The Vegan Autumn 1949

THE VEGAN SOCIETY Founded November, 1944 ADVOCATES that man's food should be derived from fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains, and ENCOURAGES the use of alternatives to all products of animal origin.' Minimum subscription, 5s. per annum, which includes " The Vegan " quarterly. Life Membership, £5. LITERATURE AVA1LABJ E "An Address on Veganism " By Donald Watson - 6d. post free. Vegan Viewpoint " By Fay K. Henderson - 6d. „ „ " Vegetarian Recipes without Dairy Produce " By Margaret B. Rawls (New Edition) 6d. „ „ " Aids to a Vegan Diet for Children " By Kathleen V. Mayo 1/- „ " Should Vegetarians eat Dairy Produce? " By Donald Watson - 3d. „ " Man and Nature " By Leslie J. Cross - 2d. „ " Is Milk a Curse? " By James A. Goodfellow, M.B.C.M 3d. „ „ " Man's Natural Food " By Dr. Sydney M. Whitaker 7d. „ " The Vegan *' Complete Sets for 1947 or 1948 • 2/6 „ FROM THE SECRETARY, " STEEPHOLME,' SHIPHAM, WINSCOMBE, SOMERSET. LOCAL VEGAN GROUPS AND SECRETARIES LONDON.—Mr. D. Cross, w. Hatch End, Middx. YORKSHIRE.—Mrs. H. Green, , Cross Gates, Leeds. MIDLANDS.—Mrs. K. V. Mayo. " , Streetly, Sutton Coldfield. BRISTOL.—Mrs. E. Hughes, ., Knowle, Bristol 4. MANCHESTER.—Miss Ann E. Owens, , Northenden. SCOTTISH SECTION.—Mr. R. ]. Handley, , Baillieston, nr. Glasgow: Miss D. M. Sutherland, Crescent, Liberton, Edinburgh. (Please communicate with your nearest Group Secretary). THE VEGAN Quarterly Journal of The Vegan Society Editor: G. ALLAN HENDERSON, RYDAL LODGE, AMBLESIDE Vol. V. AUTUMN, 1949 No. 3. EDITORIAL Holland, 1950 71 ^HE purpose of the International Vegetarian Union (of which The Vegan Society is a member) is implicit in its name, and it undoubtedly renders valuable service in collating vegetarian thought and progress from all countries where the movement is organised. An example of this service was the remarkable record compiled by Mr. J. H. Bolt of Holland, showing how vegetarians had fared in occupied and other countries during the recent war, and this was submitted at the Eleventh Congress of the Union held at Stonehouse in August, 1947. This document scarcely received the publicity its significance warranted—in contrast to the Address on Veganism, which was presented at the same Congress by our first President, Mr. Donald Watson. This was put into pamphlet form and .widely "distributed, and it still stands as a most important statement of our case. The I.V.U. holds a Congress each third year, and the next, therefore, takes place in 1950, and will be in Holland. We were recently privileged at Rydal Lodge by the visit for several weeks of Miss Harriet Pothoff, who is Secretary of the Netherlands Vegetarian Society, and we enjoyed the opportunity of discussing many matters with her, in particular, the arrangements which are being made for the Con- gress. This will be held, probably from July 11th to 18th, at Ooster- beek, Arnhem, in a house specially built for such occasions, and those attending can therefore be .sure that it will be comfortable and con- venient in all respects. We are also in a position to state that vegans will be well catered for, and our personal experience of Holland enables us to assure our members that there will be ample supplies of delicious fresh fruit and vegetables. The inclusive charge at Ooster- beek will be moderate, and the trip should thus be relatively inexpensive. The subject of veganism is bound to come up for serious dis- cussion at the Congress, and we are, therefore, desirous that our Society should be well represented. We would accordingly request members to keep the above dates in mind when making their holiday plans for 1950, and to endeavour to be present if at all possible. 2 THE VEGAN A VEGAN CHILD'S DIET By CLAIRE LOEWENFELD F parents have decided to bring their children up as vegans, I flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, milk, butter and cheese are excluded from the diet, and fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains are exclusively relied upon. In doing so, they depart a long way from the customary eating habits and will therefore have to think carefully about the children's meals. It would not do just to leave out the foods derived from animals, on which most children in this country are brought up, and to hope for the best. This would do harm and might result in very discouraging-looking specimens. It seems therefore wise to face the fact that new methods have to be used and more trouble and care will at first be necessary. There is no doubt that healthy, active and bright children can be brought up on a non-animal diet. This is, however, only possible if certain basic principles, which have been worked out and confirmed through long years of practical and clinical experience, are agreed upon and followed carefully. The late-Dr. Bircher-Benner of Zurich always asked for reduc- tion of animal food for healthy children (and adults) and for a diet consisting of mainly uncooked fruit and vegetables, with practically no animal foods at all for the invalid child (or adult). Even after fifty years of practical and clinical experience his nutritional teaching is still too new and unorthodox to find the general acceptance which the results merit. His methods have produced excellent results in Switzerland and in this country, particularly during an experiment conducted from 1943 to 1946 on treating a .serious children's disease, carried out by the author for one of the largest children's hospitals in this country, and they have shown that it is not only possible but, under certain condi- tions, also an advantage to bring up children with little or no animal foods at all. Psychological Reasons for a Balanced Diet Apart from the health aspect, it seems rather important from a psychological point of view to start as early as possible on a diet which will be the right one for the child's later life. Food habits are formed in early childhood and a good start is important for two reasons. The palate is a very delicate organ and the sensitive mucous membrane is easily spoiled by strong flavours or stimulants like salt, mustard, pepper, vinegar, etc. Also, sweets 5 THE VEGAN made from refined white sugar can spoil the palate by over- sweetness and produce what is usually known as a " sweet tooth." For people whose palate is spoiled in either way, the natural foods will seem insipid and enjoyment of the subtle flavours of raw vegetables or unsweetened fruits will be lost. Unfortunately, the over-stimulated palate produces an increased wish for further stimulation, resulting in a vicious circle. The other point is that people always long for the foods and dishes they had at home in early childhood. H. D. Renner, in his book " The Origin of Food Habits" (Faber 6? Faber), has shown that American im- migrants prefer the places and restaurants where they can obtain the foods of their' country of origin, even long after they have accepted their new environment. Therefore, a good diet during early years can establish the habits for a healthy life and, at the same time, avoid the formation of an overstiinulated palate. Such a palate influences personal choice of food, which is then no longer a proper guide to what the body really needs. Physical discomfort resulting from an unbalanced diet and deficiency of certain vitamins, particularly vitamin B (contained in whole wheat grain), has been made responsible for symptoms formerly described as neurotic or psychotic. There is no doubt that certain other deficiencies cause also definite changes in a child's behaviour. Sugar hunger, which may be due to a physical cause, may produce stealing, firstly of sweets, later of other things; calcium deficiency may produce clumsy children" who break things or knock people over, and lack of fresh green foodstuffs or fruit may cause irritability and definite anti-social symptoms. It is therefore of the utmost importance to ensure that the vegan child is having an all-round balanced diet. Nutritional Problems The child on an ordinary diet derives a large amount of essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and particularly protein) from milk, cheese, butter and eggs. Therefore, the vegetarian who eats dairy products and refrains from eating meat, fisli and fowl has no need to worry about getting these essential nutrients. The vegan, however, in order to obtain his vitamins and minerals has to rely upon fruit and vegetables, arid for his protein on nuts, grains, green leaves, fungi, and pulses. Thus it seems of the greatest importance •that the diet of a vegan child should have a very large quantity of uncooked fruit and vegetables, either whole or in .prepared- dishes, such as muesli and salads. Dr. Bircher-Beriher claimed that 50% at least of the daily intake should consist of raw food, the balance to consist'of bread, potatoes, cooked vegetable dishes- and sweets. - • - • - • • 4 THE VEGAN _ The adequate supply of the so-called first-class protein for the vegan child is the main problem. So far, nutritional science re- gards only animal protein as of first-class value. Modern research work, now using the term of complete and incomplete protein, has established that the proteins of green vegetables are nearly as good as those of meat, milk and eggs. This has not yet been taken seriously because it is still thought that the quantity of protein in green vegetables is relatively very small, and therefore too much of these would have to be taken to satisfy; human requirements. It lias, however, been found that the figures considered right for daily protein requirements were far too high, and they have been reduced from 120! gr.

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