17.05.2016 ►Jain Vegans ►Newsletter @ HereNow4U

Jain Vegans

With summer almost here and the promise of some gorgeous sunny weather we wanted to highlight just some of the many upcoming events, giving you the perfect excuse to explore some wonderful animal sanctuaries, discover new plant based ideas and treats at vegan festivals, and even make them into a day or weekend trip away at the stunning locations these events take place.

But first, meet Radha, Ruby and Rani....

Radha, Ruby & Rani

A couple of years ago, Keval Shah (of the Jain Vegans Working Group) rescued 3 spent egg laying hens destined for the slaughterhouse. Emaciated and scared of human contact after having suffered a miserable battery farm existence, Keval named the hens Radha, Ruby and Rani and built a coop in his back garden to allow them to live out their lives free of abuse and exploitation. Now these confident, happy hens are unrecognisable from the timid, scrawny creatures that first arrived. Watch their amazing transformation in this touching video .

Click here for a fascinating article by Sagar K. Shah questioning whether eggs are suitable for vegetarians.

Animal Sanctuaries & open days

Animal sanctuaries are safe havens for creatures rescued from the misery of the meat and dairy industry and the horrors of the slaughterhouse. Very few animals trapped in factory farms and our food systems ever experience freedom, but sanctuaries offer an island of kindness in this sea of cruelty, and are definitely worth visiting as a result.

However, caring for these animals requires much time and effort so the hard working individuals that dedicate themselves to running these sanctuaries are always appreciative of any help at hand. Therefore, besides going vegan, giving a donation, sponsoring an animal or even volunteering one's time at a sanctuary is one of the best ways to offer compassion in action.

Upcoming sanctuary open days

Retreat Animal Rescue, in Kent, have a Family Fun Day on Sunday 29th May
Hugletts Wood Farm, in East Sussex, have an open day on Sunday 12th June. Tickets are selling fast so please be quick to reserve your place.
Hillside Animal Sanctuary, in Norfolk, have open days on the following Sundays:
12th June, 3rd & 24th July, 14th Aug & 11th Sept.

There are several other vegan-run animal sanctuaries throughout the UK, all looking for support (Jiv Daya). Here's a list of just some of them.

Reminder: Some fantastic vegan events happening soon

Scene from last year's amazing Bristol Vegfest

Bristol Vegfest UK - Sat 21st & Sun 22nd May
http://bristol.vegfest.co.uk
(Don't forget this year there will be two Jains giving presentations at VegfestUK Bristol on Saturday 21st May:
2pm: Nishma Shah will be running a cookery demo entitled 'Let's go bananas'
4pm: Sagar K. Shah will be running a workshop called 'Jainism, Ahimsa & the vegan movement in the Jain community'.

London Animal Free Festival - Sat 4th June
www.londonanimalfreefestival.com
(Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-))

Exotic Barbecue Delights (vegan cookery class) - Sat 11th June
www.shambhus.co.uk/cookery

Bournemouth Vegan Fair - Sat 25th & Sun 26th June
http://www.dorsetveganevents.co.uk/bournemouth-vegan-fair.html
(Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-))

Maidstone Vegan Festival - Sat 23rd July
www.facebook.com/events/1744316242464541
(Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-))

Summer Holiday Cookery Classes for Children - 25th to 28th July
www.shambhus.co.uk/children-classes

Snowdon Vegan Cake Party - Fri 29th to Sun 31st July
www.snowdonveganparty.co.uk

Pause for Peace - Young Jains Convention 2016 - Sat 30th and Sun 31st July
Vegan Jain meals included
http://buytickets.at/youngjains/52826/r/bulletin

For a list of many other great upcoming vegan events, visit this link:
www.shambhus.co.uk/events

Vegan recipes & cookery classes

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 recipes

Would you like to share the recipe for a favourite Jain vegan dish? Please email us on for publication on our website.
(Please accurately state all measurements in metric units)

Vegan cookery classes & demos

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

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.jainvegans.org) 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.

With warm wishes,

The Jain Vegans Team
www.jainvegans.org