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Building the perfect veganDuring this series we’re going to go into thedetails of training, diet & recovery in somedetail. You have options. If you don’t want toknow the ‘whys’, then you can just follow alongwith the example at the end, but if you want toknow why things are as they are, then readingthe first part will explain that.Text and photos: Pete Ryan Dip ISSA CFT SPNSo let’s start with diet & getting a healthy bodythrough nutrition. Your diet will depend uponyour lifestyle more than any other factor. Themore active you are, then more you will need toconsume. It will also be affected by your genetics,the climate, stress & other factors. Obviously wecan’t cover all of those in details, but there are waysto make general, broad statementsFirstly whole foods are the best way to eat themajority of your food. Having some raw foodeveryday will also be helpful to your goals. Eatingwhole foods will help control total calories eaten &they will also help get all the trace nutrients you canmiss if you’re eating processed foods.Next up is water. For those who wish to lose fator are training, or even who wish to think clearlywater plays a vital role. If you are even slightlydehydrated then several things happen. For thosetrying to lose fat it ‘switches off’ the fat utilisationsystem & starts storing energy as fat. That’s right, ifyou are dehydrated you will store more fat eveneating the same calories! For those doing exercisedehydration limits performance, so you can do lessAn example of a meal plan:BreakfastLunchEvening mealPorridge (add in ground flaxseeds AFTER cooking, youcan also add protein powder ifyou are a strength athlete)Mug of herbal teaB12 pill, multi vit/min pill,vitamin D pillBean saladPiece of fruitMug of herbal teaBuckwheat pasta, tempeh &steamed veggiesPiece of fruitMug of herbal teaDHA pillsMid-morningMid-afternoonHandful of nutsGlass of rice milkSupperSandwich or protein shakeGlass of almond milkWhole grain humous sandwichGlass of oat milk6The semi-vegan

& what you do has less of a positive effect on thebody than it should. Finally even mild dehydrationadversely affects the brain both directly by nothaving enough fluid & indirectly by causing therelease of stress hormones (being dehydrated is astress on the body), so it gets a ‘double whammy’of bad effects.There are a few supplements I recommend. Irecommend these to everyone whether vegan,veggie or meat eaters. First up is B12. You don’tneed it every day, but the pill is so cheap I suggestthat getting into a habit is a good thing. Next up isvitamin D. In the UK probably the majority ofpeople have sub-optimal levels, so taking somevitamin D is best. I suggest 1,000 IUs for smallerpeople, 2,000 IUs if you are normal or larger. Somepeople need more, but I suggest you have a vitaminD test – make sure it’s a test for calcidiol (25hydroxyvitamin D – abbreviated to 25(OH)D), asthat’s the active form. Recently it’s been found thatmushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light producehigh levels of vitamin D & are starting to be sold instores right now. Vegans need to buy vitamin D2 asvitamin D3 is nearly always from animal sources(there is one manufacturer on vegan D3 so it ispossible to get D3 that is vegan, just rare). The finalnecessity is an omega-3 fatty aid source. This is theone essential fatty acid that people are generallylow in. Commonly found in flax seeds, walnuts &hemp seeds. One of these should be consumeddaily. Having 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds, ahandful of walnuts or 2 tablespoons of hemp seedseaten first thing in the morning will generally beenough, but I do suggest that most people add aDHA supplement in the evening just as insurance(& as necessity for pregnant women, athletes, theelderly & those on restricted calories). Choose onefrom an algae source, not from fish, krill or otherThe semi-vegansea critter (they’ve eaten the algae, so why not getit directly from the source).To soya, or not to soya that is the question! Wellthat would be question if you believed the scaremongers on the net who rely on your lack ofknowledge to frighten you into avoiding what isbasically a normal bean. There are some things towatch out for in soya it can affect iodine uptake, soif you are low in iodine then you could slow yourthyroid (personally I have a small amount of kelppowder daily, you only need a quarter of a teaspoonto get all the iodine you need). Soya does notfeminise males. This is a complete myth – theyhave taken extreme animal experiment results &used them as ‘proof’ of effect, this is absurd! It’slike taking mother’s milk, filtering out all theoestrogen, force-feeding a male the concentratedhormone & then when he develops femalecharacteristics saying “see mother’s milk feminisesyou!” it is a silly idea. Personally I eat tofu, tempeh& soya milk on occasions, but I do avoid soyaprotein powder, not because it’s bad, but because Ieat soya, so prefer to get a pea, rice or hemp proteinpowder just for variety. So, treat soya like any otherfood, don’t binge, but don’t starve rather than eat it.I think we’ve covered enough of the background,so now let’s get onto an example of a meal plan.(See box below.) I believe the average size maleshould eat about 6 times a day, the average femaleabout 5. For smaller people you may want to eatless frequently or meal sizes will be too small tosatisfy.If you need any further advice or help, feel freeto contact me. As well as being a personaltrainer & massage therapist I am also a fullyqualified clinical nutritionist, so can help youwith any issues you are likely to face. Reach mevia the web site: www.veganbodybuilding.org7

Our organic journeyFollowing a Permaculture course on the Isle ofMan 2008 the decision was made, that when wegot back home we would get an allotment withthe intention of growing food. Especially herbsand flowers for home use. This venture did notstart straight away, as we moved house fromEvesham to Abingdon, Oxfordshire.Text and photos: Sophie Christopher-BowesOnce we had settled down we then put ourname on the mailing list and then waited.But in the mean time read lots in books anddid research on the internet. Our window sill in thekitchen came in very handy for growing herbsespecially in winter months, we regarded this asmall scale miniature ecosystem of which we arethe chief wardens. We kept the herbs tidy andhealthy, even learning the Latin names of the herbswhich also give use a sense of pride andachievement.Months went by and we still did not hearanything from the council about a allotment space.Then in the winter of 2009 we had a call from Johnthat a half plot had come available. Hooary!!!Once the site visit was completed we marked outour plot, with a couple of sticks. The land itself wasvery over grown and we knew that first we wouldneed to conduct a full site survey.We followed the Permaculture Designconsideration that we had learnt on ourPermaculture Design course. The considerationwere size, security, physical challenges, on siteresources, potential catastrophes, plans anddrawings, know problems (e.g. local knowledge),level of food self sufficiency required, privacy,water catchment, soil condition, water.Before any work ie. clearing the site could bedone we did the following:1. Information gathering – observation andcollecting data this was carried out at differenttimes of the day and during the week andweekends.2. Analysis phrase – reflecting, examination andcollecting data, recognizing patterns. Discussions8

about what food we wanted to grow, where wouldplots be place, where was the sun highest in midafternoon.3. Design phase – determining strategies, reorganisizing and placing elements in the system.Zoning and sector planning. This is where wewould need to do a design of where we would liketo place our shed, polytunnel, compost bin 4. Management phrase – how are we going tomanage it? We had to think about holidays,weekends away, how much time did or could wehave for the allotment, festival season, business torun, other commitments.Our allotment was full of weeds but at this stage wehad no idea what they were, we also had a lot ofclay in more than half of the site, with areasbecoming very water logged almost to the point ofwellingon boots getting stuck knee deep. We alsolearnt that the site does flood and has done in thepast on a number of occasions, with most peoplelosing their main crops.So we had to start right at the beginning we didnot have access to a local map but used the existinglandscape features, contours and also looked atwhat other gardeners had been doing.We knew that we would only grow vegetablesand fruit that were organic but also to look at theidea of companion planting.In November on a cold morning we startedclearing the site; slowly we dug and dug out weedsThe semi-veganwhich at a later stage we identified.Couch grass was identified which a persistentand invasive weed. Burying or turning couch grasswill not get rid of it, the roots spread and shoots willreappear. Digging the roots of couch grass isHARD work they are dense and bind even thelightest soils. The couch grass grows extremelyquickly.We decided to use a non chemical clearance forthe couch grass.We cut the site to 2cm high and used aneighbour’s strimmer and also a scythe. We thendug the soil using a fork and not a spade as thishelps keep non –rotovated lower roots of the couchgrass uncut and easier to remove in long strips. Wehad to make sure that all of the couch grass hadbeen remove we hand picked this out, pretty backbreaking stuff so we made sure that we took plentyof breaks. This method had to be continued overmonths to make sure that it was all removed.But remember if you already have a garden,allotment or just a small balcony, you can trygrowing winter lettuce:Mizuna – oriental lettuce with mild flavour.Valdor – large solid hearts puts up with poor weather.Winter Density – sweet and dense, crops in earlyspring.Winter Marvel – cold resistant.Until the next time 9

Where do you get your protein from?This will strike a chord with many vegans andfor that matter vegetarians. You sit eating yourdinner at work, or in a restaurant with friendsand this question is asked. Indeed when I firstannounced my decision to become vegan thevery first question a colleague asked me with anincredulous look on her face was “Where willyou get your protein and calcium from?”Text: Rebecca BurkeYou could ask the same sort of questions toanybody who chooses to follow a particularlifestyle and way of eating. If somebodyembarks on the Atkins diet do people ask themwhere they get their carbs from? It also insults ourintelligence. I can understand if a young childdecided to give up meat on a whim or to copy afriend, it would be reasonable to check that childunderstood what they were doing. But I am an adultmy friend! Thirty five years and counting! I haveaccess to books and the internet, I have done myresearch!I value my health and would never jeopardise itby just cutting out a food group and not botheringto see how I could replace it. That is why I lookedinto soya products, looked at vitamins andminerals, and also looked around in shops andonline to see where I could buy stuff. I doadmittedly get annoyed if I see messages on veganforums that go something like this:“I’ve decided I want to be vegan. I am trying tolose weight and heard it’s healthy, thing is I dunnowhat I can eat. I really miss burgers and cheese.I’ve only eaten crisps and bread today.”The common misconception is that vegans mustlive on junk food, chips etc because there is nothingelse for them to eat. Hang on a minute! Peruse theaisles of any supermarket – how much of them areoccupied by meat and dairy? What about theendless choices in the fresh fruit and vegetablesection. The aisles extensively furnished withbeans, pulses, nuts, rice, pasta? Many of these arestaple foods. If they weren’t designed to sustainpeople why are they sent over to Africa instead ofhotdogs and pizzas?How many meat eaters generally think about the10nutrients they are getting? Do they assume thatbecause they have downed a milkshake and eaten asteak they are healthy in every way? Of course theyaren’t. Have they been eating carbohydrates asthese are vital to energy. What about fibre? Fibre isessential for the healthy workings of our digestivesystems, it can help reduce blood cholesterolstudies have shown. It has also been found theaverage American only consumes 14g fiber a daywhen the recommended amount is somewherearound 35.Maybe I could turn the line of questioning aroundon my colleagues next time they ask. Turn thatmeddling self-righteousness back onto them. Hereare some of the questions I could fire at them whenthey are trying to eat their lunch:“How much fibre was in that greasy AsdaQuiche?”“Was there folic acid in that rubbery ChickenShish?”“Did that bottle of Lambrini contain one of yourfive a day?”Is it not considered etiquette to actually leavepeople alone when they try to eat, and live and letlive? Or at least to google stuff before askingquestions – a simple question typed into a searchengine “Other sources of protein than meat” wouldof saved the Spanish Inquisition would it not? Theycan’t seem to fathom why you’ve made thetransition, some people have become almost irateand overly defensive when I say I’m vegan. Is itguilt?Part of me wants to educate them. To furnish theirquestions with full responses and enlighten andinform them. The other part of me wants to usesarcasm in my replies. When I am asked “So whatdo you eat?” I am tempted to reply “Actuallynothing. I go without food I am a medical miracle,a freak of nature in every way!” I wonder if perhapsthey would actually believe me.When I am at home I cook a wide variety ofmeals. Rather than being “fussy” as many peoplewould presume I love food! Some meat eaters mayturn their noses up at many types of vegetable, therereally isn’t a vegetable I don’t like. I enjoy chilli, allherbs and flavourings, all types of rice, pasta,The semi-vegan

beans, lentils – hardly fussy at all! I can cook lovelyvegan delights in my own home, eat a three coursemeal with about 10 different types of food in. If I goto a veggie restaurant there is a vast array of choice.All sounds wonderful doesn’t it? Except when Iam faced with the family meal situation. Cut to ascene around a table in some Beefeater typerestaurant. Nothing on the menu I can have – it’seither steak and chips, chicken and chips, burgerand chips, pie and you get the drift. Yet vegansare seen as not having variety! Major LOL! Theconfused face of the waitress when I ask if theyhave anything suitable. If I am lucky then I may geta mixed salad, a bowl of chips or some pasta intomato sauce. Pasta Neapolitana or whatever otherfancy name – pasta in tomato sauce.Others around the table observe this with wrycomments and inner thoughts of “Why would shewant to choose not to eat meat or dairy look at allthe things she’s missing!” Thus perpetuating themyth of the unhealthy, undernourished, odd, sadomasochistic person who has chosen to no longer eatcheesy chips and Dairy Milk. Yet that is not seeingthe whole picture is it? If only these people couldsee me at home!Another way of carrying on the stereotypes ofwhy it’s bad to be vegan is the typical tale of areformed vegan. Yes just as irritating as reformedThe semi-vegansmokers. The classic story will be “I went veganonce but I got really ill and had to go back to eatingmeat. In fact my doctor told me to eat some steak toget my iron up and some cheese as my calciumlevels were so low.” It makes veganism sound likea risky lifestyle choice one best abandoned at thefirst sign of ill health. Well pardon me but what theblazes were these people existing on? Tomatoketchup sandwiches?!I am happy to say that since going vegan myhealth has improved! I feel healthy, my hair is longmy nails grow so long I have to file them down. Myskin I am told is good and I feel good inside andout. Hardly the picture of a malnourished impliving on spaghetti hoops that y’all carnivoreswould love to see is it?I am tired of justifying my lifestyle to anyone.It isn’t even what I call a lifestyle it’s just WHATI DO! I don’t think about not eating meat or dairyanymore than I think about brushing my teeth itjust happens. It really isn’t anyone’s businesswhat I put in my mouth. It has nothing to do withanyone what I eat or why?! So the next timesomeone looks at me in dopey bewilderment,carcass meat dangling from their confused illinformed lips and barks silly questions at me, Iwill mimic them and do the same! “What haveyou got there?!!!!” “What are you eating?”“Eurgh what’s that?!” It’s food – that’s what it is!Healthy, vegan, scream-free food!11

1. Melt some cocoa butter 2. Prepare some cacao butter.Home made raw choco snacksHow I made my first raw chocolate with lucuma, cocoa butter, coffee beans, hemp and pollen granules.Text and photos: Ishai Silencio4. Get some natural honey, still in it’s comb. 3. Cut the cacao butter so it melts easier. 5. Cut the honey so it melts easier with thecocoa and cacao butter.

6. Mix the honey and bees wax in the partlymelted cocoa and cacao butter. 8. Add some cocoa flower nectar powder. Asmuch as you want the chocolate sweet. 9. This is too much hemp seeds. The liquidchocolate did not fix it all. Next time I wil useless. 7. Add some natural vanilla by preference.10. Shelled hemp seeds.

11. Put three coffee beans in each. In addition tothe coffee beans, I want to use organic instantcoffee powder in the chocolate next time. 13. You actually get 500g organically grownwhole coffee beans in some stores. 14. Coffee beans and flower pollen granules.Here I put too much pollen granules. Thechocolate did not stick to all of it. 12. Prepare the molds. 15. Lots of lucuma powder.

16. Even more cacao powder, the raw one. 17. I used a small spoon and a kind of butterknife to enter the thick masses into the mold. 18. If you are a beginner like me, you willmost likely have ,“beginner’s luck” and make aperfect amount to fit the molds you haveprepared.19. Not surprising, it tastes wonderful!!! :-)20. The author.

Our veganHow lucky we are to have tumbled on beingvegan in this lifetime! What a blessing to avoidimbibing & swallowing all that pain & sadness! –although there is still my consumption ofproducts organic but tahini, millet from China,rice from Basmati Text: Sarah 2Ihave long been trying to

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