08.12.2016 ►Jain Vegans ►Newsletter @ HereNow4U

Jain Vegans

In this Issue:

Upset about new £5 note? Other everyday items also linked to himsa
Leatherhead vegan festival (in aid of FRIEND animal sanctuary)
New vegan café in Pinner opening soon
Upcoming vegan events

Upset about the new £5 note?
Learn about other everyday items that are also non-veg

You may have heard that the new polymer £5 banknotes contain a small amount of animal fat, triggering a petition which gained over 100,000 signatories in less than 72 hours.

You may also have heard that the Bank of England is now looking into its supply chain with the intention of finding an alternative solution. And that a number of Hindu temples and a vegetarian restaurant have decided to stop accepting the polymer notes.

It is good news that this issue has been discovered, gained media coverage, and is now being looked into. But unfortunately, the presence of animal by-products goes well beyond banknotes.

Animal derivatives are present in many commonly used household goods, including plastic bags, candles, make-up, toothpaste, tyres, inks, paints and glues. Moreover, many vegetarian restaurants and Hindu/Jain temples permit the use of milk and leather, products which directly contribute to the death and suffering of cows.

If you felt outraged about the banknotes, the best thing you can do is to channel your energy into generating positive change.

Choose household goods which are labelled as vegan, and encourage your community temple to stop using animal products all together.

One of the best ways to be sure a product doesn't harm animals is to check if it labelled 'suitable for vegans', or better still that it is registered with the Vegan Society Trademark. If it is, it will normally include the Vegan Society Sunflower logo prominently on the packaging. In order to be registered, the manufacture and development must not use animal products or derivatives, and the product must not have been tested on animals. You can search all Trademarked products via the Vegan Society website.

Also, many of the major supermarkets have been producing regularly updated vegan products lists for their own-brand items. You can access these links via the Vegan Society own-brand supermarket index.

If you are not sure about a particular product, please ask the manufacturer to investigate them and encourage them to register with the Vegan Society Trademark. The more consumers that demand vegan products, the more likely it is that producers will create vegan products, and the the easier it will become for everyone to avoid harming animals in their day-to-day lives.

Leatherhead Vegan Fayre
(in aid of FRIEND animal sanctuary)Leatherhead Parish KT22 8BD | Sat 10th Dec | 10am - 5pm | Entry by donation

Vegan festivals provide an excellent opportunity to learn how one can live a lower himsa lifestyle and meet other like minded people. And thankfully, these festivals are now happening all over the country and internationally with an increasing frequency. For anyone living in or near Surrey check out the Leatherhead Vegan Fayre that's taking place this Saturday 10th December. There will be lots of cruelty free goodies to sample and buy, and all donations received will be going to a very worthy Jiv Daya cause, FRIEND farmed animal rescue sanctuary. Vegan caterers, Shambhu's, run by Nishma & Mahersh Shah (also part of the Jain Vegans Working Group) will be present, serving up more delicious delights.

FRIEND farmed animal rescue is located in Kent and has looked after hundreds of abused animals since opening in 1994. FRIEND regularly has open days where you can meet the animals in care. Should you want to visit, make a donation or even volunteer your time helping out at the sanctuary please visit their website for further details.

http://www.friendanimalrescue.org.uk/donate/

Ahimsa vegan café in Pinner opening soon

Promising to deliver delicious plant based cuisine on the go, Ahimsa the Vegan cafe is due to open in Pinner on 16th December.

In addition to showcasing how tasty and exciting vegan fast food can be, the people behind this new concept want to promote harmonious living with all other creatures we share the planet with.

As a special offer, the owners are pleased to announce a 4 week promotion from the opening day for Jain Vegans subscribers. Simply show this article on your phone to the staff at Ahimsa to receive a 20% discount off their large selection of wraps. (This cannot be used with any other promotion).

Address: 7 Red Lion Parade, Pinner HA5 4JD

Opening times: 8am - 6pm, Mon - Sat. (Evenings available for private hire)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/AhimsaTheVeganPinner

Upcoming vegan events

Vibrant social events in London
For information on monthly informative talks, regular scenic walks at different locations in London, social meals at some of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in the city, social meetups in London among like-minded folk, check out the follow links:
London Vegans and London Vegan Meetup

Leatherhead Vegan Fayre - Sat 10th Dec
www.facebook.com/LeatherheadVeganFayreSurrey
(run in aid of FRIEND Farm Animal Sanctuary)
Will include vegan catering by Shambhu's, run by Nishma & Mahersh Shah, who are also part of the Jain Vegans Working Group

London Vegans Xmas Meal at Karamel - Fri 16th Dec
https://www.meetup.com/londonvegan/events/235803532/

Vegan Christmas Market - Sat 17th Dec
https://www.facebook.com/events/1321418447868925

Absolutely Fabulous Vegan Market & Kids Frozen Day Fun (Cardiff), Sat 14th Jan '17
https://www.facebook.com/events/689044827939999

Central Manchester Vegan Fair - Sat 21st Jan '17
https://www.facebook.com/events/1816608695225373/

Cardiff Viva! Vegan Festival - Sat 4th Feb '17
http://www.viva.org.uk/festivals/cardiff-2017

VegfestUK Brighton - Sat 11th & Sun 12th March '17
http://brighton.vegfest.co.uk/

For a list of many other great upcoming vegan events, visit this link:
http://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:

http://www.jainvegans.org/recipes/
http://yummyvegan.tumblr.com/
https://veganjain.com/
http://plantshift.com/recipebook/

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 through artificial insemination. If a cow isn’t made pregnant, she won’t produce milk.
The newborn calf is normally taken away from his/her 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 15 to 20 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.

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, Sojade)
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 (Alpro, 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...

THE 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