Tips from vegan charity

An Auckland food catering charity is harnessing raw and fermented foods as a tool to help it expand.

Plant-based zero waste charity Hungry for Raw supplies vegan food at weddings, birthdays and markets across Auckland.

Veganism is a diet that excludes all animal derived ingredients including meat, dairy and eggs.

Founders Jessie Hume, 39, and Erin Sanders, 29, started the catering business to help fund their distribution of ‘‘starter kits’’ - manuals on how and why people can become vegans.

They produce vegan cheesecake bars, chia seed pudding, and gourmet nacho and black bean bowls loaded with German fermented food sauerkraut or Korean fermented staple kimchi.

Sanders said the charity started incorporating foods with live bacteria after she adopted them into her own diet last year to deal with stomach issues.

The fermentation of foods can preserve the nutrient content of food and assist in making it easier to digest.

‘‘When you’re dealing with sickness and health issues you don’t want to feel crap after eating,’’ Sanders said.

‘‘We like foods that feel easy on the body, that taste good and leave you feeling good an hour later.

‘‘We want people to feel nourished.’’