Vegan News November 1998

In This Month's Issue:

Recipes
Don't Miss! This Month's Article - Macrobiotics
Calcium!
Vegan Product Review
Vitamin B12 Update
In The Veganic Garden
Vegan Websites
Book Review
The Wildlife Database

When I was a child bonfire night celebrations always included a slice of parkin to munch whilst we watched the fireworks. I was, therefore, delighted to come across this vegan parkin recipe in Eva Batt's book 'Vegan Cooking'. It doesn't taste quite the same as the original parkin (which could be bought in large slabs from most baker's shops in the Manchester area around November 5th) but it is nevertheless delicious. I make a slightly modified version of this recipe - more details below. Make the parkin about 4-7 days before you want to eat it and leave it in a tin to soften. Alternatively, it can be made earlier and frozen, but defrost thoroughly and soften in a tin before use.

Ingredients

90 ml sunflower oil or groundnut oil
225 g medium oatmeal
115 g wholemeal flour
55 g soya flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1 level tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
140 g blackstrap molasses

Method

Place the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix in the oil.
Add the treacle and enough water to beat. Beat well.
Transfer the mixture to a 7" lined, square cake tin (or a lined baking tray) and smooth the mixture down.
Bake at Gas 6 (400 degrees F) for 30 minutes, then lower the gas and bake on Gas 4 (350 degrees F) for another 45 minutes. Test with a scewer - when done the scewer will come out clean.

Top of Page

Calcium!

In November 1998 for World Vegan Day, the Vegan Society ran a campaign that focused on plant sources of calcium. So are you getting enough calcium? Calcium is an important mineral which is needed in the human body not only to build strong bones and teeth, but also for muscle contraction, nerve function and blood clotting. The UK Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for calcium is 700/mg/day for adults, 350-550mg for infants and children and between 800-1000mg/day for teenagers. Breast-feeding women need an extra 550 mg/day, making 1,250 mg in total.

Osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) is the major cause of bone fractures in the elderly and it is thought that this disease may be partly related to calcium intake - particularly calcium intake in childhood and early adulthood. But eating a high-calcium diet alone will not necessarily prevent osteoporosis, for calcium intake is only one of the factors that needs to be taken into account when it comes to building strong bones.

Preventing Osteoporosis - Strong Bones in Seven Easy Steps:

Eat calcium-rich, plant foods regularly. (See list below.)

Stay active and take regular weight bearing exercise - e.g. tennis, walking, running.

Make sure that you obtain a regular supply of vitamin D2, either by exposure to sunlight for 15mins/day on hands, face and arms, or in winter by the use of calcium fortified foods e.g. Plamil soya milk or a vegan margarine. (Incidentally, shiitake mushrooms are listed as containing 2,639 mcg/100g of vitamin D in 'The Practically Macrobiotic Cookbook' by Keith Michell.)

Don't smoke.

Avoid caffeine containing beverages and consume little alcohol.

Reduce salt intake.

Completely avoid animal protein and consume only a moderate amount of plant protein.

The Top Twenty Calcium-Rich Plant foods:
(Amount of calcium is given in mg/100g of food.)

Other valuable sources of calcium, in the vegan diet, include hard water (200-500 mg) and fortified soya milks e.g. Plamil soya concentrated, which also contains vitamin D2.

Further Reading:

November Product Review

This Month - Organic Products:

Kitchen Garden Organic Basil Pesto
Produced in Zimbabwe, this pesto is made from organically grown ingredients and bears the fair traded symbol. Made from basil, garlic, soya oil, sunflower seeds and peanuts, I found its strong basil flavour rather overpowering when I tried to eat it neat on top of pasta! Best eaten diluted down a bit: try mixing a few teaspoonfuls into a tomato sauce before serving it on top of pasta.
Kitchen Garden Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter
Also made in Zimbabwe from organically grown, roasted peanuts, this fair traded product does not contain any salt or sugar and has a rather nice flavour. Delicious in peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Note: This peanut butter needs to be refrigerated after opening.
Meridian Organic Dark Tahini
Made from finely ground sesame seeds which are grown to Soil Association Organic Standards, this pleasant tasting spread can be used in many ways. Try it in dips e.g. hummus, as a sandwich filling (lovely mixed with mashed banana), in pizza toppings, pasta sauces, salad dressings, or as a dessert topping. A marvellous source of calcium and protein for growing children. Look for this product in your local health shop.
Meridian Organic Toasted Sesame Oil
Made from toasted sesame seeds, this strongly-flavoured, nutty-tasting oil has been used in the Far East for centuries. It's ideal for stir-frying and can also be used in salad dressings and to season noodles or pasta. A good source of vitamin E and high in linoleic and oleic acid, this brand of sesame oil is produced in Mexico and bears the Soil Association Organic Standard. I paid £2.19 for a 250 ml bottle. Look out for it in your health shop or supermarket.

Vitamin B12 Update:

I mention B12 here, because for many years it was thought that high levels of vitamin B12 could be obtained from seaweeds, fermented soya foods (e.g. tempeh and miso) and from spirulina - a blue green alga. However, recent research has shown that these foodstuffs mainly contain a vitamin B12 look-alike (or analogue) which cannot be used by the human body and which may even block the body's ability to use genuine vitamin B12. Therefore, more reliable sources of B12 should now be used instead of the above sources. (For further information see Vegan Nutrition By Gill Langley, p.68-83.)

Reliable sources of B12 include:

What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?

Jobs To Do This Month:

This month, continue to tidy up in the veganic garden and finish making your new raised beds.
Continue to collect leaves as they fall off garden trees and convert them into leafmould.
Place well-rotted, organic material on the surface of your raised beds. Suitable organic materials include: mature compost, leafmould, green manure crops and seaweed/seaweed meal.
If any of your beds are too acidic, sprinkle on some 'dolomitic limestone'. (Obtainable from The Organic Gardening Catalogue.)
Winter field beans (see Green Manure Crops) and the broad bean (Aquadulce claudia) can both be sown in November.
Stock up on fat balls, bird seed and peanuts and set up a bird table as soon as the weather starts to get cold. (See December 1997 issue.)
Plant new fruit trees and soft fruit bushes (e.g.currants, raspberries, blackberries) and prune existing fruit trees after their leaves have fallen off.
Harvest Brussels sprouts, perpetual spinach, winter cabbage, leeks and celery.

This Month's Websites - Eating Out!

Manna Vegetarian Restaurant
You will find this vegetarian restaurant in London (NW3). Vegan dishes offered, plus a takeaway service.

Wild Ginger
A vegetarian bistro located in Harrogate. The menu is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans and uses organic ingredients. Wild Ginger also caters for vegetarian weddings and has a takeaway service. (Updated in March 2009 - Wild Ginger is now part of the Bed Restaurant.)

The World Guide to Vegetarianism
If you haven't found what you are looking for above, then you will find plenty more vegetarian/vegan restaurants listed at this site! (This site is soon to be incorporated into Vegetarian Pages. At the time of updating (March 2009) it wasn't yet available.)

November Book Review

In this second edition of 'Vegan Nutrition' Gill Langley reviews the scientific research which has been carried out on the vegan diet and on the health of vegans. Protein and energy, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals are all covered in some depth and in this updated version you will also find an additional chapter on 'Vegan Mothers and Children' and an interesting chapter on 'Milk and Health'. At the end of each chapter there's a useful summary of the main points and an extensive list of scientific references. I am sure that this clearly written and informative book will prove to be a useful source of vegan-related information, for both health professionals and vegans, for many years to come.

This nicely illustrated cookery book contains over 120 tasty, calcium-rich, vegan recipes. There are recipes for spreads and dips, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes, burgers/patties, pasta sauces and desserts and the book also has a nice selection of calcium-loaded beverages. Flick through this collection of delicious, simply-prepared, dairy-free recipes and you will soon see how easy it is to boost your calcium intake by incorporating more calcium-rich plant foods into your diet. Study 'The Calcium-Rich Vegetarian Pantry' and the handy reference table of plant calcium values, at the back of the book and you will be left in no doubt that plant foods are indeed loaded with calcium! I particularly liked the calcium snippets and tips in this book and was amazed to discover just how versatile green vegetables can be. It's a pity that salt is included in so many of the recipes - miss it out if you can, as excess salt is known to increase the amount of calcium lost in the urine. (Ingredients in these recipes are measured in cups.)

Recipe of The Month

Parkin

Ingredients

Method

Calcium!

Preventing Osteoporosis - Strong Bones in Seven Easy Steps:

The Top Twenty Calcium-Rich Plant foods:

Further Reading:

November Product Review

This Month - Organic Products:

Vitamin B12 Update:

Reliable sources of B12 include:

What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?

Jobs To Do This Month:

This Month's Websites - Eating Out!

November Book Review