You want to live in harmony with the earth and its inhabitants. You
want a healthy body and mind. Becoming Vegan  is a good way to start.
people have alot of wrong notions and myths when it comes to the Vegan
Lifestyle. Find out facts to dispel those myths. Along with helpful
advice and reference books.

http://sastearns.blogspot.com/

No vegan verses veggie stuff please - keep on topic.

Hi

I was having a think in the bath this morning - what else is new - and tried
to come up with a vegan diet which didn't use products from overseas.  I do
not think I will become a vegan but may have a vegan week sometime.  All I
could come up with was potatoes and turnips and oatmeal.  I live in
Scotland - any ideas?  Seaweed for essential iodine I would think but what
else?

I think it would be very difficult to maintain a vegan diet solely based on
products grown in this country.  Soya plays a large part in many vegans'
diets; as far as I know none is grown in this country.  Rice is another
product which has to come from abroad and although it is possible to live the
rest of one's life without oranges and bananas, I don't think that I would
like to.

Ed.

Hi there H - I'm Norma, I too live in Scotland (Glasgow) and I've been  vegan
for the last 3 years (vegetarian for the previous 25).  I found your  
bath-think question very interesting, as it's something I've been ruminating  over
myself recently.  If I avoid the supermarket (which I try to do as  often as I
can), I can get a large range of, locally grown vegetables, (e.g.  from local
farmers' markets and wholefood shops).   There I can get  (in season):  leeks,
potatoes, onions, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, cabbage,  cauliflower, turnips,
broccoli, courgettes (I've also grown them very  over-successfully in tubs in
the garden - they make great chutney),  aubergines (sometimes), runner beans,
broad beans, peas in their pods, Victoria  plums (from a friend's tree),
lettuce and other salad greens, beetroot,  tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, eating
and cooking apples, pears, raspberries,  etc.  There are also local suppliers
who deliver boxes of local fruit and  veg in season.  So it is very possible.  
And the more people want  locally produced vegetables and other arable foods,
the more it will be in the  interests of farmers to produce it.   There is
also great enthusiasm  here (and long waiting lists) for allotments, where
people grow their own  vegetables.

I hope this has given you some "food for thought", - if you'll excuse  the
really dreadful pun!  (And even though this hasn't covered  the whole range of
food items, such as carbohydrates, or protein-rich foods such  as tofu and TVP)

best wishes
Norma

Hi

I was having a think in the bath this morning - what else  is new - and tried
to come up with a vegan diet which didn't use products  from overseas.  I do
not think I will become a vegan but may have a  vegan week sometime.  All I
could come up with was potatoes and  turnips and oatmeal.  I live in
Scotland - any ideas?  Seaweed  for essential iodine I would think but  what
else?

Thanks for your reply.  Unfortunately I cannot use it because my computer is
broken in places so I cannot access what you sent.  Thanks anyway.

Thanks Norma

You have put a lot of thought into this and I may manage at least a Vegan day.

I do sometimes have sprouts, broad beans and potato with herbs for a meal.  Although I have to admit the broad beans are sometimes from a frozen food company.

Yes other forms of protein could be problematic if one were working on the Clyde as a stevedore as I think you would need a pretty good helping of beans and peas to keep going but that is not to say I do not think it couldn't be done.

I can get locally milled oats where I stay/live I am not sure if they are grown in Scotland.  I sometimes make a sort of oat and onion fry-up although the oil here is problematic.  In Derbyshire from whence I hail there used to be a medical condition called Derbyshire neck an iodine deficiency because Derbyshire is a long way from the sea.  Some people would make sure they got some fish into their diet but not everyone could manage this so they grew big goitres.  So they iodised the salt to prevent this which is one reason why supplements are hard to avoid.  I do not think many Scottish places will have that problem.  So we may have to compromise a little but we are at least getting there.  So what I think I will do is plan a vegan day rather than try it for a week.  i confess to having soya sausage yesterday - I really enjoyed it but I usually keep it to a minimum because of the land use.  I daresay its all about not being too greedy.  If I make porridge without milk if I use oatmeal rather than rolled oats that is quite creamy in itself and if I add home grown apple which will sweeten  it. so that's breakfast.  Then the green vegetable lunch and oatcake and? now there's a thing I will have to think about that.  Maybe oatcake and blackberry spread if I have some left without added sugar.

Thanks again to all who have contributed Sorry I couldn't download one of the messages due to computer failing.