The Vegan SA Blog

Saltare in Stellenbosch produce handmade boutique wines. They have a zero dosage Méthode Cap Classique, a Chenin blanc and Syrah; all made in small quantities with minimal interference. Their wines are also produced with low sulphur levels.

Saltare’s wines are available from selected wine stores in the Cape Peninsula.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan wines from South Africa.

At The Vervet Monkey Foundation, near Tzaneen we will be taking part in the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale on Saturday 21st April 2012 from 2-5 pm.

Please do join us with an opportunity to buy lots of delicious vegan cakes and other items prepared by our professional vegan chef Day Radley. Nutritional advice can be given as well as more info about the vegan lifestyle.

If you would like a guided tour in the afternoon to learn about what we do and see some of the vervet monkeys in our care, please contact info@vervet.za.org or phone 083 4545 381 to let us know you are coming, The fee for tours on this day is just R25 per person.

Visit our gift shop and education centre and discover why we promote a vegan lifestyle in support of our efforts to protect the vervet monkey and their habitat. Visit www.vervet.za.org for more info.

This winery tied for second place with Kanonkop in 2010, but had not even released its first wine, Columella 2000, at the time of the first poll in 2001. Since then, Eben Sadie has led a quality revolution in the Swartland region and has arquably done more than any single winemaker for South Africa’s international profile as a fine-wine producer. It is a combination of charisma, talent, hard-won experience and sheer hard work.

The chenin blanc-based Palladius soon joined Columella and founded a new category of distinctive Cape white blends. These 2 original Sadie wines have been joined by the Old Vineyard Series – fascinating wines made in necessarily tiny quantities. They are all made with minimal cellar manipulation, transparently expressing their origins.

Sadie Family wines are all vegan and are available from their cellar in Pederberg.

Visit Vegan SA for more South African vegan wine options.

Opstal Estate of Rawsonville is situated at the foot of the Slanghoek mountains which forms part of the Breede River Valley. The estate and its people are well known for their hospitality and friendliness.

2 vegan ranges are produced at this wine estate – Opstal and Sixpence. The wines are available at Fruit & Veg City (Food Lover’s Market) and Spar.

Visit Vegan SA for more South African vegan wines.

Finally, we managed to get an answer out of the Nestle production plant in East London regarding their Aero Dark.

Although this chocolate contains no ingredients of animal origin, it is made on the same equipment used to produce milk chocolate. Nestle are not willing to verify that they minimise cross-contamination from milk used in their other chocolate production.

Since Nestle do not claim to take reasonable steps to minimise cross-contamination, we can only assume cross-contamination can occur. Therefore, we are unfortunately unable to list Aero Dark in our vegan chocolate section.

Martinnaise is a range of vegan mayonnaise which was born out of a love for good food that tastes great! Martinnaise has developed their own replacement formula for egg to create a refreshingly different mayo.

Their products do not contain soya, gluten, cane sugar or any products that either contain animal products or that have been tested on animals. Their mayonnaises are packaged in glass for health purposes and for recycling. The manufacturing process generates very little waste to ensure a small carbon footprint.

Currently stocked at selected stores in KZN and Gauteng.

Visit Vegan SA for more vegan dressings.

… a regular eco-friendly feature by Terri Morris

When walking through the cosmetics or toiletry section of any store one is bombarded with so many products, creams for every part of our body and other lotions and potions promising radiant beauty, but at what cost to the animals the products are tested on?

Remember, everything you use in the bath or shower goes into our water supply so the purer your body cleaning products are, the cheaper the cost and the lower the carbon foot print.

Here are some basic recipes that I have been using to get you started with some home made beauty products:

Body Scrubs

Salt scrub – Use a cup of coarse sea salt and add about a ½ cup of oil (olive, grape seed, jojoba, whatever you have) and if you want to make the scrub to smell heavenly add 2-3 drops of essential oil like lavender or ylang ylang. Scoop the mixture and scrub your skin, rinse and dry.

Sugar scrub – 2 cups sugar and 1 cup oil, mix the two together and scent with essential oils if you desire. To use, put some scrub on a face cloth and rub in circular motions wherever you need exfoliating and rinse. It is probably a bit much for a single body scrub so you can store in a jar. It might separate in storage so shake it well before your next scrub.

Face Scrubs

Bicarb Scrub – can be used daily. 2 tablespoons of baking soda and about the same amount of water. Mix together to form a paste and apply to your face in circular motions, rinse and pat dry.

Face Wash

Combine 100 ml of grape seed oil with 10 drops of lavender and 5 drops of geranium essential oils in a dark glass bottle; store in a cool dark place. When ready to use, put 1 teaspoon of sugar in the palm of your hand, shake the bottle and add the same amount of oil to the sugar. Mix, and use on your face in circular motions. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Skin Toner

Pour 1 cup of rose water (available at pharmacies) into a bottle and add 5 drops of lavender essential oil, 2 drops of rose geranium and 2 drops of ylang ylang and shake; allow to ‘cure’ for 24 hours before using. I like to use a pump bottle and spray on the toner and let it dry naturally, but you can use a cotton pad if you prefer. For mature or dry skin you can add 5 mls of glycerine or jojoba oil to the mixture.

More green tips coming soon.

Liezl Thomas of Parkurst has very kindly volunteered to help us with the regional listings for Johannesburg. Liezl will also be trying to contribute to our foodstuffs too by finding vegan listings for our cakes/muffins and other condiments sections.

Liezl had this to say: “I have been vegetarian since 2006 and vegan since 2009 (it took a while to be brave enough to give up cheese… but after really knowing the facts, it was much easier to make the decision). I wish I was exposed to other vegetarians/vegans earlier in my life. I was sadly just not aware of the cruelty that I was contributing to. Only after deciding that I will not buy any products that are tested on animals, (and I started doing research on the web of animal friendly products), did I realise what humans are doing to animals.

I am a system analyst/developer in the financial sector (I do not do any web stuff). Apart from cooking/baking, I jog daily (with my 2 dogs), gardening (growing some of my on veg and leafy greens), love reading, try to learn as much as I can about nutrition (I am considering going back to varsity to study to be a nutritionist).

We wish Liezl well and hope that she enjoys her new role with us.

Meet more of the Vegan SA volunteers.

… a regular nutrition series for vegans by Anastacia Sampson

Salt in the vegan diet

Have you wondered what salt is? Why all the hype and worry with hypertension?
Salt is usually sodium chloride or table salt. However the term salt technically can cover various forms of mineral salts, such as potassium chloride that does not taste as strongly or as distinctively as sodium chloride.

The link between sodium and hypertension is simple – the more salt in the diet, the greater the increase in blood pressure. Yet one must have a predisposition or familial (hereditary) susceptibility to high blood pressure from salt/sodium and then the sodium acts as a trigger or aggravating factor. Stress is another major contributory factor in hypertension. To rectify excess sodium we need to increase potassium intakes and drastically reduce sodium intake.

Do we need salt? Indeed we do; yet we need different salts with a balance. Our cells need more potassium than sodium for optimal cellular structure and function. A sodium loaded cell is bloated as salt retains water. When you feel bloated you can’t work at peak performance and you can be sluggish. This is what happens to our cells and general system when we have excess sodium from table salt and processed foods. However healthy blood has more sodium than potassium. Our body knows where to put each nutrient when we eat a balanced diet and live a balanced lifestyle. We should be mindful of not over consuming sodium often, which leads to a metabolic imbalance.

Our natural plant foods are generally high in potassium along with all other mineral salts and usually these whole foods contain more potassium than sodium. In manufactured processed foods, sodium is added to boost taste appeal. It can be in a form such as sodium chloride, sodium nitrate or sodium carbonate. Do a random search on breakfast cereals and you will be faced with a sodium nutritional listing but rarely potassium.

Potassium is needed in conjunction with sodium as they work in balance. Sodium is added to various foods such as breads, chips, rusks, packet soups and is especially high in cheese. Too often a salt addict will claim, ‘Sure I can do without salt but I love my cheese – I can’t do a day or two without it as I crave it.’ It’s the distinctive salt within the cheese that usually causes the cheese lovers craving.

Salt substitutes

It’s worth substituting salt in food preparation with herbs and spices. Spices ’spice up’ our metabolism as research shows they increase circulation and heat within the body. A diabetic adding cinnamon to foods (instead of sugar or salt) not only is serving a spicy flavour but improving sugar balance and circulation. Herbs are nourishing, aid digestion and can be nutritious.

Natural salts sold in shops are usually a mixture of different forms of salt. Sea plants (seaweed) are high salt-containing foods. Within a balanced diet (using mainly non-processed whole foods) these sea foods are an alternative to land based foods for vegans. Seaweeds deliver iodine!

We need iodine for our thyroid gland (lower neck area) that regulates our metabolism. As plant foods may lack iodine, many countries have mandatory iodine added to common table salt as iodised salt.

Being salt deficient is unlikely with a vegan diet even without processed foods and added table salt. There is ample salt (many types) in leafy vegetables and numerous other whole foods.

Vegans avoiding salt should try the odd bit of seaweed consumption or at least use a kelp (type of seaweed) supplement at standard dosage for iodine requirements in supporting a healthy body.

Do email me any questions on your nutritional focus anytime. Smiles, Anastacia.

Know your health to live a life of vitality and well-being.

Visit Vegan SA for more information on vegan nutrition.

Earth-Zen promotes deep body cleansing as the foundation for good health. Products range from specific therapies for eliminating existing contaminants (e.g. heavy metals) from the body, to beneficial everyday personal care items that also prevent accumulation of new toxins.

Therapeutic grade Bentonite and Zeolite are used in pure form and in combination with organic essential oils and natural minerals – earth friendly, with no synthetic additives or preservatives. The range includes bath soaks, ingestible clays, skin scrub, face mask, lotion, ointment, tooth powder and body powder.

Earth-Zen is endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty and is being introduced to therapists and health shops nationwide.

Visit Vegan SA for more cruelty-free skin care products.