The Vegan SA Blog

Wellington VO from Edward Snell is a top selling South African icon and one of the only natural Brandies on the market. A combination of specially selected Colombard and Chenin Blanc wines are distilled then matured in small oak barrels, leaving a deep concentration of aromas.

Wellington VO Brandy is also available in a ready-to-drink mixer bottle with cola.

Available from most good bottle stores and bars nationwide.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan spirit drinks.

Tafel Lager of Namibia has a distinctive smooth taste. It is brewed carefully in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot Purity Law of 1516 using only malted barley, hops and water. The taste is an ideal balance between refreshment, flavour and bitterness, which makes it the perfect companion for any occasion. ABV 4%, 33 Kcal / 100 ml.

Tafel Lager is available from larger bottles stores in South Africa.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan beer options.

Premium, natural beers from Namibian Breweries brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot German Purity Law of 1516, using only the finest imported natural ingredients certified to contain no genetically modified organisms: malted barley, hops and water. This beer is crisp but mild in bitterness with a distinctive hops flavor. Contains no preservatives or artificial ingredients.

Windhoek Lager & Draught ABV: 4% (33 kcal/100ml), Windhoek Light ABV: 2.4% (27 kcal/100ml).

Windhoek beers are widely available in South Africa.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan beers.

Super premium branched chain amino acid supplement, all natural product that’s vegan and perfectly suitable for men and women alike. Designed by RAW Supplements of Johannesburg to help with recovery and prevent muscle breakdown, as well as ensure top physical performance. No added ingredients, just a pure, clean amino acid supplement.

Available online from RAW.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan health supplements.

You’re invited to a ground-breaking seminar on animals and the law.

When: 13 May 2013
Where: UCT
What time: 18:30–20:30

See attachment for details, or call 021 852 8160 for more information.

What you can expect:

You’ll get to see leading academics and lawyers answering one of the most important questions for animals today: Does the law afford sufficient protection to animals? (refreshments provided).

Why attend:

The overwhelming suffering of animals is a crisis in our society. Yes, it is one of many crises that need attention. But for most other crises, the victims have our collective outrage. Not so for the animals. Voices speaking out for animals remain a small minority. We need urgently to think afresh on animal protection, and this seminar is designed to tackle the issue head-on by looking directly at animal protection in the law, what it offers, if it’s enough, and how we can begin changing it.

For those of you in Cape Town, please see our invitation attached and send it on to friends and family who may wish to attend.

Louise van der Merwe
SA Co-Representative: Compassion in World Farming

Visit Vegan SA for more on the liberation of animals.

Dear Me at 165 Longmarket Street in Cape Town is a brasserie, focussing on sustainably and ethically sourced or farmed produce. They have a flexible menu which can be adapted to suit different dietary requirements, showcasing local and seasonal produce. They will happily cater to vegans.

The menu changes on a daily basis. They make fresh vegan nut milks and yoghurts and always have organic tofu in stock.

Vis it Vegan SA for more vegan-friendly dining out options in Cape Town.

… a regular nutrition series for vegans by Anastacia Sampson

[Note: this article is not intended to treat or attempt to treat any illness. It is provided for educational literature. This literature is written to inspire and promote well-being.]

Modern medicine recognises Hippocrates to be the founding father. Hippocrates lived in a time of traditional western medicine.
That era of medicine classified foods into 4 basic groups – Hot and dry, Hot and moist, Cold and moist, Cold and dry. Diseases and illness (physical or mental) were thought to be imbalances. To treat these imbalances the diet was changed, plants recommended with lifestyle changes. As we know at any time of illness, rest is key!

This article will list some common foods in 2 of these basic groups and then explain how these foods affect us in our daily lives. Yet things are not as they were all those hundreds of years ago in the era of Hippocrates. Today foods are often eaten in processed form to some degree, fruits (mainly eaten fresh) are usually farmed with chemicals (non-organic) and pollution has significantly increased.

The biggest cause of flu and colds is stress. Stress decreases our immune defence and we are more susceptible to passing viruses and bacteria. Resistance to these bugs is generally affected by our environment, current states of health and diets. Many scientific studies validate how fruits, vegetables and other whole foods support our immune system through their powerful phytonutrients. We are encouraged to believe in the power of our diet.

Not many people can literally afford to be ill, to take time off from work and our daily chores. We have arrived at the era of symptomatic treatment. Even though medical science has enabled doctors to have more geared up tests, machines and instruments to discover the cause, we still commonly resort to symptomatic treatment. At times it is essential it is lifesaving, yet at other times symptomatic treatment provides short term relief at the expense of long term well-being. There is a pill or tablet for almost any ache or pain, yet often the exact prescribed pill or tablet has side effects and does not address the cause of our ailment.

In this time of medicine we seem to have largely forgotten the simplicity of how foods and herbs can affect our general state of well-being (have power to affect and change our health). As many people are so absorbed in the era of symptomatic tablets we bypass the huge impact of our foods and herbs that act more slowly but more in harmony with natural health.

Hot and dry foods

Garlic
Onions
Peppers, includes green, yellow and red bell peppers
Mustard
Hazelnuts
Cashews
Grapes
Chickpeas
Aniseed
Nutmeg
Parsley
Alcohol

For anyone with a proneness to fevers, redness of the face and any condition with a rise in body temperature – do try to avoid peppers, spices and any foods that tend to have a heating/warming effect.
We all know that alcoholics (people that habitually binge drink and drink to excess) tend to have a redness of the face. There are a variety of physiological reasons why but simply we know that alcohol has that heating and drying effect. This is why it is highly recommended to drink a glass of water or other non-alcoholic cool beverage between each serving of an alcohol-containing drink.

Cold and moist foods

Soya and rice milk
Fructose and glucose which ensures that generally most fruits are cold or moist to a degree
Sugar cane
Brown, white and basmati rice
Pumpkin and butternut

For mucous conditions, such as bronchitis, asthma, flus and colds with wheezy coughs and ‘runny nose’, sinusitis and any upper respiratory condition with excess mucous production – do try avoid dairy and any other food that promotes a moist effect. Damp conditions in weather also tend to promote more wheezy mucous like conditions.

Many people with excess mucous in the lungs, as in bronchial asthma may benefit from living along the coast. The saline sea air aids in drying up the unnecessary phlegm in the chest. Salted spray has subsequently been marketed as ’saline spray’ to assist in sinus difficulties.

Take care,
Anastacia

Visit Vegan SA for more information on vegan health .

Sunday 28th April at 11 am, The Vervet Monkey Foundation in Tzaneen, Limpopo are participating in the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale for the second year in a row.

This year Fruitful Living will also be there giving a talk on the health benefits of a vegan diet along with a smoothie demo. There will be vegan tasters and lots of delicious vegan foods to try whilst learning more about vervet monkeys at the same time. Guided tours of the sanctuary are optional for R25 per person, free to under 12s.

E-mail josie@vervet.za.org or tel. 083 4545 381 to let us know in advance that you will be attending.

These burgers from Natual Living are for everyone – tasty, satisfying, wholesome, delicious! Wheatfree, soya-, dairy-, egg-, meat-, maize-free; made from whole grains, pulses, seeds and vegetables. Every-Day-Food that your body will like and absorb.

They come frozen as 120g patties in a pack of 4; R20 wholesale. They don’t fall apart and can be rolled out thinly to dry roast into a tortilla and serve as nutritious bread replacement. Made with Oryx desert salt, full of trace minerals.

Available by direct order in the Cape Peninsula area only.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan burger options.

According to research, Moringa Oleifera is the most nutrient-rich plant yet discovered. It’s the ideal source of plant based protein for vegans and vegetarians. This nutritious superfood provides a rich and rare combination of vitamins, minerals, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, omega 3, 6 & 9, and all the essential amino acids, all naturally occurring in one humble plant.

Research proves Moringa to be ideal for infants, children, pregnant and lactating women. Akan Natural Moringa products of Hout Bay are available as powder and tea (bags). Moringa soap, oil and loose leaf will be available in the near future.

Please see their website for information and stockists.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan health supplements.