Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The recent Employment Tribunal case of Mr Jordi Casamitjana, which caused quite a stir in the media, focused on the Tribunals decision that ethical veganism was eligible to qualify as a protected characteristic under the Equalities Act 2010. In that case, Mr Casamitjana was dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct by his employer, the League Against Cruel Sports, where he was a policy adviser. More details on the case can be found in my colleague David Whincupsblog.

A little reported feature of the case was that the straw that broke the camels back (as it were) for the employee was that when he rejoined his companys employment, after a break of several years working on other causes, he was automatically enrolled in a defined contribution pension arrangement where the default fund, among other things, invested in companies which engaged in animal testing, contrary to his philosophical beliefs. Mr Casamitjana chose to invest his contributions in an alternative ethical fund but believed that his colleagues were unaware of the default funds investments. He decided to take matters into his own hands and publicised his views tohis fellow workers to encourage them to switch to one of the ethical funds offered. The employer concluded that he had failed to follow an instruction not to provide what could be construed as financial advice to his colleagues and he was dismissed. He subsequently challenged the grounds for his dismissal and the outcome of that part of the Employment Tribunals deliberations is still awaited.

The principle that workers should not be discriminated against for protected characteristics is familiar in other areas of pensions law, although most of the equality legislation focus in pensions concerns gender or sexuality issues. There has been relatively little case law in relation to religious or philosophical beliefs in the pensions context. However, a recentdeterminationby The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) addressed this point. The complaint was from a member of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund who argued that she would never have joined the Local Government Pension Scheme (into which she had been automatically enrolled) had she known that West Yorkshire invested its fund in part in equities, which the member argued was contrary to her religious beliefs (i.e. contrary to the principles of Sharia law). That member lost her case before TPO, who held that if a scheme member holdsstrong beliefs, it is up to the individual to make the necessary enquiries about a schemes investments (which is of course exactly what Mr Casamitjana did).

What do automatic enrolment regulations say about workers rights not to be discriminated against? Does it matter that the scheme is defined benefit or defined contribution, where there is a much clearer link between the member and the arrangements investments? The short and strict answer is, whether an employee is an ethical vegan or can demonstrate some other protected characteristic in relation to his/her beliefs, that the regulations are silent. Instead, the automatic enrolment regime focuses to a large extent on the requirements of the charge cap applying to the default fund of defined contribution qualifying schemes. In relation to defined benefit pensions, such as the Local Government Pension Scheme, the qualifying scheme test issue is remote from any considerations relating to equality legislation (and of course the charge cap is not relevant) as the test is driven by the accrual rate.

That is not to say that the law regards environmental, social and corporate governance issues as irrelevant. The chairs statement for automatic enrolment schemes requiresdisclosureof trustees policies on these matters, but it is not the case that members have the right not to be discriminated against in the event that an investment fund which is provided for them, whether the default fund or otherwise, is contrary to their religious or philosophical beliefs. The UK is not alone in grappling with such pensions issues the position under US automatic enrolment rules has recently been clarified (see ourblog).

It is tempting to think that Mr Casamitjanas complaint was merely an isolated incident. However, Extinction Rebellion appearances and other, more orderly activist groups, have gained access to Local Government Pension Scheme pensions meetings frequently in recent months. Furthermore, a TPOcasewhich was reported in August 2019 concerned a deferred pensioner of the Shell Contributory Pension Fund who complained about that schemes policy in relation to fossil fuels. The member in question was the beneficiary of financial support from ClientEarth. In that case, the claim concerned disclosure obligations, but TPO found that there were no grounds on which the member could complain that he had been given misleading or inadequate information about the schemes investments. Indeed, TPO found that the trustees and employer had gone above and beyond their strict legal duties. Of course, as a deferred member, the complainant could not opt out of the Shell scheme (although he could presumably have taken a transfer if he was so concerned about the issue).

These cases illustrate that, notwithstanding the inertia on which automatic enrolment rests, many members do care how their pension fund is invested. Whether members actually understand that, in either a trust based or a contract based arrangement, decisions have to be made collectively remains to be seen. However, the argument that the money in such a collective arrangement is not technically the members money but belongs to the trustees/the insurer is of little relevance to complainants. Trustees should note the potential strength of feelings behind member questions and complaints on scheme investments and should seek advice if they are unsure about disclosure obligations.

Originally posted here:
Should Veganism Feature on the UK Pensions Menu? - The National Law Review

Rappers are often criticized over their lyrics and extravagant lifestyles, but a trend toward less consumption of meat among African Americans is apparently being reflected in the choice to go vegan among some hip-hop performers.

In a Gallup poll that focuses on American consumers meat consumption habits, whites report eating 10 percent less meat, while people of color say they are eating 31 percent less.

READ MORE: Jermaine Dupri explains why hes been a vegan for the past 12 years

Popular and influential figures in hip-hop music including KRS-One, Stic.man and M-1 from Dead Prez, Russell Simmons, Erykah Badu, and later Jay-Z and Beyonc, Waka Flocka Flame, A$AP Rocky, and Jermaine Dupri, have made personal choices and business investments toward veganism, according to The Washington Post.

Jay and Bey famously gave out show tickets to fans who went vegan. Cardi B launched a vegan fashion line. Jaden Smith, son of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, started a vegan food truck for the homeless. Eight of the Wu-Tang clan members also say they are vegan. And A$AP Rocky rapped about being vegan on his single Babushka Boi. As an ambassador, Snoop Dog helps promote Beyond Meat.

Jay-Zs venture capital firm Marcy Venture Partners last year invested $1 million in the Black-owned Partake Foods, which makes vegan cookies. He also has put investment support in Impossible Foods, which is behind Burger Kings Impossible Whopper.

KRS-One put out a song as far back as 1990 called Beef in which he cautioned listeners to think about the meat they are putting into their bodies. He rapped that it was a public service announcement.

READ MORE: Several months after his death, Nipsey Hussles legacy inspires The Marathon Book Club

KRS-One was an inspiration for me, Keith Tucker, a health activist in Seattle, told The Post. His song Beef in 1990 influenced a lot people in hip-hop to think about veganism, to think about the meat in the slave diet, about the chemicals that were starting to be put in the food and the rise of highly processed foods.

It appears that many Black people are heeding the message. In addition to the Gallup poll, a 2016 Pew Research Center survey found that while only 3 percent of American adults said they were vegan and 1 percent of Hispanic Americans, 8 percent of African American adults identified as vegan.

READ MORE:Gross inequality in access to healthy food

Hip-hop is the biggest influence on planet Earth when it comes to young people, Tucker adds. Its the CNN for the black community. If we can move it in a green direction, the world will move in a green direction. Its going viral right now.

But more attention and concern for health could also be a driving force. AshEL Eldridge, an Oakland, Calf.-based rapper and activist says the plant-based food movement is catching on as a way of taking back control among Blacks.

How do we take care of ourselves? How do we govern ourselves? How do we regain the wisdom of our ancestry? And how do we reclaim our health, he asked. The answer is to take the reins of ones own body. Theres a huge movement around decolonizing the diet. There is disease related to diets heavily reliant on meat and genetically modified crops and monocropping. How do we extricate ourselves from that? Its revolutionary.

That message is being heeded in hip-hop today, says Stic.man.

When I was a young teen getting into hip-hop, LL Cool J and them [sic] were swole superheroes. Now I see a lot of cool b-boy yogis. Thats a whole movement. There were break-dance battles back in the day; now theres a movement of calisthenics, bar athletics and Nike-sponsored events, he says. The New G Code takes empowerment in a healthy way: I dont care how many weights you can lift, how many people have you lifted up?

Continued here:
Veganism in America is becoming increasingly Black -- and hip-hop is listening - TheGrio

My running is accidental activism in its rawest form. Almost two decades ago before Twitter and Facebook the only way to get a message to the masses was via the mainstream media.

Marathon running was creating waves:Paula Radcliffe was making the headlines. I have been vegan since the age of six, moved by my abhorrence of violence against other living things.

This article was first published in Resurgence & Ecologistmagazine.

Marathon running was a platform for me to promote veganism; I just had to invent a way to access it. Could I compete in a marathon? Could I even complete a marathon? Double uncertainties for me, having one kneecap missing and, after multiple surgeries, being told I would never walk properly, let alone run.

Veganism

The only way to find out was to try. I just wanted to be the best I could to represent veganism in its full and pure glory. When success arrived, so did my desire to achieve more.

Now seemed like the obvious time to find a coach, trainer or anyone who could help me get to the next level of competition, but that proved impossible, as the school of thought at the time was and still is in many cases that you cannot achieve sporting excellence and be vegan.

Overwhelming opinion was that the two things do not work together that they just arent compatible. I was told in no uncertain terms that any effort to improve my performance would be negated by what was considered to be inadequate nutritional fuelling. But this was precisely the negativity and misconception I was trying to address, and promoting veganism was the only reason I was out there punishing myself it was a stance that was absolutely not up for negotiation.

After multiple rejections and even hostile reactions, my only option was to go it alone and learn by trial and error the craft of an elite endurance athlete.

In 2004 I started the running club Vegan Runners so that I could promote the word proudly and positively across my torso as I lined up with the very best at the worlds major marathons.

Now, with four world records, selection to run for my country, 2.38 marathon personal best, multiple course records, wins in places varying from the freezing tundra of the North Pole and Antarctica to the high altitude of the Atacama Desert and the scorching heat of the Sahara, my veganism has not inhibited me. It has enhanced my performance both physically and mentally.

Regeneration

Undeniably we can survive as vegans, but we can also thrive, do incredible things, have superhuman achievements, all fuelled by plants.

Mentally, I see clearly, I know no suffering has gone into my performance, and illustrating this to others gives me the strength, passion and desire to encourage them to follow my lead, and to challenge the myths, break down the stereotypes and set the bar higher and higher at each event in which I compete.

Nutritionally veganism presents no challenge in achieving sporting excellence. The only barrier I have found is toxic human negativity creating contrary and conflicting opinions about its viability and sustainability.

As more and more high-profile elite athletes turn to veganism, this barrier will diminish, until eventually it will vanish. Its not too late regeneration, reforestation, regulation, restraint, recycling, rebuilding and realigning our thought processes to fit a new, positive, ethical and sustainable global model is what will drive me and many others like me to great achievements on and off the athletic field.

This Author

Fiona Oakes is the founder of Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary and honorary patron of The Vegan Society. She is also the subject of the filmRunning for Good.This article was first published in Resurgence & Ecologistmagazine.

See the article here:
A vegan in the running - The Ecologist

Wildly popular across the pond, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are steadily becoming the most recognizable faces of vegan cooking.

The British duo has published four books in less than two years on the importance of a plant-based diet. Five years ago, they adopted a vegan lifestyle and started experimenting with recipes on social media and YouTube.

In addition to being healthy and feeling better, Firth and Theasby believe that promoting a vegan lifestyle can help save the planet because the production of meat requires processes that release large amount of greenhouse gases.

In BOSH! How to Live Vegan, they write, We can literally save the world by eating more plants.

Their latest book, BOSH! Healthy Vegan, was released at the end of 2019. The cookbook incorporates recipes with less all-white, processed carbohydrates, a pitfall to many vegan dishes, they said in an interview with ReNew Houston.

Q: Why should people adopt a vegan lifestyle?

A: Plants are really good for you. Since adopting a plant-based diet, were both fitter, happier and healthier than weve ever been. Theres a reason so many of the worlds top athletes are doing the same. So whether you cut out meat three times a week or are entirely plant-based, were there for you if you need some good grub.

Q: Your vegan cooking empire started on social media. How did you make the transition to the publishing world?

A: We went vegan about five years ago, when lots of vegan recipes were pretty uninspiring. We relearned how to cook and started sharing our recipes on social media. After a month of uploading them, we had 100,000 followers and now have over 2 billion views.

During that first year of posting our recipes, the same comment kept cropping up over and over again: When are you bringing out a book? So we reached out to publishing houses in the U.K. and, fortunately, pretty much all of them were interested. After a six-way bidding war, we found a home with HQ, HarperCollins and here we are, four books later!

On HoustonChronicle.com: Kevin Curry fills void for young men cooking healthy recipes

Q: We get hundreds of cookbooks in our newsroom every year, many of them on the latest fad diets. What makes veganism and your products more than a fad diet?

A: The thing about a lot of diets is that the results can be short-lived. People end up crashing in and out of very different ways of eating potentially affecting your bodys metabolism.

We like to have a more flexible approach to nutrition, healthy eating and fitness. We always use the 80/20 rule: 80 percent healthy and 20 percent naughty. It means you can find a way of eating, rather than a fad diet, that really suits your lifestyle.

Q: The name of your latest book, BOSH! Healthy Vegan, is interesting. Is there an unhealthy way to be vegan?

A: Its really easy to think that being vegan means youre automatically healthy and getting your five-a-day. We fell into that trap a few years ago.

We were trying out several new recipes a day, eating loads of white, processed carbs plus there are so many vegan junk-food places available now. We were beginning to feel the effects of it all. So we started making a few changes to the way we eat. Thats what weve shared in BOSH! Healthy Vegan, which has over 80 healthy recipes, meal plans and guidance.

Q: What started you both on this lifestyle?

A: We became vegan around five years ago after watching Kip Andersens documentary, Cowspiracy. It showed us that eating a plant-based diet can change the planet and theres nothing more important than saving the world we live in.

Q: What is different in the new cookbook from your previous cookbook, BISH BASH BOSH!, which was released last year?

A: We want to show that healthy vegan food can definitely still be hearty and even decadent. Weve made our favorite recipes, but just with lower fat and sugar. Think hearty stews, pastas, warm pies, curries and theres definitely still desserts.

Q: Are there plans for a Netflix, Hulu, Apple+ series?

A: Were currently the faces of Living on the Veg, which is on ITV in the U.K. Its the first-ever mainstream plant-based cooking series in the U.K., so its been an honor to be part of it, as its a real marker for the vegan movement. Ultimately, wed love to reach as many people as possible to show them how tasty and accessible vegan food can be.

Q: Houston is considered a foodie city by most. But we still eat a lot of meat, especially beef. What would be the easiest way for native Texans to shuck those meat-eating instincts?

A: Explore the fruit and vegetable aisle and find out just how versatile they can be. Lots of people are surprised by how easy it is to re-create the texture and flavor of meat with vegetables alone. A great example is mushrooms, which can used to replace minced beef, or ground beef in the U.S. The mushrooms take on so much flavor and replicate the meaty consistency in dishes like spaghetti bolognese, lasagna and pies.

Jackfruit is also incredible for replicating chicken, lamb and fish. There are so many ways to be creative with food that we discovered after becoming vegan. Its easier than ever to be vegan, so try something new.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Cook outdoors creatively with "Wild: Adventure Cookbook"

Q: What are your favorite dishes to make?

A: We love the challenge of creating a dish thats usually centered around meat or dairy and remixing it with plants alone. Recipes like our Healthy Saag Paneer, Meaty Mushroom Pie and Salmon Tofu Steaks from BOSH! Healthy Vegan are great examples of how you can still get those amazing flavors and theyre healthy, too.

BOSH! Healthy Vegan , BISH BASH BOSH! , BOSH ! and

BOSH! How to Live Vegan are available wherever you buy books.

julie.garcia@chron.com

twitter.com/reporterjulie

Renew Houston: Get the latest wellness news delivered to your inbox

Excerpt from:
Henry Firth, Ian Theasby want to save the world by promoting vegan lifestyle with BOSH! series - Houston Chronicle

Its 9am on New Years Day. Im lying in bed feeling refreshed after opting not to enjoy the festivities too much on the most overrated evening of the year, when suddenly it hits me: Im vegan now.

The realisation struck as soon as the 10-second countdown to midnightfinished:from this moment on there will be no more dairy or meat in my life.

Rewind 24 hours and I was, for lack of a better word, shoving anything meat-related down my throat. My mum made me her incredible lamb curry for lunch (I had two servings obviously) and dinner was KFC. Not the talked about and quite frankly disappointing new vegan range, but fully fried chicken goodness. I wanted to savour the last moments.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

Luckily, I had prepared. The intimidating feeling of cooking a type of food youve never made before wasnt there. For breakfast? Beans on toast with vegan cheese from Violife. Nice and easy.

For lunch was Oumphsmeatless kebabs with sweet potato fries and vegetables. You can taste the difference but thats not a bad thing. Theyre packed full of flavour.

My big concern, silly enough, was what would I snack on throughout the day? Fruit is good but I want chocolate, I want savoury, I want sweet. Galaxy do a really nice range of vegan chocolates, which still tastereally nice. You couldnt tell the difference.

Veganuary becomes bigger every year, but it needn't be just for Janaury as these cookbooks make it easy and accessible. Words by Stacey Smith

iStock/The Independent

Since launching her vegan YouTube channel in 2017, Rachel has gained a heap of hungry followers who lap up her simple, delicious recipes (and the dance moves that go along with them). Dishes are often one-pot, can be prepped ahead, and most include a song recommendation so you can dance along as you cook. Within these pages, youll find plenty of meals inspired by Amas Caribbean and West African roots from crispy jerk barbecue tacos or ackee saltfish with dumplings to peanut stew. Although this is really a celebration of all cultures and with vegan takes on everything from Thai green curry to creamy cashew and vegetable no-pasta lasagne, were pretty confident youll find your favourite comfort dish has been given a plant-based makeover. With most ingredients easy to obtain and meals quick to put together, this is modern cooking, for the meat-shunning millennial.

Working with a registered dietician to ensure recipes follow trusted NHS guidelines, the BOSH! boys (aka, Henry and Ian) have bought us their healthiest cookbook to date. Recognising that just because a plate of food is vegan, that doesnt necessarily mean its healthy (vegan junk food certainly exists!), this is a collection of 80 new recipes showcasing their flavoursome vegan food with a healthier focus. Along with advice on sleep, movement and relaxing, theres guidance on ensuring you get all the nutrients you need. And although the boys insist this isnt a diet book, youll find recipes to help you reduce fat, build muscle and generally be a bit healthier. So whether youre looking to up your protein intake (try the ultimate veg tacos), reduce your sugar intake with a summer-berry granola bowl or keep your calorie intake to under 500 per portion with puttanesca potato stew, you should be left feeling suitably inspired to kick start the new year.

Despite Fearne Cotton not being a fully-fledged vegan herself (or perhaps because), this book got rave reviews from our panel, with both flexitarians, meat-eaters and vegans alike. Recipes are approachable, inexpensive and perfect for the whole family, so we can see ourselves working through them all in time. The broccoli katsu curry was a particular favourite and surprisingly easy to make and for tea time well be trying our hand at her date and almond cake with caramel sauce which uses white miso paste and coconut cream to great effect.

If ever theres a time we feel the pinch, its January, with the festivities of Christmas long behind us but the credit card still to pay. Thankfully eating a plant-based diet could be the answer and in this book, youll find over 85 recipes all coming in at a frankly unbelievable 1 a portion. Our concerns that wed be living off of beans on toast were quickly alleviated as we tucked into black bean meatballs and sticky aubergine bao. Full-flavoured, quick and easy, we couldnt really ask for more.

Calling all sweet-tooths! This collection of recipes from Australian blogger Anthea Cheng is celebratory food for the keen baker. You certainly couldnt call dried rainbow pear slices convenient, quick or easy to make, however the impact they have when used to decorate her chai cake is truly show-stopping. If that all sounds a little intimidating, we found the Snack Time chapter much more manageable, with the likes of bliss balls, chocolate cups and cookies vying for attention, as well as Instagrammable breakfast bowls, beautifully presented with nut butters, granola and oats.

After 10 years of hard partying finally caught up with him, Matt decided to switch from the crazy pranks of MTVs Dirty Sanchez to fitness and is now a completely vegan endurance athlete. Believing a natural diet is key, Matts second cookbook is brimming with recipes full of veggies and largely focuses on un-processed ingredients (keeping the vegan cheese or meat-substitutes to a minimum). Some of Pritchards favourites include roasting tin laksa, sticky tofu bao buns and rhubarb and custard doughnuts. If youre yet to convince your pal's that veganism is the way forward, we reckon the Dinner with Mates chapter will convert a few of them, with all the recipes you need to create a Mexican feast, a perfect picnic, a banging BBQ or a cracking Christmas spread. All in all we found recipes really varied, with us ear-marking nearly all of them to try at once.

Lets face it, at the end of a long day the last thing any of us want to be doing whether were following a plant-based diet or not is trying to track down long lists of hard to find ingredients. This is the fourth book from the award-winning cook, writer and cookery tutor Katy Beskow and follows a similar simplified format, with each recipe requiring just five ingredients. Chapters include soups, lunches suppers, sweets and basics, with recipes beautifully laid out and gorgeous photography accompanying each one. Far from being basic, we were amazed to see we could create a beautiful Mediterranean briam (a layered courgette, potato and red onion bake from Greece) which was as delicious hot with crusty bread as it was cold for lunch the next day.

Growing up in a small town in West Bengal, India, very few people, including Romy Gills own family, ate meat regularly. Its this home-cooked vegan food of her childhood that the chef and food writer wanted to share with us through her debut cookbook Zaika meaning taste, or flavour. Theres an entire section dedicated to bread, including gram flour turmeric pancakes which are perfect with chutneys, a variety of rotis and parathas and light naan bread with nigella seeds. The Light & Breezy chapter is all about showcasing the freshest ingredients think watermelon and mint salad; while the Warming the Heart chapter is where youll find hearty comfort food such as spicy red lentil dahl. The section we most fell for though was Labours of Love for when youve got time to really get lost in the kitchen rich, creamy and so warming, we recommend the Baingan masala with baby aubergines, dill and coconut.

The debut book from award-winning blogger and food consultant Nikki Webster shares the same ethos as her blog Rebel Recipes that healthy food neednt be boring or lacking in flavour. Taking inspiration from around the globe, you could never accuse these recipes of being dull. If only we could start every day with creamy spiced coconut porridge and sticky sesame banana! Instead of relying on stale vegan ingredients and recipes this is new-school vegan cuisine for those seeking full flavours. Although despite this, recipes were easy to follow and largely uncomplicated with lots of spicy curries, pulses, flatbreads, salads, dips and pickles making an appearance. With mouth-watering photography throughout, the Cant Believe Its Vegan Desserts chapter is a particular highlight, with the likes of chocolate ganache tart, easy espresso martini pots and lemon curd and thyme tart.

While this title isnt 100 per cent vegan, half of the book is made up of plant-based recipes so we felt it was still well worth including. Acknowledging that most of us have more time to experiment in the kitchen at the weekend yet need dinner on the table pronto mid-week, Elly Pears book separates dishes accordingly. Were very keen to incorporate more Sunday night batch-cooking into our weekly routine, in order to eat better later in the week and with tray bakes, one-pot wonders and freeze-able options, this will keep us suitably inspired.

Dont be fooled by the title, every one of the 100 recipes within this book is completely vegan. The ish comes from Jack Monroes belief that if we were all to incorporate a few more plant-based meals into our diet each week, wed be better off both environmentally and financially. So you neednt be a full-time vegan to appreciate the practical, inexpensive solutions within this book. Although perhaps not the sexiest food chapter to ever be written the whole section on sandwiches was inherently helpful for midweek meal inspiration (especially when you consider the standard fillings of cheese, ham, tuna, etc obviously arent vegan). In true Jack Monroe style, we loved the no-nonsense, easy to follow recipes and believe well turn to this cookbook on a regular basis.

If youre tempted to give this vegan thing a whirl but you really dont know where to start, the 7 Day Vegan Challenge is here to help. There are three menu plans to choose from complete with shopping lists: The Easy Peasy Way (quick meals for those that dont mind repeating some dishes), For the Planners (which requires a Sunday night batch-cooking session) and Fast & Fresh (quick and simple recipes). So a typical weekday might look like, banoffee oats for breakfast, a convincing vegan take on the classic BLT sandwich for lunch and creamy satay noodles with salt and pepper fried tofu for tea.There is also a helpful Q&A intro, which aims to answer the most commonly asked questions for those just starting out including pros, cons, where you get protein from, is vegan food expensive and whether it's healthy. Many meals are freezable or can last three days or longer in the fridge, so whether you give it a go for seven days or longer is up to you.

Veganuary becomes bigger every year, but it needn't be just for Janaury as these cookbooks make it easy and accessible. Words by Stacey Smith

iStock/The Independent

Since launching her vegan YouTube channel in 2017, Rachel has gained a heap of hungry followers who lap up her simple, delicious recipes (and the dance moves that go along with them). Dishes are often one-pot, can be prepped ahead, and most include a song recommendation so you can dance along as you cook. Within these pages, youll find plenty of meals inspired by Amas Caribbean and West African roots from crispy jerk barbecue tacos or ackee saltfish with dumplings to peanut stew. Although this is really a celebration of all cultures and with vegan takes on everything from Thai green curry to creamy cashew and vegetable no-pasta lasagne, were pretty confident youll find your favourite comfort dish has been given a plant-based makeover. With most ingredients easy to obtain and meals quick to put together, this is modern cooking, for the meat-shunning millennial.

Working with a registered dietician to ensure recipes follow trusted NHS guidelines, the BOSH! boys (aka, Henry and Ian) have bought us their healthiest cookbook to date. Recognising that just because a plate of food is vegan, that doesnt necessarily mean its healthy (vegan junk food certainly exists!), this is a collection of 80 new recipes showcasing their flavoursome vegan food with a healthier focus. Along with advice on sleep, movement and relaxing, theres guidance on ensuring you get all the nutrients you need. And although the boys insist this isnt a diet book, youll find recipes to help you reduce fat, build muscle and generally be a bit healthier. So whether youre looking to up your protein intake (try the ultimate veg tacos), reduce your sugar intake with a summer-berry granola bowl or keep your calorie intake to under 500 per portion with puttanesca potato stew, you should be left feeling suitably inspired to kick start the new year.

Despite Fearne Cotton not being a fully-fledged vegan herself (or perhaps because), this book got rave reviews from our panel, with both flexitarians, meat-eaters and vegans alike. Recipes are approachable, inexpensive and perfect for the whole family, so we can see ourselves working through them all in time. The broccoli katsu curry was a particular favourite and surprisingly easy to make and for tea time well be trying our hand at her date and almond cake with caramel sauce which uses white miso paste and coconut cream to great effect.

If ever theres a time we feel the pinch, its January, with the festivities of Christmas long behind us but the credit card still to pay. Thankfully eating a plant-based diet could be the answer and in this book, youll find over 85 recipes all coming in at a frankly unbelievable 1 a portion. Our concerns that wed be living off of beans on toast were quickly alleviated as we tucked into black bean meatballs and sticky aubergine bao. Full-flavoured, quick and easy, we couldnt really ask for more.

Calling all sweet-tooths! This collection of recipes from Australian blogger Anthea Cheng is celebratory food for the keen baker. You certainly couldnt call dried rainbow pear slices convenient, quick or easy to make, however the impact they have when used to decorate her chai cake is truly show-stopping. If that all sounds a little intimidating, we found the Snack Time chapter much more manageable, with the likes of bliss balls, chocolate cups and cookies vying for attention, as well as Instagrammable breakfast bowls, beautifully presented with nut butters, granola and oats.

After 10 years of hard partying finally caught up with him, Matt decided to switch from the crazy pranks of MTVs Dirty Sanchez to fitness and is now a completely vegan endurance athlete. Believing a natural diet is key, Matts second cookbook is brimming with recipes full of veggies and largely focuses on un-processed ingredients (keeping the vegan cheese or meat-substitutes to a minimum). Some of Pritchards favourites include roasting tin laksa, sticky tofu bao buns and rhubarb and custard doughnuts. If youre yet to convince your pal's that veganism is the way forward, we reckon the Dinner with Mates chapter will convert a few of them, with all the recipes you need to create a Mexican feast, a perfect picnic, a banging BBQ or a cracking Christmas spread. All in all we found recipes really varied, with us ear-marking nearly all of them to try at once.

Lets face it, at the end of a long day the last thing any of us want to be doing whether were following a plant-based diet or not is trying to track down long lists of hard to find ingredients. This is the fourth book from the award-winning cook, writer and cookery tutor Katy Beskow and follows a similar simplified format, with each recipe requiring just five ingredients. Chapters include soups, lunches suppers, sweets and basics, with recipes beautifully laid out and gorgeous photography accompanying each one. Far from being basic, we were amazed to see we could create a beautiful Mediterranean briam (a layered courgette, potato and red onion bake from Greece) which was as delicious hot with crusty bread as it was cold for lunch the next day.

Growing up in a small town in West Bengal, India, very few people, including Romy Gills own family, ate meat regularly. Its this home-cooked vegan food of her childhood that the chef and food writer wanted to share with us through her debut cookbook Zaika meaning taste, or flavour. Theres an entire section dedicated to bread, including gram flour turmeric pancakes which are perfect with chutneys, a variety of rotis and parathas and light naan bread with nigella seeds. The Light & Breezy chapter is all about showcasing the freshest ingredients think watermelon and mint salad; while the Warming the Heart chapter is where youll find hearty comfort food such as spicy red lentil dahl. The section we most fell for though was Labours of Love for when youve got time to really get lost in the kitchen rich, creamy and so warming, we recommend the Baingan masala with baby aubergines, dill and coconut.

The debut book from award-winning blogger and food consultant Nikki Webster shares the same ethos as her blog Rebel Recipes that healthy food neednt be boring or lacking in flavour. Taking inspiration from around the globe, you could never accuse these recipes of being dull. If only we could start every day with creamy spiced coconut porridge and sticky sesame banana! Instead of relying on stale vegan ingredients and recipes this is new-school vegan cuisine for those seeking full flavours. Although despite this, recipes were easy to follow and largely uncomplicated with lots of spicy curries, pulses, flatbreads, salads, dips and pickles making an appearance. With mouth-watering photography throughout, the Cant Believe Its Vegan Desserts chapter is a particular highlight, with the likes of chocolate ganache tart, easy espresso martini pots and lemon curd and thyme tart.

While this title isnt 100 per cent vegan, half of the book is made up of plant-based recipes so we felt it was still well worth including. Acknowledging that most of us have more time to experiment in the kitchen at the weekend yet need dinner on the table pronto mid-week, Elly Pears book separates dishes accordingly. Were very keen to incorporate more Sunday night batch-cooking into our weekly routine, in order to eat better later in the week and with tray bakes, one-pot wonders and freeze-able options, this will keep us suitably inspired.

Dont be fooled by the title, every one of the 100 recipes within this book is completely vegan. The ish comes from Jack Monroes belief that if we were all to incorporate a few more plant-based meals into our diet each week, wed be better off both environmentally and financially. So you neednt be a full-time vegan to appreciate the practical, inexpensive solutions within this book. Although perhaps not the sexiest food chapter to ever be written the whole section on sandwiches was inherently helpful for midweek meal inspiration (especially when you consider the standard fillings of cheese, ham, tuna, etc obviously arent vegan). In true Jack Monroe style, we loved the no-nonsense, easy to follow recipes and believe well turn to this cookbook on a regular basis.

If youre tempted to give this vegan thing a whirl but you really dont know where to start, the 7 Day Vegan Challenge is here to help. There are three menu plans to choose from complete with shopping lists: The Easy Peasy Way (quick meals for those that dont mind repeating some dishes), For the Planners (which requires a Sunday night batch-cooking session) and Fast & Fresh (quick and simple recipes). So a typical weekday might look like, banoffee oats for breakfast, a convincing vegan take on the classic BLT sandwich for lunch and creamy satay noodles with salt and pepper fried tofu for tea.There is also a helpful Q&A intro, which aims to answer the most commonly asked questions for those just starting out including pros, cons, where you get protein from, is vegan food expensive and whether it's healthy. Many meals are freezable or can last three days or longer in the fridge, so whether you give it a go for seven days or longer is up to you.

Then it was on to dinner;I was looking forward to this. I had a range of ready-made food available to me from Allplants, a subscription service thatsends you ready-made meals with lots of vegan versions of popular cuisines.

Theres Mexican, Chinese, some classic British food and a whole host of options to take your pick from. Luckily too, theyreboth healthy and affordable boxes start from 4.99 and theres always a sale or deal on to get yourself a bargain. If they dont take your fancy then plenty of other places do similar subscription-style packages too, Abel & Cole and Greedy Lama are both recommended by us.

Its not just the food that Im looking to change, either. I want to incorporate other things into my daily life:cruelty-free beauty products included (I have a vigorous skincare routine)which my fellow pledger Jessica Jones is committing her 2020 to and even dishwasher and washing machine tablets. Im hoping to find some good ones over time so I can completely erase my use of the typical shelf items you see.

One month down the line, I feel good. Ive kept up my running every week, Im losing weight at a healthy rate and barone weekend when my housemates ordered a Dominos and I was sat there eating an aubergine tagine I havent missed any foods or come close to a slip-up. Yet.

Read more from the original source:
20 pledges for 2020: One month into my new vegan diet, I'm feeling positive about what lies ahead - The Independent

By Madeline Wells, SFGATE

Toriano Gordon is the owner of Vegan Mob, a Vegan BBQ and soul food take out restaurant in Oakland.

Toriano Gordon is the owner of Vegan Mob, a Vegan BBQ and soul food take out restaurant in Oakland.

Photo: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGate

Toriano Gordon is the owner of Vegan Mob, a Vegan BBQ and soul food take out restaurant in Oakland.

Toriano Gordon is the owner of Vegan Mob, a Vegan BBQ and soul food take out restaurant in Oakland.

Former rapper's latest hit is serving vegan BBQ with a side of dance videos

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Oaklands Lake Park Avenue vibrates with activity.

A neon green structure that used to house the neighborhoods iconic Kwik Way Drive-In beckons Oaklanders to line up down the block for heaping plates of barbecue brisket, ribs and shrimp. A DJ pumps hip hop music out of loudspeakers onto the street, which waiting customers nod their heads to.

People order at the window, then eat gumbo on barstools or hunch over po boys at a handful of tables and chairs outside. Set up on the sidewalk is local artist Tony B. Conscious, freestyling and selling his graffiti-style artwork, which includes aprons baring the new hot spots name.

The scene is quintessentially Oakland. Theres just one element thats a little different every single morsel of barbecued goodness here is vegan.

Vegan Mob, which opened in October, is San Francisco-raised Toriano Gordons first restaurant, which he opened with the help of Seor Sisigs Evan Kidera. Gordon specializes in taking familiar barbecue and soul food recipes and swapping their meaty, heavy ingredients for plant-based, healthy ones.

I dont even see it as vegan food, because for me to think like that, it causes the consumer to think like that, too. I just want them to feel like theyre eating good food, said Gordon. I flavor it as if it were the same food my grandmother used to cook, just using plant-based ingredients.

If the word vegan conjures images of sad salads and depressingly bland grain bowls, thats not what youll find here. On the contrary: Vegan Mobs menu is pretty much the definition of fun. And thats why Gordon hasnt had any trouble attracting non-vegans as well as hardcore vegans to his new spot.

RELATED:How a shrimp falafel food truck became the hottest club in Oakland

I think that the funness of the food helps spread the culture of veganismbecause people like to have fun. They want to know they can have fun and be safe at the same time, said Gordon.

On the playful menu is a shrimp po boy with vegan BBQ fried shrimp, a Barbequito (a burrito stuffed with smoked plant-based brisket and BBQ baked beans), Impossible Mob tacos (made with Impossible Foods meat), nachos and gumbo. Ordering a Mob Plate gets you a vegan protein plus a choice of sides including smackaroni and cheese, creamy Cajun potato salad and collard greens.

Gordon is definitely having fun with his flourishing new spot not just with the menu, but also his social media presence. Alongside drool-worthy Instagram shots of the food, hes constantly promoting his business with videos featuring goofy dance moves and his catchphrase delivered in a half-sung, comical voice: Pull up on us baby! Its da Mob. In one video, he urges his whole staff to dance around the kitchen and chant ay! with him. His nearly 23,000 Instagram followers eat it up.

Gordon says his savvy social media presence comes from his background as a rapper in the Bay Area.

I kind of treat my page as if it were a page where I promoted music, but instead, its food, explained Gordon. With music you have to constantly be seen and put out new stuff and be in peoples faces, and I feel like I took that culture over to the restaurant business.

Gordons infusion of hip hop culture into Vegan Mob extends even further next month, the restaurant is shooting a music video for a Vegan Mob-themed song featuring local rappers King Cydal and B-Legit.

With lines that only grow as the months go on, Vegan Mob has definitely succeeded in making vegan food cool in Oakland. But its important to note that Gordon wasnt the first to introduce vegan gumbo and po boys to the area.

Souley Vegan, another black-owned vegan restaurant specializing in Louisiana cuisine, opened in Oaklands Jack London Square in 2009. Back then, the climate wasnt so hospitable to vegans.

RELATED:A vegetarian restaurant for carnivores? This Michelin star couple is opening one in the Haight

People did not understand the word vegan, said owner Tamearra Dyson. Nor did they think my Louisiana Creole vegan food was even possible because they thought it was an oxymoron. We got some laughs.

But despite the fact that veganism wasnt trendy yet, Dyson persevered with her restaurant and the community eventually caught on.

With a lot of Southern hospitality, we made it friendly, unlike the market prior to us opening people thought that vegans were uppity, she explained. But we trailblazed the industry and made vegan approachable and kind of cool. Now its cool to be vegan.

Thanks to Souley Vegan and other pioneering vegan restaurants in the East Bay, 2019 was the year Oakland was ready for a hip hop-themed vegan barbecue joint.

As San Francisco Chronicle reporter Justin Phillips put it in his Vegan Mob review, Vegan Mob shows how vegan food is modern and can be served steeped in hip-hop and black culture [...] So, are black people making vegan food in Oakland cool? The answer is yes. But, honestly, black people have always made vegan food cool. Most of us just needed a reminder.

Madeline Wells is an SFGATE associate digital reporter. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22

Read more:
Former rapper's latest hit is serving vegan BBQ with a side of dance videos - SF Gate

Popular entertainers who've turned to veganismincluding Wu Tang Clan, Beyonc (pictured), and her husband Jay-Zare apparently influencing black Americans' shift towards a meatless diet KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES ENTERTAINMENT

The feature's author, Laura Reiley, cites popular entertainers such as Beyonc and Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan (eight of their 10 members are vegans), Jaden Smith, Cardi B, A$AP Rocky, and Stic.man of Dead Prez as influencers of this shift toward a meatless diet. As I noted in a 2017 Slog post, black basketball players such as Kyrie Irvin, Damian Lillard, and JaVale McGee are leading the movement toward veganism in the NBA.

Reiley also acknowledges the good work done by Seattle-based activist Keith Tucker, who organizes the Hip Hop Is Green dinner, which gathers hip-hop artists and educators in order to raise awareness about health and wellness to young people and families nationwide via group meals with several celebrities. In 2015, Tucker produced the first plant-based hip-hop event at the White House. Tucker credits the rapper KRS-Onewho was ahead of his time when he came out with "Beef" from 1990's Edutainmentfor shaping his views on diet and health.

Going vegan also helps the environment, too, which is kind of important, no matter what your race is.

Read more:
Black People Are Leading the Trend Toward Veganism in America - TheStranger.com

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic says his vegan diet is the secret to his success.

Djokovicwho is currently ranked the world No.2 best in mens singles tenniscomes from a family of food-lovers; his parents used to own a pizza restaurant in Kopaonik, Serbia. He still loves food and has even opened his own vegan restaurant, Eqvita, where he lives in Monte Carlo.

But for Djokovic, food isnt just gustatory pleasure. Its the key to his success. Because of my family, Ive always had a love for food,he explained.But as an athlete, it became something more.

[Food is] the fuel that determines how I play, how I recover, and how alert I am on the court, he added.I attribute a great deal of my professional success to my diet.

In a bid to convince others of the benefits of a plant-based diet, he joined the 2018 documentary The Game Changers as an executive producer. The filmwhich features a number of successful athletes including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lewis Hamiltonis all about debunking the myth that meat is a necessary form of protein.

According to Djokovic, he became involved with the film toward the end of the project, because he wasnt very vocal about being a plant-based athlete.

They heard that during Wimbledon last year when someone asked me in the press conference, he said. They wanted me to be a part of it.

I was definitely very happy to be a part of a very impressive group of people,he added.From sport, the movie industry, different fields of life, very successful people who are eating plant-based, being healthy, happy and successful in what they do. This is what it is all about.

Formula One driver Hamilton has also attributed his success to his vegan diet. He recently told GQ,ultimately, you want to feel great. You want to have energy, to be consistent, you dont want to have to the big oscillations and highs and lows in your energy levels. Veganism has eradicated that.

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Novak Djokovic Says a Vegan Diet Is the Secret to Great Tennis

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Vegan athlete Novak Djokovic attributes a great deal of his professional success on the tennis court to his plant-based diet.

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Charlotte Pointing

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LIVEKINDLY

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Novak Djokovic Says a Vegan Diet Is the Secret to Great Tennis - LIVEKINDLY

Jindilli, the name of milkadamia's macadamia farm that practices regenerative agriculture.

The agriculture sector is one of the biggest emitters of CO2. A2018 studypublished in Nature concluded that Americans need to eat 90% less beef and 60% less milk to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius.

But as awareness spreads around the benefits of a plant-based diet on the environment, a growing regenerative agriculture (RA) movement says livestock is actually integral to shaping farming practices that will save the planet.

The worlds soil has been degraded by humans via their management of animalsploughing, intense grazing and clear-cuttingand according to the United Nations, it will be completely degraded in the next 60 years. This is bad news for the quality of crops, and for carbon emissions, since soil captures carbon and prevents it from going into the environment.

In a separate report from 2017, also published in Nature, scientists note that increasing the carbon content of the world's soils by just a few parts per thousand each year could remove from the atmosphere the same amount of CO2 of the EU.

RA uses holistic farming and grazing techniques to improve soil health in order to rebuild and restore degraded soil, allowing it to sequester carbon and maintain biodiversity. For many, livestock is seen as integral to RAhelping with carbon sequestration, soil biodiversity, nutrient distribution and weed control. After all, there's a lot of land on earth that is grassland, which is not suitable for growing fruits or vegetables on it. Crucially, many believe animals should be allowed to graze in ways that mimic nature. Most of its proponents arent opposed to slaughter, so long as the animal has a good life.

While there is growing awareness of RA, it has some way to go before it becomes mainstream. But, beginning this year, food made from RA practices will have its own food label.

The Regenerative Organic certification will be applicable to foods made of organic agricultural ingredients, sourced from farms that practice pasture-based animal welfare and prioritize soil health, biodiversity, land management and carbon sequestration.

However, there are some doubts around the effectiveness of RA and whether it really can rebuild soil and help it store more carbon. There is evidence that RA can sequester significant amounts of carbon, however, some experts argue that to achieve anything close to the levels required to help mitigate climate change, wed need to see uptake across the entire agricultural sector. For small, family farmers, such a transition can be costly.

One significant barrier to mainstream uptake of RA is the growing appetite for eradicating animal agriculture altogether. Many vegans take issue with the idea that one can farm animals in a moral manner, without causing suffering, since slaughter is usually involved.

But as the RA movement grows, its becoming clear that it has more of a shared goal with plant-based proponents than meets the eye.

There is some crossover with RA and those who argue that soil quality can be maintainedand carbon loss minimizedwithout animal input. A growing group of farmers, for example, want to make farming vegan and organic; rather than depending on by-products such as cow manure or synthetic chemical fertilizers, they use naturally occurring plant matter as compost.

Also, not all vegan products are grown using RA practices. While they may be morally sound in the traditional sense, the practices used to grow them may be exacerbating the degradation of soil.

White Leaf Provisions, one of several companies that sources ingredients using regenerative ... [+] agriculture practices.

Some companies are working to combat this by combining veganism and agricultural practices that support soil. Plant-based drinks company milkadamia, for example, supplies the soil beneficial organic matter in the form of its own compost. From these soils comes more nutrient dense food, loaded with phytonutrients, natures own protective compounds, eliminating the need for chemical sprays. Milkadamia also keeps the soil protected with cover growth between their macadamia trees, and encourages the growth of native shrubs and trees around the property to ensure biodiversity. And biodynamic food company White Leaf Provisions ingredients are also regeneratively farmed, which means farmers use methods that maximize the health and vitality of their soil. So too are the plant-based hemp extracts found in RE Botanicals products, a company founded by John Roulac, a 20-year veteran in the superfood industry and founder of the organic brand NUTIVA.

However, some are skeptical that the same gains can be achieved without animal input, including manure and foraging. The UK's Soil Association argued in a report that grass-fed livestock has a critical role to play in minimizing agriculture's carbon emissions. Grassland for grazing livestock, it states, are important soil carbon stores.

On the other hand, a report citing 300 sources found that grazing doesnt cause a net reduction in greenhouse gases. Journalist George Monbiot argues in response to this report that farm land would be best used for rewildingthe practice of reintroducing species back into the wild.

Even if animals were required on farms for optimum carbon sequestration, this doesnt mean practices need to involve any animal slaughter. Some farms are using animals to mimic the herds that used to roam across the US to graze.

Scientists list ensuring crops are planted all year round, adding crop residues such as mulch, straw or compost, and minimizing tillage practices such as ploughing, as proven techniques. None of the above require the slaughter of animals. RA is in fact a broad term that includes many practices, such as tree planting, reducing fertilizers and increasing biodiversity.

It could be argued that allowing animals to roam isnt practical or easily scalableand giving land over to rewilding certainly isnt. But you could argue that farmers must find a way to do it, in the face of the planet heating up, and growing demand for the vegan diet.

Regardless, theres huge potential for proponents of RA and those against animal agriculture to come together and work out solutions. Yes, some vegans view any animal use as evil, that there is no gradation. And some farmers balk at vegans who want to end their way of life and live unnaturally. Ultimately, though, both agree that factory farmingthe way over 99% of animals are farmedmust end.

At the moment, RA is loosely defined and would benefit from having more clarity around its practices, especially as its exposed to consumers. But rather than staying divided for the sake of ideological differences, theres room to take the best of both worlds and work together to end factory farming while rebuilding soil. Our ability to grow food for vegans and non-vegans may very well depend on it. After all, there is no life without healthy soil, regardless of how animals are treated.

See the original post here:
Can Vegans And Ranchers Work Together To Rebuild The Worlds Soil? - Forbes

Photo: Erick Madrid / Special to The Chronicle

This may seem as silly a question as asking, Are grapes vegan? Of course, they are, but some argue that the answer for wine enters gray territory. Dont fret that bacon-y character flavor you taste in your favorite Syrah isnt actually bacon. But to be vegan or vegetarian, a wine must meet certain requirements during the production process just like wines with official labels like organic, biodynamic or kosher. Unlike organic wines, however, vegan and vegetarian wines are not governed by a certifying body.

So what would make a wine non-vegan or -vegetarian? It has to do with a winemaking procedure called fining.

One of the final winemaking steps before bottling, fining requires the use of various agents to help clarify to a wine. The brilliant luminosity youll observe in a glass of golden Chardonnay or the polish you might admire in the deep ruby hue of a Merlot that precision of color is thanks to fining. Beyond clearing any haziness, fining can also soften harsh tannins. The processing aids are often compared to a magnet: Various particles stick to the fining agents like Velcro and can then be easily removed.

The majority of common fining agents are animal-derived, which is where the vegan question comes in. The most traditionally common fining agent is egg whites, often used for more tannic red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varieties. Wines fined with egg whites would be considered vegetarian, but not vegan, as would those that see casein a milk-derived protein employed in some whites to remove oxidative characters. Conversely, fining agents like gelatin (derived from pigs) or isinglass (coming from sturgeon bladders) would render a wine neither vegetarian or vegan but would get it crystal clear.

If a winemaker wants to fine a wine but doesnt want to use an animal product, one common solution is bentonite clay. Nonetheless, many vegan and vegetarian wines may just simply forgo fining altogether. Some winemakers criticize the practice of fining, arguing that it values color over flavor that it scrapes off some of the good along with the bad. While vegan and vegetarian wine is unrelated to the natural wine movement, most natural wine nonetheless defaults to being vegan and vegetarian as theyre typically bottled unfined (and unfiltered).

While some wineries might advertise vegan or vegetarian on their back labels, many dont. When in doubt, you can ask the tasting room staff, or check Barnivore, a directory of vegan and vegetarian beverages.

But its important to know that fining agents are not ingredients, and no one consumes egg whites or fish bladders in a wine that was fined with them. The fining agents are removed by the time of bottling. Its a completely different effect than having a cocktail with Clamato (clam juice) or a shot of pechuga, a type of mezcal distilled with chicken or other meats. Still, its not impossible to imagine that trace residue might make it into the final product.

Then again, true skeptics might even point out the insects that inevitably make their way into a grape destemmer which get cleaned out during fermentation positing no wine can be truly vegetarian.

Ultimately, as with all food choices, whether or not to consume wines fined with animal products is a personal decision. Luckily there is no shortage of excellent wines around the globe that meet most criteria of being vegan or vegetarian. Here are six from California worth visiting.

Domaine Carneros

One of Californias pioneering producers of traditional-method sparkling wine, Domaine Carneros is partly owned by Taittinger, a pedigreed Champagne name. While the classic combination of bubbles and caviar is an option for visitors, so is a flight of Asian-influenced bites an experience that can accommodate other dietary restrictions, such as veganism and vegetarianism.

Foursight

Foursight Wines, in Mendocinos Anderson Valley, was one of the first American wineries to label its bottles as suitable for vegans and vegetarians. While best known for its Pinot Noirs, its also one of the few Anderson Valley producers to bottle Sauvignon Blanc. The Boonville tasting room offers a casual, leisurely visit, and guests staying the night can also rent out one of the guesthouses.

Frogs Leap

Perhaps the most obvious companion to Napa Valley Cabernet is a big hunk of red meat. While creative pairings abound, one option for vegetarian dishes might be to choose a Napa Cab with a lighter touch as is consistently the case with the ones coming from Frogs Leap, as well as the rest of their portfolio, which happens to be vegetarian and largely vegan-friendly. Its also difficult not to be charmed by the setting a bucolic red barn more in line with a Winslow Homer painting than Napas palatial tasting locales.

Stolpman

Syrah can smell like bacon. Sangiovese might give the impression of dried meats. Stolpman makes some of the best of each in Santa Barbara, but their wines are purely vegan. Their Ballard Canyon tasting room offers a glimpse into the countys impressive diversity of wine beyond their signatures Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Make sure to ask about their mother block, an experimental project that replicates the historic vineyard planting techniques of pre-19th century Europe.

Big Basin

One of the most dynamic producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin bottles its wines unfined and unfiltered and thus vegan. Their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are among the regions very best, but perhaps their most distinctive contribution is their suite of Syrah and Rhone-style wines. Guests can either visit the tasting room in downtown Saratoga, or drive out to the more remote winery after a morning hike at the neighboring Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

Broc

An early spirit leader for the American natural wine movement, Broc Cellars appropriately bottles all of its wines vegan. Its in Berkeley, so it wont be hard to find a vegan meal nearby either. The lineup is ever-changing, filled with idiosyncratic bottles that offer an entirely different perspective to California wine. Make sure to try their Angelica, a dessert style mimicking the Golden States very first wines made from the Franciscan monks that climbed the West Coast.

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Is your wine vegan? - The Press

In a new Global Vegan Index by travel agency Hotelfollower, Asian destinations took the top spots for vegans who wish to explore the world. The top 3 countries in the ranking include Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan, while Malaysia and Vietnam made the top 10 travel destinations in the index. As veganism continues on its mainstream journey, more places in Asia are clearly gearing up to provide ample vegan-friendly dining choices for travelers, from dishes that are inspired by Asias long-standing history and culture of vegetarian cuisine to new culinary inventions using innovative products made by a host of plant-based startups.

Analysing several factors such as the number of vegan restaurants, popularity of veganism amongst citizens and annual meat and dairy consumption, a study by Hotel Follower has created a Global Vegan Index. The index ranks global destinations in terms of how vegan-friendly they are to plant-based travelers, and Asian countries nabbed the top 3 spots on the list: Thailand came first, followed by South Korea and then Taiwan. The goal of Hotelfollowers index is to help vegan travelers choose the most accommodating travel destinations in the world, and inform globetrotters about which countries are surprisingly vegan-friendly.

Read: Eco-tourism guide 10 ways to be a responsible traveler

While it might come to a surprise for some people that Thailand took first place in the index, the country fares well on low milk and egg consumption, high animal welfare and incredible choice of 334 completely plant-based restaurants for herbivores to choose from. South Korea, which came in second place, scored highly on animal welfare practices with the local Animal Protection Act, which stipulates that there is a duty of care for animals and that animal cruelty is punishable with imprisonment.

In addition to these three, half of the top 10 countries for vegan travelers can be found in Asia, with Malaysia and Vietnam ranking 5th and 8th respectively. All 5 Asian countries listed scored particularly high for low milk and egg consumption and the number of vegan restaurants on offer. According to the researchers, this result could be linked to the fact that Asian diets rarely contain dairy foods such as milk and cheese, especially because according to some estimates, up to 90% of the continents population are considered lactose intolerant.

Read: Lonely Planet publishes new guidebook for vegan travelers

Another reason underpinning the many vegan-friendly rankings for Asian countries is the regions history and embedded culture of consuming traditional vegetarian food. Many followers of Asian religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism, are committed to vegetarian diets, primarily due to animal welfare and ethical reasons. Buddhism and Taoism in China and East Asia in particular, traditionally requires monks and nuns to eat an egg and allium-free vegetarian diet, which in practice is similar to an all-vegan diet since dairy did not become a part of the Chinese diet until modern times. Like strict Taoists and Buddhists, Jainism, which originated in the Indian subcontinent, requires adherents to follow a meat, fish and egg-free diet, which is also similar to a 100% plant-based diet, though some do consume dairy products.

Veganism has also grown in popularity and become more widely available in Asia thanks to heightened global attention towards environmental issues in recent years. Most recently, a study conducted by the University of Bath found that the majority of public opinion supports veganism as ethical and good for the environment. To attract the growing numbers of flexitarian and plant-based diners local and foreign travellers alike restaurants across Asia have been racing to add in vegan-friendly options to their menus using the most innovative plant-based meat substitutes. Impossible Foods, for instance, have had seen great success from launching products across Asia, experiencing a five-fold increase in sales in the region alone and receiving huge funding from major names like Hong Kongs tycoon Li Ka-shings Horizon Ventures.

Want to know where the best vegan eats in Asia are? Check out Green Queens Vegan Travel Guides!

Lead image courtesy of Food Wine Travel.

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Top 3 Vegan-Friendly Travel Destinations In The World Are Here In Asia - Green Queen Media