Newsletter August 2013 2013

Chairs message Welcome to the summer edition of the newsletter! Our summer events have been well attended. The stall we had at the Norwich Veggie Fair provided a great opportunity for us to meet like-minded people, publicise our group and enjoy some lovely food and stalls. Thank you to all the members who gave their time to help on the stall. Many visitors to our stall took either our new postcards or business cards and we hope to see some new people at future events and lunches. If you would like to, please take a look at our website www.vegfolk.co.uk and/or facebook page facebook.com/NorfolkVegSociety 14 members enjoyed a walk from Sheringham to Weybourne along the cliff top path in July. After a well-earned picnic some people did the return journey by foot also, while others had a relaxing ride back on the North Norfolk Railyway Steam train. I look forward to seeing members at Hillside animal sanctuary, Frettenham on the Sunday Sunday 8th September. Meet at the cafe at 1pm. Bring a picnic or refreshments are available to buy. Just a reminder that the friendly lunches start again at Frettenham village hall on Saturday 12th October at 12.30. Gabrielle
Sheringham Picnic July 2013

We are sad to hear that Marie is leaving Norfolk shortly and she will be a much missed member of the group. Best wishes for the future Marie and thank you for all the hard work you have done in promoting the group group on facebook.

Question: How will I get enough protein on a raw food diet? This is usually the first question that people ask. Most of us have been raised with the notion that a lot of protein is good for us. The meat and dairy industries depend on that attitude. But, ponder this for a moment: What is the most perfect food for a human being when it needs it most, as a newborn infant? You guessed it- it is mother's milk. There is no other time in the life of a person when growth will be so dramatic. The infant will triple or quadruple in size in its first year and needs more protein to grow on than at any other time in its entire life span. And just how much protein is in mothers milk? The answer may surprise you. The amount of protein in mother's milk is 2.5 to 3.5 per cent.* Compare that to the amount of protein in cow milk at 30 per cent*. A baby cow needs to gain hundreds of pounds of mass in its first year, while it's relatively small brain does not need to grow very much, quite obviously different than the needs of a human baby. If the amazing growth in the first year of life is beautifully served by the amount of protein in mothers milk, why would any human being ever need more? The answer is, he/she does not need more protein than that. One of the biggest mistakes in a SAD (Standard American Diet) is the consumption of too much protein. One of the most dramatic effects of a high protein diet is a negative calcium balance leading to osteoporosis. Habitual consumption of high protein forces the calcium in the body to act as a buffer to the high acid state created in the digestion of protein. The current medical advice to consume more and more calcium in the form of milk products, oyster shell calcium and over the counter digestive aids such as Tums cannot reverse the calcium loss in the bones due to excess protein consumption. Excess protein robs our bones of the very substance they need to maintain their strength. Osteoporosis is not a disease due to calcium deficiency; it is due to a lifelong consumption of too much protein. As for a raw food diet, all the leafy greens and sprouts contain protein. If you are eating lots of fresh raw leafy greens and sprouts, along with a moderate amount of nuts and seeds, there is usually little reason to be concerned about your protein intake. For those who continue to be concerned or who have higher protein needs, such as athletes, growing children and pregnant women, raw sunflower seeds and raw tahini (sesame seed butter) in particular, are very digestible sources of protein and they are economical compared to other nuts and seeds. Smoothies and dressings made with a tahini base are excellent for people with weak digestion, the ill, the elderly and children. Tahini is not only a good protein source, but it is also high in calcium, good fat and it is alkalizing. *Note: different texts offer different percentage numbers, these numbers are derived from lectures at Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida. Thank you Cheryl for submitting this informative article

Greenbuild 2013 - the region's biggest sustainable lifestyle event is coming up at Felbrigg Hall, 7th & 8th September 2013.

Chairman Gabrielle Yaxley, 15 Station Road, Attlebridge, NR9 5AA 01603 864415 01603 620784 Website www.vegfolk.co.uk vegerose@hotmail.com aliciahowell@btinternet.com Treasurer Alicia Howell, 13 Ipswich Grove, Norwich, NR2 2LU