Marc Saltzman, Special for USA TODAY 12:29 p.m. MT May 9, 2017

Simple Habit is an on-demand meditation platform with simple five-minute lessons featuring more than 1,000 meditations guided by mindfulness teachers from around the world.(Photo: Provided photo)

Between calendar notifications, pushed emails and intrusive messaging platforms, you might believe smartphones contribute to your daily stress levels.

But that same device could also help nudge you to take much-needed breaks throughout the day, thanks to a handful of meditation and mindfulness apps.

I often say that mindfulness isnt hard whats hard is remembering to be mindful, says Sharon Salzberg, a renowned meditation expert and bestselling author. Ones device is the perfect implement to offer those reminders, not only for a time-out of five to 10 minutes, but for what we call short moments, many times taking a few breaths to return to ourselves and return to the moment.

Salzberg believes theres an increased interest in meditation in the West, perhaps because of the incredible busyness and sheer unrelenting pressure of potentially always being on. Salzberg says several apps could help with reminders and bite-sized lessons at home or the go.

May is Mental Health Month. The following is a brief look at five picks available at both the App Store (for iOS) and Google Play (for Android), unless otherwise specified.

Simple Habit

One of the newest players is also one of the most impressive. Simple Habit is an on-demand meditation platform built for busy people. With simple five-minute lessons, the app features more than 1,000 meditations guided by mindfulness teachers from around the world. For a more tailored lesson you can choose the time, place and cause of your stress. For example, tap Tough Day or Big Event, or Morning Meditation or At Work.

You can also pick a lesson by Series (Drift to Sleep, Sharpen Focus, Meditate in Nature), and by teacher of your choice.

More than 50 sessions are free, with the option to upgrade to a premium version for $11.99 a month or $99.99 a year. Its also available through a desktop website, and Simple Habit will remember where you left off.

Calm: Meditation to Relax, Focus & Sleep Better

Calm is a meditation and mindfulness app with guided sessions in varying lengths, ranging from three to 25 minutes, and with content designed for beginners, as well as intermediate and advanced users.

Similar to some other apps of this kind, you can choose a topic that matters most to you: Calming Anxiety, Deep Sleep, Self-Esteem, Forgiveness, Happiness, Managing Stress, Focus and Concentration, and so on. Track your progress with gamelike elements, such as daily streaks, as well as seeing a tally of time spent meditating.

While theres some free content to get you started, subscriptions are $12.99 a month, or the heavily discounted $59.99 a year. Subscribers get full access to all the instructions, along with a new 10-minute program added daily, more than 20 Sleep Stories, seven- and 21-day programs, breathing exercises, relaxing nature sounds, and more.

Headspace

Your gym membership for the mind, Headspace wants to teach you how to meditate in just a few minutes a day.

Endorsed by Emma Watson, this UK app features a clean and easy-to-use interface, and offers a free beginner series called Take10 10 sessions, each 10 minutes over 10 days using proven meditation and mindfulness techniques that could help clear your head, reduce stress, sleep better and enjoy greater overall happiness.

Available for iOS, Android, Amazon, and the web, the lessons include stat tracking, rewards and an optional buddy system for friends to motivate each other.

If you want more than the introductory Take10, Headspace offers a subscription service ($12.99 a month or $94.99 a year) for access to many other meditation lessons, guided and unguided, as short as two minutes and as long as an hour. Some deal with applying mindfulness to everyday activities, while others cater to managing stress (S.O.S. sessions) and life-altering situations.

As part of Headspaces Get Some, Give Some program, for every subscription someone signs up for the app will donate a subscription to someone in need, the company says.

10% Happier

Designed for fidgety skeptics, 10% Happier offers clear and simple meditation lessons.

Led by New York Times bestselling author and ABC news anchor Dan Harris, who suffered an on-air panic attack in 2004, which prompted him to write the book 10% Happier the app (iOS, web) features quick meditations by many respected teachers, include Salzberg, which you can do whenever you have a spare moment.

The free version of the app offers access to a seven-session introductory course, with daily meditation videos (with offline access), guided audio lessons (for when you cant look at a screen), advice and tips to applying mindfulness to your personal and professional lives, and new content added monthly to keep things fresh.

Members get a lot more content for $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year.

Breathe

Reminders to take a time-out arent just on your smartphone, theyre prompted by your smartwatch, too.

Built into the latest Apple Watch operating system is Breathe, Apples own app that encourages you to relax, focus and breathe.

Youll feel a slight tap on your wrist every four hours, and when you glance down at the screen the app will ask you to start a session, if youre able to. The app will guide you through some deep breaths over a one-minute session of seven breaths, but you can tweak these session lengths. Follow the animated circles on the screen to inhale and exhale, plus you can feel a tap on your wrist to inhale, if you want to do this with your eyes closed.

A summary screen, with heart rate info, is shown at the end.

Follow Marc Saltzman on Twitter: @marc_saltzman. Email him at askmarcsaltzman@gmail.com.

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Take a breather with these meditation apps - St. George Daily Spectrum

The Power of Thought

Meditation,in its most basic sense, is clearing your mind of all thoughtor at least, trying to. The practice is used in cultures around the globe for both religious and secular purposes. While it may be best known for its spiritual uses, it is this latter purpose that has recently ignited a firestorm of interest, as scientific research seems to indicate that meditation changes your brain on a fundamental, biological level.

Dr. Robert Puff, a licensed clinical psychologist, notes in Psychology Todaythatdescriptions of meditation techniques date back at least some 3,000 years, to Indian scriptures written inapproximately 1000 BCE. However, the practice itself appears to be far, far older. Some evidence suggests that individuals were describing the practice as long as 5,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the exact date of its inception is lost to the annals of time, but we do know that it wasnt until the 6th century BCE that it truly started its global spread. And it wasnt until the 20th century that mainstream scientists started researching the impact that it has on the human bodyspecifically, the impact it has on the human brain.

To date, a host of medical uses have been found for meditation. The most obvious use is,perhaps, stress management and reduction, which is supported by a plethora of scientific evidence. Ina study published in Clinical Psychology Review,researchers at Boston University and Harvard Medical School found that the technique helps alleviateanxiety and allows individuals to better cope with stressfulsituations.

Along these same lines, a 2011 study by Dr. Fadel Zeidan, assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, found that meditation helps individuals cope with, and better tolerate, physical pain. This work was published in theJournal of Neuroscience.But this is just the start of the research that has been conducted in relation tomeditation.

In a 2015 study published inFrontiers in Psychology, researchers from UCLA found that individuals who meditate over extended periods have more gray matter volume in their brains than those that do not. The work looked at individuals who been meditating for an average of 20 years, and the impact was pronounced. As study author Florian Kurth notes:

We expected rather small and distinct effects located in some of the regions that had previously been associated with meditating. Instead, what we actually observed was a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain.

Other studies support these findings. A 2011study inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which was conducted by Yale University, discovered that meditation decreases activity in the default mode network (DMN) in the brain. In the paper, the team noted that this reveals the actual biological impact of meditation and helps bring to light a unique understanding of possible neural mechanisms of meditation.

And still, the evidence does not end.

Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, recently conducted work which found that individuals who meditate ultimately have more gray matter in the frontal cortex and, most notably, that this gray matter is preserved in spite of aging. The significance is overwhelming. As Lazar asserts in an interview with the Washington Post, Its well-documented that our cortex shrinks as we get older its harder to figure things out and remember things. But in this one region of the prefrontal cortex, 50-year-old meditators had the same amount of gray matter as 25-year-olds.

In other words, as a result of transformations in the brain, individual who meditate have a better chance of retaining their memory function in old age. And it doesnt take much for individuals to reap the benefits. Lazarstates that, in her study, the average meditation time was just 27 minutes a day and results were obtained just 8 weeks after the individuals started the practice. So, how can you reap the benefits?

Scientists assert that using proprioceptive input (also know asdeep touch pressure (DTP))to ground your body is helpful when attempting to reach a meditative state. Research has shown that this kind of pressure results in a reduction in cortisol levels and an increase in serotonin production, decreasing yourheart rate and blood pressure.

Thus, the relaxed physical state that comes from peroprioceptive input can make it easier to achieve a calm mental state thats conducive to meditation, and one of the most effective ways to get this proprioceptive input isby using a weighted blanket.

As Amber Martin, an occupational therapistfrom Utica College, notes, peroprioceptive input is good for pretty much everyone and anyone. It can be very calming and organizing. By helping youreach a state of peaceful relaxation more quickly, Gravity Blanket makes it easier for you totake advantage of every valuable moment of meditation before you have to return to the busy world outside your mind.

Theres little debate in the science regarding the benefits of meditation. According to research published in theJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,meditation has beenlinked to reduced feelings of depression, anxiety, and physical pain.

Other studies have explored connections betweenmeditation andimproved focus, lowered blood pressure, strengthened memory, reduced fatigue, andwell, the list goes on and on. Yet, reaching a meditative state generally takes a lot of work, and truly clearing your mind is far from easy. A weighted blanket is just one thing that can help you get there.

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Harvard Neuroscientist: Meditation Reduces Stress and Literally Changes Your Brain - Futurism

In any one day there are moments where there is nothing going on, but we link up what is happening from thought to thought without any space. We overlook the spaciousness that its all happening in, Gangaji, from our new book The Unexpected Power Or Mindfulness & Meditation.

Nowadays, mindfulness and meditation are often used to mean the same thing, which can be confusing, while not many are clear on what mindfulness meditation is and how it differs from either of the above. So heres our version:

Mindfulness is being aware. Its noticing and paying attention to thoughts, feelings, behavior, and everything else. Mindfulness can be practiced at any time, wherever we are, whoever we are with, and whatever we are doing, by showing up and being fully engaged in the here and now.

That means being free of both the past and futurethe what ifs and what maybesand free of judgment of right or wrongthe Im-the-best or Im-no-good scenariosso that we can be totally present without distraction.

Mindfulness also releases happy chemicals in the brain; it lowers blood pressure, improves digestion, and relaxes tension around pain. It is simple to practice and wonderful in effect. Not a bad deal when all that is needed is to pay attention, which sounds like something we should all be doing but often forget. When we do pay attention, then change becomes possible.

Mindfulness and meditation are mirror-like reflections of each other: mindfulness supports and enriches meditation, while meditation nurtures and expands mindfulness. Where mindfulness can be applied to any situation throughout the day, meditation is usually practiced for a specific amount of time.

Mindfulness is the awareness of some-thing, while meditation is the awareness of no-thing.

There are many forms of meditation. Some are aimed at developing a clear and focused mind, known as Clear Mind meditations. Others are aimed at developing altruistic states, such as loving kindness, compassion or forgiveness, known as Open Heart meditations. Others use the body as a means to develop awareness, such as yoga or walking; others use sound, as in chanting or intoning sacred words.

Mindfulness Meditation is a form of Clear Mind meditation. Attention is paid to the natural rhythm of the breath while sitting, and to the rhythm of slow walking. This alone can have an enormous impact. Ultimately, the method is simply an aide; its not the experience itself. A hammer can help build a house but its not the house.

In the same way, meditation practice is not an end in itself. We may wander off and do all sorts of other things, but stillness will always be there. It is a companion to have throughout life, like an old friend we turn to when in need of direction, inspiration, and clarity. Theres no right or wrong way to practice, we all do it differently. Most important of all, meditation is to be enjoyed!

Ed & Deb are the authors of The Unexpected Power of Mindfulness & Meditation. Deb is the author of Your Body Speaks Your Mind, now in 19 languages. They have six meditation CDs. See more at EdandDebShapiro.com

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Mindfulness & Meditation: What's the Difference? - Huffington post (press release) (blog)

BROWNSBURG Continuing an annual tradition, President Donald Trump recently declared May as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

As a way to increase awareness about its fitness programs, Brownsburg Parks is taking advantage of the proclamation and working to promote its programs during the month and beyond.

I think it [fitness month] is a really cool idea, Mark Callaway, recreation coordinator, said. All these health issues that are seemingly getting worse, just having a month dedicated to fitness is important to keep in everyones minds that its not just a fad, its something that should be continued throughout the year.

The parks main classes are for active adults and general group fitness classes. Those 55 and older can often regularly be found in the yoga, cardio classic and morning stretch classes, mainly because they are offered in the mornings.

There is also the Pathfinders Walking Club that meets in the mornings.

One plus the Brownsburg Parks fitness classes have for older adults is the tie to the SilverSneakers program. This is a healthcare based benefit for those who are 60 and older and allows them to come to the classes for free, Callaway said. SilverSneakers includes unlimited access to every participating gym and fitness center in the network, according to the programs website.

That [SilverSneakers] is a great way to get folks who may not have available funds to come to our classes, he said. They have that, they can come and participate in that class regardless of their ability to pay.

There are also water aerobics classes, which are popular among a variety of age groups. There are currently four water classes on the schedule water aerobics, aqua boot camp, gentle aqua and aqua cardio.

Those are growing classes, Callaway said.

A unique class offered by the parks department is ballroom social dancing. The next session will begin May 11.

We have two professional dance instructors, Callaway said. They have a pretty good following.

The classes have ranged anywhere from 10 to 20 couples, however individuals are welcome to come out as well.

Overall, the department is trying to grow its class offerings to better suit the community.

I think, in general, we are trying to increase not only the programs, but the enrollment in the programs, Callaway said.

There are currently three instructors who teach the classes: Dusty Dawn Teter focuses on the water aerobics classes, Regan Mosher-Rudolf teaches evening yoga and Judi Daniels teaches morning yoga and runs the Pathfinders Walking Club.

The instructors help set apart the Brownsburg Parks fitness classes from those offered at other facilities.

Not only are they certified, but they have a commitment to the Brownsburg community specifically," Callaway said. "They want to see our participants come back, grow, change, get healthier and I think thats probably what sets us apart, that personal community touch that maybe some other folks dont have."

The classes are designed for any age range and any ability level with a focus on a reasonable price and a quality program, he said.

To learn more about the Brownsburg Parks fitness classes or to enroll online, visit the website at brownsburgparks.com. Punch cards for three, five or 10 visits can also be purchased on site at any of the classes, except ballrooms social dancing.

Follow Hendricks County Flyer reporter Sara Nahrwold on Twitter at @saranahrwold.

Brownsburg fitness classes

Water aerobics: 5:30-6:15 p.m. Wednesdays at Brownsburg High School Aquatic Center

Aqua cardio: 6:30-7:15 p.m. Wednesdays at Brownsburg High School Aquatic Center

Aqua boot camp: 10 a.m. Saturdays at Brownsburg High School Aquatic Center

Gentle aqua: 11 a.m. Saturdays Brownsburg High School Aquatic Center

Hatha yoga: 9-9:45 a.m. Mondays and Fridays at Eaton Hall (free for SilverSneakers)

Yoga stretch: 11-11:45 a.m. Mondays and Fridays at Eaton Hall (free for SilverSneakers)

Evening hatha yoga: 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays at Eaton Hall

Morning stretch: 11-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at Eaton Hall

Cardio classic: 10-10:45 a.m. Wednesdays at Eaton Hall

Ballroom social dancing: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Thursdays (beginners), 7:45-8:30 p.m. Thursdays (intermediate) at Eaton Hall

Pathfinders Walking Club: 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Arbuckle Acres Park lower level shelter 6 (free program)

Excerpt from:

Brownsburg Parks highlight Fitness Month - The Hendricks County Flyer

OCC Instagram

I love makeup! Everything about it. I remember being a child, and a teacher asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I looked her right in the eyes and said: I want to be a Crayola crayon so I can live in a box filled with color. Soon after this, I discovered makeup, and I fell in love. I never looked back, and never wanted to be anything else, except that bright orange Crayola crayon playing in a box of colors. Introducing the makeup artist.

About 20 years ago my beloved makeup decided it did not love me back! My everyday lipstick sent me to the hospital with a severe allergic reaction. Every lipstick I put on after that had the same response within my body. I started to research and understand about the toxic ingredients in cosmetics, and the havoc they play within a woman's body. I made a change and never looked back. Introducing the sustainable/clean/green makeup artist.

It's not often that I come across a brand that really encompasses everything that I truly believe in as an artist and as a person. That brand is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC). The founder David Klasfeld , who is the pioneer of the currently trending liquid lip, describes the brand as the following. A line obsessively crafted from the finest ingredients possible, to celebrate the driving compulsions of make-up fanatics everywhere. I first met and interviewed David 5 years ago, at The Makeup Show. After our interview, I walked away smiling and referring to him as 'The leader of the new school'. Finally! OCC is my holy grail of makeup! A brand with simple, wholesome ingredients that performs and is not hazardous to the women who wear it, and the earth that we live on. It also allows an artist to simply create. There is no color on earth that you can not create with Lip Tars ( their breakout signature product).

OCC Instagram

I have spoken with David several times, since our first encounter. I can't even call this an interview. We basically have conversations that can go on forever based on similar beliefs, standards and a love of great makeup. Here is our latest conversation about the current spotlight on vegan makeup.

Karim Orange: What do you think about the bright light now on vegan makeup?

David Klasfeld: OCC has been doing vegan makeup since 2004. When people used to see us at trade shows and ask "Wha's 'vague-in'?, now people from all walks of life want vegan makeup. People are asking why is that ingredient in there? It doesn't have to be. A lot of ingredients that are animal derived are being questioned now. Things like carmine which is made from an insect and beeswax in the age of colony collapse disorder are not something people take in stride anymore.

K.O: Is this creating a long overdue conscious change in the industry?

D.K: This is amazing to me both personally and professionally! My hope was always to effect change in this industry. So seeing other vegan lines pop up now makes me thrilled. I think you can trace it back to the Starbucks Scandal when people found out that they put carmine in their frappuccinos to give it color. It was right after that when people started paying attention to this ingredient also being in their makeup and starting to question others. I always said that if people knew what was in their makeup they would be terrified. OCC has been pushing that boulder uphill for a while, so it is really exciting to see it pay off.

K.O: As you know I am an obsessive compulsive ingredient junkie! I feel that so many brands 'greenwash' when it comes to using the vegan buzz word. They might not test on animals or have animal products in them but every other ingredient is crap. What are your thoughts on this?

D.K: I think a consumer has to be aware of what brands were actually designed to be vegan (like us). We created a great lipstick in a non-traditional format excluding beeswax and traditional animal ingredients and still keep true to what veganism is all about.There is a very popular link on the PETA website called accidental vegan. I suggest this information to everyone, especially new vegans. You will find out things like Oreos are accidental vegan, and not developed to be. For OCC we not only wanted to be ingredient savvy but socially continuous as well. For instance, wheat germ oil is a very popular ingredient in lipstick. I knew enough in 2009 about people with gluten intolerance that I chose to keep it out. We also chose to keep ingredients like silicone which was super popular. Now companies are pulling it out. We knew the customer we were speaking to wouldn't allow us to just say 'it's vegan'. Coming from and living a vegan lifestyle really gives you insight.

OCC

K.O: How long have you been vegan?

K.O: Are you vegan past the food?

K.O: I love the fact that you can recognize all of the ingredients in your products as something you can eat. Can you elaborate on this?

D:K: Yes! Lip Tars are made from castor oil, hemp oil, peppermint oil, vitamin E and pigments. Even our other products like conceal, we wanted to mimic the texture that you get from silicone. We did this by using coco butter extract and aloe leaf extract. It's not that it's so difficult to do these type thing. You just have to care.

OCC

D:K: We are responding to an overwhelming consumer request and coming out with pressed eyeshadow.

So there you have it! Much continued success to David and Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.

About the author: Karim Orange is a two-time Emmy nominated makeup artist and green beauty expert, specializing in clean beauty, makeup and skincare. She is an active urban farmer who advocates for quality food, regardless of social economics. She enjoys traveling cross country by train, and sharing stories with others along the way. thatgirlorange.com

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Vegan Spotlight: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - Huffington post (press release) (blog)

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Exeter has been chosen to host the finale of the world's biggest vegan party.

A nationwide three-week Vegan Festival of Britain begins later this month, and Exeter will host its grand finale at Exeter Castle on Saturday, June 10, with a summer fair called Compassion. It will feature a daytime market with 40 stalls, talks and demonstrations, animal-free dishes from around the world, vegan cream teas in the afternoon and a barbecue in the evening with live music and a real ale bar complete with a specially brewed Vegan Festival of Britain beer.

The finale is part of an ambitious festival that has been coordinated by Animal Aid to mark its 40th anniversary and to celebrate the rise in interest in plant-based foods. A Ipsos MORI survey of almost 10,000 people in the UK last year found that there are now more than 500,000 vegans in the UK a rise of more than 350 per cent in 10 years.

Sidmouth-based Mark Gold , the festival's national project coordinator said: "The fantastic festival events organised so far cement Exeter's reputation as one of the country's most vegan-friendly cities, and it is particularly exciting that the city has been chosen to host the finale of the world's biggest vegan party. It promises to be a great day out for vegans and non-vegans alike."

Entry into the event, running from 11am to 9pm, is free. The vegan market will run from 11am to 5.30pm, and will feature more than 40 ethical traders and compassionate charities stalls, including food, cosmetics, fair trade clothing, ice-cream, free food tasting and more.

Visitors can also enjoy mouth-watering dishes from around the world, talks and demonstrations, vegan cream teas between 2.30pm to 4.30pm, and a barbecue from 6pm to 9pm, with a real ale bar and live music from The Dillyboys and Fiddlers on the Green.

For more details call 01395 579353 or click here

Excerpt from:

Exeter to host finale of national vegan festival - Devon Live

PUBLISHED: 10:50 08 May 2017 | UPDATED: 14:56 08 May 2017

A photo of a cosmopolitan cocktail. Photo: ivanmateev/Getty Images/iStockphoto

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Cheryl Mullenger and Michelle McCabe, owners of market stall Bia Kitchen, have this week announced that in June they will open a second venture called The Tipsy Vegan.

Located in the heart of Norwichs historic Lanes on St Benedicts Street, the new establishment will serve up a selection of vegan small bites and hearty meals along with a host of bespoke cocktails, wines and local brewery beers.

Between them, Mullenger and McCabe have 25 years combined experience in hospitality, health and fitness and are intending to take a simple approach to the new business - serving healthier, freshly made food thats full of flavour and also happens to be vegan.

Miss McCabe said: Weve both spent a huge amount of time developing and experimenting to find delicious substitutes to animal-based products.

As a result, weve found some pretty exiting combinations of ingredients that work particularly well in classic casual dining, the dishes vegans usually cant indulge in.

At The Tipsy Vegan youll never see a mushroom risotto or a ratatouille on our menu - only the most comforting classics that taste exceptionally different.

Miss Mullenger added: Norwich is more than ready for its first-ever vegan-only restaurant and cocktail bar. Were unbelievably excited about what we have in store. Absolutely everything in our restaurant will be vegan including our Chesterfields.

The opening of the new eatery and cocktail joint comes within just eighteen months of the pair serving up their first signature BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Bap at Bia Kitchen in December 2015.

The Tipsy Vegan will serve comfort food and social drinks and will be open for brunch, casual lunches, dinner and cocktail get-togethers will small bites.

Opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday evenings and all day for brunch at the weekend.

For more information visit facebook.com/thetipsyvegan

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Masterminds behind Bia Kitchen to open first-ever vegan cocktail bar and restaurant in Norwich - Norfolk Eastern Daily Press

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Is this a foodie first? A Truro business has come up with a vegan version of the Cornish cream tea.

Pura Pressed, which is based in The Old Bakery in Malpas Road, has come up with a novel twist on our local delicacy which is sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and palm oil-free.

Graeme Holland, who runs the business with his partner Charlotte Waistell, explained that he came up with the idea of the Raw Cornish Cream Tea as a way of making sure vegans weren't excluded from the joys of the cream tea.

There's no denying the end product looks a lot different than the traditional cream tea, but we can guarantee that it is bursting with flavour and a delicious and healthier alternative to the fattening clotted cream variety.

READ MORE: My 30-day vegan experiment

See the video above as I take the taste test and chat to Graeme about his novel invention.

How you buy the Raw Cornish Cream Tea.

The scone is made from gluten-free oats, macadamia nuts, chia seeds and nut milk. Rather than being baked, the dough is dehydrated for eight hours so that none of the nutrients are lost.

The jam is made from Cornish strawberries and chia seeds a teaspoon of the seeds provides more calcium than a glass of milk while the clotted cream is replaced by gluten and dairy free coconut cream.

READ MORE: Are Warrens Thai and Mexican vegan pasties a step too far? We take the taste test

You can buy the vegan cream tea from Pura Pressed's stall at Truro Farmers' Market on Lemon Quay on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9am to 3.30pm.

Putting the vegan cream tea together - jam first as always.

Graeme and Charlotte currently make vegan cakes, desserts, salads and will soon be delivering wraps too. It is also Cornwall's only cold pressed juice business; all of its juices are unpasteurised.

Veganism is on the rise with the recent Cornwall Vegan Festival at Mount Pleasant Eco Park attracting about 1,500 people and selling out of all of its food within three hours.

Graeme added: "We're noticing that a lot of people are making the move to vegan food. We offer a plant-based alternative that is based around health and well-being which is also bursting with flavour and is authentically Cornish."

WHAT'S ON IN CORNWALL

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Truro company invents the world's first vegan Cornish cream tea - we give it the taste test - Cornwall Live

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Protein is central to the human diet: It helps the body self-repair, and is important for the immune system and metabolism. When you give up eating meat, one of the first things you will hear is, "But where will you get your protein?"

White meat ispackedwith good proteins. Maybe you relied on chicken and pork to get your nutrition before you realized you would like to stop eating meat. But switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet isnt just about cutting out certain products from your dietyou need to ensure that you get all the nutrition you need.

Any seasoned vegetarian or vegan will tell you that protein is not a problem. Nature provides plenty of alternative, plant-based sources of protein, and it is easy to incorporate them intodelicious recipes.

The infographics below are great at-a-glance protein guides so you can instantly tell the protein value of a number of vegetarian- and vegan-friendly ingredients. Pick out some foods you like, and see how they can be incorporated into some interesting recipes.

The infographic above was originally published by OnStride Financial.

The infographic above was originally published byOnStride Financial.

Jennifer Gueringer is a social media associate at Enova International, Inc. Find her at Google+.

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These Are the Best Sources of Protein for Vegetarians and Vegans - AlterNet

Both are traditional, and both are made of veal, beef or pork, occasionally chicken.

But today, these classics have been transformed, going meat-free to embrace the growing number of vegetarians and vegans across Germany and to fuel the vegan movement itself.

"These new food products are quite tasty," said Stefan Lorkowski, vice president of the German Nutrition Society. "It's tremendous what food technologists can do."

Meat-substitute products such as sausages and schnitzels are usually made of plant proteins such as soy, wheat or tofu, woven and glued together to give the texture and consistency of meat.

"Meat substitutes are what Germany is leading in, from a personal view," said nutritional epidemiologist Clarissa Lage Barbosa of the Robert Koch Institute, part of the Federal Ministry of Health. "If someone is just starting, these kind of products can help them get into the diet."

"These products are a simple way of replacing meat," Lorkowski said. "There are some that are fantastic ... (but) there are also some that are a disaster."

Lorkowski is not a vegetarian or vegan, instead labeling himself a "flexitarian," eating small amounts of meat and fish. Lage Barbosa says this subgroup could be seeing an even bigger rise in Germany.

Lorkowski warned, however, that regular consumption of processed food -- even plant or meat-based meat substitutes -- is not healthy, as meat alternative products like vegan bratwurst or schnitzel are more or less pure protein and do not provide a balanced diet alone.

Some of the plant-based foods, such as yoghurt made from soy, are fortified with vitamins known to be lacking in vegan diets, but raw foods, grains and vegetables are also needed, he said.

Lage Barbosa agreed: "That's not the way you should keep going with your nutrition. You should change your habits to healthier ones."

Vegans in particular already face nutritional challenges from omitting dairy and eggs from their diets, namely deficiencies in vitamin B12 and calcium.

The German Nutrition Society's position on vegan diets as a whole recommends that people take B12 supplements and possibly include other supplements or fortified foods. That could include these new vegan products in addition to raw and whole-grain foods, added Lorkowski.

Lage Barbosa, herself a vegan, shops at specialized supermarkets. But along with her colleague Gert Mensink, she is skeptical about the sudden rise in such shops and products, fearing that they may just be a trend.

"We have seen fluctuations before," Mensink said. "The market is quick with such products, but if they cannot make a profit, they will disappear."

But this is one trend that might survive. Mensink says there has been interest for at least five years and particularly in the past two years.

"The diet is increasingly of interest, as is the idea that you can do something beneficial to your health by choosing the right products," Lorkowski said.

This is emphasized by Mintel's recent data, which showed that after a rise in meat substitute products, greater numbers of "natural" products were launched between 2015 and 2016, suggesting that people are increasingly analyzing what's in their food -- a factor more typically associated with veganism. Mintel data also found that one in three Germans regularly checks the ingredients in their food.

"The trend towards naturalness plays a dominant role in the food choices of German consumers, who prioritize health benefits of unprocessed, natural and wholesome products," Katya Witham, MIntel senior food and drink analyst, said in a statement.

The movement parallels vegan and vegetarian ideals in other parts of the world, such as the UK and US, where these diets revolve more around raw, unprocessed foods, according to Kay Peggs, professor of sociology at Kingston University in the UK. But the origins differ.

The main reasons people become vegans are down to animal welfare, helping the environment and improving health, Peggs said.

Recent guidance from the United Nations has highlighted the environmental benefits of reduced meat consumption. For example, livestock are estimated to be responsible for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

"The UK is a world leader" in veganism, Peggs said, adding that it was the first country to have a Vegan Society. That ideology arose from concerns over animal welfare, followed by the environment, meaning people did not necessarily seek meat-like replacements.

"Where a country has a heavy focus on meat-based products, it may be more difficult to replace with a raw product," Peggs said.

Peggs is conducting a global study of the reasons why people choose to become vegans, but she emphasizes that it is no easy feat. In some countries, such as India, people may have a meat-free diet but may not necessarily identify as a vegan or a vegetarian.

Other leaders in the movement are the United States -- particularly more liberal parts -- and Scandinavia, she added. "There certainly seems to be a trend in younger people identifying as vegan in European countries," she said.

Thomas Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at Kings College London, has spent his career understanding nutrition in southern Europe and says there is not much of a movement toward veganism there. "Some of this stems from animal rights ... and the green movement, (which) is very strong in Germany."

Sanders also believes that greater ethnic diversity in countries such as the UK, with the resulting wider range of foods, further affects the type of vegan and vegetarian diets people want. UK residents are commonly exposed to Greek, Indian and Cypriot diets that have many vegetarian options. "Most vegans do not think of meat as food ... (so) they don't want things resembling meat," he said.

Most experts believe the trend has not yet peaked, though they say it is unlikely to become the norm.

"There is a lot of concern around health," Peggs said. "So it will keep rising."

Sanders believes there will be a further increase in the type of products available. "I see a growth in ready meals that are vegan, or vegetarian, coming in," he said. "There will be a shift to plant-based eating among the more educated."

But he highlights the difference between veganism as a movement and vegetarianism. "Veganism extends beyond just the food," he said. It is a way of life, determining what people wear and how they live.

"I see it growing," he said. "But like organics, it might increase, but I can't see it becoming a mainstream thing."

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