Vegan Life Magazine issue 3 Jan/Feb 2015

Issue 3 of Vegan Life magazine is just out, and I'm always happy to have something new to read. There are some great articles in this month's issue but overall it had a "detox" theme for the new year, which doesn't interest me. 

It was a mixed issue for me, some great articles, some not-so-great. Different strokes for different folks. I understand that this will happen with a general interest magazine, some issues will appeal more than others. I am looking forward to seeing what will be offered next month!

◆ A delicious looking recipe for steamed Chinese buns with a vegetable filling for the Chinese new year. 

◆ A touching article about Fleecehaven sheep sanctuary in Devon. I always like an uplifting story about an animal sanctuary, especially small ones. 

◆ An interview with a chef of a Michelin-rated restaurant about how he feels that top rate restaurants should be creative with vegan options and engage with vegan customers. I wish all chefs were as considerate of vegans!

_________________________________

Below are a couple of articles that I had issues with that I thought should be mentioned in the name of constructive criticism...

◆ This is a short piece in the news sections that mentions Black Metal Chef and Thug Kitchen as vegans with "daring" humour. I have not seen the Black Metal Chef, but there has been alot of discussion by intersectional vegans about Thug Kitchen's racist undertones, which I think should be taken seriously. See Corey Wrenn, Breeze Harper, Bryant Terry, Vine Sanctuary and this episode of the podcast Team Earthling. 

Vegans are allowed to have different views, but I think a key part of an intersectional perspective is listening to the concerns of others and not dismissing realities that are different to yours. 

◆ This article is a great overview of common supplements to a vegan diet. However, I thought that the section on Vitamin D is a bit misleading as it states that "when vitamin D is added to food, it's normally in the form of Vitamin D2, which is derived from plants and suitable for vegans." 

In my experience the vast majority of vitamin D fortification is non-vegan vitamin D3 unless stated otherwise (ie products marketed to vegans), especially in cereals. So it is best to check with manufacturers and not make any assumptions.