Never fear – we’re on your side, and we’re working on it.

24 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Campaigns

Veganise your town Do you wish that your local independent cafes and restaurants were more vegan-friendly? We have put together some great resources to help you to veganise your town, along with some of our top tips and tricks to get you started.

Visit vegansociety.com/veganonthego to find out more. Here you can order a pack which contains the following: • ‘Thank you for providing vegan options’ calling cards • ‘Please add vegan options to your menu’ calling cards • ‘Tips for talking to local businesses’ leaflet • ‘Vegan Catering Made Easy’ leaflet • ‘Vegans Catered for Here’ window stickers There are so many easy ways in which eateries can become more vegan-friendly, from stocking soya milk to labelling vegan options on the menu.

Taking the time to chat to the staff of your local businesses is the perfect way to get started. You may be pleasantly surprised at how receptive they are.

THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING GREAT VEGAN OPTIONS!

PLEASE CONSIDER PROVIDING

MORE VEGAN OPTIONS! Contact campaigns@vegansociety.com for support, tips and advice Tap into a growing new market!

We’d love to hear how you get on, so please email campaigns@vegansociety.com with your successes and any questions you may have.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 25

Buy online

Buy Online New Books My Vegan Travels: Comfort food inspired by adventure by Jackie Kearney RRP £16.99 – our price £5.99 A food-lover and keen traveller, Jackie Kearney became a favourite MasterChef UK finalist in 2011 thanks to her creative approach to vegetarian and vegan cooking. However, if there is one thing that she loves to cook most, it is those comfort food classics that can satisfy any hunger pangs – and in this collection of vegan recipes, she shows how easy it is to do that as part of a plant-based diet.

This is the essential book for all those looking for deliciously satisfying plant-based food.

A Guide to Vegan Nutrition by George Eisman RRP £14.99 – our price £10.99 First available on our webshop earlier this year, A Guide to Vegan Nutrition proved to be incredibly popular and sold out in record time. Now back in stock, this book is an excellent resource for both long-time vegans and for those who want to transition to a healthy plant-based diet. After reading this book you will be able to answer questions from friends or health professionals who are skeptical about plant-based diets. It has been used as a text for college courses and as a nutrition reference guide by many instructors of vegan food preparation classes.

The Vegan Baker by Dunja Gulin RRP £14.99 – our price £11.99 Baking without eggs, butter and milk is not only possible, but also easy and delicious. There are now so many alternative ingredients available from supermarkets and health food stores, and with Dunja Gulin’s recipes, you’ll have all the inspiration you need to start baking. This book provides it all, including delights such as muffins, fairy cakes, a stunning chocolate layer cake, slices and bars, cookies and biscuits, pies, tarts, strudels and bread, as well as special baked treats.

26 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Offer Buy any of these books between 1 February and 30 April and receive 10% off by simply entering the code ISSUE1BOOKS2018 at checkout, or quote over the phone when placing an order. Please note that this offer only applies to purchases made through our online webshop at vegansociety.com/shop or through our telephone sales line – 0121 523 1731.

AGM 2018 Have your say

This year’s AGM will be at 1pm (registration from 12:30) on Saturday 19 May at The Priory Rooms, Quaker Meeting House, 40 Bull Street, Birmingham, B4 6AF.

Election of Council Members Applications for membership of the board of Trustees (Council) are invited by 5 March. There will be at least three vacancies out of the 10 elected positions.

The Trustees are ultimately responsible for The Vegan Society – setting policy, ensuring that the society’s objects are pursued effectively while complying with all relevant legal requirements and remaining true to its values. The role includes attending meetings, preparing and voting on governance proposals, reporting back to members, and reviewing and adjusting the society’s strategic direction and policies. Further information can be found at gov.uk/guidance/ charity-trustee-whats-involved and in the candidate pack.

Candidates should support the society’s objects and mission and be committed to a vegan lifestyle. The most important qualities for Trustees are commitment, enthusiasm and the ability to communicate and work well with others and to consider issues thoughtfully. To ensure an effective and diverse board, members from a wide range of backgrounds and with a broad base of skills and experience are sought. Experience in successfully managing expanding organisations or developing strategic plans is particularly welcome.

The time commitment is about nine days per year for face-to-face meetings and training, plus about two hours a week for contact via email.

The role is voluntary, but reasonable expenses can be claimed.

Candidates must have been full members of the society for at least a year by the date of the AGM, submit a written nomination signed by a proposer and seconder who are both full members, submit a personal profile and be willing to sign the Trustee Code of Conduct.

Members’ Proposals for the 2018 AGM We welcome members’ proposals to the AGM. These should: • Be proposed and seconded by full members • Not exceed 300 words, including any supporting material • Propose a single form of action (not be a composite proposal nor simply a statement of opinion).

For Special Resolutions proposing a change to the Articles, the text of the changes is not counted in the 300 words. A 75% majority is needed for Special Resolutions to be passed, and a simple majority is needed for other resolutions.

Ordinary Resolutions may include proposals to add or remove members of the Appeals Committee (see minutes of last year’s AGM for more details).

For a candidate pack or further information about becoming a Trustee or submitting a proposal, please contact the Chair of Council, Stephen Walsh, (stephenwalsh7@gmail.com) or the CEO, George Gill, (ceo@vegansociety.com), or by post to 21 Hylton Street, B18 6HJ. Nominations and proposals must be received by 4pm on Monday 5 March. Documents may be scanned and submitted electronically.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 27

Volunteers

Active Vegans Alex Douglas, Volunteering & Engagement Manager

World Vegan Month might seem like a distant memory now, but I’m still getting updates and emails from groups and individuals about what they got up to throughout November. A World Vegan Month highlight of mine was spending it with the wonderful Benjamin Zephaniah and some of our brilliant volunteers and supporters from across the country.

Watching the creation of the ‘Love the Life’ music video – a celebration of all things vegan – was a really special moment. Have you checked it out yet?

Outreach in Lincoln Recently I ran a stall outside our local Tesco on a busy Saturday. I was helped by volunteers Ian Tarplee and Karina Saunders.

We gave out loads of leaflets and had some very interesting conversations – not always about veganism! – and generally had a good day. It was a great success and I will definitely be doing it again. I’m going to look for other events I can put on, including at other large supermarkets. In January I also put on a Health and Wellness event at the Waterside Shopping Centre in Lincoln.

We have lots more ideas of ways we can introduce veganism to the people local to us. We are going to look at doing something in Newark, which is between Lincoln and Nottingham, as there doesn’t seem to be much going in in terms of veganism near there. It’s always good to find new audiences to share the message with.

Ann Henderson 28 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Education outside Lush Alongside some other volunteers, I set up a weekly outreach stall outside Lush in Leicester.

One week we brought some dairy-free milks with us for people to try. We also had volunteers with laptops showing footage from vegan films to interested people.

The stall attracted a lot of attention. We had some great conversations with people who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Some people who approached the stall were already interested in veganism but didn’t know where to start, so we were able to provide some tips.

We had many conversations with people who said they were ‘cutting down’ on animal products, which was a good starting point for a conversation. I found myself talking constantly about the three main reasons to go vegan – environment, health and ethics. I found that the ethics and animal considerations were often the most shocking, followed by the environmental impacts of the agriculture industry.

Ellie Cockburn

Unique outreach locations We recently heard from volunteer Sue Taylor, who did a bit of outreach in her local pub where she distributed leaflets and got some sign-ups for the 30 Day Vegan Pledge. This got us thinking – where is the unlikeliest place you have found yourself promoting veganism? If you’ve found yourself speaking up for animals in a queue at the post office, on a long train journey or on a ski lift – let us know!

Find your Local Contact or get involved with your local group by visiting: vegansociety.com/ resources/local-and-group-contacts To order leaflets from us, email leaflets@vegansociety.com

Volunteers 1 Get in touch for leaflets to distribute 2 Ann, Ian and Karina providing invaluable outreach 3 The high street can be a great place to change minds

1

2

3

Plant Based News This is an exciting time. We are seeing huge changes in the way people think about the impact of their lifestyle. More than ever there is an audience for the kind of content we share via Plant Based News [PBN] – an online resource for videos, articles, and more.

The internet has made the distribution of information much more democratic. This is both a blessing and a curse. It is easier to spread facts about animal agriculture and health, empowering people to make decisions based on what they have seen. Conversely, now that anyone can publish content, we are seeing lots of news that is inaccurate at best and deceptive at worst.

At PBN we try to be mindful of this, and use various platforms including our website and YouTube channel to keep our audience up to date with information around health, the environment and ethics. We always strive to be accurate and fair in the way we report things.

And it is striking a chord with many.

Our recent documentary showcasing the development of the movement over the last 12 months – Vegan 2017 – had more than a quarter of a million views within days of its release on YouTube. Hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed our interviews with thought leaders within the vegan and plant-based worlds.

We aim to keep innovating and creating content so that whether you’re interested in health, the environment, or video interviews, you will always find something by PBN to entertain or inspire you.

Maria Chiorando, Plant Based News

At this point in our lives, speaking up about something we believe in can be hard.

People at school can be mean, our families sometimes don’t take us seriously and we often feel like we don’t have enough knowledge to back up our values and opinions. This can make us feel frustrated and angry which, in turn, can sometimes make us lose our temper with the people around us. So here are a few tips to help us keep our cool.

1. Never get into the conversation at the dinner table. This is notorious for becoming an argument so, even though it’s hard, keep it for later.

2. Stay calm. Try not to get defensive or sassy right away. Having a mature and respectful conversation with your parents will help them realise that you’re serious.

3. Live by example. At school, show your friends how incredible vegan food can be!

Whip up a colourful and scrumptious packed lunch every day that will make them super jealous. They’ll soon start asking questions.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 29

Volunteer of the season

Introducing Anna Darke, a much-valued volunteer who brightens up our days in the office

Anna grew up with animals as part of the family

Tell us about your experience going vegan I have always absolutely loved animals for as long as I can remember. I grew up with dogs for most of my life, and never thought of them as different from us. I could never imagine hurting a dog, so don’t understand why it should be any different for a cow or a pig.

I was vegetarian for several years before I became vegan nearly two years ago. I gained more knowledge about the dairy, egg, and meat industries, both about the exploitation within them and the hugely negative effects they have on the environment. I felt I had to take some kind of action after what I had learned. I felt that I couldn’t have this information and do nothing.

What made you decide to start volunteering with us?

Although, of course, being vegan alone is amazing and makes such a tremendous difference, I felt I needed to do something more. I wanted to help spread knowledge and information, as I believe these are the best tools to help people understand why veganism is so

30 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

important. As something so important to me, it made sense to dedicate at least some of my time to it.

Talk us through what you do in the office My main task is packaging leaflets. When people make requests for leaflets to distribute at events or stalls, I package them up, depending on which and how many of each they request, and send them out. It’s a pretty simple job but when you can see so many of thousands of leaflets going out into the world it’s quite rewarding.

How do you manage to also fit in your volunteer work at university?

As well as volunteering at The Vegan Society, I’m also the president of the University of Birmingham VegSoc, which is great fun. We mainly hold social events, like trips to local restaurants, ‘hummus and chill’ evenings, film screenings, discussion evenings etc. As long as I manage my time, having multiple volunteering roles is very enjoyable, especially as it is an opportunity to meet lots of people who care about similar things.

What is your favourite thing about being vegan?

I have definitely gained a greater appreciation of food. Now if I find a vegan restaurant and can eat everything on the menu I get so excited and enjoy the food so much more. Aside from that, knowing that everything I eat causes such a minimal amount of harm is a great feeling.

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Nutrition

Six reasons why plants foods are great

G

etting your nutrients from plant foods allows more room in your diet for health-promoting choices. Let’s explore some of the benefits, and take a look at a few ways of optimising long-term vegan health.

1. Nutritional balance Plant foods are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, which are thought to protect your body from damage. They also tend to be low in cholesterol-raising saturated fat.

2. Cancer prevention The World Cancer Research Fund recommends eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily, and ensuring that meals contain whole grain foods and/or pulses, which include kidney beans, broad beans, chickpeas, split peas, black-eyed peas and lentils.

3. At least 5-a-day Ensure that your fruit and vegetable intake is at least 5-a-day if you want to get the most out of your diet. Research has linked intakes up to 7.5-a-day with a reduced risk of cancer, and benefits have been observed up to intakes of 10-a-day in relation to cardiovascular disease and premature death.

4. Whole grain foods Examples include oats, wholemeal bread, whole wheat pasta and noodles, millet and brown rice. Research has linked eating 100g of whole grains per day to a 25% lower risk of premature death. For example, 100g equates to a bowl of porridge and two slices of wholemeal bread. Oats deserve a special mention because they’re a good source of beta-glucans, which can help to lower cholesterol.

5. Beans, peas and lentils Although beans, peas and lentils count as a maximum of one of your 5-a-day, there are reasons to eat more. They are good sources of protein and fibre, and research has linked eating a couple of portions per day to a 16% lower risk of premature death. Soya beans contain particularly high quality protein.

6. Nuts Regular nut consumption has been associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and research has linked eating 15-20g per day to a 17% lower risk of premature death. Walnuts are a great choice because they are really rich in omega-3 fat. 20g equates to about six walnut halves.

Meal ideas Here is an example of how you could optimise vegan nutrition: • Breakfast: porridge made with fortified plant milk and topped with sliced apple, a tablespoon of raisins and ground linseed, plus a small glass of orange juice • Mid-morning snack: banana • Lunch: quinoa with 3 heaped tablespoons of chickpeas, 3 heaped tablespoons of sweetcorn, salad leaves and seasoning, plus a handful of grapes • Mid-afternoon snack: carrot sticks and a palm sized portion of walnuts • Evening meal: whole wheat pasta with sauce containing three heaped tablespoons of beans, two plum tomatoes and half a pepper • Drinks: water, 200ml of fortified plant milk in hot drinks and a glass of fortified plant milk before bed • Supplement: VEG 1 tablet, providing vitamins B12 and D, iodine and selenium

Take-away tips

• Optimise your fruit and vegetable intake by aiming for 5-a-day, and remember that you might benefit from eating more • Choose whole grain foods rather than refined products • Include beans, peas or lentils in two of your meals every day • Consume nuts daily. Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fat.

Check out vegansociety.com/nutrition and our new VNutrition app for more information and support.

Heather Russell Dietitian Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 33

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Xenca Supplements Developed by health and wellbeing advocates Xenca Five a Day +V is a food supplement formula packed with concentrated organic plants and greens that are rich in naturally occurring minerals and trace minerals along with vitamins, anti-oxidant enzymes, beta carotene and phytonutrients. With no sugar, artificial additives, preservatives or colourings, Five a Day +V is a convenient way of securing daily nutrition needs.

You can purchase it online from vegan5aday.com or for more information go to xenca.com.

Tg Green Tea Pre-bottled iced tea drinks are typically loaded in sugar and unnecessary ingredients.

Hertfordshire-based beverage company Ideas 2 Launch are looking to change all that. Containing a delicate blend of citrus flavours with the goodness of green tea “smuggled in”, Tg Green Tea can currently be purchased on drinktg.com, Amazon, TheFoodMarket.com, Yumbles, Noshpod, Partridges Food Market, as well as in small shops and delis across the UK.

34 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Shoparound

Noughty Haircare Looking to switch up your haircare routine for a more natural alternative? Try the Noughty haircare range, newly registered with the Vegan Trademark. With different products to cover a variety of hair types, the Noughty range contains no petrochemicals, parabens, sulphates or silicones.

You can even find them at Superdrug, starting from £6.99. Find more information at noughtyhaircare.co.uk.

Slimfast Looking for a low calorie, high protein and high fibre vegan meal replacement drink? Household name Slimfast have launched two new lines that are suitable for vegans and those with a gluten free diet. Registered with the Vegan Trademark, Slimfast Advanced Vitality in Strawberry + Blueberry Burst and Intense Mint Chocolate are packed with 20g protein, green tea extract and a third of your recommended daily vitamins and minerals. Explore the new range at your local large Tesco, or online.

Myroo Skincare Have you tried skin serums yet? Thinner, lighter and often more concentrated than creams, we recommend you start by investing in Myroo’s Starflower and Orange Blossom Skin Boost Serum.

Ideal for everyday use, simply apply a few drops after cleansing to help boost skin and combat the wear and tear of daily life. Myroo products can be bought online at myroo.co.uk and are also available in a range of independent stockists and nationwide retailers such as Anthropologie.

Mr Lee’s Noodles Instant noodle pots have had a fresh, healthier makeover. Mr Lee’s Noodles have added two Vegan Trademark-registered noodle pots to their range, featuring freeze-dried natural ingredients and no artificial colourings or flavourings. The gourmet vegan pot noodle soups come in two flavours: Dragon Fire Vegetables and Zen Garden Vegetables.

Both pots are under 208 calories and in 100% recyclable packaging. They are also certified glutenfree and low in sugar. Buy online at mrleesnoodles.com/shop.

Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 35

Older vegans

V for Life World Vegan Month 2017 was a special one for V for Life – the charity for older vegans and vegetarians

W

e were thrilled to celebrate the start of the month at an autumn vegan festival at Harper Fields Care Home in Coventry. The popular festival, organised by Activities Coordinator Hannah Mulholland, is now in its second year. It’s the perfect opportunity for residents, staff, and others connected with the home to delight in all things vegan.

The event featured live folk music and cookery demonstrations, plenty of hot food and vegan bakes, hot chocolate, mulled apple juice and smiles a plenty. We captured some of the footage from the day in a short film which you can find online: youtube.com/watch?v=OKhkThJ2eok.

Organiser Hannah’s passion for a plant-based diet shines through to all who meet her – indeed, she’s inspired many of her friends and work colleagues to change what they eat. We were proud to award Hannah the VfL Award for Excellence in Vegetarian Care Catering 2017 earlier in the year. Well done, Hannah!

Celebrating Dinners to your Door The second week of World Vegan Month neatly coincided with Meals on Wheels Week. As such, it was the ideal time for V for Life to launch its new Dinners to your Door guide, with pop-up vegan lunch clubs in Manchester and London.

An estimated 300,000 older adults living in the UK are vegan or vegetarian. While most of these are in glowing health and still cook for themselves, others may be more vulnerable. V for Life’s 2014 survey suggests that over 22% of UK care homes have vegan or vegetarian residents.

Others rely on community meals services, such as ‘meals on wheels’, as a lifeline to living independently.

Dinners to your Door shows it’s possible to enjoy the convenience of having ready meals delivered directly to your home without having to compromise your vegan principles. The guide has been sponsored by The Vegan Society and the Vegetarian Society. It features many of the leading

36 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

companies offering home-delivery services, as well as including information about some of the delicious dishes available.

The pop-up lunch clubs used to launch the guide provided plenty of free vegan food, lovingly prepared by V for Life’s in-house chefs, as well as companionship, a wealth of free resources and tips on providing an inclusive and cost-effective catering service.

For more information about V for Life or to order free copies of the Dinners to your Door guide, please call 0161 257 0887, email info@vegetarianforlife.org.uk, or visit vegetarianforlife.org.uk.

By Amanda Woodvine, CEO of V for Life

Vegan pen- and phone-pals scheme At V for Life, many vegans and vegetarians have told us they would like to be in touch with more like-minded people – but that they would prefer to use traditional methods of communication.

So in response to these requests we launched a pen and phone pals scheme, especially for older vegans and vegetarians.

Registered charity number 1120687

For further details and an application form, please call V for Life on 0161 257 0887 or email info@vegetarianforlife.org.uk

0161 257 0887 | www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk

Membership

Your views A winning recipe

Tastes on a plane

At my workplace we have Treat Mondays, where every Monday someone bakes a treat for everyone to try. As my partner and I are vegan, they have been encouraged to bake us vegan alternatives. This week it was my turn and I tried your recipe for Cranberry Cheesecake, from the last issue of the magazine. Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe how good it tasted. Thank you!

Eleonora Traina

We recently shared a post about vegan food on aeroplanes on our Facebook page. Here are some of your replies about how you have fared.

British Airways were excellent on a recent flight from London to New York. I had a risotto type meal, vegan butter and soy milk! I was served first too.

Christine Flying around Asia the vegan airplane food was pretty fantastic.

Steve I fly a lot. If you register as a frequent flyer and use your flyer number when booking then the vegan request (‘VGML’ is the code) is more likely to get through to the airline. Sometimes it’s very good vegan food and better than what others get. Sometimes it’s awful. I always bring food, because if your flight is cancelled and you’re put on another flight they don’t transfer the food.

Andrew

Vegan Life Live Following a truly amazing first year in 2017, Vegan Life Live will return to Alexandra Palace for its second year on the 10 and 11 of February 2018.

Come along and visit The Vegan Society while you’re at Vegan Life Live! We’ll be signing up new members, selling a range of merchandise and giving out information. The Vegan Society’s campaigns team will also have plenty of interactive and unusual ways for you to experience the brilliance of beans in their very own space at the show – ‘The Vegan Society’s Garden of Vegan: Grow Green’.

We are also presenting three talks across the weekend, so come along and hear about our work.

For a FREE show guide visit veganlifelive.com.

Not received a meal on a flight yet. They always say none were packed even though the vegan option was booked months in advance. The closest thing I got to a meal was a small packet of peanuts.

Melanie After a bad experience, I take my own food.

Bagels, nut butter, jam packets, hummus, cut up veggies and fruit, nuts, dried fruits, small soy milk, soy powdered creamer, chips, and crackers. I’ve never been hungry on a flight since.

Sha Whenever the flight attendants walk by and ask each passenger, “chicken or beef?” my heart breaks a little. I hope in the future they’ll be asking “chickpeas or broccoli?” instead.

Kayla

Have your say!

Write Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street, Birmingham, B18 6HJ Email editor@vegansociety.com Facebook /TheVeganSociety Twitter @TheVeganSociety Comments may be edited for publication.

38 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

Membership

Members’ roundup This is my first opportunity to wish you a happy new year. 2017 was such an amazing year for The Vegan Society and we could not have achieved so much without our members. From our highly successful Plate Up for the Planet campaign, turning a farm vegan and saving 90 cows, filming a music video with Benjamin Zephaniah and the #YesItsVegan and Vegan on the Go campaigns, 2017 was our biggest ever year. I hope we can continue to rely on your support in 2018 and beyond.

The Vegan Society talks This March is membership month and I have an exciting new event to tell you about. Exclusive to members, The Vegan Society talks will be a series of presentations in the style of the famous TED talks. This will be broadcast to members throughout March. The theme to be discussed is ‘the future of veganism’, and the event will feature presentations from Vegan Society staff and influential vegans from all around the world.

The future of veganism looks bright, but there are many challenges to come. Throughout the talks we will discuss these challenges but also look at the new technologies, nutritional advice, changes in politics and more that will bring the world closer to being free from animal exploitation.

New discounts There have been a number of new discounts for members in the last quarter.

Glo foods – Online retailer – 5% off The Great Stuff Company – Online food product – 20% off PJ Kombucha – Online food product – 10% off Yukti Indian Street Fusion – Liverpool (UK) – 10% off The Cake Bar – Essex (UK) – 20% off Lotus Vegetarian Cuisine in Glasgow (UK) – 5% off Greazy Vegan in Cardiff (UK) – 10% off Aurora imaging – Business services – 10% off You can view all your discounts at vegansociety.com/discounts.

Login to your members’ area at vegansociety.com/my-account to be kept up to date on when new discounts are made available.

Get involved You can take part in the event by sending in your questions for each participant and viewing each talk as they are released. You can also send in your own blog, video or audio to showcase your own thoughts on the future of veganism.

To do so, sign into your online account or visit vegansociety.com/talks.

To keep up to date on membership month, as well as all of our competitions, ensure you are signed up for the members’ monthly email at vegansociety.com/roundup.

Andy Davidson, Supporter Services Officer Issue 1 2018 | The Vegan 39

Reviews

Reviews

1

2

Empatía (Empathy) Reviewed by Diane Smith, Animal Aid

V burger – Camden Reviewed by Sarah Rehmatullah

Empathy is a 75-minute documentary that follows Ed Antoja, who was commissioned to make the film by FAADA, a Catalan animal rights organisation. The film charts his personal journey, as he slowly realises the impact his lifestyle has on non-human animals.

Early on we see Jenny from FAADA delving into Antoja’s cupboards to reveal shoes made from leather, jackets from wool and food that contains animal parts. Jenny arranges for him to visit a tanning factory, an intensive pig farm and an animal sanctuary. Although there are glimpses into intensive farming practices, there are no scenes of animal slaughter.

Antoja questions the reasoning behind our continued exploitation of animals and discusses the alternatives, interviewing experts such as philosophers, psychologists and campaigners.

There’s a revealing scene in his flat as we witness the debates he has with friends and family.

A question that recurs in the film is why, when we’re aware of the consequences our actions have on other animals, is it so difficult to change our way of life? This approach makes the film relevant to those who are new to animal rights as well as those who’ve been debating the issue for years.

In Spanish with English subtitles, the humour, beautiful graphics and music, as well as Antoja’s story, make this film entertaining and educational rather than depressing. I highly recommend it.

A new food trend seems to be storming the vegan scene, with more mouthwatering burgers now available in restaurants. When I heard about VBurger, in one of my favourite spots near Camden Canal, I was eager to check out the choices.

Far from the monotony of McDonald’s veggie burger or Burger King’s bean burger, VBurger will ensure freshness, new unchartered flavours, and every topping available, all amidst the thriving market environment of Camden, where the coolest people gather to eat and chill.

The VBurger Bar is friendly, welcoming and serves handmade burgers that you can see being made before your eyes. I have attempted creating my own burgers in the past, and confess there is an art to it that is not easily mastered. Yet VBurger achieved such with a falafel burger that hits every taste desire. Traditional falafels take a back seat to the feisty taste explosion here. The inclusion of crispy aubergine added a welcomed crunch and avocado added a lovely creaminess and contrasting coolness that balanced the spiciness of the falafel.

The rustic fries were cooked to perfection, and were crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside. The cheddar cheese slice and mayo were exactly like their dairy counterparts, with no flavour compromise.

I emerged extremely overfull, inspired and peaceful knowing no animal was harmed for my lunch, nor was I eating in an environment where my fellow diners had no concept of animal welfare. VBurger certainly do care!

Watch it on Vimeo for €2.95 – vimeo.com/ondemand/empathy.

40 The Vegan | Issue 1 2018

1 You’re sure to love the humour, beautiful graphics and music 2 Burgers handmade before your eyes!

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