27.04.2016 ►Jain Vegans ►Newsletter @ HereNow4U

Jain Vegans

From celebrity endorsements to media reported health benefits, veganism appears to becoming more mainstream in society today. There was even a recent BBC television programme that highlighted how following a wholefoods based vegan diet could help you stay young.

Looking for some inspiration and answers? We have details on the many vegan festivals and events taking place throughout England this summer, including information on an upcoming Young Jains weekend retreat which requires registration soon.

If you're based in Kenya or have friends or family there, we have some great news about a new veg*n meetup group aiming to make a major impact on how plant based nutrition is perceived. Please join and spread the word.

Finally, be sure to grab your free copy of the new cookbook, produced by Animal Equality and Frys Family. Read on for details on how to do this and for links to more excellent resources for vegan recipes and classes.

Upcoming vegan events

Wherever you may be within the UK there are many vegan related events happening somewhere near you this summer. Here's a list of a few such upcoming events, including some with involvement by members of the Jain community:

Wed 27th April
London Vegans guest-speaker evening
with presentation by Maren Dallmann of Animals Asia.
Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be offering vegan food to pre-order via this link: www.shambhus.co.uk/london-vegans

Sat 30th April
Birmingham Viva! Vegan Festival

Saturday 7th May
Kent Vegan Festival
Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-)

Friday 13th - Sunday 15th May
Young Jains retreat
This is a fun filled weekend of exploring spirituality and Jain Philosophy, enjoying the surrounding countryside, cooking meals, games and making friends.

Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd May
VegfestUK Bristol
Nishma Shah & Sagar K. Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be delivering presentations at this event on Saturday 21st May (2pm and 4.30pm) - see below.

Wed 25th May
London Vegans guest-speaker evening
with presentation by Barbara Gardner of Animal Interfaith Alliance
Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be offering vegan food to pre-order via this link: www.shambhus.co.uk/london-vegans

Saturday 4th June
London Animal Free Festival (at the Camden Centre, nr Kings Cross)
Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-)

Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th June
Bournemouth Vegan Fair
Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event, serving snacks and desserts:-)

*For a comprehensive list of all upcoming UK based vegan festivals please visit this link *

Young Jains Countryside Retreat - 13-15th May (100% vegan meals)

Date: Friday 13th May (5pm) to Sunday 15th May
Venue: Marist Centre, Gloucestershire, GL10 3TZ
Fee: £75 for members, £90 for non-members (includes 1 year free membership)
Registration deadline: Wednesday 27 April 2016
Sign-up form: Please click here

The Young Jains annual countryside retreat is only a month away, with just a few days remaining to sign up.

The retreat promises to be one of the most exciting items on the YJ calendar this year. Planned activities at this year's retreat include:
- Walks in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, reflecting on Jainism and nature;
- Exploring how cultivating gratitude can make us happier and help us on the Jain path
- Cooking and sharing simple but delicious Jain vegan meals;
- Socials/games with like-minded individuals

The subsidised fee includes 2 nights accommodation, all meals and activities. Transport to and from the venue is not included, but YJ will help coordinate car sharing to and from the venue (please indicate on the registration form if you are able to drive others)

Sign up as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. For enquiries, please contact .

Jains to give presentations at large annual Bristol vegan festival on 21st May

Sagar K. Shah and Nishma Shah, of the Jain Vegans Working Group will both be giving presentations at VegfestUK Bristol, on Saturday 21st May at the following times:
2pm: Nishma will be running a cookery demonstration entitled "Let's go bananas!"
4.30pm: Sagar will be running an activists workshop entitled "Jainism, Ahimsa and the vegan movement in the Jain community"

The Nairobi Vegetarian & Vegan Meetup Group

A brand new vegan friendly Meetup group has been launched in Nairobi by Tushar Bagda. So please forward on this link to any interested friends or relatives in Kenya:

www.meetup.com/Nairobi-Vegans-and-Vegetarians

Vegan recipes & cookery classes

1. Free e-cookbook. Do you need advice and tips on how to veganise your favourite dishes or perhaps you're looking for ways to introduce more plant based cuisine into the family diet? If so check out the following listings:

Vegan recipe resource e-cookbook by Animal Equality and Frys Family:
www.animalequality.net/ecookbook/

2. Traditional Gujarati favourites - all vegan & jain:
www.jainvegans.org/recipes
(Got a vegan recipe for a traditional Gujarati favourite dish/sweet? Please email us your recipe for publication on the above website:

(Please accurately state all measurements in metric units)

3. www.veganuary.com/recipes

4. http://plantshift.com/recipebook/

Vegan cookery classes & demonstrations

1. Shambhu's (and taught by Nishma Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group).
upcoming classes for 2016 include:
Exotic barbecue delights, Indian vegan sweet treats, Indo-Oriental fusion cuisine,
Summer holiday cookery classes for children

2. Made In Hackney

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 longer 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/try-vegan/why-go-vegan

NHS website supportive of a vegan diet

For further information on vegan health nutrition, please consult the Vegan Section on the NHS website or visit this link: http://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health

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 health food 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, Coyo, supermarket own brands)
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)
Cheese / Paneer with Dairy Free Cheeses (Tofu, VBites, Sheese, Tofutti, Vegusto, Vegourmet, Violife)
Ice Creams with sorbets or dairy free ice creams (Bessant and Drury, Swedish Glace, Booja Booja, Almond Dream, Coyo, supermarket own brands)
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