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<strong>Plant</strong><br />

<strong>Powered</strong><br />

<strong>Planet</strong><br />

FREE<br />

Issue #2<br />

Aug 2021<br />

CRYSTAL BONNET<br />

Danielle Maupertuis speaks with<br />

fellow dessert chef Crystal<br />

FEEDING YOUR<br />

VEGAN CHILD<br />

Mythbusting with NHS Dietician<br />

Sandra Hood<br />

THE PLANT BASED<br />

ATHLETE<br />

Robert Cheeke on the book’s success<br />

Danny Hatchard<br />

On Eastenders and upcoming TV performances


Contents<br />

People<br />

Danny Hatchard 10<br />

Robert Cheeke &<br />

The <strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete 44<br />

A Day In The Life: Juliet Gellatley 90<br />

10<br />

Rich Hardy & Vegan Organic Network 98<br />

Vegan Careers: Fashion Design,<br />

Hairdressing, Police & Public Speaking 108<br />

90<br />

Lifestyle<br />

Feeding Your Vegan Child with<br />

NHS Dietitian Sandra Hood RD 18<br />

Top Picks: Lifestyle 32<br />

Passport-Free Travel: 5 Tips For<br />

New Vegan Adventurers! 64<br />

18<br />

Vegan Traders Union: Vegan Art 86<br />

Vegan Shoes with Karin Ridgers 96<br />

Vegan Challenges with<br />

Josh Allerton 120<br />

Published by VegfestUK Ltd: info@vegfest.co.uk // <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>: www.plantpoweredplanet.co.uk


44<br />

98<br />

108<br />

32<br />

64<br />

16<br />

86<br />

96<br />

120


Contents:<br />

continued<br />

Education<br />

Vegan Society: <strong>Plant</strong>ing Value<br />

In The Food System with Alex<br />

Lockwood 40<br />

52<br />

The Vegan Vet: Dr. Lucy<br />

Claire McKinna 52<br />

The Vegetable Plot with Tony<br />

Bishop-Weston 80<br />

Veganic Growing Tips with<br />

Piers Warren 102<br />

126<br />

Vegetarian For Life 126<br />

Food<br />

Goal Power: The Healthy Snack<br />

Premiering Across Europe 24<br />

Vegan Ice Cream with Karin Ridgers 30<br />

24<br />

Crystal Bonnet: Queen of<br />

Raw Desserts, with Danielle<br />

Maupertuis 70<br />

What’s The Story, Stem & Glory? 130<br />

70<br />

Published by VegfestUK Ltd: info@vegfest.co.uk // <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>: www.plantpoweredplanet.co.uk


Editor<br />

Karin Ridgers<br />

Content<br />

Tim Barford<br />

Design<br />

Pete Metcalfe<br />

Advertising<br />

Chris Byford<br />

Welcome<br />

Hello and welcome to Issue 2 of our fab<br />

new free online magazine <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong><br />

<strong>Planet</strong>! I’m Karin the editor and I get the<br />

honour to say hello and introduce this<br />

great summer special edition.<br />

Issue 2 is full up with fantastic interviews and focuses on the best the plant based<br />

lifestyle has to offer the discerning 21st century individual, who values animals, environment<br />

and people when making lifestyle consumer choices. Our regular contributors<br />

Tony Bishop Weston (The Vegetable Plot) and Daniele Maupertuis (Vegans Deserve<br />

Better than a Fruit Salad) return with their summer special seasonal sprinklings of<br />

plant based gold dust, including asking the question ‘Are you eating too much ultra<br />

processed vegan pap?’ and a wonderful raw vegan cheesecake recipe, and we were<br />

thrilled to catch up with our star 3 guests for issue 2, BodyBuilder Robert Cheeke,<br />

Activist Juliet Gellatley and Actor Danny Hatchard.<br />

The Vegan Organic Network make their regular appearance including more seasonal<br />

veganic gardening tips from author Piers Warren, Emma Fry once more takes us on<br />

a few vegan travel tips, and we take a look at new book ‘Feeding Your Vegan Child’<br />

alongside the launch of new vegan snacks and motivational packs brand GoalPower,<br />

before getting to chat with The Vegan Vet about companion animals and plant based<br />

diets – followed by some awesome top picks from ProGroom and Vegeco!<br />

There’s a summery roundup for vegan ice cream options and some fab lifestyle choices<br />

along with the best in vegan shoes, and our regular visit to the Vegan Traders<br />

Union features a number of vegan artists and their creations. There’s also a visit to<br />

plant based restaurant Stem & Glory and a fun look at how to stay vegan in the face<br />

of some of the obstacles in place, and a short interview with Alex Lockwood about<br />

sustainable plant based food systems, before we make a short trip to say hello to our<br />

friends at V For Life who give us an update on their incredible work in care homes, and<br />

then to cap off a wonderful uplifting summer special, we take a fascinating glimpse<br />

into the lives of 4 vegan careers in what should be a regular feature in future issues of<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>!<br />

Talking of future issues – issue 3 is out in November 2021, with Issue 1 available<br />

HERE to read if you haven’t already.<br />

Stay safe my luvvlies and see you in the autumn!!<br />

Karin xx<br />

The views expressed in <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor<br />

nor VegfestUK Ltd, and neither the Editor, Design Team or VegfestUK Ltd accept any liability for any<br />

matter in the magazine, nor can be held responsibile for any actions taken as a result of the content of<br />

this magazine. Advertisements and paid promotional copy are accepted without implying endorsement<br />

by the editor or publishers. Paid promotional copy is marked ‘Promotion’ on the appropriate pages.


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6 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


Publications to date:<br />

<strong>Plant</strong><br />

<strong>Powered</strong><br />

<strong>Planet</strong><br />

FREE<br />

Issue #2<br />

Aug 2021<br />

CRYSTAL BONNET<br />

Danielle Maupertuis speaks with<br />

fellow dessert chef Crystal<br />

FEEDING YOUR<br />

VEGAN CHILD<br />

Mythbusting with NHS Dietician<br />

Sandra Hood<br />

THE PLANT BASED<br />

ATHLETE<br />

Robert Cheeke on the book’s success<br />

Danny Hatchard<br />

On Eastenders and upcoming TV performances<br />

#1<br />

FORÇA<br />

FREE<br />

JUSTICE ANIMALS, PEOPLE & THE PLANET<br />

MARCH<br />

2021<br />

VEGAN<br />

M A G A Z I N E<br />

DISPATCHES<br />

NEW YORK<br />

ATHENS<br />

FES<br />

DUBLIN<br />

MEXICO<br />

UNAPOLOGETICALLY<br />

BLACK<br />

Omowale Adewale &<br />

Brotha Vegan<br />

HUGLETTS<br />

WOOD<br />

ANIMAL<br />

SANCTUARY<br />

Check in<br />

with the<br />

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You can sign up to stay in touch with our news via our ebulletin here, and access<br />

our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, all of them regularly updated<br />

with news, views and vegan information.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 7


As the ultimate go-to experience<br />

for the freshest<br />

food, entertainment, ethical<br />

products, and cutting-edge<br />

information on plant-based<br />

living, VegfestUK are now<br />

launching Global Vegfest,<br />

a series of online events<br />

with international demonstrators,<br />

free to attend<br />

and bursting with delicious<br />

innovation.<br />

As pioneers on the UK<br />

vegan festival scene,<br />

VegfestUK have led the way<br />

for showcasing the very<br />

best in ethical living since<br />

their launch in 2003. As<br />

the starting point for many<br />

vegan brands, they are<br />

synonymous with healthy<br />

international cuisine and<br />

conscious lifestyle products<br />

that work towards sustainable<br />

living and a cleaner<br />

future.<br />

Global Vegfest will include a<br />

wide variety of talks covering<br />

all aspects of the plantbased<br />

lifestyle, including<br />

nutritional talks, activism<br />

lectures, live cookery demos<br />

from around the world,<br />

and showcasing new vegan<br />

products, with an online<br />

marketplace and special offers<br />

operating all weekend.<br />

Organiser Tim Barford says,<br />

‘After the effects of the last<br />

18 months, we are looking<br />

forward to working beyond<br />

the confines of a live event<br />

and moving to an online<br />

platform, with a genuinely<br />

inclusive, safe environment<br />

that is positive, fun and<br />

more relevant than ever<br />

before. And we’re going<br />

global!’<br />

Global Vegfest will be hosted<br />

online September 18th and<br />

19th 2021, and December<br />

18th and 19th2021 – full<br />

line up TBA. The event is<br />

free and supported by donations<br />

– visitors are invited<br />

to purchase Virtual Tickets<br />

at £5 & £10 to support the<br />

event www.vegfest.co.uk/<br />

globalvegfest/tickets/


18th & 19th September 2021<br />

FREE ONLINE EVENT<br />

Talks - Panels - Entertainment<br />

Activists from around the globe<br />

Catering for both seasoned vegans and those completely new to<br />

plant based living, Global Vegfest will include cookery demos, nutrition<br />

talks, debates and discussion around vegan philosophy and<br />

lifestyle, activism and many of the attractions visitors would find<br />

at a live event, including a global marketplace for the latest vegan<br />

products – and in particular a wealth of knowledge, experience<br />

and experts in the field of plant based living.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 9


Danny<br />

Hatchard<br />

About Danny<br />

Danny-Boy Hatchard (born<br />

26 July 1991) is an English<br />

actor, best known for playing<br />

Lee Carter in the BBC<br />

soap opera EastEnders and<br />

Private Rhett Charlton Aka<br />

“Cheese” in BBC’s hit military<br />

drama Our Girl.<br />

Hatchard’s other credits<br />

include Steven Pierce in<br />

the 20th anniversary production<br />

of Beautiful Thing,<br />

and in 2019, Danny played<br />

Private Rhett Charlton in<br />

the fourth series of Our Girl.<br />

Most recently Danny was<br />

cast in Ridley Road, which<br />

is in post-production.<br />

Recent announcements<br />

confirm the show will air at<br />

some point this year, and<br />

we can’t wait.<br />

Danny! What’s<br />

up? Never a dull<br />

moment?<br />

Well there is never a dull<br />

moment in the House of<br />

Hatchard …. cooking, playing,<br />

you know the odd computer<br />

game. But to be honest,<br />

I try to get out of the<br />

house as much as I can. If<br />

I am indoors I’m cooking, or<br />

I’m on the peloton, or writing<br />

or I’ve got mates around<br />

or just playing with the dog.<br />

Yeah, it’s very chilled round<br />

here. Not manic but I<br />

wouldn’t say it’s dull either!<br />

Ridley Road – looks<br />

a winner! Grim story<br />

line?<br />

Well, it is a thriller set in the<br />

60s. It’s based on the novel<br />

of the same name by the<br />

author Joe Bloom. Some of<br />

your readers may or may<br />

not have read it, but it’s a<br />

fantastic novel.<br />

The storyline is based<br />

around two Jewish lovers<br />

who end up going undercover<br />

as part of the National<br />

Socialist Movement, which<br />

was run by a huge fascist<br />

and Neo-Nazi called Colin<br />

Jordan.<br />

It’s a thriller. And I don’t<br />

want to go into it all too<br />

much, because I’m terrible<br />

at giving away spoilers!<br />

But yeah, it’s going to be a<br />

fantastic show. I play Colin<br />

Jordan’s right-hand man<br />

- so I play a bit of a nasty<br />

piece of work, and a clear<br />

product of his environment<br />

and miseducation.<br />

10 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


“Teach yourself one vegan<br />

meal every single Monday...by<br />

the end of the year you’ll have<br />

52 different things on your<br />

menu and you can literally eat<br />

and pick and choose one of<br />

those for the rest of your life,<br />

every single day.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 11


Tough during<br />

lockdown for actors?<br />

Yes, incredibly tough. Many<br />

of my friends have had to find<br />

work elsewhere. Whether<br />

that be in Waitrose, delivering<br />

for Amazon, working<br />

anywhere and everywhere<br />

so that they can earn money<br />

because a lot of them<br />

weren’t furloughed. There’s<br />

a lot of uncertainty around<br />

theatre, especially because<br />

shows are being cancelled<br />

left right and centre, even<br />

though they’d been promised<br />

a job six months prior.<br />

What do you snack<br />

on during filming?<br />

Well it may be boring, but for<br />

me, it has to be hummus,<br />

carrot sticks, radish, toast,<br />

you know, like little soldiers<br />

with hummus! Sliced bell<br />

peppers dipped in hummus.<br />

Really that is literally<br />

the thing that I snack on the<br />

most. If not, I’ll make like a<br />

couple of wraps or something<br />

like I’ll make some<br />

Linda McCartney shredded<br />

duck wraps with shredded<br />

carrots, shredded spring<br />

onions, and shredded cucumber<br />

and whack some<br />

hoisin sauce on there - and<br />

its always delicious.<br />

Everyone knows<br />

you as Lee Carter in<br />

Eastenders – Mick<br />

and Linda’s son.<br />

That must a been a<br />

giggle?<br />

It was amazing. I had an incredible<br />

time on the show.<br />

I learned so much while I<br />

was there, however unfortunately<br />

there is some level<br />

of stigma around actors<br />

who are in soaps. They’re<br />

called soap actors, but<br />

they shouldn’t be because<br />

they’re not soap actors.<br />

They are actors, and they<br />

just so happened to be in a<br />

soap.<br />

It can be quite frustrating<br />

because these actors are<br />

12 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


among the best actors I’ve<br />

ever worked with and their<br />

level of work ethic is like<br />

no other. At Ridley Road we<br />

filmed four episodes over<br />

a period of three to four<br />

months. But four episodes<br />

of EastEnders could easily<br />

be filmed in one week.<br />

So hopefully that gives you<br />

some level of perspective.<br />

It’s an incredible show to<br />

be a part of to work with<br />

Danny Dyer, Kelly Bright<br />

and the rest of the Carter<br />

clan…. and to have formed<br />

the bond that I have with<br />

them. It was an honour and<br />

a privilege, and I will always<br />

fly the EastEnders flag.<br />

And your ex-screen<br />

sister Nancy Carter<br />

is vegan! We spotted<br />

that this summer…<br />

Will Ridley Road be<br />

flying vegan colours?<br />

I did not know that!<br />

So those of you who don’t<br />

know Nancy Carter is played<br />

by an actress called Maddie<br />

Hill. I had absolutely no idea<br />

that she was vegan, but me<br />

and Maddie don’t really talk<br />

all that much - partly because<br />

we’ve actually been<br />

really busy.<br />

And flying vegan colours?<br />

I doubt it. You know, it’s in<br />

the 60s. I’m not really sure.<br />

But it’s a nice thought.<br />

Do you have your eye<br />

on films at all? Or<br />

theatre? Or is it TV?<br />

I do not discriminate with<br />

regards to work. But yeah,<br />

I really don’t mind what I<br />

do next with regards to TV,<br />

film or theatre, but as long<br />

as it’s classy and it’s something<br />

that I would enjoy I’ll<br />

happily do it.<br />

Fave vegan din dins?!<br />

It’s really, really difficult to<br />

pick because I love all the<br />

vegan food that I cook! And<br />

that’s not just me being biased<br />

to my own cooking<br />

skills! But if I was to step<br />

away from my own personal<br />

favourites of me in the<br />

kitchen, or what I cook in<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 13


the kitchen, I would have to<br />

say I adore a What the Pitta<br />

kebab wrap. I love it. It just<br />

blows my mind every single<br />

time. I could eat it all day<br />

long, but unfortunately it is<br />

vegan junk food!<br />

Future of veganism?<br />

There are just so many benefits<br />

to being vegan - and<br />

adopting a plant-based diet<br />

is going to take over because<br />

everybody wants to<br />

live longer and everybody<br />

wants to look after themselves.<br />

A lot of people are<br />

wising up to the fact that<br />

animal agriculture and the<br />

dairy industry is barbaric.<br />

And the more people learn<br />

about it, the quicker we<br />

can, as a society, adopt<br />

predominantly a vegan diet<br />

and change the world.<br />

Tips for newbies?!<br />

The top tip for newbies…<br />

take it easy. I feel like a<br />

lot of newbies don’t stick<br />

to it because they get so<br />

overwhelmed by completely<br />

changing and switching<br />

to a vegan diet because of<br />

their lack of education and<br />

understanding of what they<br />

can use to cook different<br />

things like replacements<br />

of cheese and milks in this<br />

that and the other. I would<br />

always say take your time<br />

with it. First of all, replace<br />

your butter with flora.<br />

Flora original or Flora light<br />

because it tastes exactly<br />

the same as butter and it’s<br />

totally vegan.<br />

14 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


And you won’t feel like<br />

you’ve made that much of<br />

a difference but you have<br />

because what you’re essentially<br />

doing is boycotting<br />

other butters and margarines<br />

that have animal products<br />

in and the more people<br />

who boycott those, the less<br />

likely they are to continue to<br />

manufacture them and exploit<br />

animals and therefore<br />

adopt vegan ingredients.<br />

And then milks you know,<br />

you got hemp milk, rice milk,<br />

almond milk, soya milk, oat<br />

milk, cashew milk, but you<br />

want cows titty milk…?! I<br />

mean, listen, I would say<br />

the best thing for you to do<br />

would be to find one of them<br />

that you like, my personal<br />

favourite is Oatly Barista. I<br />

have it in everything.<br />

And then when I have more<br />

porridge, I have soya milk<br />

because it’s got a natural<br />

taste and a natural sweetener<br />

in it, which just tastes<br />

delicious. And it’s nice and<br />

creamy.<br />

And then just take your<br />

time discovering new things<br />

to cook - and I said this on<br />

VegfestUK Chat …. teach<br />

yourself one vegan meal<br />

every single Monday, or<br />

whatever day you pick.<br />

Choose one vegan meal<br />

that you’re going to learn to<br />

cook once a week and by<br />

the end of the year you have<br />

52 different things on your<br />

menu and you can literally<br />

eat and pick and choose<br />

one of those for the rest of<br />

your life every single day.<br />

You will never get bored<br />

because 52 different dishes<br />

to cook is a lot of choices.<br />

I don’t think people usually<br />

learn to cook more than<br />

10 things. And being a vegan<br />

would be a doddle after<br />

that!<br />

Also learn to use seasoning<br />

as well… I don’t know what<br />

it is with predominantly<br />

white Western culture, but<br />

we think seasoning is salt<br />

and pepper. It’s not! It can<br />

be paprika, onion powders<br />

and garlic powders, herbs<br />

and spices. Turmeric, curry<br />

powders and it just makes<br />

food so much more exciting.<br />

Also go on social media and<br />

start looking at people that<br />

are vegan and start looking<br />

at people that are teaching<br />

how to cook new vegan<br />

things, and suddenly it’ll<br />

just become more exciting.<br />

Danny on ‘Karin’s Christmas Cracker!’<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 15


16 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 17


Feeding<br />

Your<br />

Vegan<br />

Child<br />

NHS Dietitian<br />

Sandra Hood<br />

Debunks<br />

Myths of<br />

Malnutrition<br />

I am super excited to read the essential new parenting<br />

book for vegan families: Feeding Your Vegan<br />

Child by NHS Dietician, Sandra Hood RD.<br />

I have yet to come across such a comprehensive<br />

and practical handbook for vegans which debunks<br />

myths about malnutrition on a vegan diet and reassures<br />

and empowers parents wishing to raise their<br />

child within a vegan lifestyle. A lifestyle that is becoming<br />

more and more popular and essential for<br />

the wellbeing of humans as well as the Earth.<br />

This book is a factual guide for parents and healthcare<br />

professionals with questions and concerns<br />

about a vegan diet, as with any diet there can be<br />

pitfalls to avoid and Sandra’s nutritional advice and<br />

guidance is indispensable in a time where many<br />

people butt heads about plant based and vegan diets<br />

and it’s a breath of fresh air to have this uncomplicated<br />

guide full of ideas, recipes and advice from<br />

real vegan families!<br />

18 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


How do I get my child<br />

to eat vegetables?<br />

As with any food it is about<br />

taste and texture. Children<br />

often prefer raw in preference<br />

to cooked so it is a<br />

matter of experimenting.<br />

For example raw vegetables<br />

that are often popular with<br />

children are broccoli and<br />

carrots, also parsnips, peas<br />

and sweetcorn. Introducing<br />

a variety of colourful vegetables<br />

and presenting then<br />

in different ways is the key.<br />

For example spirulising,<br />

grating and adding dips. If<br />

you are fortunate enough to<br />

have the space to grow vegetables<br />

in your garden or in<br />

an allotment, get your child<br />

involved. This frequently<br />

leads to them wanting to<br />

eat the produce grown. If<br />

you don’t have a garden,<br />

sprouting seeds and grains<br />

on a windowsill is very quick<br />

and easy and children can<br />

quickly see the result. Last<br />

but not least, children emulate<br />

our behaviour so it<br />

is important that they see<br />

adults eating and enjoying<br />

a variety of vegetables.<br />

What supplements<br />

should I give my<br />

child?<br />

From 6 months of age vegan<br />

infants need to include<br />

a reliable source of vitamin<br />

B12 of at least 1 microgram<br />

per day. The most reliable<br />

source is through supplements.<br />

The foods fortified<br />

with vitamin B12 include<br />

plant milks, yeast extracts,<br />

yeast flakes and breakfast<br />

cereals. However you<br />

need to check food labels<br />

to ensure these foods are<br />

fortified.<br />

Vitamin B12 supplementation<br />

should continue<br />

throughout life. If relying<br />

on fortified foods, aim for<br />

at least 3 mcg per day. If<br />

your child is taking a supplement<br />

this can increase<br />

to 5 mcg at one year of age,<br />

up to at least 25mcg during<br />

adolescence. Vitamin B12<br />

is a water soluble vitamin<br />

and this means any excess<br />

is quickly excreted in the<br />

urine. Therefore it is very<br />

rare for anyone to take too<br />

much of this nutrient.<br />

The Department of Health<br />

recommends that all breast<br />

fed infants should be given<br />

a vitamin D supplement of<br />

10 mcg per day from birth.<br />

Infant formula contains vitamin<br />

D so these infants<br />

do not need to start supplementation<br />

until 6 months of<br />

age. Vitamin D supplementation<br />

should continue up to<br />

5 years’ of age. In addition,<br />

it is recommended that all<br />

children, whether vegan,<br />

vegetarian or omnivore<br />

should take a supplement<br />

including vitamins A and C.<br />

There are differing views as<br />

to whether children actually<br />

needs these extra vitamins<br />

A and C. They are really a<br />

safeguard to protect an infant<br />

through times of illness<br />

or faddy eating.<br />

All other vitamins and minerals<br />

should be met by<br />

choosing a varied healthy<br />

diet. If you feel your child<br />

needs any other vitamin<br />

or mineral supplements,<br />

please discuss this with<br />

your healthcare professional.<br />

A supplement needs to<br />

be appropriate to a particular<br />

age.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 19


Are you sure vegan<br />

diets are safe for<br />

children?<br />

Vegan diets for children<br />

were first nutritionally assessed<br />

as far back as<br />

1968. This was by Pamela<br />

Mumford, a lecturer in nutrition<br />

at Queen Elizabeth<br />

College, University of<br />

London in collaboration<br />

with Dr Frey Ellis MD FRC<br />

Path. Miss Mumford wrote<br />

“in general the diets appear<br />

to be perfectly satisfactory<br />

to support normal growth in<br />

the children”. She reported<br />

that few children achieved<br />

the calorie intakes recommended<br />

by the Department<br />

of Health but as these were<br />

being reviewed and childhood<br />

obesity was causing<br />

concern she suggested this<br />

was probably a good thing!<br />

Miss Mumford compared<br />

the vegan diet with the national<br />

average and commented<br />

that the lower concentration<br />

of fat and more<br />

carbohydrate was good.<br />

In addition the amount<br />

and quality of protein consumed<br />

was “more than adequate”.<br />

Her assessment<br />

also found that iron intakes<br />

were above average<br />

in most cases, reaching<br />

those recommended by the<br />

World Health Organisation<br />

which allowed for the lower<br />

absorption of iron from<br />

the diet when all the food is<br />

derived from plant sources.<br />

Calcium intakes appeared<br />

to be lower than recommended<br />

in the under five<br />

year olds but noted that the<br />

amount provided by drinking<br />

water wasn’t included in<br />

20 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


Photo credit: Dish by Iida van der Byl-Knoefel<br />

www.akitchenfairytale.com Instagram:<br />

@akitchenfairytale<br />

the calculations. However<br />

interestingly Miss Mumford<br />

stated that “that many people<br />

have good bones and<br />

teeth and achieve full stature<br />

on similar low intakes<br />

providing their diet contains<br />

adequate vitamin D and/<br />

or they are sufficiently exposed<br />

to sunlight”.<br />

Since this interesting assessment,<br />

there have been<br />

a number of small studies<br />

looking at the growth and<br />

development of vegan children<br />

and they all come to<br />

the same conclusion. That<br />

a “well-planned vegan diets,<br />

when based on a wide<br />

variety of plant foods and<br />

excluding all animal derivates,<br />

can provide adequate<br />

nutrition throughout<br />

all stages of life”. Any type<br />

of diet has the potential for<br />

pitfalls and deficiencies.<br />

Many people fail to recognise<br />

that there is as much<br />

potential for nutritional deficiencies<br />

in children who eat<br />

a western-style diet as in<br />

those who eat a vegan diet.<br />

We are still learning about<br />

the benefits of vegan diets<br />

for children but what we do<br />

know is that they are very<br />

protective.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 21


22 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


Premium<br />

crafted for coffee<br />

Discover more<br />

FOlLOW US<br />

@happyhappysoyboy<br />

EaTDRINKHAPPYhapPy.cOM


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<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 25


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<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 27


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<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 29


Vegan Ice Cream<br />

By Karin Ridgers<br />

According to Allied Market Research the Vegan Ice Cream Market<br />

is set to reach $805.3 Mn globally by 2027. Well I don’t mind<br />

what is driving this massive trend – as long as its better for the<br />

cows and the planet!<br />

I have to admit I am a vanilla fan<br />

when it comes to ice cream... and<br />

it was the original Swedish Glace<br />

that even helped me go vegan 25<br />

years ago – I thought if vegan ice<br />

cream can taste this good who<br />

needs cow milk products!? (Back<br />

then we had several vegan brands<br />

(including the yummy Tofutti) and<br />

Swedish Glace had various flavours<br />

including “pear” – that tasted<br />

like pear drops!<br />

Now of course in health food<br />

stores and supermarkets there is<br />

an array of vegan ice creams and<br />

to my sons delight we can even<br />

find a vegan ice cream when going<br />

out for the day to the seaside.<br />

I still find this amazing and often<br />

take a photo of “vegan ice cream<br />

available here” signs – however it<br />

really has become the norm now!<br />

Many are soya based, coconut<br />

based, and nut based. Always best<br />

to leave out for a few minutes before<br />

serving and get yourself one<br />

of those ice cream scoopers for<br />

a professional look. My tip is to<br />

leave the scooper in warm water<br />

before using on your ice cream.<br />

Pictured: Dappa Ice Cream - www.getdappa.com<br />

30 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


Italian Valsoia is one to try – their<br />

raspberry ripple is fantastic and<br />

they even have little vegan ice<br />

cream sandwiches too.<br />

Cecily’s has brought the dairy free<br />

to Cornish ice cream – bringing<br />

back childhood memories (pre<br />

vegan) of ice cream you only got<br />

while on your summer holidays.<br />

Northern Bloc is also one to<br />

add to your shopping list – with<br />

rich flavours such as Chocolate<br />

and Orange Blossom as well as<br />

Hazelnut and Rose.<br />

Perfect World’s plant based icecream<br />

is also high in vitamins and<br />

minerals as well as no added sugar<br />

and keto friendly – we like the<br />

pistachio flavour.<br />

Also remember to check the ingredients of<br />

your ice cream cones too! Some do contain<br />

cow milk, e numbers and artificial ingredients<br />

that could be non vegan.<br />

Now because of the good quality ingredients<br />

and buying from the smaller companies<br />

your vegan ice cream may well turn into a<br />

bit of an investment with many tubs costing<br />

upwards of £6! If you decide that the<br />

flavour or even texture wasn’t to your liking,<br />

then you can always blend into an ice cream<br />

milkshake.<br />

And enjoy!<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 31


Vegan Lifestyle<br />

‘Vegan’ doesn’t just mean the food you eat. As veganism is a philosophy,<br />

seeking to exclude wherever practicable and possible the use or<br />

commodification of animals, this can and does relate to many decisions<br />

we make in a typical day. In this issue we recommend some key ’every-day’<br />

products and services that if you’re not aware of them yet, you’ll be glad to<br />

know about them now.<br />

Humane Wildlife Solutions<br />

Humane Wildlife Solutions is Europe’s only multi<br />

award winning vegan alternative to pest control,<br />

Helping businesses and domestic clients with<br />

wildlife issues without harming any wildlife. We<br />

help people over come wildlfie conflict by keeping<br />

your premises secure from wildlife intrusion. So if<br />

you need help with any wildlife issues please get<br />

in contact today.<br />

humanewildlifesolutions.co.uk<br />

Harvest & Filter<br />

Urban dwellers can grow plant-focused food in small<br />

spaces with Harvest & Filter’s wild and heirloom seeds<br />

collection.<br />

Expect wild varieties; ancestral crops and plants which<br />

have for centuries been recognised for their medicinal-like<br />

qualities.<br />

Encouraging vegan-friendly and organic growing methods,<br />

each pack of untreated seeds comes together with<br />

simple instructions, helpful tips and handy measurement<br />

guide.<br />

The ability to deliver such seeds is just one way Harvest<br />

& Filter is keeping alive the use of ancient, traditional,<br />

and holistic methods towards better health.<br />

Company name I 32<br />

32 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong><br />

A full list of seeds can be found by joining Harvest &<br />

Filter.<br />

www.harvestandfilter.co.uk


Organicup<br />

Easier. Healthier. Greener.<br />

Ever since our founding in 2012, it has always been about more than cups. We believe no one should be<br />

held back by their body. We believe period products should not contain harmful chemicals nor absorb natural<br />

bodily secretions, resulting in infections. Periods should not be the cause of major pollution. And they<br />

should never, ever be a source of shame.<br />

With three sizes to suit every stage the female body may travel through: Mini for teenagers, A for pre vaginal<br />

birth and B for post vaginal birth. Made from 100% medical grade silicone, no chemicals and no dyes,<br />

silicone made from quartz, the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust.<br />

www.organicup.com<br />

Lazy Vegan<br />

Give yourself and the planet a break! Lazy Vegan makes<br />

plant based ready meals with a mission: to make it easy<br />

for people to eat vegan. All the Lazy Vegan meals are<br />

healthy delicious ready to cook meals that are free from<br />

gluten and soy, but packed with veggies and protein.<br />

Perfect for your busy (or lazy) days because the meals are<br />

ready in 8 minutes! Sounds amazing right? And let’s be<br />

honest, making a perfect creamy risotto can take ages!<br />

Well not anymore. Lazy Vegan did all the work for you so<br />

you can be a little lazy. The new flavour, Italian Risotto, is<br />

now available exclusively at Waitrose. You can find all the<br />

Lazy Vegan meals in the freezer to make sure vitamins and<br />

other nutrients are properly maintained from the moment<br />

of harvest all the way to the kitchen.<br />

lazyvegan.com<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 33


Vegan Lifestyle: continued<br />

Yummzy<br />

Gourmet, Keto, Low Carb, Sugar free, Gluten Free,<br />

Vegan, High Protein & Yeast free desserts, Bread,<br />

savouries, spreads. Who said premium vegan<br />

doesn’t exist without sugar?!<br />

Indulgent and Inclusive - just as food should be!<br />

Check us out and order on<br />

www.yummzy.co.uk<br />

Yaoh Hemp Products<br />

Yaoh is a Bristol-based company specialising in<br />

vegan hemp bodycare & food products. Whether<br />

it’s organic dehulled hemp seed, hemp seed oil,<br />

shampoos, conditioners, lip balms and moisturisers,<br />

shower gels or body butters, Yaoh has what<br />

you need.<br />

One thing Yaoh Hemp Products is renowned for<br />

are their suncare products. With both the classic<br />

SPF15 and SPF30 sunblocks, as well as the newer<br />

mineral based SPF25 in a glass jar, Yaoh has<br />

literally got you covered this summer.<br />

Yaoh have more products on the way, so keep an<br />

eye out at www.yaoh.co.uk or sign up to the mailing<br />

list on the Yaoh homepage to stay up to date<br />

every step of the way.<br />

There are always special offers available so head<br />

on over to the Yaoh website for more information!<br />

www.yaoh.co.uk<br />

Company name I 34<br />

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Biocanna<br />

If you want to get the best out of your home-grown<br />

produce then give BIOCANNA products a try.<br />

BIOCANNA’s fertilisers, and the soils composition,<br />

are tuned to your plants need to ensure they<br />

reach their maximum growth and yield potential.<br />

For more information check out our website:<br />

www.canna-uk.com/biocanna_products<br />

British Hemp Company<br />

Now stocked by Yaoh Hemp Products, these<br />

fantastic British farmed hemp products from the<br />

British Hemp Company are second to none.<br />

Hemp Flour:<br />

‘Our Hemp Flour (500g) is gluten free and contains<br />

25% protein, which means it keeps you full<br />

for longer. High in fiber, low GI, with omegas 3, 6<br />

and 9, it’s more nutritious than wheat flours, and<br />

more digestible too. Use it alone or add to conventional<br />

flour to power up your baking.’<br />

Hemp Protein Powder:<br />

One of the most popular protein powders among<br />

athletes, with good reason.<br />

Our hemp protein powder (500g) contains all<br />

the essential amino acids, plus fibre, essential<br />

fatty acids, antioxidants and minerals. And at<br />

50% protein, this is the richest natural source of<br />

plant-based protein you’ll find. Power up any meal,<br />

shake or smoothie with a fresh, nutty flavour.<br />

Both are available on the Yaoh online store.<br />

www.yaoh.co.uk<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 35


THE BIO SOLUTION<br />

FOR GROWTH&BLOOM


Only<br />

8 min<br />

to make the perfect<br />

RISOTTO<br />

A delicious plant-based meal available at Waitrose!<br />

don’t let a busy day stop you from enjoying<br />

a sustainable and healthy dinner with a fungi!<br />

Selected stores. Subject to availability.


38 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


About Yaoh<br />

Yaoh Hemp Products, founded in<br />

2002, supply an award winning<br />

range of hemp bodycare products,<br />

including the sunblock range,<br />

bath products and the most wonderful<br />

hemp oil based moisturisers,<br />

lip balms and body butters.<br />

In addition, Yaoh supplies organic<br />

dehulled hemp seed and hemp<br />

oil – bringing those essential fatty<br />

acids and plenty of protein to the<br />

plant based table. See yaoh.co.uk<br />

for the full range – and sign up to<br />

our monthly ebulletin and our free<br />

hemp hamper giveaways + news<br />

of regular special offers.<br />

yaoh.co.uk<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 39


<strong>Plant</strong>ing Value<br />

In The Food System By Alex Lockwood<br />

What will our food system of the future look like?<br />

Hopefully one that is sustainable, secure, and fair for all.<br />

The Vegan Society launched a major new piece of research in<br />

July looking at just what we need if we are to get to that system -<br />

and yes, it is of<br />

course plant-based.<br />

40 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


Coming in the same week as<br />

the National Food Strategy,<br />

which called for 30% more<br />

fruit and veg in our diets (on<br />

prescription of those who<br />

need them most!), and a<br />

30% reduction in meat consumption,<br />

it’s heartening to<br />

see how many mainstream<br />

positions are adopting this<br />

direction of travel towards<br />

plant-based foods.<br />

CHECK OUT<br />

THE REPORT<br />

Our Vegan Society report—<br />

<strong>Plant</strong>ing Value in the Food<br />

System—goes further, and<br />

is fairer. A food system<br />

cannot be fair unless it is<br />

fair for everyone—including<br />

animals. With the National<br />

Food Strategy requiring a<br />

response from government<br />

by January 2022, this is the<br />

best opportunity in the last<br />

75 years to get food done<br />

right.<br />

Here in the UK, we need to<br />

increase two things within<br />

the system: 1) the value,<br />

and 2) the fairness, with<br />

which we produce food in<br />

this country. In fact, three<br />

things, because we 3) need<br />

to invest in our fruit and veg<br />

production. We grow a tiny<br />

proportion of the fresh food<br />

we eat, importing the rest.<br />

As the author of that report,<br />

I needed to know what challenges<br />

and obstacles farmers<br />

face. I could only do that<br />

by speaking to all those involved.<br />

This approach is important,<br />

we take a multi-criteria<br />

approach to food and<br />

land use. So I sat round the<br />

table with people across<br />

food and farming, to understand<br />

the issues from their<br />

perspective and work towards<br />

a shared vision.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 41


Coming in the same week as<br />

the National Food Strategy,<br />

which called for 30% more<br />

fruit and veg in our diets (on<br />

prescription of those who<br />

need them most!), and a<br />

30% reduction in meat consumption,<br />

it’s heartening to<br />

see how many mainstream<br />

positions are adopting this<br />

direction of travel towards<br />

plant-based foods.<br />

Our Vegan Society report—<br />

<strong>Plant</strong>ing Value in the Food<br />

System—goes further, and<br />

is fairer. A food system<br />

cannot be fair unless it is<br />

fair for everyone—including<br />

animals. With the National<br />

Food Strategy requiring a<br />

response from government<br />

by January 2022, this is the<br />

best opportunity in the last<br />

75 years to get food done<br />

right.<br />

Here in the UK, we need to<br />

increase two things within<br />

the system:<br />

1) the value, and<br />

2) the fairness, with which<br />

we produce food in this<br />

country.<br />

In fact, three things, because<br />

we<br />

3) need to invest in our fruit<br />

and veg production. We<br />

grow a tiny proportion of the<br />

fresh food we eat, importing<br />

the rest.<br />

As the author of that report,<br />

I needed to know what challenges<br />

and obstacles farmers<br />

face. I could only do that<br />

by speaking to all those involved.<br />

This approach is important,<br />

we take a multi-criteria<br />

approach to food and<br />

land use. So I sat round the<br />

table with people across<br />

food and farming, to understand<br />

the issues from their<br />

perspective and work towards<br />

a shared vision.<br />

So, what’s in the report?<br />

There are three proposals<br />

for pieces of legislation.<br />

These are:<br />

1) a new Food Sustainability Bill<br />

2) a Wellbeing of Future<br />

Generations Bill<br />

3) an End to Animal Slaughter Bill<br />

The first two should be implemented<br />

in the next six<br />

years to bring UK food policy<br />

into alignment with legal<br />

commitments to tackle climate<br />

change and achieve<br />

the 2030 Sustainable<br />

Development Goals. The<br />

42 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


third will follow as we shift<br />

onto this transition.<br />

A Food Sustainability Bill is<br />

needed that goes beyond<br />

the Agriculture Act and<br />

Environment Bill. It will be<br />

backed by legally binding<br />

targets and new governance<br />

mechanisms to underpin<br />

social, cultural and<br />

planetary well-being.<br />

And a Well-being of Future<br />

Generations Bill for England,<br />

Scotland and Northern<br />

Ireland, will align the rest<br />

of the UK with Wales. Then<br />

together the four nations<br />

can frame decisions on environment,<br />

food, climate<br />

and health, and animals, in<br />

terms of future needs.<br />

We call for reduction targets<br />

and a pathway to a plantbased<br />

system. This should<br />

include government-set targets<br />

for reducing consumption<br />

of animal products,<br />

placing us on a transition<br />

pathway to a plant-based<br />

food system.<br />

And we propose a National<br />

Food Sustainability Council<br />

to provide oversight of government<br />

in a framework of<br />

“policy coherence” adopted<br />

by Defra and across government<br />

to ensure policymakers<br />

see that a plant-based<br />

food system can provide<br />

real public value.<br />

I hope this report contributes<br />

a way to reimagine<br />

our story, reprogramme our<br />

food system, rewrite our<br />

policies, and change our relationship<br />

to animals and to<br />

each other.<br />

Check out the<br />

full report here<br />

Dr. Alex Lockwood is a writer and scholar working at the intersection<br />

of animals, activism and narrative theory. He was a founding member<br />

of Animal Rebellion, and is a Research Advisory Committee<br />

member for The Vegan Society. His 2016 memoir The Pig in Thin<br />

Air explored paths to connect climate change with the food we<br />

eat. He is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sunderland and<br />

has published in Environmental Communication, Environmental<br />

Humanities, Animal Studies Journal, as well as the anthologies<br />

Vegan Geographies and The Vegan Studies Handbook.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 43


Robert Cheeke<br />

Author of The <strong>Plant</strong> Based Athlete<br />

Congratulations on<br />

publishing The <strong>Plant</strong><br />

Based Athlete!<br />

How has life been<br />

treating you since<br />

it’s release?<br />

Thank you so much! This<br />

has been a lifetime in the<br />

making for me, as someone<br />

who has wanted to be an<br />

author since I was 8 years<br />

old, so it has been a dream<br />

come true. I am in my 26th<br />

year as a plant-based athlete,<br />

and this has been<br />

the biggest project I have<br />

ever completed. The <strong>Plant</strong>-<br />

Based Athlete became a<br />

New York Times Bestseller,<br />

a #1 International<br />

Bestseller, a Publisher’s<br />

Weekly Bestseller, and a #1<br />

Amazon Bestseller in 4 categories<br />

(Nutrition, Exercise<br />

and Fitness, Vegan Diets,<br />

and Sports Psychology). It<br />

has been a whirlwind past<br />

couple of months, but I am<br />

embracing it as I fulfilled my<br />

lifelong dream of becoming<br />

a bestselling author.<br />

The book is<br />

co-written by Matt<br />

Frazier, founder of No<br />

Meat Athlete. How<br />

did that partnership<br />

come about?<br />

I have known Matt Frazier,<br />

the founder of No Meat<br />

Athlete, for more than ten<br />

years. Matt manages perhaps<br />

the largest plantbased<br />

athlete community<br />

in the world, and he was<br />

my first choice as a co-author.<br />

I presented this idea<br />

of The <strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete<br />

to him, with the goal of telling<br />

the compelling stories of<br />

the world’s greatest plantbased<br />

athletes, and he enthusiastically<br />

agreed to collaborate<br />

on this book with<br />

me. The collaboration between<br />

Vegan Bodybuilding<br />

& Fitness and No Meat<br />

Athlete has been a long time<br />

coming, pairing two of the<br />

largest plant-based athlete<br />

communities in the world<br />

together, which resulted in<br />

publishing one of the bestselling<br />

books in the world,<br />

and it has been an honor to<br />

partner with my long-time<br />

friend on this meaningful<br />

project.<br />

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“<br />

I learned that actions<br />

taken today will impact<br />

tomorrow, but will also<br />

impact a week from now,<br />

a month from now, a year<br />

from now, and five, ten, or<br />

twenty years from now.<br />

It looks from the<br />

back cover that<br />

you have quite a<br />

few high-profile<br />

endorsements...<br />

Yeah, our book features<br />

amazing plant-based athletes,<br />

including Scott Jurek,<br />

Fiona Oakes, James Wilks,<br />

Orla Walsh, Rich Roll, and<br />

names you’d expect to see<br />

included in a book like<br />

this such as Rip Esselstyn,<br />

Dotsie Bausch, and<br />

Brendan Brazier, and the<br />

experts who endorsed our<br />

book are just as impressive.<br />

We’re fortunate to have the<br />

support of iconic members<br />

of the plant-based, health,<br />

and nutrition communities,<br />

including Dr. T. Colin<br />

Campbell, Brenda Davis,<br />

RD, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn<br />

Jr., Chloe Coscarelli, John<br />

Robbins, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz,<br />

and a bunch of others. It is<br />

”<br />

such a rewarding feeling to<br />

have their sincere support<br />

of The <strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete.<br />

Dr. Michael Greger,<br />

MD wrote the<br />

Foreword, is that<br />

right?<br />

We are very fortunate<br />

and grateful to have the<br />

foreword for The <strong>Plant</strong>-<br />

Based Athlete written by<br />

Dr. Michael Greger from<br />

NutritionFacts.org, who has<br />

been a role model and inspiration<br />

to both me and<br />

Matt for years. Having experts<br />

like Greger, Campbell,<br />

Esselstyn, Robbins, Davis,<br />

and so many others, including<br />

the wide range of elite<br />

athletes, makes The <strong>Plant</strong>-<br />

Based Athlete a well-rounded<br />

resource that nearly 100<br />

athletes and experts contributed<br />

to.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 45


How long did the<br />

book take to write,<br />

and what was your<br />

process?<br />

Believe it or not, I first wrote<br />

the proposal for The <strong>Plant</strong>-<br />

Based Athlete in 2013,<br />

when it was nearly accepted<br />

by a publisher back then,<br />

but it did not end up landing<br />

a publishing deal, and it sat<br />

on the back burner while I<br />

wrote and published other<br />

books, including Shred It!<br />

and <strong>Plant</strong>-Based Muscle.<br />

Then, in 2018, I revisited<br />

the idea of releasing this<br />

book, wrote a new proposal,<br />

got a new agent, landed<br />

Matt as a co-author, and<br />

then I went to work writing<br />

the book in 2019. The book<br />

took about a year to write,<br />

with many, many months<br />

(nearly another year) rewriting<br />

and editing until it<br />

was finally completed. We<br />

submitted the manuscript<br />

exactly a full year before it<br />

was published. The whole<br />

process took a little more<br />

than two years.<br />

As well as<br />

information, facts,<br />

motivation,<br />

anecdotes and meal<br />

plans, there are<br />

also lots of recipes -<br />

where did you source<br />

these from? Are<br />

they recipes you use<br />

personally?<br />

One of the most exciting<br />

aspects about The <strong>Plant</strong>-<br />

Based Athlete, from my perspective,<br />

is that the recipes<br />

were contributed by the elite<br />

plant-based athletes featured<br />

in the book. Therefore,<br />

the recipes are not just<br />

mine, and not just Matt’s,<br />

but readers get to see the<br />

exact recipes that worldclass<br />

plant-based athletes<br />

actually use. Matt and I also<br />

use the recipes from the<br />

book, and in fact, during our<br />

book launch, I was enjoying<br />

some of the recipes from<br />

the back of the book to fuel<br />

our very busy book launch.<br />

In addition to the recipes<br />

contributed by the athletes,<br />

there is also a Day In The<br />

Life section where many of<br />

the world’s greatest plantbased<br />

athletes share an insiders<br />

look into their entire<br />

day, from their breakfast,<br />

to their pre-and post-workout<br />

meals, their workouts,<br />

lunch, dinner, dessert, and<br />

46 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


even their routines and<br />

techniques to effectively recover<br />

from workouts. There<br />

are about 25 day in the life<br />

routines shared in the book,<br />

and more than 60 recipes.<br />

How did you get<br />

started on a plant<br />

based journey?<br />

I became a plant-based athlete<br />

in 1995, as a 15-yearold<br />

5-sport athlete when I<br />

got involved in animal rights.<br />

I became vegan for the animals,<br />

and as someone who<br />

grew up on a farm, and lived<br />

on a farm for more than 20<br />

years, reducing animal suffering<br />

became a passion of<br />

mine, and I turned into a vegan<br />

athlete, advocate, and<br />

activist. I am still driven by<br />

animal rights today, more<br />

than a quarter century after<br />

becoming vegan. Over the<br />

course of my plant-based<br />

athlete career, I went from<br />

being a champion vegan<br />

runner to a champion vegan<br />

bodybuilder, gaining<br />

100 pounds in the process.<br />

My plant-based diet and<br />

vegan athlete lifestyle saw<br />

me grow from weighing 120<br />

pounds at age 15 to weighing<br />

220 pounds at age 41,<br />

and at times, I feel like I’m<br />

just getting started.<br />

Advice for getting<br />

people started?<br />

For those who are just embarking<br />

on a plant-based<br />

athlete lifestyle, I would recommend<br />

reading our book,<br />

The <strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete, because<br />

it is the number one<br />

resource for plant-based<br />

athletes, and represents my<br />

25-plus years experience<br />

and my co-author’s 10-plus<br />

years experience as plantbased<br />

athletes, complete<br />

with nutrition information,<br />

meal plans, recipes, day<br />

in the life routines, grocery<br />

shopping lists, athlete stories,<br />

and more. You can also<br />

visit our websites, www.veganbodybuilding.com<br />

and<br />

www.nomeatathlete.com<br />

for decades worth of articles<br />

about building muscle,<br />

burning fat, and improving<br />

endurance on a plant-based<br />

diet.<br />

When it comes to<br />

training, are there<br />

any specific foods<br />

that you consume?<br />

And why?<br />

Meal timing around workouts<br />

can be important, and<br />

I recommend eating complex<br />

carbohydrates before a<br />

workout, such as foods like<br />

oats, rice, beans, vegetables,<br />

or fruits (my favorite),<br />

and a balanced nutrition<br />

approach of carbohydrates,<br />

proteins, and fats following<br />

a workout. Basically,<br />

you want to have adequate<br />

fuel before a workout, and<br />

carbohydrate is our body’s<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 47


preferred fuel source, and<br />

you want to replenish glycogen<br />

(carbohydrates), electrolytes<br />

(carbohydrates),<br />

amino acids to repair muscle<br />

(protein), and calorie<br />

dense foods with essential<br />

nutrients like Omega-3<br />

(fats, as well as protein and<br />

carbohydrates for other calorie<br />

dense options) after a<br />

workout. I recommend eating<br />

slower releasing (longer<br />

lasting energy) carbohydrates<br />

like oats, potatoes,<br />

yams, rice and beans an<br />

hour or two before a workout,<br />

but fruit (quick energy<br />

to be used up right away),<br />

such as bananas, stone<br />

fruit (peaches, apricots,<br />

etc.), and berries immediately<br />

before a workout.<br />

C’mon then – we all<br />

want to know – how<br />

do you get those<br />

gains!<br />

I have found success as<br />

a plant-based athlete because<br />

of three primary<br />

reasons:<br />

1. I learned to believe in<br />

myself at a young age, and<br />

whether it was becoming<br />

a champion athlete or a<br />

bestselling author, I’ve always<br />

believed in myself. If<br />

you don’t believe that you<br />

can accomplish something,<br />

nobody else is going to believe<br />

in you either. It starts<br />

with you, and the actions<br />

you take to support your<br />

goals.<br />

2. I always found ways to<br />

connect the dots ahead of<br />

time. I learned that actions<br />

taken today will impact tomorrow,<br />

but will also impact<br />

a week from now, a month<br />

from now, a year from now,<br />

and five, ten, or twenty years<br />

from now. I’ve always been<br />

focused on consistency<br />

and maximizing the 1,440<br />

minutes we have each day,<br />

working toward meaningful<br />

goals. Connecting the<br />

dots in advance allowed<br />

me to visualize my future,<br />

even when I was a skinny<br />

vegan farm kid dreaming<br />

of being bigger and stronger<br />

someday. I believed it<br />

into existence, and then<br />

worked incredibly hard, with<br />

transparency and accountability,<br />

turning my goals and<br />

dreams into my reality.<br />

3. I learned the importance<br />

of nutrient density and calorie<br />

density, and that enabled<br />

me to have control<br />

over my outcomes, determining<br />

whether I would gain<br />

weight, lose weight, or stay<br />

the same, and that served<br />

me well as a runner, as a<br />

bodybuilder, and as an athlete<br />

in general.<br />

48 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


More than anything, I was<br />

able to discover what I was<br />

passionate about (saving<br />

animals and building muscle)<br />

and I worked at it day<br />

in and day out, and the<br />

results tend to speak for<br />

themselves after a lifetime<br />

of commitment to those<br />

endeavors.<br />

What’s next for Mr<br />

Cheeke in the <strong>Plant</strong><br />

based world?<br />

After the success of The<br />

<strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete, I would<br />

love to embark on a professional<br />

writing career, writing<br />

books for the rest of my life.<br />

There will likely be at least<br />

one follow-up book to The<br />

<strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete, and<br />

then I have many other topics<br />

I want to write about,<br />

from children’s books to personal<br />

development books.<br />

I’ve written four books<br />

about the vegan fitness lifestyle,<br />

and I think I’m ready<br />

to tackle some new topics,<br />

and I look forward to seeing<br />

what’s next. For now, The<br />

<strong>Plant</strong>-Based Athlete is still<br />

very new, having been released<br />

on June 15, 2021,<br />

and I am looking forward<br />

to landing as many international<br />

translation deals<br />

as possible. We’ve already<br />

landed deals for translation<br />

in German, Chinese<br />

(Taiwan), and Italian, and<br />

we hope to get our book<br />

translated into many more<br />

languages soon.<br />

“<br />

There will likely be<br />

at least one follow-up<br />

book to The <strong>Plant</strong><br />

Based Athlete, and<br />

then I have many<br />

other topics I want<br />

to write about, from<br />

children’s books to<br />

personal development<br />

books.<br />

”<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 49


MATT FRAZIER & ROBERT CHEEKE<br />

THE PLANT<br />

BASED<br />

ATHLETE<br />

“Matt Frazier<br />

and Robert<br />

Cheeke have<br />

written what<br />

should become<br />

the seminal<br />

book on diet,<br />

athleticism, and<br />

physical fitness.”<br />

T.COLIN CAMPBELL, PhD


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The Vegan Vet<br />

Dr Lucy Claire<br />

McKinna<br />

About<br />

Lucy<br />

Dr Lucy Claire (LC) McKinna<br />

- Veterinary Surgeon, BVSc,<br />

MSc, MRCVS graduated<br />

from Melbourne University<br />

in 2007, and has been a<br />

small animal veterinary<br />

surgeon since then. LC<br />

founded and ran the Fat<br />

Salad vegan food stall ‘Get<br />

In, Get Fed, Stay Healthy’ at<br />

UK summer festivals from<br />

2012 to 2017, also supplying<br />

independent health<br />

food shops in London. She<br />

has a lifetime interest in<br />

sustainability, corporate<br />

responsibility and animal<br />

welfare and has been vegan<br />

for 9 years now.<br />

Can companion<br />

animals be vegan?<br />

Yes dogs and cats can both<br />

be vegan. It’s very exciting<br />

actually - I remember sitting<br />

in a lecture hall many<br />

years ago as a vet student<br />

being told by a (rather old<br />

and probably well set in his<br />

ways) university lecturer<br />

that feeding dogs and cats<br />

a vegetarian diet is tantamount<br />

to animal cruelty<br />

- I imagine probably what<br />

he had in mind was bowfuls<br />

of boiled potatoes and<br />

beans, not sophisticated,<br />

nutritionally-complete recipes<br />

that tick all the boxes<br />

set by European Pet Food<br />

Standards Authority FEDIAF<br />

with compelling and delicious,<br />

natural flavours.<br />

Our knowledge has increased<br />

so much with the<br />

dawn of the internet- from<br />

the increased visibility and<br />

inherent cruelty of the meat<br />

trade, how animal protein<br />

from different species’ body<br />

parts goes through significant<br />

rendering and into<br />

many of the meat-based<br />

pet foods, our increased<br />

knowledge about the impact<br />

of farm animal production<br />

on the environment - to<br />

the increased knowledge<br />

of animal nutrition and sophistication<br />

to use plants<br />

and yeasts to provide the<br />

same amino acids found<br />

52 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


in meat, without the need<br />

for farm animal slaughter.<br />

Armed with all this indisputable<br />

knowledge, we can’t<br />

run from the obvious - that<br />

the diets of our ever-growing<br />

number of companion<br />

animals should be held<br />

and produced to the same<br />

moral and environmental<br />

standards of our own - and<br />

we’ve never been in a better<br />

position to do it.<br />

What companion<br />

animals thrive on<br />

a vegan diet – and<br />

what do you advise<br />

NOT to feed a vegan<br />

diet?<br />

In a nutshell, if you can provide<br />

all the right nutrients,<br />

it is possible to feed any<br />

companion animal on a vegan<br />

diet and to have them<br />

thrive. It’s not the ingredients<br />

per se that matter,<br />

it’s the nutrients. The diet<br />

must provide the nutrients<br />

in a high quality form (i.e<br />

those nutrients can be digested<br />

and absorbed by the<br />

eater). Of course, the food<br />

has to be the right texture,<br />

consistency plus delicious<br />

AND filling in order to fulfil!<br />

We want our animals to be<br />

happy and looking forward<br />

to their meals.<br />

When that lecturer was<br />

booming out that vegetarian<br />

diets were tantamount to<br />

animal cruelty, there were<br />

already vegetarian diets for<br />

dogs and cats on the market<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 53


from companies way ahead<br />

of their time, and tens of<br />

thousands of dogs and cats<br />

have been maintained happily<br />

on them for years on<br />

years. Of course, the argument<br />

re-iterated by many is<br />

that it’s ‘not natural’ to feed<br />

plant-based food to dogs<br />

and cats but it seems we<br />

have a skewed interpretation<br />

of what natural really is.<br />

Feeding cats bluefin tuna,<br />

prawns, whitebait, salmon,<br />

sheep or cattle is far from<br />

natural - surely we should<br />

be instead opening up tins<br />

of ‘raw field mouse, small<br />

bird and rat’. Worming, defleaing,<br />

microchipping, vaccinating<br />

them, giving them<br />

dentals when their teeth<br />

start to decay and get infected<br />

and painful etc - not<br />

natural but thank god for<br />

scientific advances that we<br />

have these available to us.<br />

So it is too, we have advances<br />

with food.<br />

With the increased interest<br />

and traction in the plantbased<br />

companion animal<br />

sector in the last few<br />

years, more studies are<br />

being carried out to evaluate<br />

plant-based diets compared<br />

with conventional<br />

companion animal diets.<br />

A recent study carried out<br />

by vet Dr Andrew Knight,<br />

Fellow of the Royal College<br />

of Veterinary Surgeons -<br />

showed that cats and dogs<br />

on plant-based commercial<br />

diets enjoyed their meals<br />

as much as those on meatbased<br />

diets. Another of his<br />

recent studies showed that<br />

the nutritional soundness<br />

of commercial plant-based<br />

diets was the same or superior<br />

to meat-based diets.<br />

When adopting a dog<br />

or a cat can their diet<br />

be changed immediately<br />

or do you advise<br />

a gradual change?<br />

Because dogs and cats<br />

are often fed on only one<br />

brand or flavour of food as<br />

the majority of their diet for<br />

months at a time, their digestive<br />

systems do tend to<br />

get used to digesting only<br />

those ones.<br />

In order to reduce the risk<br />

of a very upset tummy when<br />

switching, you need to give<br />

their systems time to adjust.<br />

Ideally this is slowly<br />

over 10 days- starting with<br />

the new food as 10% of<br />

the total meal (90% the old<br />

food) on Day 1 and working<br />

up to 100% by Day 10. If<br />

you’re feeding dry (kibble),<br />

Another of his recent<br />

studies showed that the<br />

nutritional soundness of<br />

commercial plant-based<br />

diets was the same or<br />

superior to meat-based<br />

diets.<br />

54 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


always think about starting<br />

the new food when you<br />

have about a quarter of the<br />

‘old’ bag left, so you can do<br />

a 10 day transition.<br />

When adopting an animal,<br />

trying to change diet slowly<br />

is even more important -<br />

stress of new parents (even<br />

wonderful new parents!),<br />

new environment, and exposure<br />

to your home’s existing<br />

microbiome - can upset<br />

their tummies anyway over<br />

the first few days, so introducing<br />

a new diet may well<br />

save you a trip to the vets.<br />

Ask the person or rescue<br />

centre you’re adopting from<br />

for some of the food they’ve<br />

been fed up until now, so<br />

you can do a slow transition<br />

to the new.<br />

or a food that specifies it is<br />

for ‘all life stages’. Our own<br />

Noochy Poochy Puppy will<br />

be available from January<br />

2022.<br />

Would you advise<br />

to make your own<br />

vegan dog/cat food<br />

or should this be<br />

bought?<br />

Prepared complete commercial<br />

foods are, of course,<br />

very convenient and have<br />

the benefits of quality control,<br />

nutritional soundness<br />

and palatability.<br />

There is a pleasingly ever-expanding<br />

range available<br />

- so you can choose based<br />

on what each brand offers -<br />

whether you want an organic<br />

ingredient content, PETA<br />

Not-Tested-on-Animals<br />

accreditation, Vegan or<br />

Vegetarian Society accreditation,<br />

Ethical Company<br />

Accreditation, packaging recyclability<br />

etc.<br />

Puppies need<br />

different food to<br />

adult dogs... Why<br />

is this and should<br />

younger dogs wait<br />

until they are older to<br />

try a vegan diet?<br />

Puppies can eat vegan too!<br />

Puppies are, of course,<br />

growing. No matter what<br />

size breed, all puppies<br />

have a higher requirement<br />

for specific nutrients, including<br />

but not limited to<br />

Arachidonic acid, Calcium<br />

and Phosphorus, than an<br />

adult dog. Therefore they<br />

should be fed a complete<br />

food specifically for puppies<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 55


Noochy Poochy has all of<br />

the above and is made with<br />

nutritional yeast, which<br />

gives a delicious, natural<br />

cheesy aroma and flavour<br />

that dogs just love, an<br />

Omega 6:3 ratio of 4:1, and<br />

a 28% protein content, all<br />

from plants.<br />

Making a homemade nutritionally<br />

complete vegan<br />

dog food - just like making<br />

a nutritionally sound meatbased<br />

one - requires some<br />

research and dedication to<br />

ensure a careful balance of<br />

vitamins, minerals, amino<br />

acids, carbohydrates and<br />

fats.<br />

You can contact a qualified<br />

veterinary nutritionist and<br />

get a tailor-made plan for<br />

your dog based on weight,<br />

age - this would be strongly<br />

recommended if they have<br />

any specific medical conditions.<br />

You can buy a vegan<br />

recipe book authored by a<br />

veterinary nutritionist. It is<br />

very important not to miss<br />

out any of the supplements<br />

that they specify in the ingredients<br />

- no matter how<br />

small an amount it might<br />

seem, missing it out may<br />

mean you could be omitting<br />

a vital nutrient.<br />

There are also companies<br />

that provide comprehensive<br />

vegan supplements for<br />

dogs - that you can add to<br />

a basic homemade meal to<br />

56 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong>


fulfil requirements, which<br />

takes a lot of the worry<br />

and the work out of making<br />

homemade. One such<br />

UK one is the ‘Just Be Kind<br />

Supplement’ available at<br />

vegan-dogfood.co.uk.<br />

I wouldn’t recommend making<br />

homemade diets for<br />

cats - any client I’ve had that<br />

tried to make a nutritionally<br />

balanced homemade diet<br />

for cats - meat-based or<br />

plant-based - ended up putting<br />

it in the bin as the cats<br />

turned their noses up and<br />

trotted off unimpressed. I’m<br />

not saying it can’t be done<br />

but I certainly haven’t seen<br />

much success with it!<br />

How do we know<br />

that your companion<br />

animal is thriving<br />

on their plant based<br />

diet?<br />

Look for energy, good coat<br />

condition, consistent toileting<br />

with well-formed<br />

(but not hard) poop and of<br />

course, that your pet looks<br />

very much forward to meal<br />

times and enjoys their meal.<br />

What should we look<br />

out for if we have<br />

concerns it may not<br />

be working for them?<br />

General signs to look out<br />

for would be a significant<br />

weight loss that doesn’t resolve<br />

with an increased portion<br />

size, lethargy, dull coat,<br />

inconsistent toileting or an<br />

upset tummy that doesn’t<br />

resolve (remembering to<br />

have done an ideally 10 day<br />

transition to the new food).<br />

If they don’t appear to be<br />

looking forward to meal<br />

times, and you’re concerned<br />

that they don’t like<br />

the flavour, try a different<br />

plant-based brand or flavour<br />

to see if your pet’s interest<br />

is restored.<br />

Any concerns - whether you<br />

think due to the food or not -<br />

you should consult your vet.<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 57


What benefits are<br />

there of having a<br />

vegan diet for your<br />

companion animal?<br />

The benefits for the environment<br />

and farm animals of<br />

switching to a plant-based<br />

food for your pet is undeniable.<br />

Anecdotally, there<br />

are a huge number of improvements<br />

seen in the majority<br />

of animals switched<br />

to nutritionally complete<br />

plant-based diets - including<br />

energy, coat and skin<br />

condition, and better toileting<br />

too.<br />

For a bit of celebrity endorsement,<br />

Bramble, the<br />

world’s oldest dog and<br />

in the Guiness Book of<br />

Records was vegan and<br />

Lewis Hamilton’s dog went<br />

vegan recently and has apparently<br />

never looked back,<br />

with a resolution of all of his<br />

long standing skin issues :)<br />

What should we<br />

look out for when<br />

choosing vegan dog<br />

food?<br />

For feeding a healthy adult<br />

dog, I would recommend<br />

looking at the back of the<br />

pack for<br />

● A total protein content<br />

of 24% or more<br />

● An omega Essential<br />

Fatty Acid 6:3 ratio of less<br />

than 10:1 (you can calculate<br />

this by dividing the<br />

Omega 6 by the Omega 3<br />

values on the back of the<br />

pack)<br />

● Both Taurine<br />

and Methionine (or DLmethionine)<br />

to be listed in<br />

Nutritional Additives<br />

(to show that they have<br />

been supplemented in -<br />

Taurine isn’t one of the 10<br />

essential amino acids but<br />

it is extremely important<br />

none-the-less)<br />

And of course, last but not<br />

least, an ingredient list you<br />

can understand.<br />

What must we avoid<br />

giving to our<br />

companion animals?<br />

For both dogs and cats you<br />

should avoid grapes, raisins,<br />

currants, sultanas;<br />

macadamia nuts, chocolate<br />

and cocoa based products;<br />

and those of the Allium<br />

family (onions, shallots,<br />

scallions, chives, leeks and<br />

garlic) completely.<br />

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For cats on a plant-based diet,<br />

it is important to check their<br />

urine pH every 6 months with<br />

a pH stick (these are easily<br />

available at pharmacies or from<br />

your vet). If too alkaline (more<br />

than 7) then your vet can<br />

recommend you a urinary<br />

acidifier.<br />

Dogs can eat spinach occasionally<br />

but not too often<br />

- spinach contains oxalic<br />

acid that reduces the<br />

body’s ability to absorb calcium<br />

and can lead to kidney<br />

damage.<br />

Tomatoes are very acidic<br />

and too much can upset<br />

tummies.<br />

Lettuce has no real nutritional<br />

value and if given<br />

too much could cause<br />

diarrhoea<br />

amounts out as a treat<br />

throughout the week!<br />

Xylitol - this artificial sweetener<br />

is poisonous to cats<br />

and dogs. Always screen<br />

the ingredients in your peanut<br />

butter or chewing gum<br />

or sweets for xylitol as an ingredient<br />

- if they do, ensure<br />

you keep them well away<br />

from your pet’s reach.<br />

What do you suggest<br />

for anyone thinking<br />

about putting their<br />

companion animals<br />

on a vegan diet?<br />

re: Protein, Omega 6:3 ratio,<br />

Taurine and Methionine<br />

before you buy so you can<br />

be sure you’re getting a<br />

top class one. Do a 10 day<br />

transition.<br />

For cats on a plant-based<br />

diet, it is important to check<br />

their urine pH every 6 mths<br />

with a pH stick (these are<br />

easily available at pharmacies<br />

or from your vet). If too<br />

alkaline (more than 7) then<br />

your vet can recommend<br />

Feed “you cauliflower and broccoli<br />

only in small amounts<br />

a urinary acidifier.<br />

- they’re full of good things<br />

but can upset the tummy if<br />

given in large quantities. My<br />

dogs literally clamber for I would certainly encourage<br />

roasted cauliflower when I you to do so. Buy a complete<br />

make it once a week, I keep food. For dogs, checklist<br />

in the fridge and give small the points made earlier on<br />

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Pet Products<br />

The ProGroom range<br />

ProGroom is a Premium Natural and<br />

Organic Vegan brand of Dog Grooming<br />

products.<br />

Our products have been formulated<br />

by an internationally renowned aromatherapy<br />

expert, author and founder<br />

of the Institute of Aromatherapy. We<br />

pride ourselves to have crafted these<br />

unique products from scratch using<br />

only natural ingredients and no harmful<br />

chemicals.<br />

ProGroom is a comprehensive formulation<br />

using the highest cosmetic grade<br />

active organic ingredients. Our products<br />

are enriched with a blend of 100%<br />

organic natural therapeutic grade<br />

Essential oils.<br />

Benevo Puppy<br />

Our full range of sustainable products<br />

are officially registered with The Vegan<br />

Society!<br />

Vegan-owned Benevo has perhaps the largest range of<br />

plant-based pet foods of any brand, and their puppy food<br />

was a World first.<br />

For those pet parents wishing to rescue a puppy, there<br />

was no option but to buy meat foods or risk making it<br />

yourself.<br />

Thankfully, Benevo developed a professional solution to<br />

this dilemma. It’s made in the UK with all the added nutrients<br />

those growing<br />

pups need.<br />

The unique wheatfree<br />

and GM-free<br />

recipe includes 28%<br />

protein, added calcium,<br />

Taurine and<br />

L-Carnitine and is now<br />

used by customers all<br />

round the World.<br />

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V-dog Crunchy Nuggets<br />

V-dog is the oldest commercial meat-free dog<br />

food company, having launched its first product<br />

in the UK back in 1980.<br />

Which means Crunchy Nuggets has kept dogs<br />

happy and healthy for over 40 years. V-dog’s<br />

carefully crafted combination of plant-based ingredients,<br />

fortified with vitamins and minerals<br />

has proven itself to be a winning formula.<br />

Still made in the UK today, V-dog products are certified<br />

by both the Vegan and Vegetarian Societies<br />

and approved by PETA as a brand that doesn’t<br />

test on animals.<br />

Pawtato Ocean Treats<br />

Pawtato is a range of low-fat chews<br />

for dogs made using sweet potato<br />

and other plant-based ingredients<br />

to offer a nutritious and healthy<br />

alternative to animal rawhide<br />

products.<br />

Ocean Treats are sea-themed edible<br />

chews infused with three types<br />

of land-farmed seaweed, Kelp,<br />

Wakame and Spirulina, avoiding<br />

the need for seaweed sourced from<br />

our oceans.<br />

They come in two sizes and are<br />

packed in a plastic-free compostable<br />

pouch. As well as this Pawtato<br />

donate money from the sale of<br />

these chews to ocean conservation<br />

projects.<br />

An ethical chew that’s good for your<br />

pet and good for the planet.<br />

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Passport-Free<br />

Travel: 5 Tips For New<br />

Vegan Adventurers!<br />

By Emma Fry<br />

Hi, I’m Emma!<br />

I’m the founder of Vegan Adventure Holidays, an outdoor<br />

backpacking educator and empowerment coach and have<br />

been helping people have the best vegan adventure travel<br />

experiences across the globe for 15+ years!<br />

An experienced expedition Leader, I run small group trips in Guatemala,<br />

Belize, Costa Rica and Colombia, women’s vegan fitness weeks in Mexico,<br />

vegan micro adventures in the U.K. and our signature coaching program,<br />

You Can Hike A Volcano Too!<br />

If you would like to meet other vegan travelers and connect up with some<br />

like minded people, come and join us over here and when the world opens<br />

up again, I would love to take you volcano hiking in Guatemala, snorkelling<br />

on the Belize Barrier Reef or to my favourite secret vegan street food spots<br />

in Mexico!<br />

There’s only one way to truly learn how to respect the<br />

environment and that’s to be in it!<br />

The U.K. and Ireland is an adventurer’s playground, home to<br />

some incredible landscapes, top wild swimming spots, endless<br />

hiking trails, days of mountain biking routes and much more<br />

but if you’re new to adventuring, getting started can feel a little<br />

daunting.<br />

The great outdoors is for EVERYONE and the benefits of being<br />

outside are endless.<br />

Here are some top tips to help you get started this summer.<br />

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1: Set Goals<br />

Write down some 1 month, 6 month and 1 year outdoor adventure<br />

goals. Spend some time thinking about your dream hikes/<br />

climbs / adventures and make a list. What skills do you need<br />

to learn to get started? What’s holding you back and how might<br />

you overcome it?<br />

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2: Save the date<br />

If you don’t create the space and time it won’t happen, adult<br />

life is just too busy! Once you’ve set your first goal, make sure<br />

you put it on the calendar.<br />

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3: Create a checklist<br />

It can be easy to forget things in the excitement of a new adventure!<br />

Create a simple checklist or what you’ll need to take<br />

but don’t overthink it, start with the basics, you can always add<br />

to your list later.


4: Take care of the places you love to go.<br />

If you see rubbish that’s not yours, if there is a designated trail,<br />

stick to it, don’t walk / hike / bike on ground that doesn’t need<br />

to be disturbed. Leave No Trace is an important rule to remember<br />

when outdoors.<br />

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5: Plan ahead and learn to become<br />

self-sufficient.<br />

When you’re ready to take your adventuring to the next level, a<br />

critical part of becoming a skilled outdoor adventurer is learning<br />

how to prevent yourself from getting into tricky situations<br />

and knowing what to do if something goes wrong. Take safety<br />

seriously, learn how to read maps and gps, and learn some<br />

basic first aid so you can be an active adventure planner and<br />

participant not just a passive follower!<br />

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Crystal Bonnet<br />

Queen of Raw Desserts<br />

Hi! This is Danielle<br />

Maupertuis, Vegan<br />

Pastry Chef.<br />

In our previous issue, I briefly<br />

mentioned a new generation<br />

of Vegan, <strong>Plant</strong>-based,<br />

Raw Food Chefs (among<br />

them, I am pleased to say,<br />

quite a few young women!)<br />

Today, I am delighted to<br />

introduce one of the most<br />

talented International Raw<br />

Food Chefs, Crystal Bonnet.<br />

As a Pastry Chef myself,<br />

when I first saw pictures of<br />

her desserts, I was thrilled<br />

by her creativity, her sense<br />

of finesse and presentation.<br />

Also, I was impressed by her<br />

professionalism in building<br />

her online courses.<br />

So Crystal, I am very pleased to share this moment with<br />

you and learn a bit more about your journey, experience,<br />

challenges.<br />

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“<br />

It was thrilling to travel to<br />

design and cater multiple<br />

health retreats in Canada and<br />

Europe, and when I launched<br />

my raw chocolate and<br />

dessert business, it was<br />

”<br />

so liberating!<br />

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How did this passion<br />

for raw food start,<br />

was there any<br />

specific event,<br />

a circumstance<br />

that changed<br />

everything for you?<br />

In 2013, I was home for<br />

over 4 weeks sick and I<br />

knew I had to do something<br />

about it, my body was not<br />

happy with me. As I was<br />

researching cleansing, detox<br />

and how to heal my<br />

body, I came across raw<br />

food. I knew about juicing<br />

and green smoothies but<br />

had no knowledge of raw<br />

“cooking.” I knew right then<br />

and there this was what my<br />

body was missing – fresh<br />

fruits and vegetables. I purchased<br />

a 21-day raw food<br />

cleanse and started right<br />

away.<br />

I was not good at cooking<br />

and had no desire to learn<br />

at all, but when I started<br />

making recipes from the<br />

21-day raw food cleanse,<br />

I fell in love. I had no idea<br />

food could look and taste<br />

that good and make me feel<br />

so good. I finished the 21<br />

days and stuck with eating<br />

a high-raw plant-based diet;<br />

I felt the best I ever had in<br />

my life.<br />

Two years later, in 2015<br />

I finally decided to take a<br />

plant-based culinary course<br />

to improve my skills; I had<br />

no prior culinary training,<br />

and I finally found my passion,<br />

doing anything else<br />

just didn’t make sense.<br />

That’s why I decided to pursue<br />

it as a career.<br />

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What training have<br />

you completed<br />

throughout this<br />

journey?<br />

My first choice of informal education<br />

was Fundamentals<br />

of Raw Cuisine through<br />

Matthew Kenney Culinary<br />

in 2015. I started taking<br />

raw chocolate courses just<br />

after that because I wanted<br />

to dive deeper into making<br />

professional quality raw<br />

chocolate.<br />

Because I had no prior culinary<br />

training, I found video<br />

tutorials was the best way<br />

of learning for me. Doing<br />

courses, I was able to really<br />

up level my skills and<br />

knowledge about raw cuisine.<br />

I recently completed<br />

an Advanced <strong>Plant</strong>-Based<br />

Course in London and am<br />

still taking advanced courses<br />

online. I love learning,<br />

and although now I have a<br />

lot of experience I can always<br />

learn something new<br />

from different chefs.<br />

What drew you to<br />

creating a business<br />

out of your love of<br />

raw food?<br />

I started with a chocolate<br />

farmer’s market business. I<br />

went to Bali in 2017, took<br />

a tour of chocolate farms,<br />

attended some raw food<br />

classes and, when I came<br />

back, I felt very frustrated in<br />

my job’s office. Something<br />

had to change. So, the day<br />

I was admitted in the famous<br />

Edmonton’s Farmer’s<br />

market I quit my job straight<br />

away!<br />

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Crystal’s Morning<br />

Green Smoothie<br />

www.crystaldawnculinary.com<br />

Mineralizing, hydrating, alkalizing and nutritious<br />

green smoothie recipe!<br />

• 1 large handful spinach<br />

• 1 small handful cilantro<br />

• 1 cup almond milk<br />

• 1 fresh banana peeled<br />

• 1/2 cup frozen mango<br />

• 1 lemon peeled<br />

• 1 apple cored and chopped<br />

• 1 thumb ginger peeled<br />

• 1 tbsp mesquite powder or maca<br />

• 1 tsp chlorella powder<br />

• 1 dash ceylon cinnamon<br />

INSTRUCTIONS<br />

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender<br />

and blend until smooth.<br />

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While I was doing the markets<br />

a lot of people asked<br />

me to teach them about<br />

raw desserts.<br />

I started to do classes and<br />

fell in love with teaching.<br />

What do you love<br />

about raw food<br />

that keeps you so<br />

passionate?<br />

There is just something<br />

about raw food, because<br />

it’s living, makes you feel<br />

alive. Raw food for me<br />

looks so much more appetizing<br />

than cooked food; the<br />

colours are still vibrant and<br />

you can create so much texture.<br />

When you cook vegetables,<br />

they just don’t look<br />

the same; I do also cook<br />

for myself, very basic such<br />

as steaming as I don’t eat<br />

a 100% raw diet but about<br />

80% – 90% depending on<br />

the season.<br />

Could you give us<br />

some advice about<br />

how to start a raw<br />

diet?<br />

My main advice would be<br />

“Start slowly!” If you go for<br />

a 100% raw diet straight<br />

away, you will have a lot of<br />

detoxing and negative effects,<br />

you will think “This<br />

diet is not for me”.<br />

Start your day with a green<br />

smoothie, you will get all<br />

the minerals, hydration your<br />

body needs.<br />

You now offer an<br />

Online Raw Dessert<br />

Chef Certification<br />

Course.<br />

Tell us about it, what<br />

makes this course<br />

quite unique?<br />

Raw desserts are very popular<br />

and so many people<br />

are starting raw dessert<br />

businesses, patisseries<br />

and bakeries so I wanted<br />

to create a course that<br />

taught all the skills from basic<br />

chocolate to advanced<br />

cakes. When I launched my<br />

course, it was the scariest<br />

thing I had ever done, but<br />

it was all worth it. I’ve kept<br />

true to myself throughout<br />

the entire process and have<br />

created something really<br />

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unique, with live monthly<br />

teaching components and<br />

a community full of support<br />

and people really resonate<br />

with that.<br />

I started with a large comprehensive,<br />

Certification<br />

course where the students<br />

can find all the support they<br />

need because I knew this<br />

was missing in the market.<br />

Many students want to start<br />

a raw food business or already<br />

have their own business.<br />

They learn about ingredients,<br />

equipment, how<br />

to create and write a professional<br />

recipe, they have to<br />

submit assignments, knowledge<br />

assessments, and at<br />

the end of the course, they<br />

have to come up with 3 raw<br />

desserts of their own.<br />

You just launched<br />

a new course, “the<br />

Nut-free Raw Cake<br />

Academy”, I am sure<br />

this will arouse the<br />

interest of many<br />

readers?<br />

My hope is people realize<br />

plant-based desserts<br />

are not only healthier but<br />

taste better than traditional<br />

ones full of dairy, refined<br />

sugar, and gluten. Raw<br />

desserts made from whole<br />

food ingredients are full of<br />

nutrition.<br />

Learn more about Crystal<br />

Dawn Culinary by visiting<br />

her website:<br />

crystaldawnculinary.com<br />

@crystaldawnculinary<br />

Raw food contains a lot of<br />

nuts, cashews are widely<br />

use in raw desserts. I received<br />

a lot of requests<br />

about nut-free raw desserts,<br />

so I decided this would be<br />

my next challenge! Once<br />

you know the ingredients,<br />

it’s really simple to do. As<br />

a next step, I was just asking<br />

myself why not create<br />

a course with all these recipes?<br />

This is how the “Nutfree<br />

Raw Cake Academy”<br />

started.<br />

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“<br />

I started with a<br />

large comprehensive,<br />

Certification course<br />

where the students can<br />

find all the support they<br />

need because I knew<br />

this was missing in the<br />

market.<br />

”<br />

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Vegans deserve<br />

Better than a<br />

Fruit Salad<br />

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An informative, humorous, idea-inspiring<br />

cookery book like no other.<br />

With more than 60 recipes, Chef<br />

Danielle will convince you that vegan<br />

desserts are easy to make, taste<br />

yummy and look fantastic. The book<br />

is organised into easy to read sections<br />

and the basics section gives even the<br />

most novice cook all the advice and<br />

help they need.<br />

“This book is a<br />

must for anyone<br />

wanting to up<br />

their vegan<br />

dessert game<br />

from a fruit<br />

salad! It will<br />

teach you<br />

great skills the<br />

Belgian way.”<br />

Sam Platt, Head of<br />

the Vegetarian Society<br />

Cookery School<br />

Now available in<br />

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The<br />

Vegetable Plot<br />

By Tony Bishop-Weston<br />

Consultant Vegan Chef & Author Tony Bishop-Weston and family plotting<br />

for a more vegetable filled world.<br />

This month,<br />

“Are you eating too much<br />

‘ultra-processed vegan pap’?”<br />

The Frost Report<br />

So my friends. The broad<br />

beans have recovered from<br />

the vicious late frost quite<br />

abundantly, the broccoli<br />

was star of tonight’s dinner<br />

and we’ve had more<br />

kale pakora last week than<br />

McDonalds sell in a year.<br />

Moody Moobs<br />

‘Be thankful!’ I hear you<br />

cry ‘for your abundant harvest!’<br />

I am, it’s just those<br />

pesky, paid, professional<br />

anti-vegan self-professed<br />

food critics are really beginning<br />

to get on my moobies.<br />

Their ubiquitous mantra ‘ultra<br />

processed vegan food’<br />

tries to cast a vegan diet<br />

as a chemical laden cornucopia<br />

of binders, fillers,<br />

enzymes, starches and flavour<br />

enhancers rather than<br />

a wicker basket laden with<br />

fruit and vegetables freshly<br />

liberated from the garden.<br />

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Dino Sore Point<br />

Don’t get me wrong, I’m<br />

up for trying the latest vegan<br />

KitKat, Dairy Free Ice<br />

Cream, super melting no<br />

moo un-cheese, un-honey,<br />

pepperoni style vegan<br />

pastrami jackfruit and kale<br />

free burger as the next wide<br />

eyed ‘kid in a vegan sweetie<br />

shop’ old skool vegan. We<br />

even tried the new Quorn<br />

Roarsomes dinosaur bites<br />

(purely for professional research<br />

reasons) and found<br />

them to be any thing but<br />

dinosaur like. They look a<br />

bit an armadillo or a pangolin-like<br />

which I thought was a<br />

tad insensitive considering<br />

pangolins got the blame for<br />

starting the global Covid19<br />

pandemic. Secondly, I imagined<br />

dinosaurs to taste a<br />

bit more swampy. Perhaps<br />

a little omega 3 DHA rich algae<br />

would improve things?<br />

Anyway I’d imagined this vegan<br />

turkey Twizzler-esque<br />

Captain Birdseye inspired<br />

vegan extinction rebellion<br />

French fry accompaniment<br />

would be just the red flag<br />

the spluttering anti vegan<br />

Gammons had been waiting<br />

for. But no.<br />

Egg faced Porky Pie<br />

Wrath<br />

Gammon ire was unleashed<br />

in an “There! I told you<br />

so!” moment on the Tesco<br />

launch of the Vegan Scotch<br />

Egg with “more than 50 ingredients”<br />

which was, as<br />

you’d expect, not Scottish<br />

and contained absolutely<br />

no egg. Sarah Augustine<br />

from Squeaky Bean said<br />

the market is lacking vegan<br />

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Hypocritical Oeufs<br />

Anyway, this got me thinking<br />

(prone to procrastination as<br />

I am) what actually is in a<br />

traditional scotch egg? i.e.<br />

the sausage on the outside<br />

and the egg on the inside<br />

and how many ingredients<br />

are we actually looking at.<br />

Banger!<br />

I started with that Scottish<br />

Square sausage that probably<br />

most closely resembles<br />

the sausage usually found<br />

on the outside of a scotch<br />

egg.<br />

Pork 52%, Beef fat 9%,<br />

Wheat Flour (Wheat, calcium<br />

carbonate, Iron,<br />

Niacin< Thiamine) Water,<br />

Dehydrated pork, , salt,<br />

phosphate stabiliser, spice<br />

extract, Soya, Beef flavour,<br />

Nutmeg, Coriander, ginger,<br />

Pimento, Cayene, Sodium<br />

metabisulphite E223, flavour<br />

enhancer , E621,<br />

Dextrose , Antioxidant<br />

E301, Nicotinamide,<br />

Colour: Carmines (Crushed<br />

beetles)<br />

Connective Tissue<br />

Issue<br />

Please bear in mind ‘Pork’<br />

is not like saying ‘Soya<br />

bean’ in a ingredient context.<br />

If it says made with<br />

pork sausage it must be<br />

at least 42% pork but only<br />

32% meat if it doesn’t say<br />

‘pork’. Of that minimum of<br />

32%, 30% is allowed to<br />

be fat and 25% connective<br />

tissue. Thus over half of the<br />

less than half, about 14%,<br />

is likely to be actual meat.<br />

In uncooked products i.e.<br />

sausages it is forbidden<br />

to include feet, intestine<br />

(apart from the skins) lungs,<br />

oesophagus, rectum, spinal<br />

cord, spleen, stomach, udder.<br />

As a traditional Scotch<br />

egg is intended as a picnic<br />

food it is precooked, so not<br />

uncooked, so feel free to<br />

use your imagination.<br />

It’s no Yolk<br />

Yes, ‘vegan eggs’ have<br />

stretched the imagination<br />

and eggs-pertise (sorry) of<br />

the food scientists and it<br />

takes more than just the<br />

peas of chicks and black<br />

salt to get there. But it’s<br />

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also important to consider<br />

the true ingredients of eggs<br />

apart from the vegetarian<br />

delusions about what happens<br />

to all the male chicks<br />

and what ‘free range’<br />

means in reality.<br />

Here’s a list of ingredients<br />

of typical Layers pellets<br />

(food staple of egg laying<br />

hens)<br />

Yolk<br />

Pigmenters<br />

(Citrazanaxathin, lutein,<br />

zeaxanthin), Wheat,<br />

Wheatfeed (includes<br />

wheatgerm), High Protein<br />

Soya Bean Meal (probably<br />

no longer GM free),<br />

Calcium carbonate (ground<br />

chalk), Maize germ meal,<br />

Sunflower seed extract,<br />

Vegetable Oil, Dicalcium<br />

Phosphate, Salt, Sodium<br />

Bicarbonate, Methionine<br />

(from vegetables), vitamin<br />

A, vitamin D3 (From lanolin<br />

from sheep wool), vitamin E<br />

and copper.<br />

Ingredients for a vegan egg<br />

not looking so weird now is<br />

it. That’s the trouble with<br />

second hand food.<br />

How many ingredients is<br />

that?<br />

Tony Bishop-Weston<br />

Consultant Executive Vegan<br />

Chef, Author, Speaker<br />

Foods for Life Nutrition and<br />

Health Consultancy<br />

<strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> I 83


VEGAN<br />

COOKBOOK<br />

By Tony & Yvonne Bishop-Weston<br />

Tony & Yvonne Bishop-Weston can be reached via www.newforesthealth.com


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FORCA VEGAN 85


Vegan Art<br />

By Karin Ridgers<br />

We are fans here of Vegan Traders Union with a whole exciting wealth of fellow vegans in business.<br />

In this edition of <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> we thought we would take a look at some of the<br />

incredibly talented arty vegans that are members of the VTU. Whether you need to buy a gift or<br />

fancy treating yourself it doesn’t get better than supporting and buying from a fellow vegan! From<br />

stunning original art work to tiny teddy bears there is something here for all tastes and budgets.<br />

Art by Lynda Bell<br />

Stunning original artwork from Lynda Bell –<br />

painted in New Zealand and loved all over the<br />

world.<br />

“My goal is to inspire people to care for animals<br />

and to remember that they are sentient<br />

beings, in need of our love, care and protection.<br />

I think about what the earth would look<br />

like if there was no cruelty or exploitation - no<br />

farming or hunting or testing on animals. My<br />

paintings are stories, in which people are<br />

heroes and heroines for the animals, because<br />

people can in fact be just that, in real life.”<br />

www.artbylyndabell.com<br />

Spyder Thread<br />

Jo Hards is a self representing artist based<br />

in South Wales. She is best known for Gothic<br />

style, button eyed, cloth art dolls.<br />

“My dolls have been described by many as<br />

‘creepy cute’ for their dark, yet innocent anthropomorphic<br />

charm. My paintings and illustrations<br />

feature similar subject matter and often<br />

fall within the realms of pop surrealism.<br />

Ethics have always played an important role in<br />

Jo’s art. As an ethical vegan, she does not use<br />

any materials or tools of animal origin.<br />

www.spyderthread.com<br />

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Creepies<br />

Creepies is a small handmade business run<br />

by a family of vegans since 2013.<br />

They make a range of handmade, unique<br />

monsters called the Creepies. Each creepy<br />

is hand sculpted by Laura (Mrs. Creepy) and<br />

baked solid.<br />

No two Creepies are the same and<br />

each creepy comes with a certificate of<br />

creepthenticity.<br />

www.creepies.co.uk<br />

Victoria Petchey<br />

Victoria mainly paint portraits of animals<br />

and she also create artworks that focus<br />

on women, wildlife, nature and animal<br />

exploitation.<br />

“I enjoy creating art that challenges our own<br />

personal feelings and ethics on particular<br />

subjects and request humans to think<br />

about such topics; environment, plastic pollution,<br />

women’s history and achievements,<br />

animal abuse and exploitation.”<br />

The art materials Victoria uses are vegan<br />

friendly and she use minimal paint to avoid<br />

waste.<br />

www.victoriapetchey.art<br />

Beary Tales<br />

Lynn Smith is an award winning bear artist.<br />

She creates one of a kind miniature collectable<br />

teddy bears and animals. They are all<br />

completely hand stitched, 5 way jointed and<br />

weighted to allow them to sit with ease.<br />

Lynn’s creations are approximately 3.5”<br />

small and created from quality vegan<br />

materials.<br />

www.bearytales.co.uk<br />

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Vegan Art Continued<br />

The Vegan Potter<br />

Handmade unique ceramics created<br />

with vegan clay and glazes<br />

from The Vegan Potter!<br />

“All my pottery is made with<br />

products and use processes that<br />

do not use any animal products.<br />

Some “china” has beef bone<br />

meal in it, up to 70%. I can assure<br />

you that mine dose not.”<br />

Items can be for your human<br />

family or your animal family.<br />

www.instagram.com/<br />

Theveganpotteruk<br />

For more incredible VTU members check out:<br />

www.vegantradersunion.co.uk<br />

The Vegan Traders Union is the Vegan Community. A place<br />

where Vegan run independant businesses, artists, musicians<br />

and professionals have come together, to work together, to<br />

create a market place for all your Vegan needs.<br />

Whatever product or service you are looking for, one of our<br />

members will have the very thing to meet your needs.<br />

The Vegan Traders Union logo is show below. Any business<br />

carrying this logo, will also have a registration number. this<br />

lets you know that company is one of our approved<br />

members, and therefore a Vegan owned and run business.<br />

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M. C RONEN<br />

The LIBERATION Trilogy<br />

It Was In Our Hands - the final book of The Liberation<br />

Trilogy by vegan, animal rights activist M. C Ronen, was<br />

finally published on 15 July!<br />

The Liberation Trilogy (‘The Shed’, ‘Liberation’ and ‘It Was In Our<br />

Hands’) is a unique, first of its kind creation of ethical fiction. In this<br />

breathtaking dystopia, the reader follows the protagonist Sunny from<br />

her days as a young girl, growing up in an ominous and oddly guarded,<br />

isolated farm - an d all the way to becoming a leader of a courageous<br />

team of activists whose aim is achieving ‘Total Liberation’ for<br />

all who are abused, exploited and brutally oppressed. Each book in<br />

this trilogy has its own tone and pace, but all three are suspenseful<br />

page-turners that are sure to keep you at the edge of your seat. Most<br />

importantly, they are sure to make you think about the real world in<br />

which we live, and the implications of your daily choices.<br />

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Juliet Gellatley<br />

A Day In The Life<br />

Juliet is founder & director of Viva! – the biggest<br />

vegan campaigning charity in Europe. Viva!<br />

launched in 1994, joined by Viva! Poland in 2002.<br />

Juliet has created and launched numerous campaigns<br />

on the impact of what we eat on animals,<br />

the planet and our health. She has also investigated<br />

many farms – often the big names - and exposed<br />

the devastating cruelty. She is the author<br />

of several reports, guides and books and producer<br />

of the award-winning HOGWOOD: a modern<br />

horror story documentary on Amazon Prime.<br />

Juliet has given many hundreds of talks, radio,<br />

Podcast and TV interviews.<br />

Juliet has a degree in Zoology & Psychology and<br />

is a qualified nutritional therapist.<br />

Viva! is the UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity,<br />

specialising in undercover investigations and<br />

high-profile animal campaigns. Founded in 1994 by<br />

Juliet Gellatley, we have spent more than 25 years<br />

creating a kinder, more sustainable world for humans<br />

and animals alike.<br />

Find out more: viva.org.uk<br />

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6:30am<br />

Lily jumps into bed, licks my face and<br />

collapses on to me for her routine five<br />

minute belly rub. Then, as usual, off she<br />

trots - her happy, me awake!<br />

8:00am<br />

Force myself out of bed. Was<br />

catching up with friends til’ 2am<br />

and now pay the price! Lily needs<br />

a walk and I need a cuppa!<br />

9:00am<br />

Sit down in my home office<br />

to do three radio interviews<br />

to launch Viva!’s<br />

new Save a Baby campaign.<br />

They are all 10<br />

minutes long and enjoyable.<br />

I’m very at home promoting<br />

veganism on the<br />

airwaves! The presenters<br />

try to steer the interviews<br />

to be mainly about health<br />

and I steer them back to<br />

talk about the fact that a<br />

billion baby animals are<br />

killed each year in Britain<br />

– none of them want to<br />

die. These are not the actions<br />

of a civilised nation!<br />

But going vegan is easy<br />

and to be embraced. You<br />

get the picture!<br />

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10:00am<br />

Try to wake up Finn, one of<br />

my sons who wants a lift to<br />

the train station with me –<br />

he’s going back south to university<br />

(finally). He’s suddenly<br />

gone deaf – I try loud music,<br />

meowing, nothing works! Get<br />

Lily on the job – he’s much<br />

less grumpy with her. Make<br />

us both vegan sausage and<br />

mushrooms on toast for<br />

breakfast and leave a dinner<br />

for my other son, Jazz to heat<br />

up. Cram a small case and get<br />

ready to travel to Stockport.<br />

I like the train – get to read in<br />

peace! Plus this time, I write a<br />

short speech for the next day<br />

and make a note of what I’ll<br />

say for the campaign launch<br />

for social media live vids.<br />

3:00pm<br />

Meet with two trustees in Stockport and have an<br />

exciting brain storm about the relaunch of Vegan<br />

Now! – a campaign that made a big splash in<br />

every national newspaper on its launch in 2019.<br />

We discuss ideas for the launch of a futuristic<br />

new video, the Oracle in Bristol. It is a new approach<br />

to showing what will happen if the world<br />

doesn’t go vegan! But also, helps people change.<br />

And we agree the budgeting of our campaigns<br />

team running a vegan burger van city tour with<br />

Vegan Now! events.<br />

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6:00pm<br />

Go to launch the Save a<br />

Baby billboard campaign<br />

in central Manchester and<br />

give another radio interview.<br />

We have over 40 billboards<br />

across NW England reaching<br />

over 10 million people. Do a<br />

photo call with some lovely<br />

volunteers who give up their<br />

time in the incessant rain!<br />

We are in luck and the brewing<br />

storm holds off its downpour<br />

for half an hour while<br />

we do Insta and Facebook<br />

live videos.<br />

8:00pm<br />

Looked forward to this! Eat<br />

at the fabulous vegan restaurant,<br />

the Allotment in<br />

Manchester with Laura,<br />

Viva!’s campaigns manager.<br />

We discuss a potential<br />

TV campaign – if we can<br />

raise the funds! And then<br />

reeeeelax!<br />

6:30am<br />

Rise ‘n’ shine! Prepare<br />

for a train to Birmingham,<br />

where I jump off and run to<br />

Centenary Square to give<br />

a 15 minute speech at the<br />

start of the 2nd City Animal<br />

Rights rally and march. It is<br />

organised by Ray Williams<br />

who I enormously respect.<br />

He organises vigils outside<br />

the appalling Hogwood pig<br />

farm in Warks, that supplied<br />

Tesco. Our expose of both<br />

feature in the Hogwood<br />

documentary. I then run for<br />

another train and on to my<br />

next meeting.


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Vegan<br />

Shoes<br />

by Karin Ridgers<br />

Such an array of vegan<br />

shoes now. I remember<br />

asking in every shoe shop I<br />

visited; “Are these leather?”<br />

And the majority of replies<br />

being; “oh yes of course”<br />

and I would respond by saying<br />

“Ah that’s a shame – I<br />

only wear non leather shoes<br />

as I am vegan.”<br />

I do love a great shoe or<br />

boot – I go for comfy now<br />

however still with a touch of<br />

glam as well!<br />

We now have highend designer<br />

vegan footwear, independent<br />

ethical vegan<br />

shoe companies, even high<br />

street chains such and<br />

M&S are labelling shoes as<br />

“Suitable for vegans”.<br />

VegfestUK award winner<br />

Vegetarian Shoes based<br />

in Brighton trailblazed 30<br />

years ago and they continue<br />

to do so with their hardy<br />

boots, belts and much<br />

more.<br />

I also remember going to<br />

a Vegan Society meeting<br />

perhaps 20 years ago and<br />

talking to a passionate lady,<br />

Natalie Dean, who told me<br />

her dream was to set up a<br />

leading vegan shoe brand<br />

– and still going strong is<br />

Beyond Skin with their high<br />

end leather free ranges.<br />

I adored my vegan “badger”<br />

shoes from www.bboheme.com<br />

and never had<br />

so many comments about<br />

my feet before!<br />

Will Green launched his<br />

brand Will’s Vegan Shoes<br />

at VegfestUK 10 years ago<br />

and has grown from strength<br />

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Pictured: Vionic Shoes


to strength since. Will is<br />

launching a new warehouse<br />

and has ambitious plans to<br />

expand further.<br />

www.wills-vegan-store.co.uk<br />

Vionic is dedicated to creating<br />

comfortable, supportive<br />

shoes everyone will love.<br />

Whether you’re in the market<br />

for eco-friendly canvas,<br />

vegan-certified shoes or<br />

non-leather kicks – they are<br />

confident you’ll find a style<br />

you love when you check<br />

out their collection.<br />

I am trying out their new<br />

Pismo lightweight vegan<br />

trainer – and they feel really<br />

good! Choose from a<br />

rainbow of uppers, in either<br />

canvas or jersey, with white<br />

laces, contrasting eyelets<br />

and tape at the heel.<br />

Every pair of Vionic shoes<br />

comes with three-zone comfort<br />

- Ultimate Arch Support<br />

for a difference you can feel<br />

- and have been podiatrist<br />

designed, giving you comfort<br />

and support, wherever<br />

you are.<br />

www.vionicshoes.co.uk<br />

éS is one of the few skateboarder<br />

owned and operated<br />

footwear companies<br />

in the world and has<br />

been since 1995. Their<br />

passion for inspirational<br />

Skateboarding, Design, and<br />

Style permeates throughout<br />

the global skate community.<br />

Their vegan and eco-friendly<br />

collection leverages<br />

heritage éS colour stories<br />

through ethically sourced<br />

non-animal leathers and<br />

microfiber materials and<br />

applies them to their most<br />

functional skate shoes.<br />

All are made with animal-friendly<br />

materials including<br />

microfiber, mesh<br />

and tumbled and synthetic<br />

leathers - taking the typical<br />

skate shoe and making it<br />

atypical.<br />

Feedback on this show has<br />

been positive – comfortable<br />

and band on cool trend<br />

– with no animals harmed.<br />

www.esskateboarding.<br />

com/collections/vegan<br />

High end vegan designer<br />

shoes include brands such<br />

as www.damapreziosa.<br />

com and www.minkshoes.<br />

com really do add glamour<br />

and luxury...<br />

And best of all –<br />

all VEGAN friendly!<br />

Pictured: éS Silo SC<br />

Pictured: Mink Shoes Elk (Alce)<br />

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Rich Hardy<br />

From Undercover Journalist to Vegan Farmer<br />

For two decades I lived a<br />

double-life.<br />

And with the help of a hidden<br />

camera, some water-tight<br />

cover stories and<br />

a little luck I traversed the<br />

globe working undercover<br />

to document the damage<br />

factory farming was doing to<br />

the planet and the billions<br />

of suffering animals used to<br />

feed and clothe us. My images<br />

and testimony helped<br />

shape some pioneering legislation<br />

and were used by<br />

global animal charities to<br />

generate hard-hitting media<br />

exposés. But while it helped<br />

create change and promoted<br />

vegan lifestyles, it came<br />

at a bit of a personal cost.<br />

Burnt out and in need of a<br />

change I turned to growing.<br />

Partly to help heal my soul<br />

a little after what I had witnessed<br />

but also as a challenge<br />

to the cruel factory<br />

farming model that growing<br />

food needn’t involve animal<br />

suffering or be so destructive.<br />

So, with my partner Pru,<br />

and taking an activist-inspired<br />

approach, we’ve set<br />

up a vegan farm in Cornwall<br />

that is half-way through its<br />

first season. Using veganic<br />

techniques and operating<br />

under a Community<br />

Supported Agriculture (CSA)<br />

model we harvest weekly<br />

and deliver veg boxes in and<br />

around Falmouth, Redruth<br />

and Truro.<br />

Come hear some of the<br />

stories that inspired me to<br />

take this leap and the ups<br />

and downs of first season<br />

vegan farmers, at:<br />

Vegan Organic Fest Cornwall<br />

August 12-16 2021<br />

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“<br />

Burnt out and in need<br />

of a change I turned to<br />

growing. Partly to help<br />

heal my soul a little<br />

after what I had witnessed<br />

but also as a challenge to<br />

the cruel factory farming<br />

model that growing food<br />

needn’t involve animal<br />

suffering or be so<br />

destructive.<br />

”<br />

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Veganic Growing<br />

Month by Month:<br />

August, September<br />

& October<br />

‘Veganic’ is a combination of two<br />

words ‘vegan’ and ‘organic’. It’s a<br />

guarantee that food is grown in an<br />

organic way with only plant based<br />

fertilizers, encouraging functional<br />

biodiversity so pesticides are not<br />

necessary. No chemicals, no GMO<br />

and no animal by products in any part<br />

of the chain.<br />

We all know that following a plantbased<br />

diet is the most ethical,<br />

healthy and environmentally friendly<br />

way of eating possible, but growing<br />

some of those plants can give you<br />

huge satisfaction along with all the<br />

fun, self-reliance and planet-saving<br />

benefits of producing your own food<br />

too. It can be done at any level,<br />

from keeping potted herbs on a<br />

windowsill or growing vegetables in<br />

your back garden, to aiming for near<br />

self-sufficiency from a larger plot or<br />

allotment.<br />

So here’s what to do at this time of year.<br />

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By Piers Warren<br />

Piers Warren is the co-author<br />

(with his daughter, Ella Bee Glendining)<br />

of The Vegan Cook & Gardener: Growing,<br />

Storing and Cooking Delicious Healthy<br />

Food all Year Round<br />

More information about Piers Warren:<br />

www.pierswarren.co.uk<br />

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AUGUST<br />

Seeds to sow:<br />

- Cabbages – early spring varieties<br />

- Pak choi<br />

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are<br />

more suited for autumn/winter condi<br />

tions such as lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)<br />

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King<br />

What to plant out:<br />

- Pak choi<br />

What to store or process<br />

- Apricots<br />

- Aubergine<br />

- Cauliflower (make piccalilli with some!)<br />

- Celery<br />

- Courgettes<br />

- French beans<br />

- Garlic<br />

- Onions<br />

- Peaches, nectarines<br />

- Peas<br />

- Runner beans<br />

- Strawberries<br />

What do I mean<br />

by ‘plant out’?<br />

Crops that you have grown<br />

from seed in trays or pots<br />

that will need to be planted out<br />

into beds or larger containers.<br />

Alternatively you can buy many<br />

of these as small plants from<br />

garden centres or online<br />

from garden catalogues<br />

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Other jobs on the<br />

plot<br />

Prune apricot, peach and<br />

nectarine trees in August,<br />

straight after fruiting, the<br />

main aim being to remove<br />

diseased or damaged branches/twigs,<br />

any that are crossing<br />

and rubbing each other,<br />

and to improve the shape of<br />

the tree. They can also be<br />

trained, by a combination of<br />

pruning and tying to canes/<br />

wires, to a fan shape against<br />

a wall.<br />

This is also the month for the<br />

main pruning of cherry trees.<br />

Summer-fruiting raspberry<br />

varieties should be pruned<br />

after all the fruits have been<br />

gathered. Cut canes that fruited<br />

down to ground level but<br />

leave about six young canes<br />

per plant to grow on and fruit<br />

next year.<br />

Check all winter squashes<br />

(pumpkins, butternuts etc.)<br />

and limit the number of developing<br />

fruits to 4-6 per plant.<br />

Lift onions and dry them in<br />

the sun for a week or two<br />

before storage. The easiest<br />

method is to lay them in trays,<br />

clean seed trays will do, and<br />

leave them outdoors, bringing<br />

them inside if rain threatens.<br />

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SEPTEMBER<br />

Seeds to sow:<br />

- Spinach/chard<br />

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are more<br />

suited for autumn/winter conditions such as<br />

lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)<br />

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King<br />

What to plant out:<br />

- Chinese cabbage<br />

- Turnips<br />

- Pak choi<br />

What to store or process:<br />

- Beetroot<br />

- Figs<br />

- Grapes<br />

- Melon<br />

- Onions<br />

- Pears<br />

- Pepper – chilli, capsicum<br />

- Plums<br />

- Potatoes<br />

- Raspberries<br />

- Sweet corn<br />

- Tomatoes<br />

Other jobs on the plot:<br />

Remove lower leaves from celeriac plants.<br />

Sow green manures in areas where crops have<br />

now been harvested and cleared.<br />

Remove any dying rhubarb stalks and compost.<br />

Stake plants that may need it over winter such as<br />

purple sprouting broccoli, Brussels sprouts and<br />

kale.<br />

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-<br />

OCTOBER<br />

Seeds to sow:<br />

- Broad beans<br />

- Pea varieties that are winter hardy<br />

- Lettuce and other salad greens that are<br />

more suited for autumn/winter conditions<br />

such as lamb’s lettuce (corn salad)<br />

- Lettuce varieties such as Arctic King<br />

What to plant out:<br />

- Rhubarb<br />

- Strawberries<br />

What to store or process:<br />

- Apples<br />

- Carrots<br />

- Winter squashes - pumpkins and<br />

butternuts<br />

Other jobs on the plot:<br />

Last year’s leaf mould can be spread<br />

around the plot as a mulch. Clear this<br />

year’s fallen leaves from around the<br />

garden and start a new leaf mould pile (a<br />

simple netting enclosure will be fine).<br />

Harvest winter squashes such as pumpkins<br />

and butternuts before the first frost<br />

and leave in the sun to harden for a<br />

week or two before putting into frost-free<br />

storage.<br />

Bring in, to the greenhouse or conservatory,<br />

pots of plants that will need winter<br />

protection, such as citrus trees.<br />

Remove dead leaves from around parsnip<br />

plants.<br />

Cut down asparagus ferns and compost.<br />

Weed the bed and mulch well with<br />

compost.<br />

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Vegan<br />

Careers<br />

It may not come as a surprise to you that<br />

vegans are everywhere.<br />

From all walks of life, and from all<br />

backgrounds, more and more people<br />

are making the moral, ethical or<br />

practical decisions that lead them<br />

to a plant-based diet and the vegan<br />

lifestyle.<br />

We at <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong> wish to<br />

celebrate this, and in this issue we<br />

speak with 4 different vegan professionals<br />

about what veganism means<br />

to them, what led them to leading a<br />

more ethical lifestyle and how that<br />

applies to their workplace.<br />

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Joanna Eatwell<br />

Costume Designer<br />

Andrea Harvey<br />

Vegan Hairdresser<br />

Adam<br />

Vegan Policeman<br />

Rachel Brownstein<br />

Actor, Writer & YouTuber<br />

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Joanna Eatwell<br />

Costume Designer<br />

So tell us about your<br />

vegan journey... You<br />

have been vegan<br />

for an incredible 48<br />

years right? What<br />

inspired you initially?<br />

I became vegan just pre<br />

teens almost 50 years ago,<br />

I had been vegetarian before<br />

that. I never liked or<br />

drank milk, cheese and<br />

eggs made me feel dizzy,<br />

so when veganism was explained<br />

to me by an uncle<br />

and aunt who were both vegan<br />

at that time, having just<br />

returned from Kathmandu<br />

hippy tail, it was a great relief.<br />

I had a name for what<br />

I wanted to do, it was liberating.<br />

I joke now that I<br />

spent my teens living off the<br />

110 I <strong>Plant</strong> <strong>Powered</strong> <strong>Planet</strong><br />

garnish on plates, it wasn’t<br />

always easy to get food, but<br />

I think we are all resilient at<br />

that age. I have never had<br />

much interest in the food<br />

side I was in it for the animals<br />

from the earliest age<br />

and still am.<br />

How has being vegan<br />

impacted on your<br />

career?<br />

I started my career as a<br />

costume designer in music<br />

videos and commercials,<br />

before moving into film and<br />

television, when I worked<br />

in advertising I always tried<br />

to be ethical in the type of<br />

campaigns I worked on.<br />

Historical dramas that I<br />

mainly work on now often<br />

require us to seemingly use<br />

fur or leather, to recreate<br />

period garments accurately<br />

and part of the challenge is<br />

to always find a cruelty free<br />

alternative.<br />

What differences<br />

have you made<br />

within your career in<br />

connection with<br />

being vegan?<br />

I do look for creative vegans<br />

and am always very happy<br />

when I have others working<br />

along side me. There<br />

are also quite a few actors<br />

now who are vegan, one<br />

of the more well known I<br />

have worked with is Woody<br />

Harrelson, a lovely man and<br />

a true vegan.<br />

One of the things I like<br />

about my job, is working in


Joanna worked as the costume designer for episodes of Taboo<br />

other countries and spending<br />

enough time in those<br />

countries to really get to<br />

know them. As a consequence<br />

I have visited sanctuaries<br />

in many different<br />

continents and I applaud<br />

and where possible support<br />

the work people are<br />

doing in often really difficult<br />

circumstances.<br />

What’s your favourite<br />

vegan restaurant?<br />

It was sad to see Tibits close<br />

along with a few other old favourites<br />

recently, but there<br />

are so many vegan restaurants<br />

now, we are spoilt for<br />

choice. Thank goodness<br />

for Happy Cow, it’s the first<br />

thing I check when I arrive<br />

in a new country or city and<br />

it works all over the world.<br />

Poster for The Miniaturist, another of Joanna’s projects


Andrea<br />

Harvey<br />

The Vegan Hairdresser<br />

So tell us about your<br />

vegan journey?<br />

Like many , I started out going<br />

vegetarian before going<br />

vegan. I just didn’t know<br />

about the dairy industry and<br />

it didn’t occur to me that it<br />

was as bad, if not worse,<br />

than the meat industry.<br />

I saw something on<br />

Facebook and stated researching<br />

and that was that.<br />

After being vegetarian for<br />

13 years I took the next<br />

step. I have been vegan for<br />

around 4 years.<br />

I am now passionate about<br />

it and love the fact that<br />

Veganism is getting out to<br />

more people . Although the<br />

junk food options available<br />

now don’t help the<br />

waistline!!<br />

How has being vegan<br />

impacted on your<br />

career?<br />

Being in hairdressing, it was<br />

impossible to work and not<br />

use products that weren’t<br />

cruelty free or Vegan. The<br />

big 5 companies that most<br />

salons and Academies used<br />

just didn’t care about those<br />

things.<br />

When I went vegan, I became<br />

more and more frustrated<br />

and disillusioned with<br />

this so I decided to open my<br />

own 100% vegan salon.<br />

At the same time I was<br />

managing a hair academy<br />

in Shoreditch and the owner<br />

wanted to go 100% cruelty<br />

free - the first Academy in<br />

Europe to take this step.<br />

Leading this change , I grew<br />

more passionate and knew<br />

I would find it extremely difficult<br />

to go back to a salon<br />

that didn’t work with my<br />

ethos.<br />

I now get contacted by hairdressers<br />

who want to introduce<br />

vegan options into<br />

their salon but are unsure<br />

of what steps they can take,<br />

so I started a consultancy to<br />

help them.<br />

Thankfully, there are more<br />

vegan friendly salons popping<br />

up over the country<br />

and manufacturers are<br />

starting to change.<br />

Although China still being a<br />

big moneymaker for them, it<br />

will be sometime before we<br />

can go to every salon and<br />

use products that are vegan<br />

and cruelty free.<br />

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What differences<br />

have you made<br />

within your career in<br />

connection with<br />

being vegan?<br />

My own salon grew fast within<br />

the 2 years it had been<br />

open and then Covid hit!<br />

I had been working with an<br />

eco salon in Rayleigh, Essex<br />

for a while heading up their<br />

training - when the pandemic<br />

took hold and with<br />

such uncertain times for<br />

businesses ahead of us, we<br />

decided to join forces and I<br />

moved Earth Salon to Salon<br />

Messina’s premises .<br />

Salon Messina and Earth<br />

Salon now are leading the<br />

way in sustainable Salons.<br />

We have just been awarded<br />

accreditation for being<br />

a sustainable salon…. only<br />

one of 24 Salons have got<br />

this award in the UK- and<br />

we are attracting a new vegan<br />

fan base !<br />

We are launching a training<br />

academy soon and this<br />

will include courses to help<br />

businesses become more<br />

sustainable and to understand<br />

the impact that has<br />

on it.<br />

As The Vegan Hairdresser,<br />

I get asked to do features<br />

in the press and other hairdressing<br />

related projects<br />

and give advice, such as<br />

the National Hairdressing<br />

Federation <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />

What advice would<br />

you give to<br />

someone wants to<br />

make changes within<br />

their industry /<br />

career to be more<br />

vegan friendly?<br />

Follow your heart! I believe<br />

Covid has made people<br />

think about making the ethical<br />

choice, not just food,<br />

but a whole lifestyle.<br />

Research, research, research!<br />

If you are going to<br />

go vegan friendly, make<br />

sure you get it right! Us vegans<br />

will check! If you get it<br />

wrong it can do more harm<br />

to your business than good!<br />

And feel free to contact me!<br />

What’s the best bit<br />

advice someone gave<br />

to you in connection<br />

with being vegan?<br />

Don’t beat your self up if<br />

you slip up when you first<br />

set out on the vegan life!<br />

You are heading in the right<br />

direction and are on the<br />

right road!<br />

This advice came at the<br />

right time for me, from a<br />

friend. I used to get really<br />

upset if I made a mistake<br />

and really get annoyed with<br />

myself that I messed upeven<br />

though I was learning!<br />

What’s your favourite<br />

vegan restaurant?<br />

Well ,not really close, but<br />

Falafel Land on the Greek<br />

island of Santorini . Just<br />

amazing if you ever get a<br />

chance to visit.<br />

If you could invite<br />

1 person round for<br />

a vegan dinner and<br />

chat who would it be<br />

and why?<br />

That’s a difficult one!<br />

Probably Buddha! His life<br />

was not written and recorded<br />

so it would be amazing<br />

to ask him and meditate<br />

with him!<br />

Failing that, Joaquin<br />

Phoenix.<br />

www.salonmessina.com<br />

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Adam<br />

The Vegan Policeman<br />

So tell us about your<br />

vegan journey?<br />

I was vegetarian for around<br />

12 years and thought I was<br />

doing right by animals, however<br />

it wasn’t until I started<br />

looking into the dairy and<br />

egg industry did I realise<br />

the daily atrocities I was still<br />

contributing towards. I’ve<br />

now been vegan close to 4<br />

years. My father is Italian<br />

and a chef! So it was a bit<br />

of a shock to him when I<br />

went vegan, but he is very<br />

supportive, in that he tries<br />

to make new dishes for me,<br />

and has even put more vegan<br />

options on his restaurant<br />

menu.<br />

How has being<br />

vegan impacted your<br />

career?<br />

I don’t think it has impacted<br />

my career, although it may<br />

have impacted on those<br />

around me to a degree. A<br />

number of my colleagues<br />

have made positive changes<br />

towards veganism after<br />

discussions with me. The<br />

workplace can be difficult<br />

and frustrating being surrounded<br />

by predominantly<br />

non-vegans, however I try<br />

to remember it’s not about<br />

me, and just try to encourage<br />

veganism as best as I<br />

can, in hope that something<br />

will resonate.<br />

What differences<br />

have you made<br />

within your career in<br />

connection with<br />

being vegan?<br />

Other than purchasing vegan<br />

boots and belt?! A large<br />

part of Policing is protecting<br />

the most vulnerable in society.<br />

There are amazing cops<br />

out there risking their lives<br />

on a daily basis, and dealing<br />

with more trauma than<br />

most will ever experience. It<br />

therefore saddens me that<br />

this compassion and care<br />

is seldom extended to the<br />

many animals exploited for<br />

human gain. These animals<br />

are undoubtedly the epitome<br />

of vulnerable.<br />

What advice<br />

would you give to<br />

someone wants to<br />

make changes within<br />

their industry /<br />

career to be more<br />

vegan friendly?<br />

Considerations such as ensuring<br />

any uniform provided<br />

being vegan, or there’s<br />

a vegan alternative. The<br />

same with any catering<br />

considerations.<br />

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What’s a typical day<br />

like for you?<br />

Due to the nature of my job,<br />

I cannot go into details! I<br />

currently work on CID - so I<br />

deal with serious and complex<br />

investigations. It’s a<br />

highly demanding role mentally<br />

and emotionally.<br />

What’s the best bit of<br />

advice someone gave<br />

to you in connection<br />

with being vegan?<br />

At the point of me and my<br />

partner going vegan, I don’t<br />

think I’d ever met anyone<br />

who was vegan! I’d like to<br />

think that had I met someone<br />

who was vegan and<br />

they highlighted the same<br />

issues I now try to raise<br />

amongst family, friends<br />

and colleagues that I would<br />

have made the connection<br />

and transition quicker.<br />

Some of the speeches<br />

I’ve seen online from the<br />

likes of Joaquin Phoenix<br />

and Earthling Ed are poignant<br />

and empowering. Once<br />

you’ve seen and heard certain<br />

things, there is no going<br />

back.<br />

Have you ever<br />

attended a vegan<br />

march or demo – as<br />

a police person or a<br />

demonstrator?<br />

I have not. Most of my advocacy/activism<br />

is done<br />

directly with my friends,<br />

family, colleagues and via<br />

social media…with varying<br />

degrees of success!<br />

Do you know of other<br />

vegans in the police?<br />

I’m sure there probably are<br />

a small handful but I’ve not<br />

come across any yet! One<br />

of my colleagues tried it for<br />

a few months but is now<br />

veggie, whilst another is following<br />

a vegan diet but still<br />

buying leather etc.<br />

What’s your favourite<br />

vegan restaurant?<br />

Temple of Seitan in London!<br />

I’d also like to give a shout<br />

out to Beer Riff Brewing<br />

Co in my home town of<br />

Swansea. They make a<br />

mean vegan pizza and have<br />

15 taps of the freshest<br />

beer, all of which are usually<br />

vegan!<br />

If you could invite<br />

1 person round for<br />

a vegan dinner and<br />

chat who would it be<br />

and why?<br />

I was a big Arnold<br />

Schwarzenegger fan growing<br />

up, and I’ve noticed over<br />

the past few years he has<br />

been promoting less meat<br />

and dairy consumption. I<br />

would like to sit him down<br />

and for him to hear me out,<br />

in hope that I could get him<br />

to go vegan! Having someone<br />

with his global stature<br />

going vegan would be a big<br />

step in influencing others to<br />

follow suit.<br />

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Rachel<br />

Brownstein<br />

Actor, Writer<br />

& YouTuber<br />

So tell us about your<br />

vegan journey?<br />

My transition was a quick<br />

one! In editing terms, it was<br />

a jump cut; all to nothing in<br />

a couple of months. I loved<br />

animal products, meat especially,<br />

but I became more<br />

and more aware of the realities<br />

of animal agriculture,<br />

and the abuse and exploitation<br />

involved.<br />

A friend became vegan and<br />

started posting information<br />

on social media, and of<br />

course; the more you see,<br />

the more you get shown. I<br />

started feeling guilty after<br />

eating meat and knew I had<br />

to make some choices. I initially<br />

considered vegetarianism,<br />

but then watched a<br />

video of male chicks being<br />

fed into a shredder, and<br />

knew it wasn’t enough.<br />

I’ve always been experimental<br />

in the kitchen, and<br />

have collected lots of spices<br />

and random ingredients,<br />

so making the change<br />

wasn’t as tricky as I’d initially<br />

feared. It does take some<br />

extra thought at first, but<br />

it’s really woken up my palate<br />

and made me curious<br />

about food again.<br />

How has being vegan<br />

impacted on your<br />

career?<br />

It’s opened up a whole new<br />

career path for me! I started<br />

spending a lot of time<br />

in the kitchen during the<br />

pandemic; I needed the distraction<br />

and creative outlet.<br />

Whenever I’d post pictures<br />

of my creations, friends<br />

would ask me why I didn’t<br />

have a YouTube channel.<br />

I then asked myself; “Why<br />

don’t I have a YouTube<br />

channel?!” It seemed like<br />

such a no-brainer; film what<br />

I was doing and stick it on<br />

the internet to help other<br />

people explore the possibilities<br />

of plant-based food.<br />

I’m an actor, so I have editing<br />

software, but I’d barely<br />

scratched the surface,<br />

so found myself faced with<br />

the task of teaching myself<br />

how to create engaging<br />

videos (and how to cut<br />

4 hours of content into 15<br />

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minutes!). The editing side<br />

of things has actually become<br />

very enjoyable as it<br />

ticks a lot of my boxes; creativity,<br />

problem solving, and<br />

challenging.<br />

How do you invent<br />

these brilliant vegan<br />

creations?<br />

It really varies; sometimes<br />

I have an ingredient that<br />

I’d like to explore (eg sweet<br />

potato), or the idea of a<br />

finished dish pops into my<br />

head and I’ll reverse engineer<br />

it to figure out how to<br />

achieve it.<br />

For example; I knew I wanted<br />

to make some ribs, and<br />

started looking online for<br />

ideas of how to mimic the<br />

bones. I saw ideas from<br />

lollipop sticks to jícama, but<br />

none felt quite right.<br />

I then wondered if I could<br />

use bamboo garden stakes<br />

but didn’t know if they were<br />

food safe.<br />

That led to “Cedar! That’s<br />

used in barbecues!” and off<br />

I went on a hunt for BBQ accessories.<br />

I found some thin<br />

planks that are meant to be<br />

used under a piece of meat<br />

to give smoky flavours.<br />

I dug out my Dremel and got<br />

to work carving the bones. I<br />

have to say; I am very proud<br />

of them. I was shocked by<br />

how well they came out!<br />

Often, something will go<br />

wrong or I get a completely<br />

different result to what<br />

I’d planned, and this then<br />

feeds lots of other ideas. I<br />

keep a Google Keep note<br />

pinned to my phone’s home<br />

screen for jotting down<br />

those 2am “Oooooo, how<br />

could I make that happen?”<br />

What’s the best bit<br />

advice someone gave<br />

to you in connection<br />

with being vegan?<br />

I don’t know if I ever got any<br />

about veganism as a whole,<br />

other than making sure I<br />

took supplements.<br />

I’m quite self-reliant so I<br />

just dived in headfirst. In<br />

terms of cooking, Grace (the<br />

Admin of a Facebook group<br />

called Mangled Brains and<br />

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Droopy Genitalia) has given<br />

me lots of tips for making<br />

WtF (Wash the Flour) seitan<br />

that have been invaluable.<br />

The best advice I could<br />

give would be to buy/<br />

loan some vegan cookbooks,<br />

ideally written by<br />

someone who lives in the<br />

same country as you. I’ve<br />

bought several American<br />

ones, and many of the ingredients<br />

aren’t available<br />

in the UK, which can lead<br />

to feeling overwhelmed/<br />

disheartened.<br />

YouTube is also a fantastic<br />

resource; so many different<br />

creators are sharing knowledge<br />

gained by experience,<br />

and that can take away<br />

some uncertainty and spark<br />

some ideas.<br />

Also, I would like to stress<br />

that it’s OK to slip up and<br />

eat something non-vegan,<br />

nobody is perfect! Labelling<br />

yourself “VEGAN” can put<br />

real pressure on yourself,<br />

which leads to feelings of<br />

failure. I know a few people<br />

who have tried and then felt<br />

terribly about themselves<br />

after eating a chicken burger<br />

after a night out and then<br />

gave up totally on trying<br />

again. Just go at your own<br />

pace, making small changes/substitutions<br />

here and<br />

there.<br />

What’s a typical day<br />

like for you?<br />

I have a part time job in<br />

a call centre Monday to<br />

Wednesday, and I often<br />

bid farewell to the working<br />

week with a few pints in my<br />

local pub on a Wednesday<br />

evening.<br />

Then I start the editing<br />

process on Thursdays (videos<br />

are published every<br />

Tuesday). It can take anywhere<br />

from three to thirty<br />

hours to cut, polish, and<br />

create all of the marketing<br />

materials.<br />

I have Ehlers-Danlos<br />

Syndrome which effects my<br />

joints and energy levels, so<br />

I have to take things dayby-day<br />

in terms of filming<br />

content; I try and keep a<br />

few videos “in the can” in<br />

case of a flare up. I tend to<br />

film over the weekend, and<br />

again, this can take a couple<br />

of hours, or in the case<br />

of the ribs video; nine hours!<br />

What’s your favourite<br />

vegan restaurant?<br />

I went to Lisbon, Portugal<br />

for my 40th birthday a couple<br />

of years ago, and fell in<br />

love with The Green Affair.<br />

I stumbled on it completely<br />

by chance, and was immediately<br />

blown away with the<br />

amount of choice and quality<br />

of food.


It’s so rare to see beautifully-plated<br />

vegan dishes<br />

in restaurants; so often it’s<br />

piles of casserole or risotto.<br />

The bill was also a delight;<br />

40€ for three people including<br />

wine. The pandemic has<br />

stopped me finding new<br />

places to try where I live in<br />

Leeds, England, so I am very<br />

much looking forward to<br />

getting out and about in the<br />

coming months, and discovering<br />

some new favourites.<br />

If you could invite<br />

1 person round for<br />

a vegan dinner and<br />

chat who would it be<br />

and why?<br />

It would have to be Andi<br />

Oliver. She’s a British chef,<br />

and tv/radio presenter.<br />

She has a vast knowledge<br />

of food, and always comes<br />

across as a complete blast<br />

to spend time with; full of<br />

laughter, and supportive/<br />

constructive.


Vegan<br />

Challenges<br />

Joshua Allerton run<br />

a vegan confectionary<br />

store in Digbeth,<br />

Birmingham. He<br />

started the shop<br />

to aide his journey to veganism<br />

whilst helping others do<br />

the same. He is always on the hunt<br />

for independent vegan confectioners<br />

to supply sweets, chocolate,<br />

popcorn and more snacks to his<br />

store. Alongside running the shop,<br />

Joshua works with independent<br />

businesses to improve their marketing<br />

whilst writing on his personal<br />

development blog. For fun, he<br />

obsesses over one video games,<br />

believe he’s going to be the next<br />

big thing, failing epically, before<br />

finding another video game to repeat<br />

the cycle is a qualified nutritional<br />

therapist.<br />

I’m turning vegan.<br />

No more meat or dairy is entering my<br />

home and I always seek the vegan<br />

option when dining out (no matter<br />

how poor it is).<br />

But there’s a whole lot more I need to<br />

do and many more challenges I need<br />

to face. I turned to my lovely Twitter<br />

followers to prepare me by asking<br />

the simple question:<br />

“Hardest part of turning<br />

vegan?”<br />

With over 150 responses, and explosive<br />

arguments, I’ve collated the<br />

most mentioned challenges into this<br />

article. Not everyone will experience<br />

all these challenges on their journey.<br />

If you’re curious or just starting your<br />

journey, may these challenges prepare<br />

you and make you feel a little<br />

bit less alone.


Dining out<br />

I hear the laughs of veteran<br />

vegans as I write this…<br />

“<br />

You’re going to find very<br />

quickly that dining out as a<br />

vegan is difficult.<br />

Do you like “veggie<br />

burgers”?<br />

What about “meatless<br />

salads”?<br />

Admittedly, hospitality is<br />

getting better at providing<br />

more vegan options, but research<br />

is paramount before<br />

visiting anywhere. There<br />

have been a few times<br />

where I’ve been forced to<br />

eat veggie due to lack of<br />

options.<br />

To overcome: find Facebook<br />

groups for your local area.<br />

Vegans are passionate eaters.<br />

We don’t punish our<br />

tastebuds, so, when a local<br />

restaurant (especially a<br />

vegan-only venue) does an<br />

amazing job, we shout and<br />

scream about it. Dedicated<br />

vegan groups for local areas<br />

are establishing on<br />

Facebook for this purpose.<br />

Find them, use them, and<br />

enjoy eating out!<br />

There are also apps and<br />

websites dedicated to the<br />

curation of such vegan<br />

establishments. Vegan-<br />

Friendly and Happy Cow are<br />

two I recommend. Others<br />

exist and more will come.<br />

Additionally, I saw this challenge<br />

as a positive. To contribute<br />

to the community,<br />

it became my vegan duty<br />

to find all the vegan-friendly<br />

restaurants in my local<br />

area and try them. Not all at<br />

once, mind you.<br />

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Hiding your imperfections<br />

“You’re a vegan now. You cannot<br />

own anything that isn’t.”<br />

You check every single item of clothing. As your throwout<br />

pile increases, you worry how you’re going to afford<br />

a whole new wardrobe – especially a vegan wardrobe.<br />

What about if you can’t afford a new wardrobe? What<br />

about if you accidently wear those trainers out have<br />

leather uppers? People will call you a fraud and you<br />

can no longer declare your veganism to the world.<br />

Chill.<br />

To overcome, you need<br />

to remember this one<br />

statement:<br />

There is no such thing<br />

as a perfect vegan.<br />

The Vegan’s Society<br />

definition explicitly declares<br />

that we must<br />

seek to exclude exploitation<br />

of animals “as<br />

far as is possible and<br />

practicable”. There’s a<br />

difference between being<br />

lazy and being unable<br />

to prevent abuse.<br />

If you can’t afford to replace<br />

your leather shoes<br />

with vegan-friendly<br />

alternatives, don’t. If<br />

you’re in desperate<br />

need of a new shirt for<br />

work and you can only<br />

afford Primark, purchase.<br />

It is not possible<br />

and practicable for you<br />

to walk to work with<br />

no shoes and no shirt<br />

(you’re not LMFAO).<br />

Plus, throwing out good<br />

clothes just because<br />

they’re not vegan will<br />

cause more damage to<br />

the environment than<br />

saving them. Instead<br />

of throwing out, make<br />

sure your next purchase<br />

is vegan – where possible<br />

and practicable.<br />

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Missing cakes<br />

(and other<br />

sweet treats)<br />

Cakes and other confections<br />

are an obvious no-go<br />

for vegans. Traditional recipes<br />

call for eggs, butter,<br />

and milk. Whilst there have<br />

been some adaptions over<br />

time, there’s always the<br />

creepy milk powder ingredient<br />

waiting to surprise<br />

you every time you think<br />

you’re close to finding a vegan-friendly<br />

cake.<br />

Sugar is the only ingredient<br />

humans naturally crave<br />

from birth. To live in a world<br />

without sugar is bold and<br />

brave, but have you seen<br />

that slice of cake in the bakery’s<br />

window?<br />

To overcome: Shop online<br />

and at your local independent<br />

specialist<br />

Luckily, vegan confectionary<br />

is booming. Your supermarket<br />

may be slowly<br />

catching up, but that’s<br />

just a fraction as to what’s<br />

available. Online stores like<br />

VeganKind, Vegan Store,<br />

and Alleway’s Confectionary<br />

offer a wide range of vegan<br />

sweets and treats. Check<br />

them out.<br />

During Lockdown, home<br />

baking has exploded and vegans<br />

are not shy. Check out<br />

your local vegan groups or<br />

neighbourhood groups for<br />

anyone selling their bakes.<br />

Just remember to find a<br />

kitchen that’s registered<br />

with the local authority.


Becoming #1<br />

enemy of your<br />

entire family<br />

Family and friends can be<br />

difficult with your decision<br />

to turn vegan. We’ve talked<br />

about how to deal with<br />

those annoying questions<br />

(“where do you get your protein<br />

from?”), but there’s one<br />

element we need to cover:<br />

Your frustration when they<br />

don’t join you.<br />

You’ve seen the battery<br />

in the chicken farms, the<br />

grinding of piglets, and<br />

the forced impregnation<br />

of cows. They haven’t. You<br />

may be tempted to sit them<br />

down and host a cinema<br />

night highlighting the trauma<br />

you’ve witnessed. When<br />

they refuse, you become<br />

confused and angry. “Why<br />

don’t they see what I do?”<br />

Breathe.<br />

To overcome: Give them<br />

time.<br />

Your newfound identity<br />

as a vegan is challenging<br />

for them too. They see the<br />

changes you’re making<br />

every day and you share it<br />

when they’re with you. Going<br />

out for a simple dinner date<br />

is now a pain. What was<br />

simple is now difficult (as<br />

you surely know).<br />

They may attack you and<br />

convince you that you’re<br />

wrong. It’s the easier<br />

choice. You have remain<br />

patience and stick to your<br />

guns. Where it turns to all<br />

out abuse, remove yourself<br />

from the relationship. No<br />

friend or family member is<br />

worth keeping when it turns<br />

sour.<br />

For friends who simply don’t<br />

understand, accept you’re<br />

not going to convert them.<br />

Instead, offer to cook for<br />

them one night and try out<br />

new foods. Laugh about it<br />

on the way.<br />

“Did they really think they<br />

could pass this off as<br />

meat?”<br />

“What were they trying to<br />

achieve with this?”<br />

There are terrible vegan<br />

foods out there, just as<br />

there is non-vegan. Find<br />

humour in your journey and<br />

they will become an ally.<br />

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Feeling guilt about not doing it sooner<br />

Out of all the replies, this<br />

one threw me. This self-hatred<br />

and disappointment<br />

defeats the triumph of making<br />

the decision in the first<br />

place. Who cares if you’re<br />

72 and only just turning vegan?<br />

That’s one more day<br />

than other people. That’s<br />

one more life saved.<br />

To overcome: Use a vegan<br />

calculator<br />

We don’t have time travel<br />

yet (do we?), so we can’t<br />

go back and decide to be<br />

vegan from birth. But, we<br />

can measure the impact<br />

our personal vegan journey<br />

has. The Vegan Calculator<br />

calculates the gallons of<br />

water, lbs of grains, square<br />

foot of forest, lbs of CO2,<br />

and animal lives saved for<br />

each day we’ve been vegan.<br />

If you’re feeling down<br />

one day, use the calculator<br />

to witness the impact you’re<br />

making already!<br />

These were the common<br />

challenges faced by vegans<br />

when starting their journey.<br />

As I progress to a more ethical<br />

and vegan lifestyle, I will<br />

face these challenges head<br />

on and discover hurdles of<br />

my own. This tweet reminded<br />

me that we’re not alone<br />

on this journey. The actions<br />

I’m taking may be individual,<br />

but it is as a collective we<br />

can make a bigger impact.<br />

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The Charity supporting older vegetarians & vegans<br />

About VfL<br />

Vegetarian for Life (VfL) is<br />

an advocacy and educational<br />

charity, which strives<br />

to be the leading authority<br />

on diet and healthy living<br />

advice for older vegans and<br />

vegetarians.<br />

Now in its thirteenth year,<br />

the charity has enjoyed<br />

significant success and<br />

achieved wide recognition.<br />

I would particularly like to<br />

highlight the outstanding<br />

efforts of its staff to support<br />

older vegans and vegetarians<br />

during the COVID-19<br />

pandemic – a group which<br />

is so often overlooked.<br />

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VfL developed a comprehensive<br />

programme of online and postal<br />

outreach, targeting age-friendly<br />

networks, sheltered housing<br />

schemes for older people, carers’<br />

organisations, dementia support<br />

groups, lunch clubs, older people’s<br />

friendship groups, stroke survivors’<br />

groups, Women’s Institutes, care<br />

homes, food banks, healthy-living<br />

networks, LGBT groups for older<br />

adults, relevant Facebook groups,<br />

digital hospital radio, social prescribers,<br />

and more.<br />

The chefs were joined virtually by<br />

almost 3,000 attendees across<br />

45 organisations, including lunch<br />

clubs, care home caterers, carers<br />

groups, Women’s Institutes,<br />

Age UK franchises and other older<br />

people’s groups and networks<br />

throughout the UK – offering menu<br />

support where required.<br />

Feedback on this new online format<br />

was overwhelmingly positive:<br />

“Great to be working in partnership with VfL<br />

to deliver online and virtual sessions to carers<br />

to take a break, get away from the daily<br />

routine and come together during lockdown.<br />

The session really helped to engage with<br />

carers, and bringing the group together online<br />

has sparked new ideas and suggestion<br />

from carers around future face-to-face and<br />

virtual breaks.”<br />

“…a fantastic session to VOCAL’s carers who<br />

all learned something new from a chopping<br />

skill, about spices, alternatives for the dish<br />

and difference between male and female<br />

peppers!”<br />

– VOCAL, Zoom cookery demonstration<br />

“Our members really enjoyed your session;<br />

thank you so much for taking the time to do<br />

this. We found that the additional ingredients<br />

put a new spin on a familiar recipe and<br />

taste tests have been positive from members<br />

and family. You presented so well and<br />

your set-up for presenting on Zoom worked<br />

really well.”<br />

– Leith Women’s Institute, Zoom cookery<br />

demonstration<br />

“I was really taken with the work that [your<br />

Roving Chef] put into our session at AbilityNet.<br />

[She was] so friendly and very helpful. She<br />

was accommodating with a date/time and<br />

made an amazing curry. Really impressed<br />

and will recommend to others.’<br />

– AbilityNet, Facebook demonstration<br />

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The number of UK vegans<br />

and vegetarians continues<br />

to soar, with a staggering<br />

25% of all Brits predicted<br />

to be vegetarian by 2025<br />

, and already an estimated<br />

14% of vegetarian and<br />

vegans in Great Britain are<br />

aged 65 or older . That’s<br />

why Vegetarian for Life<br />

(VfL), a charity that supports<br />

older vegans and vegetarians<br />

will be launching a<br />

free self-advocacy pack to<br />

mark National Older Vegans<br />

and Vegetarians Day this<br />

October.<br />

The pack will help to explain<br />

the laws protecting those<br />

with special dietary needs;<br />

sources of support if your<br />

rights aren’t being recognised;<br />

and some simple yet<br />

critical actions you can take<br />

today to protect your future<br />

dignity and rights. These include<br />

making a statement<br />

of your wishes and care<br />

preferences, which future<br />

carers should honour.<br />

Amanda Woodvine, CEO of<br />

VfL, explains why the time<br />

is right for the upcoming<br />

self-advocacy pack launch:<br />

“Many people assume that<br />

veganism and vegetarianism<br />

are new concepts –<br />

something for younger generations<br />

– but that simply<br />

isn’t true. VfL exists solely<br />

to support older vegans and<br />

vegetarians, and increasing<br />

numbers find that maintaining<br />

their dietary and lifestyle<br />

beliefs is not always<br />

a straightforward matter.<br />

Although philosophical beliefs,<br />

such as veganism,<br />

are protected under multiple<br />

laws in the UK, older<br />

vegans and vegetarians often<br />

find themselves in situations<br />

that go against their<br />

basic human rights when it<br />

comes to food.<br />

“In later life, many of us rely<br />

on others for food – whether<br />

that is ready-made meals for<br />

home delivery, or provisions<br />

in care settings. Conditions<br />

such as dementia can be<br />

an additional barrier to<br />

maintaining control over<br />

our diets and our identity<br />

and beliefs. VfL hears time<br />

and time again from older<br />

vegans and vegetarians<br />

and their families who have<br />

been given food that goes<br />

against their fundamental<br />

dietary beliefs, particularly<br />

in social care settings.<br />

“This can be through lack<br />

of understanding of what<br />

being vegan or vegetarian<br />

really means; lack of training<br />

of catering teams and<br />

care staff; or simply confusion<br />

over how to interpret<br />

the Mental Capacity Act. So,<br />

that’s why we’re launching<br />

our self-advocacy pack – a<br />

one-stop shop containing<br />

resources, guidance and<br />

tips to ensure that you get<br />

the food that you are legally,<br />

and ethically, entitled to.”<br />

Email:<br />

info@vegetarianforlife.org.uk<br />

or contact VfL on<br />

0161 257 0887<br />

to request your free self-advocacy<br />

pack and VfL will<br />

post or email it as soon as<br />

it is launched.<br />

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“<br />

Although philosophical beliefs, such as<br />

veganism, are protected under multiple<br />

laws in the UK, older vegans and<br />

vegetarians often find themselves in<br />

situations that go against their basic<br />

human rights when it comes to food.<br />

”<br />

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What’s the story<br />

Stem & Glory?<br />

I’d been rolling the idea of a vegan restaurant<br />

around in my head for a very long time. I ran<br />

a multisite leisure business for more 10 years<br />

prior to Stem & Glory and had been experimenting<br />

with a vegan cafe within that business since<br />

we started. Finally, the opportunity presented<br />

to open a fully-fledged cafe/restaurant. We did<br />

a very successful rewards based Crowdfund<br />

on crowdfunder.co.uk raising £97k, and the<br />

first place was opened in Cambridge. We were<br />

greeted with massive support from the community<br />

here and it was very clear we were on to<br />

something.<br />

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We launched another, this<br />

time equity based, crowdfund<br />

on crowdcube.com in<br />

March 2018 to raise funds<br />

for a site in London. It was<br />

even more wildy successful<br />

than the last one, reaching<br />

our £350k target in less<br />

than 5 hours of going live,<br />

and closing on £610k funded.<br />

The London Flagship<br />

opened in January 2019. By<br />

January 2020 it was absolutely<br />

flying.<br />

Looking to the future<br />

As shocking as the lockdown<br />

was for hospitality<br />

businesses, we suddenly<br />

found ourselves with time<br />

to get creative. We were so<br />

busy last year, many projects<br />

were planned, but we<br />

were too short on time to get<br />

them in motion. So, through<br />

lockdown we upgraded all<br />

our tech systems, did a<br />

complete rebrand with the<br />

amazing Afroditi Krassa,<br />

which turned out absolutely<br />

fab. We developed new concepts<br />

for ready meals and<br />

other products, along with<br />

upgrading all our marketing<br />

collateral. We had viewed a<br />

new site for Cambridge just<br />

before lockdown (we’ve outgrown<br />

our existing site and<br />

wanted to build the London<br />

model in Cambridge), the<br />

lockdown created the perfect<br />

environment for a good<br />

deal from the landlords<br />

on the site, so we are now<br />

close to exchanging on that<br />

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and hope to be open later<br />

this year. In January we had<br />

also agreed terms on a second<br />

super exciting City site<br />

which was due to open at<br />

the end of this year, obviously<br />

paused for now, but<br />

hopefully open April 2021.<br />

We have developed a new<br />

omnichannel business<br />

model which we will roll out<br />

from the new Cambridge<br />

site and beyond which<br />

spans in-store dining, delivery,<br />

click & collect, and<br />

our ready meals and product<br />

range. Afroditi Krassa<br />

is also designing the new<br />

restaurant, so all in all we<br />

are very upbeat and positive<br />

about the future, and<br />

intend to fully resume our<br />

mission to get to 5 sites by<br />

2023.<br />

What are the worst mistakes<br />

restaurants make<br />

when catering for vegans?<br />

Serving the vegetarian option<br />

minus the dairy, without<br />

adding anything for<br />

flavour! Historically restaurants<br />

viewed vegan food as<br />

all about ‘lack’ and seemed<br />

to think vegans just want to<br />

eat salad (literally lettuce,<br />

tomato and cucumber!) and<br />

have no desire for a gourmet<br />

culinary experience.<br />

Stuffed vegetables too are<br />

an old school vegetarian/<br />

vegan staple which are still<br />

over used and part of the<br />

reason I started a vegan<br />

restaurant (I never want to<br />

see a stuffed pepper again)!<br />

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Fortunately, things are<br />

much better now, and I<br />

greatly appreciate that<br />

restaurants and chefs are<br />

making much more effort to<br />

provide vegan menus. BUT<br />

I still think that unless you<br />

are in a vegan restaurant<br />

where the chefs are working<br />

with getting rich depth<br />

of flavour from vegetables<br />

100% of the time, many<br />

restaurant vegan dishes<br />

are about providing vegan<br />

options, and don’t have that<br />

wow factor. Hopefully, this is<br />

now also changing, but obviously<br />

for me it’s about vegan<br />

restaurants rather than<br />

vegan options in non-vegan<br />

restaurants. I will always<br />

seek out a vegan place as a<br />

preference, and my hope is<br />

that vegans everywhere will<br />

support their local vegan<br />

businesses who are doing a<br />

brilliant job and are almost<br />

exclusively small independents<br />

without financial backing<br />

- they need your support<br />

now more than ever.<br />

Veganism<br />

Honestly, there are many,<br />

many reasons to be vegan<br />

now, but for me it’s about<br />

the animals and always<br />

was. The moment in my<br />

teens when I was introduced<br />

to the idea of compassionate<br />

eating for the<br />

first time was the most significant<br />

‘aha’ moment of my<br />

life. I stopped eating meat<br />

on the spot, and almost<br />

40 years later I have not<br />

wavered at all in that view.<br />

It literally changed my life<br />

forever.<br />

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The longer I am vegan, the<br />

more my love for the other<br />

species on the planet grows.<br />

I am extremely sensitive<br />

to seeing or even thinking<br />

about the abuse of animals<br />

on any level. I do not view<br />

my life as more important<br />

than the other beings on the<br />

planet. I find roadkill deeply<br />

upsetting. The gentle nature<br />

of animals is extremely<br />

humbling to me. I think<br />

in years to come the depth<br />

of sentience of animals will<br />

be more widely understood,<br />

and my hope is that more<br />

people will have that realisation<br />

that I did and literally<br />

no longer be able to eat animals.<br />

It’s absolutely clear<br />

that we do not need to eat<br />

animals anymore, so the<br />

justifications for continuing<br />

with this will start to be increasingly<br />

challenged in the<br />

coming years (in my view).<br />

I think we can all learn from<br />

spending time with animals,<br />

I have dogs in my family<br />

(some vegans may have a<br />

view on that) and I truly love<br />

them. Their gentle loving<br />

nature is an example to all<br />

of us as to how we should<br />

behave.<br />

Considering<br />

veganism?<br />

There are two ways to do<br />

this - the gradual shift and<br />

the life changing moment!<br />

The gradual shift - start to<br />

increase the number of<br />

days in the week that you<br />

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eat vegan, gradually start<br />

weaning yourself off over<br />

time. Get some vegan cook<br />

books and start cooking.<br />

Fall in love with vegetables.<br />

If you are not into cooking<br />

there is such a huge range<br />

of vegan produce in the<br />

supermarkets these days,<br />

everything is clearly labelled<br />

too. Give yourself a month<br />

to adjust. A bit like quitting<br />

smoking, don’t worry if you<br />

fall off the wagon. Get back<br />

on it again, and don’t give<br />

up giving up.<br />

Life changing moment - go<br />

and spend some time with<br />

animals and really deeply<br />

consider why it’s ok to love<br />

a dog, but eat a cow or pig.<br />

Examine your justifications<br />

for eating animals for your<br />

own taste pleasure when<br />

you really don’t need to<br />

and stop making excuses.<br />

Change for good.<br />

‘Dirty’ Vegan Food<br />

I think, of course, there is<br />

a place for dirty vegan, but<br />

my personal path with veganism<br />

is also paralleled<br />

by healthy eating and good<br />

nutrition. This is also the<br />

case at Stem & Glory; we<br />

aim to offer really tasty, and<br />

healthy vegan food, made<br />

just from vegetables. I think<br />

in the next 5-10 years this<br />

will become a dominant conversation<br />

as of course just<br />

because it’s vegan doesn’t<br />

mean it’s healthy. The first<br />

vegan I ever met was overweight<br />

and living on a diet of<br />

potato chips. So yes, whilst<br />

your double stacked deep<br />

fried seitan burger with<br />

lashings of mayo, huge bun<br />

and mac’n’cheese and dirty<br />

fries on the side might taste<br />

delicious, it should probably<br />

be an occasional treat and<br />

not a staple.<br />

At Stem & Glory, we aim<br />

to offer really tasty, and<br />

healthy vegan food, made<br />

just from vegetables. We<br />

are creating healthier twists<br />

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on classic dishes too. We<br />

also believe that calorie<br />

awareness will also become<br />

increasingly important.<br />

If people knew how<br />

many calories were in their<br />

dirty burger they might think<br />

twice. I also think this might<br />

make dirty vegan become<br />

more healthy but still tasty,<br />

as operators also become<br />

aware of the calorie content<br />

of their food and find ways<br />

to make it healthier.<br />

Don’t be fooled into thinking<br />

that just eating plant-based<br />

food without attention to<br />

nutrition and calories will<br />

lead to better health.<br />

At Stem & Glory, we believe<br />

that gut-friendly food, low<br />

in refined carbs, is the way<br />

to go. We focus on natural<br />

vegetables accompanied by<br />

nutrient dense components<br />

such as nuts and seeds.<br />

There is a big focus on layering<br />

umami flavours and flavour<br />

combining to get that<br />

explosion of deliciousness<br />

which overrides any need<br />

to eat huge portions to feel<br />

satisfied.<br />

Fermented and pickled<br />

foods too are really good for<br />

your microbiome and overall<br />

health. In terms of the future<br />

of food, we believe this<br />

is where it lies. Fermented<br />

foods can also play a huge<br />

part in strengthening the<br />

immune system, they are<br />

naturally probiotic, improving<br />

your digestive system<br />

and natural gut flora, which<br />

support all bodily functions.<br />

In my view, moving away<br />

from vegan junk and meat<br />

replacements, towards natural<br />

unprocessed food is<br />

the right way to achieve optimum<br />

health and a healthy<br />

weight.<br />

For more information, visit:<br />

www.seedrs.com/<br />

stemglory<br />

www.stemandglory.uk<br />

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