It's excellent news that the tide seems to be dramatically changing for veganism, in the sense that it is becoming much more mainstream.
Due to platforms like social media, people are becoming increasingly more aware and knowledgeable to the many brutal practices which routinely happen in the meat and dairy industry. And they are not liking what they learn!
Due to this, the environmental benefits and also the health benefits, the number of people embracing this lifestyle is steadily on the increase.
Many new vegan businesses are popping up everywhere (even in our own valley! More on that later!!).
Restaurant chains and supermarkets are recognising the demand and providing so many new choices for their new conscientious customers.
It has never been more easy to be vegan. 

Linseed

Linseed is an amazing source of protein for a vegan. It is an extremely nutritious "complete seed" and can easily be slotted into the "super-food" category due to its many health benefits when consumed.

Linseed is quite often referred to as flax seeds, as they are the same nutritionally and their plants are very closely related.  The linseed plant is smaller than the flax seed however and it produces more oil, as the seeds are slightly bigger.

Linseed contains the essential fatty acid Omega 3 ALA, which helps to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and can help to prevent strokes.
The human body cannot make ALA itself so it has to be obtained from food, so consumed within our diet.
Linseed is the perfect source.

This miracle seed also boasts a high fibre content, which is important in the prevention of diabetes as the fibre slows down the speed of sugar absorption into the blood. It is also important for combating bowel cancer and easing constipation.

There seems to be no end to the benefits of this little brown seed. The digestive system on the whole can be greatly improved and the seeds can have a positive effect on Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They are known to reduce cholesterol in the blood, reduce sugar craving and bloating and even balance hormone levels.

Amazing!

TIP

To be able to access all of the numerous nutritional treasures that linseed hold it is recommended to eat the seed rather that the oil, or use both.  The seeds contain all of the available nutrient components, unlike the oil.
Also it is better to use the seeds in their ground form, as the nutritional elements are more readily available to us in this state.

Click on the link below to access a large variety of recipes, many of which are vegan.

A very exciting and new business will soon be opening it's doors for trading right in the heart of the valley. Nutriplant is a new vegan convenience food kitchen, which aims to provide ready made frozen meals for people across the country. These will be not only ultra convenient for people with busy lifestyles, not just deliciously tasty and interesting, but also packed full of nutrition and best of all are completely vegan.

Hadley Pollard, the owner of Nutriplant, met with me to give me some insight into his new business venture.
It was a pleasure to find out more and it was very easy to get caught up in his passion and the excitement of what the business aims to achieve.

I was shown around the premises, which is situated in the outskirts of Hebden Bridge in Mytholmroyd. 
Everything is brand new and the kitchen (where all the creative magic and preparation has been taking place) is a completely "vegan only" zone. So there is absolutely no chance of any cross contamination.

The team has done a lot of market research over the last few months and even produced trial boxes of food for the local community to give feedback on. 
Personally I'm hoping the Nutriplant lasagne has made the grade as without any doubt it is the tastiest one I have ever had in my 41 years of life!!!

All food and drinks are freshly prepared with top quality ingredients to provide healthy food choices within the convenience meal market.
Nutriplant have been working on  juices, protein shakes, super-food porridge, super-food salads and hearty meals. Hadley is hoping to add healthy deserts to the menu too.

Nutriplant is predominantly going to be an online company. People will be able to visit the website and select the meals or juices and then this will be sent out frozen in special freezer boxes to keep them fresh whilst in transit.
Locals will have the option to collect their pre-booked parcels.

It was nice to speak to Hadley about where this business idea had stemmed from. He is an asthma sufferer and he had heard that cutting out dairy would help his symptoms, this was the start of his transition. It led to him learning about many more health benefits when on a plant based diet, as well as the environmental ones and also opened his eyes to the cruel world of the meat and dairy industry. 

"It happens in stages. The animal welfare issues, the environment and health are all part and parcel. As you educate yourself to becoming plant based, these subject matters transpire hand in hand and your eyes begin to open"

With him already being in the health and fitness industry it was a natural transition to want to tie the plant based element to what he already does.

Nutriplant's impact on the environment is important to Hadley and the business will aim to recycle as much as possible, whilst at the same time keeping waste to a minimum. As the business matures he will continue to look into new ways to streamline this and reduce their carbon footprint.

The Nutriplant team have lots of ideas for the future, including growing their own herbs.  I was shown a perfect outside area, which will be turned into an organic herb garden. Hadley thinks it will be a lovely place for him and his workforce to sit on their breaks, relax and contemplate.
The herbs will also provide a lovingly home grown element to his meals. 

When it comes to his target customers Hadley is extremely passionate when he states that people should not feel pressurised to put themselves in a certain category. He wants everyone to know that healthy food is there for everyone. Whether you are vegan or not, Nutriplant meals are delicious and nutritious and anyone can reap the benefits.

3 Valley Vegans wish Nutriplant Nutrition a lot of success. It's so amazing to have yet another vegan business in our valley.

To order or to put your name on Nutriplant's member list please follow the link below.

Thank you to anyone that volunteered and everyone who came to say hello at Todmorden Market on Thursday 21st February.
Hopefully you all got to try some of our delicious and vegan pancakes.
The stall was a success.
People were genuinely interested in learning more about veganism and also to enjoy the egg and dairy free crepes.
Many people wanted to know why vegans don't eat eggs, so it was a conversational starting point.

Events like these always remind us that the knowledge we hold quite often is still not in the  mainstream domain.
The questions people ask are things that many vegans assume everyone must already know.

It brings it back that more is needed to be done to get the messages and the truth out there. This is why events face to face with the general public are so important. They get people talking and questions are asked. 

Below is the simple, quick and super tasty recipe for pancakes that was used on the stall.
Shrove Tuesday may be over, but that does not mean that sweet or savoury pancakes should be taken off the menu!

Did You Know?

Did you know that during a whole 5 year medical course at degree level in the UK, only a 3-4 hours hours are dedicated to nutritional education.
Absolutely bonkers!

A visit to the Doctors is rarely done for fun so when the need arises we would expect to be treated- possibly with medicine, but also hope to be given the best sort of advice such as ways to stay healthy, preventative methods, exercise advice etc.

A good, nutritious diet is one of the most effective ways to 
aid recovery.  It is also extremely important in the prevention  of many ailments,
What we ingest has a profound  impact to how our body behaves, whether it be negative or positive. Diet is the ultimate key to health or illness and so it can be a very important tool to use to help maintain health and well-being and to tackle illness.

It is a great shock to many people to learn that GPs and surgeons, who have had an extensive 10 years of training before becoming professional in their job, have had very little education in nutrition.
The focus has always been focused on pharmaceuticals.

This is a concern for doctors themselves and patients alike. 

The video above was filmed at a Living Well Seminar at Winchester University on 14th March 2019.

It discusses the link between food and health and identifies how diet can influence the chance of developing a chronic disease.

The seminar is very interesting and informative.  It compares the components within plant based food and meat and it compares their impact on the human body.

Sometimes shopping as a vegan can be a minefield, especially as a novice.

For a bit of extra help you may find the mysupermarket website useful.  It is extremely easy to use and lists a large variety of shops such as Tesco and Morrisons to shops like Boots and Pound Stretcher.
Simply type "vegan" in their search bar of your chosen shop and it will list their vegan products.
Very clever.
Access the website by following the link below.

For interesting videos and video footage of some of our events please visit our 3 Valley Vegan You Tube channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/channe...

We would like to remind you that 3 Valley Vegans have a Facebook page, a Facebook group and our own website...

Our Facebook page is open to the public and is updated with lots of  events both local and national, interviews, videos, information, news and tips from the wider vegan community. 
To like, or visit this page please click:

Facebook Public Page

The Facebook group is a closed group and is a good place to air and vent any local vegan issues.
Information relating to local shopping and/or eating out can be posted by members of this group and also if any businesses in the local area would like to promote any vegan products or offers then this is the group to use.
If you would like to join then please click:
Facebook Private Group

On our website you will find local eating guides, recipes, up coming and past events, blogs and lots of vegan articles.
What our group is all about is detailed on this side and our location and contact details. 
To visit the website please click on link:

Website

Eating out and shopping can be tricky when you're vegan, especially when just starting out. To make things a little easier, we have compiled a list of vegan-friendly eateries and shops in Calderdale:

View our Guide to Eating Out in Calderdale

View our Vegan Friendly Calderdale Shopping Guide

Have we missed anything off these lists? Please send your suggestions to tech@3valleyvegns.org.uk