Why cutting back on dairy

WHY CUTTING BACK

ON DAIRY COULD SAVE

CALVES LIKE GANDHI

Young calf Gandhi was heading for slaughter last year. But after being rescued, he couldn’t be happier…

hen he w as just three w eeks old, Gandhi, and a group of other calves, w ere just a day away from being slaughtered. Gandhi w as useless to the dair y industry as he can’t produce milk. And lik e so man y other male calves, he w as destined to be loaded on to a lorry headed for a slaughterhouse. T here he would have been killed and his carcass used for the pharmaceutical and leather industries rather than for beef, as it costs more money to rear cows for meat. But Gandhi’s life w as saved in July 2019 , when animal campaigners negotiated with a farmer to release him and 11 other calves –the most the farmer w as willing to give up . T he lucky cows were tak en to sanctuaries in the UK but, sadly, so man y lik e them couldn’t be saved. W

Emily* was part of a group of activists who were inspired to save Gandhi after seeing lorryloads of calves queuing for a ferry, where they were to be taken abroad to be slaughtered.

Speaking during “Februdairy” – the dairy industry’s monthlong campaign to promote its products – Emily says, “We had been protesting against live exports at the harbour when we saw lorries full of baby calves. We were desperate to save their lives, but it wasn’t possible.”

But while it was too late for them, the activists were inspired to call local farmers, to convince them to release other calves headed for slaughter.

Emily says, “We cold-called dozens of farmers and were so pleased we were able to rescue Gandhi and some others from a farm in Dorset.”

Shockingly, 100,000 calves are mercilessly sent to slaughter every year in the UK.

“In the dairy industry, female cows are artificially inseminated throughout their lives, so they become pregnant and produce milk,” says Emily. “But their calves are taken away when they’re only a few weeks old, so the milk can be used in dairy products and sold for human consumption instead.”

After being driven to an animal shelter in Essex, Gandhi was treated for malnutrition and severe diarrhoea. But now Gandhi is thriving at the sanctuary. Emily adds, “Gandhi is affectionate and has learned to trust humans again. You wouldn’t believe he’s the same nervous creature that once used

Cows often face terrible conditions

to totter around looking for his mum.

“The other cows rescued are also happy in their new homes. I dream of a day when people realise how cruelly treated the majority of cows are in order to produce milk for the dairy industry, so no more cows have to suffer in the way Gandhi did.”

HOW TO HELP

*NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED. PHOT OS: GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK Switch to plant-based milk or ask your supermarket to stock RSPCA assured milk, via Rspcaassured. org.uk/get-involved/ lobby-your-supermarket. You can also visit Compassioninfoodbusiness. com to find which suppliers have won a Good Dairy Award.

REAL LIFE

He has been rescued and is now thriving

❛ HE’S DEVELOPED AN

AFFECTIONATE NA TURE AND

LOVES BEING STROKED ❜

CRUEL METHODS

Animal Equality has launched a billboar d

campaign t o r aise a wareness about the dairy indus try’s

cruel methods. Crowdfunders raised enough

money for the charity to launch ten billboards across

Britain – in cities including Glasgow, Oxford and Belfast

– which share shocking information about how cows

are treated. To learn more about their investigations,

visit Dairysdarksecret.co.uk.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES?

Nutritionist Ondrej Matej says, “Many people think that the only way to get calcium into their diet is through dairy, but there are lots of calcium-rich plant-based alternatives to milk, cheese and yoghurt, containing nutritious nut and soya milk. If you’re considering going dairy free, consult your GP first and if you’re worried about deficiency, take a blood test.”

HAZELNUT: Free from gluten, hazelnut milk is suitable for people suffering from coeliac disease. Hazelnut milk also contains vitamin B2, which helps to support the immunue system.

OAT : Oats lo wer blood sugar lev els, pr otect the heart and c ontain vitamin B12, which k eeps blood c ells healthy. A good choic e for people with aller gies or int olerances as it ’s fr ee of lact ose, nuts and so y.

ALMOND: Almond milk is lo w in satur ated fat, so is a good choic e for those suffering with high cholest erol and heart disease. It ’s also rich in vitamin E, which helps maintain health y skin.

SOYA: Soy a uns weetened milk keeps y our daily sugar intake lo w and, with lots of pr otein, it ’s a gr eat option for v egans. A t 33kcal per 100ml glas s, it also c ontains fewer calories than c ow’s milk.

COC ONUT: This r efreshing choic e is made fr om the milk y flesh of a c oconut, which is rich in fibr e and helps digestion and w eight loss. C oconut oils ar e full of good nutrients t o keep y our bones s trong.

LYDIA:

‘Luc y and I

could do a reality show together’

Former TOWIE star Lydia Bright talks to Closer about being a single mum and reveals why motherhood could be the best thing to happen to her career

With best friend Lucy

he first found fame as a Discussing the split, she previously said,

bright-eyed 20 year old on TOWIE, back in 2010. And a decade on, Lydia Bright is embracing another lifechanging event – the birth of her baby girl. As Closer w ent to press, Lydia was just days away from giving birth. The star – whose on-off relationship with James ‘Arg’ Argent dominated TOWIE stor y lines befor e her departure from the reality show in 2017 – will be raising her daughter as a single mum, after splitting with ex-boyfriend Lee Cronin shortly after discovering she was pregnant.

But despite the breakup, Lydia, 30, is full of positivity. She believes she’s lucky to have had such a stress-free pregnancy, and says she can’t wait to become a mum. S

FINAL COUNTDOWN

She says, “It’s the final countdown now!

I’ve had a really good pregnancy – I’m full

of energy. I’ve just got to keep that up for

this last bit. My bump is also not that big

– although I think it has grown a lot in

the last few weeks.

CLO SERONLINE.CO.UK 30 PHOTOS: INSTAGRAM, JASON JACOBS “I can’t wait to have a girl. I’m doing up the nursery at the moment. I’m also changing my whole house, so it’s a bit of a building site – I’m living at my parents’ house right now! But it’ll be done soon and it’s been a lot of fun planning.”

Lydia dated personal trainer Lee for two years before their split, but she has revealed the pair have remained on good terms. He’s been a big part of her pregnancy, attending every scan and antenatal classes. “It’s not the ideal situation. I waited quite a long time to try for a baby, until I thought it was perfect. But I know this baby will be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Now, Lydia has been spending a lot of time with her best friends – including Lucy Mecklenburgh, who is due within a few days of her.

And she says it’s been great having close pals who are going through, or who have recently gone through, pregnancy and new motherhood.

PRESSURE She says, “All my girls are really happy for me. And I’m so glad I’ve got so many pregnant friends at the moment! There’s Lucy [Mecklenburgh], my best friend from home, and two of my cousins.

“Lucy’s pregnancy has been really tough, much more so than mine, and she’s about ten times the size of me. She’s having a boy, and it’s going to be a big baby.”

Before becoming pregnant, Lydia wowed her followers with her fitness overhaul,

Samantha and Billie Faiers slimming down from a size 10 to a size 6 while dating personal trainer Lee.

But she says she’s embracing her baby body and is in no rush to lose the weight, revealing, “I’ve put on two stone, which I think is the average weight you put on when pregnant. I’ve not gained that much. Everybody holds the weight differently and I’ve been lucky. I’ve still got a while to go, though. I think the pressure to lose weight after having a baby is pressure that you put on yourself. I’m not fussed.”

As the due date looms, she adds that she’s been struggling to come up with a name for her baby girl.

She says, “I’m still thinking about a name – it will be decided soon! I was one of those people who would say, ‘I don’t understand how women have nine months to think of a name and they can’t think of one’. But now I’m one of those people! I fell pregnant,

INTERVIEW

‘I’m still thinking about a name!’

Lydia and Lee broke up last year

and now I just can ’t find a name . But I will get there!” Lydia’s fellow TOWIE alumni Samantha and Billie F aiers’ careers skyrocketed after

becoming mums, due to their reality show The Mummy Diaries – as has F erne McCann’s, with her TV show First Time Mum .

● OPPORTUNITIES Lydia says she’s loving the new job opportunities that come with pregnancy, and that she’d love to follow in the footsteps of her fellow former TOWIE stars by launching a TV show. She says, “A lot of my work is on Instagram and campaigns. I’m getting loads of mum jobs now – baby blogging, loads of baby brands. I just got a big contract with F isher P rice –I feel so luck y that m y work can fit in with m y life . “There’s been talks about a baby reality show lik e The Mummy Diaries –w e’ll see! W e could do ‘ The L ydia and Lucy Show’. You never know!” By Lily Smith Closer spoke to L ydia a t the launch o f