This edition of the newsletter includes links to works by three well respected individuals in support of a cruelty free vegan lifestyle. Firstly we have a fact filled article titled the 'Contemporary Jain Way of Compassionate and Ethical Living' by Pravinbhai K. Shah, Chair of the Jaina Education Committee, USA.
Next, Toronto based physician Dr. Tushar Mehta explains the medical benefits of a plant based diet in both Gujarati and English.
Finally, we have a link to a fascinating talk given recently at the Jain Centre London by Andre Menache, a retired veterinary surgeon with expertise in research medicine, who argued the scientific case for ending animal experimentation.
| Contents - Contemporary Jain Way of Compassionate and Ethical Living
- Dr. Tushar Mehta presents why he is vegan & the health benefits of such a diet, including medical evidence
- Talk on the Science of animal experimentation by Andre Menache
- Upcoming vegan events
- Abuse and killing of cows in milk production
- NHS website supportive of a vegan diet
- Alternatives to dairy to help you give up
- About Jain Vegans
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1. Contemporary Jain Way of Compassionate and Ethical Living 
Recently, Pravinbhai K. Shah, Chair of the USA Jaina Education Committee, completed a 6 page article titled the 'Contemporary Jain Way of Compassionate and Ethical Living'. Including chapters detailing Jain ethics and compassion, contemporary dairy production and the ecological impact of the meat and dairy industry, it is particularly relevant to Jains wanting to reduce their himsa footprints. A link to Pravinbhai's article can be found here.
It is a well researched article that contains plenty of striking facts and figures in support of a plant based diet. We sincerely urge you to spend a few minutes to reflect upon it.
A video clip where Pravinbhai explains why he became vegan in simple Gujarati can be seen below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZJHbtgkIj0
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2. Dr. Tushar Mehta presents why he is vegan & the health benefits of such a diet, including medical evidence 
Tushar Mehta works as a Toronto - based medical doctor. He is also a committed activist and a gifted speaker who volunteers his time whenever possible to help people, animals and the planet. A friend of Jain Vegans, Tushar recently caught up with some of the team whilst visiting London in April after compiling a set of videos highlighting his reasons for being vegan in both Gujarati and English. You can listen using the links below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYec54tLeBo = Gujarati Short - 11 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3NBJbksPuk = English Short – 8 min
Tushar also has a link to a talk he gave titled 'Plant Based/Vegan Diet & Health - the Medical Evidence'.
You can watch this informative and entertaining broadcast here: http://goo.gl/NOeUO0
Dr Tushar Mehta meets some of the Jain Vegans team in London
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3. Talk on the Science of animal experimentation by Andre Menache 
On Sunday 31 May 2015, Andre Menache, a retired veterinary surgeon with expertise in animal experimentation and regulatory toxicology, delivered a fascinating talk to support the scientific case for ending animal experimentation.
In front of a full house at the Jain Centre, Colindale, Andre presented much evidence highlighting the flaws of trying to test for human diseases within animal models. He also explained why animal experiments routinely occur in drug and chemical industry testing, and how negative public opinion for them in the cosmetic industry had led to the successful development of alternative testing methods.
You can watch Andre's excellent presentation plus read a short synopsis of his talk here:
http://www.jainvegans.org/2015/06/andre-menache-animal-experimentation/
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5. Abuse and killing of cows in milk production 
The abuse and killing of cows on dairy farms is the main reason why many members of the Jain community have decided to make a switch to a vegan lifestyle:
- The cow is forcefully impregnated by means of artificial insemination. If a cow isn’t made pregnant, she won’t produce milk.
- The newborn calf is normally taken away from its mother within 24-48 hours. This is traumatic for cows, who, like human mothers, are very motherly and develop strong bonds with their babies.
- Male calves are killed shortly after birth or sold on for meat/leather production. They have no other use to dairy farmers.
- Female calves are kept on to replace their mothers as milk-producing cows.
- The mother cow will be killed when 5-7 years old, even though she could live for 20 to 30 years if given the chance. This is because after bearing a calf and giving milk each year, her milk yield drops such that it is no more profitable for a dairy farmer to keep her alive.
Even though cows on organic farms might experience slightly better conditions, they are still artificially inseminated and killed long before they would leave their bodies naturally. For further information about the way in which cows and other animals are exploited in the milk production process, please visit the Vegan Society website: http ://www . vegansociety . com | | |
6. NHS website supportive of a vegan diet | | |
7. Alternatives to dairy to help you give up It is possible to get a range of dairy free alternatives to traditionally animal based products. Normally available from free-from sections of supermarkets and also from healthfood stores.
You can easily replace: -
Cow milk with Soya/Rice/Almond/Coconut Milk (Supermarket ownbrands, Alpro, Provamel, Bonsoy, Ecomil, Koko) -
Yoghurt / Dahi with plant based curds (Provamel, Alpro, Sojade) -
Butter with vegetable spreads ( Pure and Vitalite are commonly available from supermarkets. Note many margarines contain butter milk and thus are not suitable for vegans) -
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Ice Creams with sorbets or dairy free ice creams (Bessant and Drury, Swedish Glace, Booja Booja, Worthenshaws) -
Chocolate with dark chocolate ( Plamil and Organica do specialist dairy free ‘milk chocolate’ and many brands do vegan dark chocolate) -
Eggs with egg replacement powder (baking) or tofu (scrambled) -
Honey with maple syrup, rice syrup, agave syrup, date syrup or golden syrup | | |
8. About Jain Vegans Jain Vegans supports members of the Jain community in the transition towards a plant-based low-himsa lifestyle, and helps raise awareness about the abuse, violation and killing of cows in milk production.
You can find out more about Jain Vegans online (www . jainvegansorg) or interact with us through the following online channels:
- ..a friendly online forum where you can ask questions and exchange ideas about the vegan lifestyle with other members from around the world....
- ...follow us on Twitter (@JainVegans) for instant news and information...
- 'like' us on facebook for updates on our activities and invitations to events...
JAIN VEGANS WORKING GROUP
In the UK, the Jain Vegans Working Group actively works with UK Jain organisations to deliver informative and empowering events on a plant-based lifestyle, and to encourage them to make the transition to all - vegan catering at their events. Please us if you'd like us to help your Jain organisation/community in this way. Please also if you are interested in supporting our activities, for example by volunteering.
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