OshwalNewsI - Oshwal Centre

STILL A VEGAN . . . . AFTER 10 YEARS
About 10 years ago I wrote an article for the Oshwal News – Why I have become a vegan. This article is an
update and I confirm that I am still a vegan, healthier and spiritually more aware. Over the last 10 years my
views towards Jainism have improved and have also adopted a Jain style of living, wherever practical.
Vegan lifestyle is described by the Vegan Society as “ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is
possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”.
Vegan food is free from all dairy products, meat, eggs. Vegans do not use animal derived products such as
leather, used in shoes, purses, wallets, belts, sofas etc. Vegetarian is different from vegan. Vegetarians use
dairy products, and in the western countries eggs is included as a as vegetarian diet.
10 years ago it was difficult to find vegan products. Nowadays vegan food products are labelled as such.
Food labelling is such that minute quantities, or items used in making, eg products used for lining, will not be
stated on the labels. For example, some foods have labels “this product was made in a factory using eggs”
even though eggs are not used as an ingredient. This is mainly to warn nut allergy sufferers to avoid this
particular food. Is there a label to identify a product if animal fat has been used in the factory No! So what
should you do – buy foods which are labelled vegan.
To find more about vegan food, items – go to the vegan society website. http://www.vegansociety.com/html/
There are 2 reasons for not using dairy products –medical and ethical. Medically the dairy products are not
suitable to certain people, especially South Asian types. I was advised to stop taking certain milk products,
but not cheese. After visiting a dairy farm and observing the treatment of 2-3 day old calves I firmly decided
that I am going to avoid dairy products. That meant that my favourite Indian sweets, barfi churmo, ladus,
barfi, gulab jambus etc will have to be given up. So for the last 10 years I have never knowingly have taken
any food containing dairy products. Nowadays products made from soya are available – milk, tofu (paneer),
yogurt. Vegan “chocolates” are also available.
I have changed my lifestyle so much so that I do not use leather goods such as belts, wallets, shoes and
briefcases. I do not use materials made from silk. The soaps, toothpastes, gels, foods are carefully selected
to avoid animal derived products. Vegan Society have published a book entitled “Animal Free Shopper” –
which clarifies what ingredients to avoid and suggests alternatives.
HERE IS A SMALL LIST OF INGREDIENTS TO AVOID:
Anchovies — small fish: Found on pizzas and in
some brands of Worcestershire Sauce.
Animal fat — carcass fat not milk fat: May be
found in biscuits, stock, as suet, in soap, pastry,
margarines.
Aspic — savoury jelly derived from meat or fish
Chitin — produced from crab and shrimp
Cochineal — E120 made from crushed insects:
Sometimes found in sweets, food colours, even
those imported from India.
Eggs – an ingredient used in many products
which we take as vegetarian. – margarines, cakes,
biscuits, chocolates.
Gelatine/gelatin — a gelling agent derived from
animal ligaments, skins, tendons, bones: May be
used in jellies, yoghurts, wine, boiled sweets,
marshmallows, medical capsules eg antibiotic or
Vitamin D capsules (ask for tablets or liquid form
instead).
Isinglass — a fining agent derived from the swim
bladders of certain tropical fish: May be used in
making alcohol, especially beer
Calf Rennet — an enzyme taken from the
stomach of a newly killed calf: Used in the cheese
making process.
Pepsin — Enzyme from a pigs stomach, used
like rennet
Whey — whey and whey powder are usually by–
products of the cheese making process which
may use animal rennet: Can be used in crisps as a
flavour carrier.
Natural Flavourings – the source can be from
anywhere, animal or vegetarian derived. Eg Chips
from a particular chain had natural flavouring,
derived from Beef dripping.
…..By Devendra Virchand Shah
IF YOU HAVE A POUND
If you have a pound and I have a pound and we exchange pounds, you still have one
pound and I still have one pound. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we
exchange ideas, you now have two ideas and I have two ideas. …...Editor
Oshwal News - Winter 2006 & New Year’s Issue
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