What is a vegan?

A vegan (pronounced Vee-g'n) is someone who doesnot eat any meat, poultry, fish, dairy products (milk,butter, cheese, cream etc), eggs, honey or any otheranimal derived by-products such as gelatine and whey.They also usually avoid wearing leather, suede, wool andsilk - as these have all been obtained from animals orinsects - and generally avoid toiletries, cosmetics andcleaning products that have been tested on animals orcontain animal based ingredients. Instead, veganschoose from thousands of animal-freefoods and products.

There are roughly 300,000 vegans in the UK.

Theyoung

person sguide toveganism.

Vegan!

”Why vegan?”Good question! Peoplechoose to go vegan for:

The AnimalsIn a lifetime a meat-eater will,on average, chomp their waythrough over FIVE THOUSANDanimals!* By switching to aplant based diet, not only willyou stop contributing to thismass slaughter of creatures, but you will also savethose animals from a lifetime of suffering.

* A recent study by Viva! suggests this figure could be as high as11,000! www.viva.org.uk

Factory FarmingFactory farming provides little or nothought for the wellbeing or comfortof the animals and birds who arebred to grow as big as possible asquickly as possible. The farmers keepdown costs by not providinganywhere near enough space or careneeded by the animals. Chickensraised for meat, for example, aresquished into giant sheds with onlyan area about the size of a piece of

A4 paper for each bird and are given no natural lightor bedding. The birds often attack each other out of

frustration from being in such anunnatural environment, which is notsurprising really!

The slaughter itself is a stressfulexperience for the animals and manycreatures suffer a slow and painful

death when they are notproperly stunned beforebeing killed.

“That�s Terrible! Butsurely eating fish isOK as they swim freein the sea and we needOmega 3?”

Nope! The single greatestthreat to sea life is over-fishing. Farmed fish are notthe solution either as they consume large amountsof wild fish: 1 kg of farmed fish will be fed with upto 5 kg of wild fish! And, these days, sea fish are fullof nasty pollutants like PCBs, dioxins and mercury.Since omega-3 is also found in plant sources suchas flax oil, there really is no excuse for that fishynonsense!

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Cutting meat and fish out of your diet is a greatstep in the right direction, but dairy cows (whoproduce milk) are not given any easier lives thanones bred for meat. Like humans, cows onlylactate (produce milk) after giving birth and so arekept in a constant cycle of pregnancy andlactation. The calves that should be drinking thecow's milk are taken away from their mothersalmost immediately: the males are killed straightaway or transported abroad to be fattened up andkilled for the veal market.

In addition, dairy cows have been bred to produce10 times more milk than their udders (that's cowboobs to you!) are designed to hold, placingenormous strain on their bodies until the daywhen their milk yield drops and they are sent toslaughter.

Most laying hens are keptin cages so small they can'teven stretch their wings,peck or scratch the ground.These poor birds are sentto slaughter after a year ofegg production when theiryield drops. New chicks arebred to replace the hensbut only the females willgo on to lay eggs, so at justa day old the 'useless' malechicks are either gassed todeath or minced alive.

“So� should Ibecome avegetarian tohelp preventthis cruelty?”

“And eggs?”

If a person stops eating meat butcontinues to eat dairy produce andeggs, they still contribute to thedemand for food products that causethis immense suffering.

Go Vegan!

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“But organic and/or free range meat�eggs and dairy products don�t cause

suffering���do they?”People who are sickened by the cruelty of factoryfarming sometimes think that free range or organicproduce is the answer. Sadly, it is not. Maleoffspring in the dairy and egg industries are equallyworthless and share the same fate as those who arereared the ‘regular’ way. There is no system of farmproduction that does not involve the exploitationand suffering of animals.

The Planet

Unfortunately, not many people knowthat a varied vegan diet uses half theamount of land used to produce avegetarian diet and one fifth of theamount used for a typical meat-baseddiet .

To provide enough foodto feed the animalseaten by humans, richcountries in the Westchop down large areasof rainforest to growfeed crops. A lot ofpeople blame veggiesand vegans for thedeforestation caused bysoya cultivation, butabout 90% of soyaprotein is actually usedto feed animals that willend up on the plates ofmeat eaters!

For more in-depth information about theexploitation of animals, check out:

www.vegansociety.com/html/animals/

The Vegan Society Shop also stocks books on animalrights issues.

For some reason vegans havebeen stereotyped as being anunhealthy lot, but a variedvegan diet provides all thenutrients we need for ahealthy life. Plant based foodis higher in fibre and lower in

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For more inforead our freebooklet

'Eating theEarth?'

Health

Plant based diets also require less water: e.g. toproduce 1kg of wheat requires 120 litres of water,while 1 kg of beef requires 3,700 litres!

And don’t forget that all the farts and poo producedby the 45 millionsheep and cattlethat are reared forthe meat and dairyindustries in the UKalone soon add up .Methane (the gas inthose nasty farts) isone of the maingases contributingto global warming.

PeopleSo now your brilliant brain is probably doing themaths, leaving you with the question: 'If producingmeat, eggs and dairy products consumes so muchland, crops and water, is there enough left over foreveryone to eat?' Sadly the answer is 'no'. Farmersin less developed countries such as Ethiopia aredriven into poverty by using their best land forgrowing crops to export to the West as farm animalfeed instead of using it to feed their families.

So there you have it - whenit's all down in black and

white it suddenly seems thatthe question shouldn’t actuallybe: 'why vegan?' but instead:

'why

vegan?!'NOT

saturated fat than meat, eggsand dairy products, whichmeans that a well-plannedvegan diet can also decreaseyour chances of getting heartdisease, diabetes and somecancers such as colon cancer.

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�� Milk: soya, rice, almond and oat ‘milks’

�� Burgers, sausages, bacon, fish-less fingers etc: Redwood or Fry’s fake meat products

�� Chocolate: Organica (‘milk’ and white chocolate), Plamil, Green and Blacks, Booja Booja

�� Sweets: Trebor Softmints, Bassetts Pear Drops. The Vegan Society sells vegan Gummi Bears. Buy vegan marshmallows from www.veganstore.co.uk�� Hard Cheese and Cream Cheese: Redwood's super-melting Cheezly or vegan ‘cream cheeses’ e.g Sheese or Tofutti

�� Cream: pouring cream from Alpro; Soyatoo vegan whipping or squirty ‘cream’

�� Custard: readymade e.g. Alp ro or make your own with Bird’s custard powder and soya ‘milk’

�� Ice-cream: Tofutti, B’Nice, Oatly , Swedish Glace�� Yoghurt: Alpro, Sojasun (natural or fruit)�� Mayo: Plamil vegan mayo �� Margarine: Pure, Suma, White Flora spread�� Biscuits: most Bourbon biscuits, McVitie's Ginger Nuts, Crawford’s Jam Rings, Hobnobs

�� Crisps: Golden Wonder: Pickled Onion, Salt & Vinegar; Wheat Crunchies: Worcester Sauce Flavour; many Kettle Chips flavours

The Vegan Society's guide 'The Animal FreeShopper' lists thousands of vegan productsthat can be found in supermarkets and healthfood stores such as Holland and Barrett.

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“I want to govegan but whaton earth can Ieat?”Another cliché aboutvegans is that theysuddenly lose theirtaste buds and chowdown on food that isneither healthy noryummy. Fortunately,not only is vegan foodgood for you, but it alsotastes great and lookslush! There are loads ofgorgeous dishes thatcan be made withthings like lentils(lovely dhal curry),chickpeas (scrummy

falafel and hummus),beans (chilli non-carneor bean burgers) ortasty tofu. But if this isall a bit alien and'healthy' to you thenyou will be happy toknow that you can getvegan alternatives forall your favourite foods.Here are just a fewexamples: ����������

”So� how do I cook vegan?”

The Vegan Society sells lots of cookbooks to get you started. We alsohave recipes on our website:www.vegansociety.com/html/food/recipes/ and there are loads ofother vegan recipes on the net. Justdo a search and get cookin'!

BreakfastThere are heaps of vegan choices

for brekkie: cerealand fortified soya‘milk’, wholemealtoast with dairy-free margarine andMarmite or nutb u t t e r / t a h i n i ;porridge with soyaor rice ‘milk’, apple,

cinnamon and chopped nuts. Fancya fry up? Serve grilled or friedtomatoes and mushrooms withbaked beans, vegan bacon rashers,vegan sausages, scrambled tofu

and toast. Or, for a special treat,how about pancakes? They’re easyto make without eggs or dairy milk.YUM!

Top TipIf you don't feel that you can go 100% vegan straightaway then take it gradually by cutting out non-veganfoods bit by bit. If you are already veggie then startreplacing the dairy foods and eggs with the vegan alter-natives we have listed in this booklet. Perhaps aim forone vegan day a week and increase when you feelcomfortable. If you are going to be cutting out meattoo, then try the range of meat alternatives available.

Once you get going you'll be surprisedat how great vegan food can be!

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Lunch box ideas Here are somesandwich suggestions to get youstarted - you will soon come up withyour own favourites!

�� Hummous (chickpea dip - found in most supermarkets) and salad.

�� Vegan chee se and pickle with tomato and lettuce.

�� Vegan bacon, lettuce, tomato. �� Vegan pâté and grated carrot.�� Peanut butter and banana.

Chuck in a bag of nibble sized veggiessuch as cherry tomatoes and babycarrots (or carrot sticks) for acolourful crunch. Add a small cartonof soya yoghurt/dessert or somevegan cake or a flapjack to your boxand you'll have a lunch that willmake your mates beg you for some!(Don't forget to take some fruit ornuts to munch on in your breaks! )

Dinner It's easy peasy toveganise your old favouritedishes with all the meat anddairy substitutes around. Here'sone to get you started.����������

Pudding! So many puds either are vegan or canbe made vegan. Vegan pies and crumbles can bebought or made and served with dairy-free icecream, cream or custard. Vegan cakes are easy tomake and you can even make vegan jelly!

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Alternatives to sandwiches include vegan piesor pasties; pasta, bean or rice salads; soup.

For loads more lunch box ideas checkouthttp://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

Spaghetti Veganese topped withgrated vegan cheese

(serves 4)

Ingredients:�� About 400g of spaghetti (check it doesn't

contain egg)�� 2 tbsp olive oil �� 1 onion, peeled and chopped�� 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed �� 1 courgette, chopped�� 6 medium-sized mushrooms, sliced�� 1 red pepper, chopped�� 1 yellow pepper, chopped�� 1 tin of tomatoes

�� Soya mince, veggie mince or TVP mince (notQuorn™ as it contains egg). Rehydrate the mince according to the packet (if necessary).

�� Fresh basil - 10 leaves (optional)�� Vegan cheese (preferably the melting variety)

How to make it:1. Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.Add the onion and fry for a minute or two then addthe garlic.2. Add the courgette, mushrooms and peppers andfry gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.Stir in the tomatoes and continue to stir until themixture begins to simmer.3. Now stir in the soya, veggie or TVPmince and leave to simmer - stirring occa-sionally.4. Prepare a large pan of boiling water anddrop in the spaghetti (break it in half if youhave to, rather than risk scalding yourhands). Boil until tender and then drain.5. Place the drained spaghetti on theplates and spoon on the veganese sauce.Sprinkle with grated vegan cheese andgarnish with a leaf of basil.

This sauce is also great on bakedpotatoes or topped with mash asshepherd’s pie!

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Eat ingOut

As a guestIf you arei n v i t e dover to eatwith non-vegans do make sure that you let your host(ess)know well in advance. Find out what they arehaving to eat and give them a recipe for a veganversion or bring something with you to share.

Public placesMeals like bakedpotato (ask fordairy-free marg!)with hummousand salad or bakedbeans should beeasy to find. Ethnicrestaurants suchas Indian (askthem to usevegetable oil rather

than butter ghee), Chinese, Thai (ask for no fishsauce), Lebanese and Turkish are also a good bet!

Take a look at 'Vegetarian Britain' published byVegetarian Guides (available from the VeganSociety) to find out where the vegan-friendly

places are in your area.

School/college/university meals If there are no vegan options at yourschool/college/uni then ask your head teacher,cook or their caterers if they would be able toprovide some. Ask us for our 'Make yourschool/college vegan-friendly' information packand vegan catering booklet.

Top TipWhen out and about or travelling by train etc veganmunchies and meals may be hard to find. Spareyourself learning the hard and hungry way: beprepared and take some food with you! Look at ourpacked lunch suggestions and stock up on snackslike cereal bars, flapjacks, nuts and dried fruit, freshfruit, crackers or crispbread - they can be real lifesavers!

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Eating at home

If your folks are not very supportive of yourdecision to go vegan, one of the best ways toconvince them is to show them that vegan food isvery tasty and very good for you. Happily there are

loads of great dishes that you cancook to prove them wrong! Andyou don't have to eat completelydifferent meals from the rest ofyour family - just adapt a dish thatfits in with theirs. For example, ifthey are having SpaghettiBolognese, then use the recipe on

page 9 to make a tastyveganese sauce to havewith the pasta.

“Can I still playsports if I am avegan?”

You bet! Far from being'weedy weaklings' there areloads of sporty vegans outthere who credit their winsto the healthy vegan diet.

Vegan athletes include: Carl Lewis winner of 9Olympic gold medals Pat Reeves world power-liftingchampion Scott Jurek 2005 and 2006 winner of

Badwater Ultramarathon (‘the toughest footrace on earth’)

James Southwood British savate (French kickboxing)

champion Brendan Brazier 2003 and2006 Canadian 50km Ultra

Marathon champion and

Ironman triathlete SallyEastall Olympicmarathon runner

Robert Cheekebodybuilder Fiona Oakesmarathon runner RobbieHazeley bodybuilder IsisClegg-Vinell 2005 Britishgymnastics champion ...

For diet and training tips check out: www.veganrunners.makessense.co.uk

www.veganbodybuilding.org www.veganfitness.net

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Vitamin B12 (for healthyblood and nerve function). B12comes from bacteria found inthe soil so most captive farmanimals are given B12 supple-ments in their food. Make sureyou have a reliable source of

vitamin B12 by eating foods such as fortified soya‘milk’ or yeast extract (e.g. Marmite) - check thelabel as amounts vary - or take a supplement suchas VEG1.

Vitamin D (helps absorb calcium and regulatesthe formation of bone). When your skin hasenough sunlight, your body can create vitamin D,but in winter and when sun exposure is limitedyou will need to get it from your diet. Eat food thathas been fortified with vitamin D2 (e.g. some soya‘milks’, margarines, breakfast cereals) or take asupplement such as VEG1. Beware vitamin D3 isaninimal-derived!

Protein (for growth,maintaining tissues andmaking hormones). Theidea that it is difficult toget enough proteinfrom vegan foods is justso not true! The averageperson needs just 10-15% of the calories theyconsume to be protein. Wheat, oats and many nutsand seeds contain about 15% protein by calories,while most beans and many vegetables containover 25% of calories as protein. Eat a goodvariety of soya products, bread, pasta, nuts, seedsand beans every day.

Calcium (for healthy bones). Good sourcesinclude tahini (sesame paste), almonds, greenleafy vegetables, fortified soya milk and calcium- set tofu.

“NUTRITION��Where do I get my���?”

Top Tip The Vegan Society's supplement

VEG1 is a convenient source of vitamin B12, vitamin D,iodine and selenium at a very low cost: just £4.99 for three

months!

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Essential Fatty Acids (omega-3) (theseare the 'good' fats that support the cardiovascular,reproductive, immune, and nervous systems).People may tell you that you need the omega-3sfound in fish to stay healthy, but they are alsofound in flax seed (linseed), hemp seed, rape seed(canola) oil, and walnuts. Just one teaspoon offlax seed oil or one tablespoon of crushedflax seeds every day will supply you withenough omega-3.

Selenium (acts as anantioxidant, good for yourimmune system). A Brazilnut a day is a good source ofselenium or take a supplementsuch as VEG1.

Iodine (vital for good function of thyroid gland(in your neck) which produces hormones). Veganscan get iodine from some seaweeds such as kelp(kombu) or from a supplement like VEG1. It’s notjust vegans who need iodine supplements – Britishmeat eaters get it from eating farmed animalswhose food has had iodine added to it.

Iron (formation of blood). Good plant sourcesinclude dried fruits e.g. raisins and apricots, whole

grains (including wholemeal bread), nuts, greenleafy vegetables, seeds and pulses. Iron is bestabsorbed with vitamin C rich foods, e.g. orangejuice.

To get the most out of your vegan foodeat a varied diet including plenty ofbrightly coloured fruit and vegetablesand avoid highly processed foods,especially hydrogenated fats, andsugary or salty snacks.

For more in-depth information onvegan nutrition check out

www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutritionor read our free booklet 'Plant Based Nutrition'.

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Being vegan doesnot stop at whatyou put in yourbody. What you puton your body needsa bit of thought tooas animal productsseem to find theirway into the mostunlikely places!

Make-up and ToiletriesMany cosmetics and toiletries have been needlesslytested on animals and often contain ingredientslike beeswax, lanolin (from wool), silk, animal fator slaughterhouse by-products. Blurgh! Who wantsto put that on their skin?

Most good health food stores sell vegantoiletries. Look out for the VeganSociety symbol or take a look in the'Animal Free Shopper' for cruelty-freealternatives.

Clothes and shoesMany shoes, jackets, belts and bags are made fromleather, suede or silk. Happily for us - as well as forthe animals - there are cruelty-free options.

Listed below are a few online shops whereyou can find some brilliant vegan things.

www.lush.com (bath, hair and skin products)

www.bboheme.com (shoes and accessories)

www.crueltyfreeshop.com (make-up and more)

www.ethicalwares.co.uk (shoes and clothes)

www.freerangers.co.uk (shoes, bags, wallets,

guitar straps, watch straps, sporrans)

www.honestycosmetics.co.uk (toiletries, make-up and hair products, including hair dyes)www.vegansociety.com/shop (books, sweets,vegan condoms, t-shirts)

www.veganstore.co.uk (food, toiletries, cosmetics)www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk (vegan shoes)

Check out www.buav.org for more infoon animal testing.

“What towear onmy face�body�feet andhair?!”

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Reactions fromyour friends and

family. . .

Hopefully, people willbe supportive of yourdecision to go vegan,but if they do give you ahard time then here area few tips:

Arm yourself with knowledge: it will give youconfidence to stand up for your decision andprove that it’s not just a 'phase'. Tell people thefacts, but don't preach - it will just make themangry or switch off.

Cook your own food: to save your parents time. Ifyou do not rely on ready-made foods then yourfood may even be cheaper than theirs! Go foodshopping with your parents to help check labelsand show them where to find vegan products.

Make contact with other vegans! Check outwww.veganbuddies.org.uk. Look in The Veganmagazine to find your local Youth Contact.

References:

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Help ‘vegucate’ others about veganism:

Become a school representative and put

up a display in your library; organise a vegan

week with vegan info and food samples; give a

presentation or two! Request our CD Rom forschools to help educate your c lassmates.

Start a college/school or local group. Checkout www.activeg.org for news and inspiration!

Visit www.vegansociety.com for loads of

information or contact us for leaflets and

booklets.

membership formAboutthe VeganSociety

The Vegan Societyis an educationalcharity providinginformation on an

animal-freelifestyle and

related issues, andhas been

promoting thebenefits ofveganism forpeople, animalsand the environ-ment for morethan 60 years.

The Vegan SocietyDonald Watson House21 Hylton Street

Hockley, BirminghamB18 6HJ, UK

Tel: 0845 4588244+44 121 523 1730

Fax: (+44) (0) 121 523 1749youth@vegansociety.com www.vegansociety.com

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Please send your completedform to:

Name:

Date of birth:

Please tick box if you are a dietaryvegan. This entitles you to voting rights in theSociety’s elections if aged 18+.

I am renewing my membership. Mymembership number is:

Please treat my membership subscrip-tion as Gift Aid. I have paid UK incomeor capital gains tax equal to the amountthe Society reclaims.My income is less than £8000 per yearand I qualify for the low incomediscount of 33%.*

membership fees

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Please debit my Visa/Mastercard/Access/Eurocard/Visa Delta/Connect/Switch/Solo card number:

Name on card:Signature:

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