18.07.2016 ►Jain Vegans ►Newsletter @ HereNow4U

Jain Vegans

With Wimbledon and Euro 2016 recently completed, the Tour de France in progress and the Olympics still to come, there should be no shortage of supreme sporting performances for fans to appreciate on our screens this summer. Older readers may remember champion athlete Carl Lewis and premier footballer Neil Robinson - did you know both followed a vegan diet whilst performing at the highest levels in the 1980s? Read on below to discover the incredible achievements of just a few modern day vegan athletes.

There is also news about the vegan cricket coach of Yorkshire County who has spoken out about the use of leather cricket balls and cruel practices of the dairy industry, much to the annoyance of this team's shirt sponsors!

We also bring you news about some recent community outreach work that Jain Vegan Working Group members have been involved with, plus information about upcoming events.

Vegan Athletes

If you thought vegans were all weedy and pale from a lack of animal protein in their diet then think again. Below you'll find champion athletes at the top of their sports, proving that a cruelty-free diet can provide all the necessary nutrition to build muscle, power and flexibility.

Born in Iran and now living in Germany, Patrik Baboumian is the holder of several world strength records as well as being an active campaigner for veganism. Initially Patrik went vegan for ethical reasons but he discovered his strength actually increased as a result of his change in diet! He found his 100% plant based lifestyle enabled him to train harder and for longer and his recovery times were quicker.

You would be forgiven for thinking Fiona Oakes is super human after hearing how busy her life is. Not only has she set course records for marathons across the world (including the North Pole and Antarctica), she also somehow manages to run Tower Hill Stables sanctuary which cares for 400 animals. Not only that, Fiona works as a retained firefighter, a job which means she is often on call and needs to be ready to react quickly!

Rich Roll's transition to world-recognised athlete started when at 40 he realised his health was being threatened by a poor diet and inactivity. Unable to climb his stairs, he adopted a whole food vegan diet in 2006 and began to train. Just 3 years later he was awarded the title of one of '25 Fittest Guys in the World' by Men's Fitness Magazine. He is best known for his participation in the Ultraman World Championships, which involves a 6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile cycle and 52.4 mile run over 3 days.

Tim Shieff is one of the best known and most successful athletes in freerunning and parkour. In 2009 he was the Freerun World Champion and has set course records at subsequent events as well as captain team Europe to victory at international gatherings. Watch him set a record at 'Ninja Warrior' here.

Scott Jurek has been one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning many of the sport's most prestigious races multiple times including 7 consecutive victories at the Western States endurance race where participants run for 100 miles! Scott has been vegan since 1997 and claims his diet is crucial in supporting endurance, recovery and health.

Torre Washington is a 6-time champion natural body builder. Vegetarian from birth, Torre went completely plant based in 1998 and has also gone on to become a vegan advocate.

Mac Danzig is a retired MMA (mixed martial artist) who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mac has been vegan since 2006 and is an animal rights advocate.

Brendan Brazier is a Canadian former Ironman triathlete and a vegan advocate. He is the author of The Thrive Diet (2007), Thrive Fitness (2009), and Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health (2011).

For more information about these champion athletes plus news about dozens of others, please click here.

Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, currently ranked world number 1, experienced a big improvement in his fitness and performance when he went wheat and dairy free a few years ago. So much so, recently the tennis ace and his wife decided to open a vegan restaurant called Eqvita in Monte Carlo, inspired by their shared passion for healthy food.

Yorkshire's vegan cricket coach questions use of leather balls & calls for entire dairy industry to be shut down

In his heyday Jason Gillespie was a terrifyingly fast bowler who took 259 wickets in 71 tests for Australia. Three years ago he went vegan following his father's heart attack and from learning about the terrible abuse farm animals undergo to provide our food.

He now coaches Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in a recent interview questioned the use of leather cricket balls. The outspoken 41 year old also called for the whole dairy industry to be shut down, angering one of his county's major sponsors!

You can read more of his interview here.

Recent community outreach activities

1. Talks by Jains at VegFest Bristol - Sagar K Shah and Nishma Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group both gave talks to packed audiences at Bristol VegFest on Saturday 21st May. Nishma ran a cookery demonstration focused around bananas, while Sagar gave a talk on Jainism and the vegan movement in the Jain community.

2. Talks at Shishikunj Bethak - Keval Shah gave an inspiring talk on the vegan lifestyle on Wednesday 25th May at Shishukunj Bhavan, Edgware. The talk focused on actions we can all take to help save lives everyday.

3. Class at SCVP Jain School on eggs - Sagar K Shah delivered a class on eggs to teenagers at the Shri Chandana Vidyapeeth Jain School in Kingsbury on Friday 17th June. The class focused on harm inflicted on chickens through egg production, and included a discussion of alternatives to eggs in cooking, including aquafaba (chickpea water). You can watch Sagar's presentation here.

The UK Vegan community continues growing from strength to strength. A recent study commissioned by the Vegan Society suggested there may now be as many as 542,000 dietary vegans in the UK, up from 150,000 in 2006.

If you would a to arrange a talk about this increasingly popular lifestyle choice to your community, please contact us on .

Reminder: Young Jains Convention, Pause for Peace - 30th & 31st July

The Young Jains Convention, "Pause for Peace", is a two-day guided experience exploring the concept of Peace and Jain philosophy with an emphasis on application of practical tools and tips for your everyday life. Workshops, presentations and group sessions will all delivered in an interactive style during the day as well as social activities on Saturday night. You will be taken on a structured journey and will leave feeling inspired.

Open to all faiths, there will also be a kids convention running also!

All meals 100% Jain & vegan.

For tickets visit website: http://youngjains.org.uk/convention/

Reminder: Join Jains at Snowdon Vegan Party: Fri 29th to Sun 31st July

The 4th annual sponsored walk up to the summit of Mount Snowdon will take place on Saturday 30th July. Everyone involved will be raising funds for the Vegan Organic Network, and also attempting to break the world record of the most people eating cake (vegan of course) on a mountain!! The current world record (pictured) of 214 people was set in 2014 event.

The Vegan Organic Network is a UK registered charity which aims to research and promote vegan organic (also known as stockfree organic) methods of agriculture and horticulture throughout the world so that green, clean and cruelty-free food becomes widely available. Vegan organic/stockfree organic broadly means any system of cultivation that excludes artificial chemicals, livestock manures, animal remains from slaughterhouses, genetically modified material and indeed anything of animal origin such as fishmeal.

If you would like to join the mountain walking group, please visit the following website for detailed information and registration: www.snowdonveganparty.co.uk. More than ten Jains will be taking part this year on the sponsored walk, including two youngsters, Rishabh (12) and Khilan. Even if you can’t attend, please consider sponsoring these bold brothers and their adult companions through Khlian Varia's mydonate page:
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/khilanvaria1

All proceeds go to the Vegan Organic Network

Shambhu's summer holiday cookery classes for children: 25th - 28th July

Nishma of Shambhu's is providing a hands-on cookery course intended to teach children (8-14 years of age) how to cook a variety of delicious healthy meals using only plant-based ingredients, from Monday 25th until Thursday 28th July.

A different country's culinary style (Mexican, Italian, Lebanese and English) will be featured on each of the 4 days of the course, however your child may book to attend for individual days also, availability permitting.

Further details and booking information can be found

Upcoming vegan events

Vibrant social events in London

For information on monthly informative talks, regular scenic walks at different locations in London, social meals at some of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in the city, social meetups in London among like-minded folk, check out the follow links:
London Vegans and London Vegan Meetup

Maidstone Vegan Festival - Sat 23rd July
www.facebook.com/events/1744316242464541
(Nishma & Mahersh Shah of the Jain Vegans Working Group will be running their Shambhu's vegan catering stall at this event:-))

Summer Holiday Cookery Classes for Children - 25th to 28th July
www.shambhus.co.uk/children-classes

Snowdon Vegan Cake Party - Fri 29th to Sun 31st July
www.snowdonveganparty.co.uk

Pause for Peace - Young Jains Convention 2016 - Sat 30th and Sun 31st July
Vegan Jain meals included
http://youngjains.org.uk/convention

For a list of many other great upcoming vegan events, visit this link:
www.shambhus.co.uk/events

Vegan recipes & cookery classes

Do you need advice and tips on how to veganise your favourite dishes or perhaps you're looking for ways to introduce more plant based cuisine into the family diet? If so check out the following listings:

Vegan recipes

Would you like to share the recipe for a favourite Jain vegan dish? Please email us on for publication on our website.
(Please accurately state all measurements in metric units)

Vegan cookery classes & demos

Abuse and killing of cows in milk production

The abuse and killing of cows on dairy farms is the main reason why many members of the Jain community have decided to make a switch to a vegan lifestyle:

The cow is forcefully impregnated by means of artificial insemination. If a cow isn’t made pregnant, she won’t produce milk.
The newborn calf is normally taken away from its mother within 24-48 hours. This is traumatic for cows, who, like human mothers, are very motherly and develop strong bonds with their babies.
Male calves are killed shortly after birth or sold on for meat/leather production. They have no other use to dairy farmers.
Female calves are kept on to replace their mothers as milk-producing cows.
The mother cow will be killed when 5-7 years old, even though she could live for 20 to 30 years if given the chance. This is because after bearing a calf and giving milk each year, her milk yield drops such that it is no longer profitable for a dairy farmer to keep her alive.

Even though cows on organic farms might experience slightly better conditions, they are still artificially inseminated and killed long before they would leave their bodies naturally. For further information about the way in which cows and other animals are exploited in the milk production process, please visit the Vegan Society website: http://www.vegansociety.com/try-vegan/why-go-vegan