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I am a PhD student and teaching assistant in Sociology. My focus is on vegans, veganism, and the vegan experience. I am doing research on how vegans experience the everyday in terms of institutional and social contexts (services, restaurants, workplace, etc.) and how they navigate and negotiate their veganism in a non-vegan society. My MSc dissertation looked at the differences between practice and ideology of vegans and the strategies used when misperformance occurred. I also looked at motivations for veganism (ethical, health, environmental, etc.) and if this had an impact on their adherence to veganism. I also conducted a pilot study during my MSc about the views and understanding of veganism from a meat-eater/non-vegan perspective.

I have conducted qualitative interviews with vegans (and non-vegans) for my MSc research and plan to carry out qualitative interviewing for my PhD with vegans. I have carried out interviews on a face-to-face basis, via Skype, and instant messenger. I have also created and used mini survey/participant profile sheets to gather participant information, as well as using a visual method to collate all my participants’ data.

 

100 fantastic stalls, world food caterers, exciting cookery demos, inspirational talks, interactive workshops, yoga and children's activities running throughout the day from 10.30am - 4.30pm at huge new venue Hampden Park, Glasgow.

Entry is £3 payable per day on the door (under 16’s free) or £15 for VIP tickets that you can book in advance from here.

For more info please visit Facebook page.

A day full of Vegan products on display/sale at Fareham’s Ferneham Hall, bringing all things vegan all under one roof, offering a great selection including cosmetics, cakes, Chocolate that tastes amazing, Snacks, Beverages, Cleaning products, clothing, and much more.    

For details please visit Facebook page 

Don't miss your chance to meet Sarah Philpott, local author of 'The Occasional Vegan' (published by Seren Books), who will be in store on the evening of Thursday 7th June for a talk and Q&A.

And yes, Sarah will be bringing some delicious vegan nibbles along for you to try.

Tickets are £3, refundable against the book on the night.

There will be 60 stalls, talks and music throughout the day. Groups such as Friends of the Earth, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Sea Shepherd UK and Staffordshire Badger Conservation Group will be attending. There will be a wide variety of plant based/vegan foods available to try from vegan cheeses to cakes, pastries and chocolate. You will also find clothing, gluten free foods and ethical household products. The doors open at 11am and the event will run until 5pm, free entry.

The Wicked Healthy cookbook, by Derek Sarno and and Chad Sarno, will be released soon. Here's what to expect from the much anticipated book.  

I completed my postgraduate diploma in Nutritional Therapy this year and am currently working on my dissertation for completion in September 2019 – (MSc Nutritional Therapy). Whilst completing my dissertation, I’m planning to set up a nutritional therapy practice which focuses on plant-based eating. My dissertation research topic will focus on gaining an understanding of the knowledge about vegan nutrition and dietary requirements that “new” vegans have, (i.e., those who have been vegan between six months and two years), how important nutrition is to them and where they are accessing their information. I have already done quite a lot of research on vegan dietary requirements and one of my assignments to achieve my qualification was a vegan dietary critique. I have also completed the T. Colin Campbell certificate in plant-based nutrition and, as a long-term vegan, have done a great deal of independent research.

 

November 2019 update:

My research interests in plant-based (later 100% plant-based/vegan) nutrition commenced when I was 14, when, besides becoming a vegetarian for ethical reasons, I also decided to be and keep healthy. ‘You are what you eat’. I commenced researching, analysing, and questioning all the nutritional information I could find and to apply the findings directly on myself, thus obtaining ‘the first person experience’ of what is working and what – less so. I switched from being vegetarian to vegan 12 years ago.

After obtaining a BSc (Hons) in clinical psychology and an MA in music more than a decade ago, I completed my PgDip in nutritional therapy at the Northern College of Acupuncture (validated by the Middlesex University) in 2016 and I have been working as a nutrition consultant since. In September 2017 I submitted my MSc ‘What is the current evidence on alpha-linolenic (ALA) to docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid conversion in adult vegans? – A systematic review’. Doing a systematic literature search, the critical appraisal, and a narrative synthesis of the findings has hugely contributed to my research and critical evaluation skills.

Besides my general interest, both personal and as a clinician, in 100% plant-based nutrition vs health, my main areas of research are the effects of vegan nutrition on mental health as well as further researching about the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (EPA and DHA) status in vegans (the latter follows my MSc thesis). Both areas require much more primary research both because of their relevance and for the lack of data.

At the moment I am also in the process of looking into opportunities for doing a PhD. I would like to continue my research into further establishing the omega-3 status in vegans (by the use of health and additional laboratory data). The next step – and even more fascinating and important one, in my opinion – would be to gather enough long-term health data from vegans with established lower-than-recommended omega-3 levels in blood in order understand if there are any mechanisms due to the vegan diet that compensate for the lower levels of omega-3 or if supplementation should be recommended. (Which at the present moment is more about 'erring on the side of safety'.)

In 2017 we launched the first phase of Vegan On The Go, which encouraged high street retailers to improve their ready-made vegan options. Take a look at our next phase!

The UK’s biggest and most popular vegan festival VegfestUK London returns to Olympia London on the weekend October 27th 28th 2018. Highlights include up to 320 stalls, 25 caterers, plus altogether 20 other featured areas such as Justice, Health, Environment, Radical Veganism, Wellbeing, Yoga, Activism, Fitness, Permaculture, Cinema, Living Raw Zone, Cookery Demos, Comedy, Kids Area, Music from 2 stages and more...

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