Why using the correct term matters
This article focuses on:
how we use labels to make life smoother and simpler in daily life
the purpose of labels
why using the ‘right’ term is important
love ♥ living ♥ vegan
Following a plant-based or vegan lifestyle, is about food, drink, clothes, shoes, body treatments, hair products and more.
It's a conscious decision to think, walk and possibly, talk a better lifestyle.
I support individuals who are thinking about making the shift, as well as, those who have already begun their plant-based journey.
This article focuses on:
how we use labels to make life smoother and simpler in daily life
the purpose of labels
why using the ‘right’ term is important
In this article, you’ll find out why Compassion in World Farming believes that from the perspective of human health, environmental sustainability and animal welfare, everyone should be eating less meat, fish, dairy and eggs.
Read More“Why should we bother watching any of these films? We can't make a difference!”
I've been faced with this view before, and I get it because I've felt helpless and powerless in the past. I have also thought that there's no point. I've told myself that I can't make a difference! I've then decided not to act and justified it with, 'why should I?' It may not have been about compassion, the environment or health, but that doesn't matter. The point is...I get it. Most of us have been on this journey and we may well experience it again.
However, most of us have come through it and realised that it's not true. In the same way that every penny, smile and action matters; our thoughts also matter. The thoughts are the seed from which everything else flows, and that's why it's important for us to empower ourselves with knowledge and deepen our understanding.
Why do I need to watch these videos about the planet, animals and health?
These recordings will give us information and get us as close as possible, to experiencing some of the things that we fund.
After watching them, we can decide if our choices are having a positive impact on ourselves and others, and then we will know whether any action is necessary. However, none of this thinking can place until we have empowered ourselves with the truth.
Read MoreHere, you'll find articles that were published in The Times, The Guardian and The Independent. They focus on animal welfare, the environment, health and veganism.
Read MoreThis article is by Dr R Saravanan. He is a qualified homeopath, who has a passion for holistic health. He has contributed a chapter in the best life changing book "Rethink Food: 100+ Doctors Can't Be Wrong" I wanted him to share how he discovered veganism, why he shifted to a vegan diet and the benefits that he witnessed as a result of this shift.
Read MoreI found out that Hsuan Lin was going to be at VegFest and I couldn't wait to meet her. She had a warm, fun and compassionate way about her, which came through in her emails and her t-shirt designs. She sold out of some of her creations so quickly, that I didn't even get to see them! However, I ended up getting three of them for myself! Naturally, the next step was to write this, so that she can tell you about her vegan business, Bazaar De Luxe.
Read MoreSarah Pirri lives in Canada. She is 28 and she's a vegan athlete. Sarah went from eating typical athlete food to going vegan and she has no regrets! Below, you'll find out how eating meat effected her athletic performance, why she went vegan and what she experienced as a result of making that shift.
Read MoreThe first time I heard about The Vegan Grindhouse is when Sean organised a vegan coach trip. Here, we walked around, explored Hatton Shopping Village and the Christmas markets, and indulged on food by Vegan Grindhouse! It was delicious and I'm really happy for them, because they've grown lots since then, and have further plans to increase their reach! Find out more about the husband and wife team, (Andy and Lisa) below.
Read MoreI would like you to meet Lisa Gawthorne. She is the author of the bite sized health and fitness saviour “Gone in 60 minutes.”
Lisa is a vegan athlete and I think the pictures speak for themselves. She's healthy, lean and toned, and she's done it all on a vegan diet! Find out about how she shifted from a vegetarian diet to vegan one, and read about the results that followed.
Read MoreSo...Fudge Kitchen began their journey in 1983. They started making fudge in the UK, under the name 'Jim Garrahy's Fudge Kitchen' and have grown ever since! Their fudge is freshly made, and sold in Bath, York, Cambridge, Canterbury, Windsor, Edinburgh and Oxford.
So they're established and fairly large. Right?
Well....they make vegan fudge too!
I am very grateful to The Jain Vegans Working Group. I wanted the team to articulate what they do and why they do it, so that I could share it with you. In addition to providing this article, the group has been a great source of information and a forum to share concerns, happy moments and more. :)
Jainism is an ancient religion with roots in pre-Vedic India. Jains believe that all living beings - including animals, plants and microbes - have a soul, and that all souls are equal. The Jain path is one of spiritual purification and one of the key practices towards that aim is that of non-violence (ahimsa) towards oneself and other Souls. Jains therefore take non-violence very seriously, and avoid participating in activities which cause needless harm to living beings or the environment.
Diet is a key way in which Jains practice non-violence. Nearly all Jains practice strict vegetarianism, and many Jains also avoid fruits and vegetables which are considered to cause more harm than others. For example, some Jains avoid eating figs due to the amount of seeds within them. Also, there are seasonal practices, such as, green leafy vegetables are usually avoided during the Indian rainy season due to the high degree of insect infestation. Jains also fast on a regular basis which helps develop self-control and reduce harm by reducing the quantity of food consumed.
For much of history, dairy products were considered acceptable for Jains to consume, provided certain requirements were adhered to. For example, recognising that milk is produced by a mother for her offspring; it was only considered acceptable to take milk once the young calves had finished suckling. Traditionally, it was always possible for Jain households to observe these requirements because the heat in India and perishable nature of milk, meant that a Jain household consuming dairy could not live far from the cow that produced it.
Changes to production methods, distribution technology and lifestyles in the 19th and 20th Century has resulted in it becoming harder for Jains to observe how the dairy they consume is produced. The introduction of pasteurisation and refrigeration techniques mean dairy products can be consumed hundreds of miles from where they are produced. In addition to this, Jains began to move into urban areas, far from where milk production takes place. This added to the difficulty of knowing how the milk was produced and whether calves were allowed to suckle first etc.
Towards the end of the 20th century, a number of Jains who were brought up as lacto-vegetarians were exposed to the reality of contemporary dairy production and began to question whether it was acceptable for Jains to consume dairy. Some of the points that motivated a shift were:-
Unfortunately, many of the first vegan Jains were spread across different cities and countries and were largely unconnected with one another. Meanwhile, the majority of Jains continued the social norm of consuming dairy products. They did not and do not know about how contemporary dairy production abuses and mistreats cows. Most were, and continue to be unaware that:-
Some Jains who recognised the mistreatment of cows actively promoted organic milk, unaware that cows on organic dairy farms are artificially inseminated and killed just like cows on conventional farms.
The growth of the internet widened access to information about the treatment of animals in food production. It also enabled vegan Jains around the world to connect with one another, and to help educate the wider Jain community about the inherent problems with dairy products, whilst sharing the positivity around the many plant-based alternatives that exist and can be used instead.
In 2008 two groups were set up to encourage and provide a support network for Jains wanting to make a shift to a plant based diet. These were the Jain Vegans e-group and the Jain Vegans Working Group.
The Jain Vegans e-group is an international forum where members can post questions to, and request advice from, experienced vegans from all over the world. Visit www.jainvegans.org to join and obtain practical tips on how to make the transition.
The Jain Vegans Working Group (JVWG) operates in the UK and works with UK-based Jain organisations to raise awareness about the treatment of cows in dairy production and the relevance of the vegan lifestyle to the Jain community. This is achieved by organising empowering events such as discussion workshops, cookery demonstrations, nutrition talks and social visits to vegan-friendly restaurants.
The vegan Jain community has grown significantly in recent years. The e-group now has over 150 members from around the world, and there are over 900 subscribers to the regular e-bulletins composed by the Jain Vegans Working Group. A number of UK-based Jain organisations are supportive of a vegan lifestyle, and have made efforts to organise events serving only vegan food.
At the time of writing, there is also a vegan Jain awareness-raising group in the USA called “The JAINA Eco-Vegan Committee of Jaina”, as well as an informative blog site called ‘veganjains.com’. No doubt over time other such Jain vegan action groups will form in other parts of the world where Jain communities live.
If you are based in the UK, please contact jvwg@jainvegans.com to arrange a presentation for your community or to receive a regular e-bulletin that will keep you aware of upcoming vegan related events and socials.
This article was produced by the Jain Vegans Working Group. Keval Shah, Mahersh Shah, Minal Shah, Nishma Shah, Rehma Chandaria, Sagar K. Shah
“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages”
- Thomas Edison