Food for thought: Why dairy is scary

Vegan and Vegetarian

This article is going to explore the reality of dairy. You may read something and wish you never had, but once you know you can’t unlearn it.

The harsh reality of rows of cramped pens, each imprisoning a solitary calf, will shock those who still believe in the fairy tale of the pastoral dairy farm, where blushing maidens perched on a stool milk smiling cows.

Calves should only be held in solitary pens until they are eight weeks old according to the animal welfare legislation, but Animal Equality claims that the battery calves it photographed at Grange Dairy in Dorset are up to six months old – too large for their hutches.

Marks & Spencer has since claimed that it was disappointed to see the report but has refused to drop the supplier.

The horrid fact is that this is a common reality and most suppliers are already aware of it, the daily practices of most dairy farms are more distressing than those of meat production.

How the dairy industry works: 

Starting from the age of 15 months, female cows will usually be artificially inseminated. Farmers mechanically draw semen from a bull, push the female cow into a narrow trap and then brutally impregnate her.

When she gives birth, her calf will be removed within 36 hours, despite the strong bond which is formed between the two immediately after birth, so the farmers can steal and sell you the milk that is meant for her baby. Mother cows will cry and scream for days, wondering where her baby has been taken.

The answer depends on the gender of the calf. If male, he will probably either be shot and tossed into a bin, or sold to be raised for veal, which delays his death by just a matter of months.

But if the calf is female, she will usually be prepared for her own entry into dairy production, where she will face the same cycle of hell that her mother is trapped in: forced impregnation, the theft of her baby, and a return to the cattle crush two or three months later.

For at least six months of the year, she will often be confined inside dark sheds. But a growing number of dairy farms have a zero grazing system in this country, which means that cows spend their entire lives indoors.

A dairy cow is often pumped with antibiotics and hormones so she produces an unnatural amount of milk. This is done to keep up with the demand that we have created but it puts the cow under a huge amount of stress.

Under normal circumstances, she would generally only have a maximum of two litres of milk in her udder at any one time, but rapacious farmers may force her to carry 20 litres or more.

The udders of a dairy cow have been known to become so heavy that it makes her lame and she often develops an agonising infection called mastitis.

The strain this puts on her body means she is exhausted by the age of five. Soon, her milk yield will no longer be considered profitable.

Then, after being dragged off by a tractor, squeezed into a cramped truck, and driven to the slaughterhouse to be killed and turned into burgers or baby food.

You have a choice as to whether or not you contribute to an innocent animals torture.

Smaller businesses are starting to buy more ethical alternatives. The Fields Beneath cafe in London stopped offering cow’s milk and are replacing it with vegan milks, like almond or oat milk.

It posted a notice in its window, explaining that it took the move after watching the powerful five-minute YouTube video entitled Dairy Is Scary. The notice added: “We didn’t think it was either.”

We can see the impact of ethical buying if we look at dairy farm closures. 10 years ago there were around 21,000 dairy farms in England, Scotland and Wales. Industry analysts believe there will be fewer than 5,000 left by 2026.

Some reading this may think this is sad, but dairy closures mean more cows are being spared a horrid life trapped indoors, being brutally impregnated and only living for the purpose of milk.

One person can make a change.

Will you be thinking more about your food choices after reading this? Let us know in the comments on this video.

How to eat healthier and cheaper on a student budget

Student budget

Student budgets limit your meals out your meals out a lot, especially if you want to get the odd takeaway and go on nights out . Here some tips from fellow student, on how to survive cheaper and healthier.

Meal preparation
Make sure your lunches are done for the week by preparing them all on a Sunday. Nobody likes it but it works to save money.

Set a shopping listImage result for spice and herb rack

If you are preparing your lunches before hand its also good to set out a shopping list of what to buy. If you plan out what meals your going to have each night this will stop you overspending on silly things

Buy Herbs and Spices
Stock up on cumin and gram Marsala for spiced dishes, and if you’re feeling something smoky you can use paprika and chicken seasoning. Other key herbs and spices for taste would be basil, coriander, oregano, and thyme. Although buying herbs and spices fresh tastes wonderful, to save money its best not to..

Don’t punish yourselfImage result for costa coffee
Trying to eat health and cheap is hard, so often it is nice to treat yourself to something. whether you want a coffee at your local coffee shop, or a cake from one of the bigger chains like Costa its always good to treat yourself a little bit, or what you got to look forward to as a student ?

Try and spruce up your packed lunch
couscous is a cheap and easy way to spice up your lunchbox. Better for you, and has much more flavour then a sandwich couscous is the ultimate super-food. Throw it in a salad with carrots and lettuce, maybe a bit of humus or whatever you had for dinner the night before it doesn’t matter because couscous is the easy and healthy way of spicing your lunch up.

Buy cupboard staples like oats and pasta
Pasta is a sure fire winner.Easy to cook and with the right herbs and spices always tasting good pasta is the number 1 meals students go to.Oats are also Image result for 10kg bag of pastaan unnoticed and underappreciated cupboard staple. Be it for breakfast with milk, or even making them into cookies oats are very useful

House dinners
What are friends for at uni right? It brings everyone closer together and saves you all money if you have a house dinner all together

Buy fresh produce loose
Why buy packs and packs of onions and peppers you don’t need?? Its a mystery to me too, its easier for you and saves you a lot more money when you buy fresh and loose vegetables and fruit. Don’t be fooled by the big packs that say ‘one onion is 14p’ because you wont eat all those onions in the pack before they go mouldy

Buy in bulk

Types of food that you must be in bulk are ones that keep for a long time. You need to store pasta, milk (make sure you freeze it),  tomato tins (make sure you buy pasta not ready made pasta sauces) and so on. Also buying in bulk for meat and fish is crucial. A good place for that in Northampton is the Farmfoods, located at   St James’ Rd, Northampton NN5 5LE.

Image result for farmfoods northampton

How to have a social life and maintain a healthy lifestyle

Health news

Myth: You can’t stay on track with your health goals and still maintain a fun social life.

Fact: Balancing a healthy diet and a healthy social life is completely doable — if you’re smart about it.

Here we have some useful tips for staying slim and sociable.

1. SIP SLOWLY

Often the biggest social saboteurs to your health goals can be found at the bar. Alcohol not only quickly racks up your calorie count, but a Saturday night of too much drinking can also derail the best of intentions for a Sunday morning workout.

You don’t have to abstain completely, but if you’re going out with friends, try to limit yourself to one drink. If you want to have a few brews, follow the one-to-one rule: For every alcoholic beverage you have, drink one glass of water. This will help you stick with your normal plans in the morning.

2. PREPARE YOUR FOOD

Eating healthy is a manageable goal when you have total control over your meals. To stay on track without staying home, prepare an eating plan beforehand. Make sure you’ve fueled yourself up with a healthy meal before you go so temptations will be less tempting. You could even bring along your own healthy snacks if you’re pressed for time.

3. RETHINK BRUNCH

Saturday morning mimosas or a cheeky bacon sandwich after a long night can be tempting after a night on the tiles. Rather than skip out completely with the time with your friends, swap brunch for a healthier group activity like morning yoga and green juice. Or stick to a fruit salad and water. All of the social time, none of the guilt.

4. ASK FOR SMALLER PORTIONS

Your fear of high carb pasta doesn’t have to keep you from checking out that new Italian restaurant all your friends are going to. When you go out to eat, you can do damage control by asking for smaller portions since restaurants have a tendency to overserve. If the restaurant doesn’t offer a more manageable lunch-size portion, ask your server to box up half of your meal before they bring your plate to the table.

5. GET YOUR GYM TIME IN EARLY

We’ve all set out with the best of gym intentions only to get derailed by a spontaneous post-work happy hour. To keep you from feeling guilty for either skipping Spinning or ditching your co-workers, commit to being an a.m. gym-goer. That way, no matter what your day throws at you, you can feel good about not forgoing your fitness routine.

6. UP YOUR TRAVEL GAME

Rather than book your beach time at an all-inclusive resort where you’ll laze around, drink all day and get your money’s worth at the buffet, book a vacation that includes activity on the itinerary — think yoga retreats, hiking treks and ski trips. By the time you come in for a hot toddy, you’ll have more than earned it.