THE VEGAN NEWS 

JANUARY 2000

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In This Month's Issue:

Recipe of the Month

Stewed Apples With Carob Sauce

Ingredients:

Method

  1. Prepare the apples as described above. Wash the apple slices and place them in a dish with the sultanas. Microwave for approx 5-6 minutes, or until the fruit is soft. (If you don't have a microwave, then the fruit can be stewed in a small amount of water in a pan.)
  2. Meanwhile place the soya milk, cornflour and carob powder in a small pan. Stir well to remove any lumps before heating. Bring to the boil, stirring gently and continue to heat until the sauce has thickened.
  3. Divide the cooked apples between two bowls. Pour the carob sauce over the top. Yum Yum!

Recipe Serves 2-3

Note: This sauce can be modified fairly easily. If you prefer a thinner sauce reduce the amount of cornflour used. Alternatively, increase the amount of carob powder if you prefer a stronger flavour. Or for a change, try replacing the carob powder with a small pinch of turmeric. This is a cheap and easy waying of making custard!

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January Product Review

Hempshak's Hempseed Oil Soaps

Product review has been removed.  This product is no longer available. (Updated February 2009)

The Keeper

The keeper is a small, flexible gum rubber cup which women can use instead of tampons and sanitary pads each month. It's available in two sizes A (after birth) or B (before birth) and comes in its own synthetic, leopard skin carrying pouch. This completely cruelty-free and environmentally-friendly form of sanitary protection is ideal for vegans. I found it very easy to use, although non-diaphragm users may take a little longer to acquire the technique necessary for its insertion and removal. And don't let the price put you off! Thirty pounds may seem expensive, but I calculated that with the amount I was spending on sanitary protection each month that I should pay for mine in just under a year. This seems like quite a good investment to me, especially when you consider that each keeper's life expectancy is at least 10 years. (Updated February 2009 - This product is no longer available. However, a similar product known as the Mooncup is available from The Natural Collection for £16.95 (Order Code: 16248), but I have not personally tested this newer product out.)

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Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

There are two essential fatty acids:

  1. Linoleic acid (also known as LA) which belongs to the omega-6 group of fatty acids
  2. Alpha-linolenic acid (or LNA) which belongs to the omega-3 group of fatty acids.

Essential fatty acids are needed for the proper functioning of the human body. They are said to be 'essential' because they are required by the human body, but because they cannot be made in the body we have to obtain a regular supply of them from our diet. EFAs are generally considered to be 'healing' fats because they appear to offer some protection against many of the degenerative diseases which are so common in Western society.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

LNA, as already mentioned above, belongs to the omega-3 group of fatty acids. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are also omega-3 fatty acids. However, DHA and EPA are not classified as essential fatty acids because they can be made in the human body from alpha-linolenic acid, providing sufficient LNA is present in the diet. Omnivores can usually obtain enough EPA and DHA directly from their diet, as long as they regularly consume some high-fat, cold water fish such as salmon, trout, mackeral or sardines. Vegans obviously can't do this and have to make their own EPA and DHA from scratch. They do this by converting alpha-linolenic acid obtained from the plant foods in their diet.

The fish oils, EPA and DHA, have been shown to have many beneficial effects - reducing the likelihood of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes, reducing blood pressure and even lowering triglyceride levels by up to 65%. But as non-fish eaters, vegans don't need to miss out on these benefits! All we need to do is to make sure that we include some good plant sources of LNA in our diet on a regular basis. For alpha-linolenic acid is the vegan equivalent of fish oil. (See table below.)

EFA deficiency seems to be quite common in affluent societies and it has been estimated that over 90% of the US population may suffer from a W3 deficiency. (In the UK it is thought to be around 80%.) Studies have shown that the tissue content of EFAs tends to be higher in vegans than in omnivores. Which is nice to know because there appears to be a correlation between higher tissue levels of LA and LNA and a lower incidence of degenerative disease. However, although vegans do tend to have a far higher intake of LA than omnivores (between 1.5 and 4 x the average intake), their intake of LNA (omega-3) is about the same. And when levels of EPA and DHA were analysed, they were found to be lower in the body fat, breast milk and platelets of vegans. It is thought that the high food intake of LA, which is typical of the vegan diet, may suppress the rate of conversion of LNA to DHA.

Dr Gill Langley, in her book Vegan Nutrition, recommends that in order to encourage the formation of more DHA and also to achieve a better balance of EFAs in their tissues, vegans should reduce their use of W6-rich oils such as sunflower oil and include more alpha-linolenic containing oils (e.g. rapeseed, soya bean or walnut oil) in their diets.

The Benefits of Alpha-Linolenic Acid

LNA has been shown to:

Good Vegan Sources of EFAs (LNA and LA)

The figures given in the table below were taken from the book 'Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill' by Udo Erasmus (Alive Books, 1993).

The Fatty Acid Composition of Various Seed Oils

Seed Type % Omega-3 (W3) % Omega-6 (W6)
Hemp 20% 60%
Chia 30% 40%
Flax 58% 14%
Soya Bean 7% 50%
Walnut 5% 51%
Pumpkin 0-15% 42-57%
Safflower None 75%
Sunflower None 65%
Grape None 71%
Corn None 59%
Sesame None 45%

The blue section of the table above shows the oils which contain both EFAs. These oils are a good source of LNA. The oils listed in the white section only supply linoleic acid (W6). As you can see the richest vegan source of omega-3 is flax oil. However, studies have shown that prolonged use of flax oil can lead to a W6 deficiency in about 1-2 years. Therefore, flax oil is best used only as a short-term measure in order to correct a deficiency of LNA, or should only be used in small amounts. Hemp oil is generally considered to be a more suitable oil for prolonged use with its more ideal 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.

Of course the best possible way to make sure that you obtain enough EFAs is to eat whole, unprocessed seeds whenever possible, rather than consuming oils which after all have undergone a degree of processing. This way you will ensure that your supply of LNA and LA is as fresh as possible and you will also benefit from the fibre, minerals and vitamins present in the seeds. Flax seeds are best eaten ground, because otherwise their tough seed coat tends to prevent the release of their valuable nutrients. If possible, grind flax seeds just before use for maximum freshness. Ground flax seeds can be added to smoothies, juices and cereals. Alternatively, they can be mixed in with yogurt. They are also an excellent way of preventing constipation! Walnuts, tofu, soya beans, seaweeds and green leafy vegetables (e.g. purslane) are also good unprocessed sources of LNA, if you prefer to avoid using oils.

Both LA and LNA are unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats tend to be somewhat unstable because they contain one or more double bonds. EFAs are, therefore, highly reactive substances which easily form free radicals when exposed to sunlight or oxygen. They are also very easily destroyed by heat. So if you do use an oil as a source of EFAs care must be taken to ensure that the oil is fresh and that it has been properly processed. (For example by using cold-pressing methods.) Buy organic oils whenever possible. Buy your oils in dark bottles from a reputable supplier and store them in the fridge after opening. Buy oils in small quantities and use them up quickly, certainly within 2-3 months. NEVER heat these oils! Use them cold in salad dressings, or add them to pasta, noodles, or steamed vegetables after cooking. The recommended dose of flax oil for healthy people is 1-2 tsps/day. But larger amounts of flax oil are often used to treat degenerative diseases such as terminal cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Further Reading:

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What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?

January is a good month for planning out what you will grow in your garden, organising your crop rotation plans and purchasing any new seeds and other gardening items that you will need next season. I must admit I rather like browsing through seed catalogues at this time of year. It reminds me of the warmer weather and nicer things to come!

Deciding which varieties to grow can of course sometimes be quite difficult. In order to make the selection process a little easier I tend to grow quite a few tried-and-tested old favourites each year - crops which I know will do well in my garden conditions. One such crop is beetroot which never seems to disappoint, another is onions which also seem to do consistently well in my garden. In addition, I always grow plenty of calcium-rich, green veggies each year and a good selection of useful nitrogen-fixing pea and bean crops. However, in addition to growing my usual well-tested varieties each year, I also like to experiment with a few new crops that I haven't grown before. One of my resolutions for the new millennium is to grow more uncommon and heritage vegetables in my garden. (See this month's article to find out why you should do this too!) And after browsing through quite a few seed catalogues I finally decided to grow the following varieties of heritage vegetables in my garden for the new millennium:

(If you wish to order any of the above seeds, then you will find the seed companies' addresses listed in this month's article on Heritage Vegetables.)

By early January you also need to complete orders for any seed potatoes, shallots, garlic and onion sets that you require. And don't forget that it's still possible to plant out new fruit bushes and trees this month, so now's the time to visit your local nursery and find out what's on offer. (You will find more information on planting fruit trees in the gardening section of last January's issue.) Garlic cloves can also be planted in January/February. Try Printanor. This variety of garlic grows well in the UK and can be obtained from the Organic Gardening Catalogue.

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  Other Interesting Websites

The Vegan Society (UK)

An excellent site and a particularly good starting point for obtaining information for the new or intending vegan. You can now visit their online Shop.

The Seitan Recipe Directory

Useful if you are looking for vegetarian recipes which use seitan!

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January Book Review

Heritage Vegetables by Sue Stickland (Gaia Books Ltd, 1998)

Help to protect our vegetable heritage! A clear and comprehensive account of why our heritage vegetables are in danger of disappearing. And why it's so important that they don't! This book also contains a detailed directory of heritage vegetables and advice on how to save your own seed. At the back of the book there's a useful list of heritage seed suppliers and heritage organisations, both in the UK and abroad. Lovely colour photos throughout the book.

Heritage Vegetables is available from: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/publications/books.php  Price £9.74.  (Updated in February 2009)

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