THE VEGAN NEWS

NOVEMBER 1998

The Vegan News is written and edited by P M Lloyd. Please e-mail your contributions to the editor at: pauline@bury-rd.demon.co.uk or fill in the form provided.

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In This Month's Issue:

Recipe of The Month

Parkin

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

Method

  1. Place the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix in the oil.

  2. Add the treacle and enough water to beat. Beat well.

  3. Transfer the mixture to a 7" lined, square cake tin (or a lined baking tray) and smooth the mixture down.

  4. 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.

If you are wondering what to do with the flesh out of your Halloween pumpkin, why not try Tara's Vegan Pumpkin Pie? Incidentally, you will find more links to pumpkin recipes in last October's Vegan News.

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World Vegan Day - November 1st

Calcium!

This year for World Vegan Day, the Vegan Society is running a campaign, focusing on plant sources of calcium. So are you getting enough of it? 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 which needs to be taken into account when it comes to building strong bones.

Preventing Osteoporosis - Strong Bones in 7 Easy Steps:

  1. Eat calcium-rich, plant foods regularly. (See list below.)
  2. Stay active and take regular weight bearing exercise - e.g. tennis, walking, running.
  3. 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.)
  4. Don't smoke.
  5. Avoid caffeine containing beverages and consume little alcohol.
  6. Reduce salt intake.
  7. 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.)

  1. Hiziki (1,400 mg)
  2. Wakame (1,300 mg)
  3. Arame (1,170 mg)
  4. Sesame Seeds (1,160 mg)
  5. Blackstrap Molasses (800-1400 mg)
  6. Kelp (1,093 mg)
  7. Parsley (330 mg)
  8. Dried Figs (280 mg)
  9. Almonds (250 mg)
  10. Watercress (220 mg)
  11. Soya beans (226 mg)
  12. Soya Flour (210 mg)
  13. Hazelnuts (209 mg)
  14. Mustard Greens (183 mg)
  15. Brazil nuts (180 mg)
  16. Kale (176 mg)
  17. Tofu (159 mg)
  18. Chickpeas (150 mg)
  19. Miso (140 mg)
  20. Broccoli (103 mg)

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:

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November Product Review:

This Month - Organic Products:

 Organic farming is a sustainable approach to farming which uses traditional methods. In organic farming, the use of agrochemicals e.g. insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and artificial fertilisers and the constant use of machinery is avoided. The soil is enriched naturally by adding extra humus - of either animal or plant origin - and pests are controlled, without using pesticides, by using techniques such as crop rotation and by growing a wide variety of crops, instead of just relying on one or two types of crop. As an additional bonus, organic products do not contain any genetically engineered ingredients. The following four organic products are all suitable for vegans:

  1. 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. I paid £1.99 for a 135 g jar in Traders Fair World Shop.

  2. 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. I paid £1.75 for a 275 g jar in a Traders Fair World Shop. Note: This peanut butter needs to be refrigerated after opening.

  3. 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. I found a 310g jar of this tahini in a health shop for £1.69.

  4. 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.

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Vitamin B12 Update:

Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria which live in the soil as well as in the intestines of humans and other animals. Animal foods are a good source of vitamin B12 in the diet and although B12 deficiency is rare in vegans, all vegans should make sure that they obtain a regular supply of this important vitamin from a reliable, non-animal source, as B12 deficiency can cause pernicious anaemia, and neurological symptoms. It is recommended that adult vegans, living in the UK, should have an average daily intake of 1.5 micrograms.

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:


  1. Vitamin tablets.
  2. Some types of nutritional yeast which are grown on B12-enriched molasses.
  3. Yeast extract (e.g. Natex).
  4. Some soya milks (e.g. Plamil concentrated).
  5. Some soya mince/soya chunk products (e.g. Holland & Barrett's unflavoured soya chunks and Direct Food's Smokey Snaps).
  6. B12 fortified margarines.
  7. B12 fortified breakfast cereals.

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What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?


  1. 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.

  2. Worm Composting!

    After writing last month's article on 'Worm composting' I thought I'd have a go at it myself - despite already having two ordinary garden composters. Hopefully, by also having a worm composter I will be able to reduce the number of times I have to walk across muddy grass, in the winter, to get to the nearest garden composter! Here is how I made my worm composter:

    The only thing that I had to purchase especially to make my worm composter was a large sack of gravel which cost £1.69 from a DIY shop. I made the composter itself from an old, kitchen, rubbish bin which had been 'thrown out' because it had a broken swing lid. In the bottom of the bin, I drilled a hole and fitted a spare water butt tap for drainage, then I covered the bottom of the bin with about 40 pence worth of the gravel to a depth of 2-3". On top of the gravel layer I placed a piece of wood in which I had drilled some holes in order to allow any liquid to drain to the bottom of the bin. And on top of this I placed the worm's bedding which consisted of a mixture of damp, shredded newspaper, mature garden compost and some leaf mould. A supply of tiger worms was obtained from one of my garden composters and the worms were mixed in with the bedding, before covering it with a layer of soil. 'Dinner' was then served - a mixture of teabags, leftover sea vegetables, banana skins, carrot and fruit peelings, coffee grounds and finally some pieces of stale bread for dessert. Yum yum! A small piece of old carpet was laid on top of the food and a new lid was made using the old binlid frame and a black plastic bin bag. I punched some holes in the bin bag to let the air in and as it was a little chilly outside I wrapped a piece of old carpet around the bin for extra insulation. The bin was then placed just outside the kitchen door, so that I can could literally lift up the lid and pour in the scraps without venturing outside in wet weather. However, when the weather gets cold I will move the composter into the garden shed, so that the worms don't catch cold, this winter!

(See last month's article for more information on worm composting.)

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Any Queries?

Recently, my six month old baby was diagnosed as completely milk intolerant. She is now on a vegan diet, plus prescription milk called Pregestimil. I need to know more about veganism, in terms of the technical product/ingredient details to ensure I do not accidently give her something which would be detrimental. I also need to know where I can source these products.

Trina Edmondson, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, England

First of all, I think that you might find the resource list in my article 'For Vegan Parents' useful and you will also find some information on ready-prepared, vegan baby foods in the January 1998 issue. The Animal-Free Shopper (published by The Vegan Society) is a very useful little book which contains information on many vegan products, including some baby products. (See Book Review.) You can purchase a copy of it from: The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Rd, St-Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. (Tel: 01424 427393.)

You will probably find that it is possible to purchase quite a few vegan products (e.g. tofu, pulses, beans) from your local supermarket, however, many of the more specialised products (soya cheese, soya yogurt etc.) are often still only available from health food shops. Therefore, I would suggest that you visit your nearest health shop (armed with a copy of the Animal-Free Shopper!) and see what is available. When reading product labels, watch out particularly for ingredients, such as: whey, lactose, casein, lactic acid, rennet - as these are all derived from dairy products.

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Vegan Organisation Review

If any vegan organisation would like to be reviewed in this section, then please email: pauline@bury-rd.demon.co.uk. The following organisations have been reviewed in earlier issues:

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This Month's Websites - Eating Out!

Real Food Daily
Located in Santa Monica (CA) this restaurant serves gourmet, organic, vegan cuisine and offers some macrobiotic choices.

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

Demuth's Restaurant
Situated in Bath, this restaurant offers a choice of vegan dishes and the site has a recipe section - recipe changed monthly.

Salamander Restaurant
Located in Nottingham, this restaurant serves high quality pure vegetarian (vegan) cuisine. Menu changes with the seasons.

Susie's Diner
A wholefood, vegetarian/vegan restaurant located in Edinburgh.

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.

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!

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November Book Review

Vegan Nutrition by Gill Langley. Vegan Society (1995). Price £8.95 plus £1.50 p+p.

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.

CalciYum by David and Rachelle Bronfman. (Bromedia.) Price £9.45 plus £1.50 p+p.

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 measured in cups.)

You can obtain both of these books by mail order from: The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Rd, St-Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. Tel: 01424 427393.

Alternatively visit the Vegan Society's On-line Shop.

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