The newly-released USDA nutrition standards for school meals include requirements for more fruits and vegetables, more whole-grains, and less salt and fat. In a welcome addition for many vegetarians, schools now have the option to use tofu as a meat alternate for school lunch and school breakfast programs. According to the USDA, approving tofu "allows schools to diversify the sources of protein available to students and better meet the dietary needs of vegetarians and culturally diverse groups in schools." (This is what VRG had suggested in spring, 2011 when we commented on the proposed regulations.)

Here are a few more key changes:

• The new lunch standard calls for ¾-1 cup of vegetables PLUS ½-1 cup of fruit per day; the old standard required only ½-¾ cups of a combination of fruits and vegetables.
• The new standard for school breakfast doubles the amount of fruit required to be served.
• At least half of the grains served must be whole grain rich (more than half of the product must be whole grain), effective July, 2012; by 2014, all grains served must be whole grain rich.
• Schools are required to serve specific amounts of dark green and red/orange vegetables each week; in the past requirements were merely for total amounts of vegetables with no requirements for these more nutritious vegetables.
• Schools must serve at least ½ cup of dried beans or peas each week.
• Schools are no longer required to serve a meat or meat alternate at breakfast.
• Any food served must have 0 grams of trans-fat per serving.

These changes will be implemented over the next several years.

To learn more about vegetarian options in school meals programs, please visit: http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm

VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, just wrote a new article for OneGreenPlanet.org:

Raising Children who are Glad to Be Vegan
By Reed Mangels: Nutrition Advisor, The Vegetarian Resource Group

Click through to read the article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 24, 2012
Contacts: John Cunningham (410) 366-VEGE
Sonja Helman (410) 366-8343

The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book

The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, has authored The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book, published by Adams Media.

In this 304-page book, Mangels provides information about all aspects of a vegan pregnancy from choosing and working with a health care provider, to developing a vegan-friendly birth plan, to eating healthy throughout pregnancy and beyond.

Chapters include those focused on key nutrients including vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin D, protein, and iodine. Other chapters address unique consideration in each trimester, labor and delivery, and breast feeding. Practical matters such as shopping, food safety, and social issues for vegans are also covered. The book is filled with helpful lists including top vegan sources of iron, zinc, and calcium; a vegan food guide for pregnancy; snack ideas; and essentials to pack for the hospital or birthing center.

The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book also includes 150 recipes – from appetizers to desserts. Expectant parents can feast on Morning Cereal Bars, Tandoori Seitan, Cajun Collard Greens, and Apricot Ginger Sorbet.

Reed wrote the nutrition section for Simply Vegan published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. She co-authored the 2009 and 2003 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position papers on vegetarian diets. She is a Nutrition Editor for Vegetarian Journal.

Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who also don’t use other animal products such as dairy or eggs. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit which educates the public about vegetarian and vegan diets. It publishes Vegetarian Journal, offers two $5,000 college scholarships to high school seniors who have promoted vegetarianism, and sponsors an e-mail list for parents of vegetarians (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vrgparents/). For more information, call (410) 366-8343; write to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; or visit www.vrg.org.

To order The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book, send $16.95 to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; Call 410-366-8343 9AM to 5PM Monday to Friday; or visit http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=81

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

The VRG noticed an Internet blog entry in December 2011 indicating that Taco Bell® rice contained casein, a milk protein. At one time, some rice served at Taco Bell® contained this dairy ingredient. We reported it: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/fast.htm. The VRG was curious to know if Taco Bell® rice currently contained any milk proteins. Currently, the only rice on Taco Bell’s® national menu is the Mexican Rice, also referred to as seasoned (red) rice. This rice may be a component in several Taco Bell® meals or ordered by itself as a side dish.

We asked a quality assurance employee at Taco Bell® corporate headquarters who has provided us with information in the past about Taco Bell® menu items. She told us that "there is no casein or other milk protein" in the seasoned rice.

We were also informed that Taco Bell® is currently testing a white cilantro rice in select areas. Like the seasoned rice, the white cilantro rice is free of all dairy-derived ingredients.

For more information on Taco Bell® ingredients in all of its national menu items, visit http://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/ingredientstatement

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food served in fast food and quick service chains, visit the VRG at http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.htm
For information on food ingredients and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free e-newsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/VegResourceGrp
And like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup

The Vegetarian Resource Group will be hosting a vegan dinner in Fort Lauderdale at Sublime Restaurant on Sunday, March 4th, 2012, at 5:00 PM. If you are in the area, please join us. Reservations need to be paid in advance.

MENU

Salad: Caesar Salad with house-made lemon-Dijon dressing

Entrée: One Choice of Penne Puttanesca (tomato, basil, caper, olive, roasted red pepper), Quiche Lorraine (crispy tempeh, roasted garlic, shallot, tofu, mozzarella, kale salad), or Enchiladas (shredded Gardein, green pepper, brown rice, black bean, cheddar, sour cream)

Dessert: One Choice of Chocolate Nirvana Chocolate Cake, Seasonal Cheesecake, Coconut Cake, Chocolate Macaroons, Apple Crumb Pie
A La Mode, or Ice Cream Sundae

COST: $22 for Paid-up VRG members. $50 for non-members

PLEASE reserve with a credit card by calling (410) 366-8343; mailing a check to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203; or paying online
at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565
Please write Sublime dinner in the notes section.

Seating is limited. Refunds will only be made if we can replace your seat. We look forward to seeing you!

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

In October 2011, The VRG received an email from a self-described "raw foods vegan" asking about our classification of riboflavin and niacin in The VRG's Guide to Food Ingredients as "typically vegan" rather than "vegan." She was puzzled because we had classified them as being commercially produced synthetically or microbially. Both of these production methods are described as "vegan" in the Introduction to our Guide, so the reader thought they should be labeled as "vegan." The reader had no success in getting answers about riboflavin and niacin from companies so asked us to look into it.

Recent investigation into these two B vitamins, often found in fortified foods as well as nutritional supplements, proved that they still are largely produced by synthetic methods and by microbial fermentation using all-vegetable growth media for the microbes. However, the VRG conservatively classified niacin and riboflavin as "typically vegan" because of the possibility that these vitamins, widely found in animal products such as milk, organ meats and eggs, could be derived from animal sources in rare cases.

This could be the case, for example, in "natural" products containing these vitamins. Because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not as of yet legally defined the term "natural," companies can and do interpret it broadly. Thus, even if in almost all cases, the commercial sources for niacin and riboflavin are "vegan" as we have defined the word in the Introduction to our Food Ingredients Guide (as mentioned above), we cautiously classify them as "typically vegan" to account for cases where animal products may be used.

The VRG asked several manufacturers of niacin and riboflavin in December 2011 about their starting materials. Lonza, the world's largest manufacturer of niacin, wrote that they start with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other non-animal chemicals. Smaller companies, such as Mason, said that their "natural" niacin was "synthetically derived," while Natural Factors said that their niacin was "a fermented, animal product-free vitamin." Wonder Labs emailed us that their niacin was "produced by microorganisms in the lab…and does not have any animal products in it. It is vegetarian/vegan." NOW Foods said that "niacin's been synthesized chemically for years…I don't think microbes are used at all."

PAT Vitamins carries riboflavin products made through "fermentation using corn starch as the growth medium." Jarrow told us that their riboflavin is "chemically synthesized." Nature's Way told The VRG that they use "a natural fermentation process starting with growth media that contain no animal products." A customer service representative at Nature's Way added that "…because there is not enough riboflavin in natural foods to extract it, it would be cost prohibitive [to source it that way]." She referred to the fermentation product as "‘synthetic' meaning ‘re-created.'" Furthermore, since additional processing is involved, Nature's Way calls its fermentation-produced riboflavin "synthetic."

However, not all companies manufacture riboflavin through chemical synthesis or microbial fermentation. The VRG spoke in January 2012 with Dee Cee Laboratories, who told us that their "natural" riboflavin was an extract of beef, specifically beef liver and kidney concentrate. The VRG called a second time to confirm that this was true and we received that confirmation.

The VRG encourages all readers to contact manufacturers when in doubt about food or supplement ingredients. Note that often, companies distribute products made by other companies so more than one call or email may be required. Double checking on a different day and asking someone else at the company may also be warranted if you receive questionable information. Remember that human beings aren’t perfect. A main goal of being vegan is to do the best you can, work towards a better world, and not be critical of others.

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements.Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food ingredients and to purchase The VRG's Guide to Food Ingredients, visit http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
For information on ingredients, fast food, and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free e-newsletter: http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/VegResourceGrp
And like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup

The Rules:

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about vegetarianism and/or veganism.

Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and vegetarianism, vegetarianism and animal rights, or other vegetarian topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others.

Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media.

DEADLINE: April 20, 2012

Please e-mail to vrg@vrg.org:

1. Your name
2. Street Address, City, State, Zip
3. Phone number
4. E-mail contact
5. Indicate if 18 or older. If you are under 18, please include a parent or guardian's permission for entry and use of the video.
6. A brief statement on why you are interested in vegetarianism.
7. A link to your video.
8. Include Vegetarian Video in the subject line of the e-mail.

Click through to read the rest of the scholarship rules »

Share VRG’s Video!

Check out VRG’s video, "A Hunter’s Guide to His Vegetarian Daughter and His Vegan Son," and share with your friends!

Check out other vegetarian videos here »

For information about VRG’s scholarship for high school seniors, see http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

For information about our internships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Subway® Canada has contracted with a private company to create a vegan patty sold only at Subway® Canada stores which opt to carry it. The legal department at Subway® told The VRG: "Like most products sold at Subway® restaurants, the veggie patty is made following a recipe that is unique to Subway®. As this recipe is exclusive to Subway® restaurants, these exact veggie patties are not available at other restaurants or retail stores."

With the addition of Subway® Canada's own "Totally Vegged" vegan patty as a menu item that Subway® restaurant owners in Canada may carry, Subway® Canada distinguishes itself from other quick service chains, including select Subway® USA restaurants, which offer vegetarian (i.e., containing egg and/or dairy) patties that patrons could also purchase at their local grocery store. As of December 2011, over one hundred locations of the approximately 2,700 Subway® restaurants in Canada carry the "Totally Vegged" patty.

The VRG spoke with the Director of Operations at a Subway® branch office in December 2011 who told us that vegetarian and vegan menu options "are here to stay" due to "great interest among many customers." She told us that the vegan patty "will always be a market option" for individual Subway® owners to sell in their stores since "We are moving in the direction of healthy options." It is still uncertain whether the vegan patty will become a national menu item or remain a market option.

The VRG contacted the company which manufactures Subway® Canada's vegan patty for confirmation that the patty is vegan. The patty's all-vegetable ingredients are as follows: carrots, red pepper, green pepper, onion, water chestnuts, mushrooms, water, soy protein, wheat gluten, canola oil, sugar, modified cellulose, oats, rice, onion powder, garlic powder, modified corn starch, hydrolyzed corn, soy and wheat gluten protein, dextrose, salt, potassium chloride, spices, jalapeño powder, dehydrated lemon peel, dehydrated cilantro, dehydrated orange peel, flavor, spinach powder, dehydrated parsley.

An office assistant at a branch office of Subway® told us that the "Totally Vegged" patty and patron-selected bread are heated "by themselves on a deli paper" in a microwave or toaster oven (depending on the store) "so no contamination with meat products is possible." As with all Subway® menu items, patrons choose the condiments or sauces used to garnish their sandwich or sub.

For Subway® patrons around the world who would like to see their local Subway® offer a vegan patty, the VRG recommends that you contact Subway® at 203-877-4281 and visit them at www.WeLoveSubway.com to voice your opinion.

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food served in fast food and quick service chains, visit the VRG at http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.htm. For information on food ingredients and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free e-newsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/VegResourceGrp
And like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup

Chinese New Year is on January 23rd, and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious vegan recipes from VRG’s books, Simply Vegan, Vegans Know How to Party, and Meatless Meals for Working People!

Broccoli Chow Mein

Serves 3

From Simply Vegan
By Debra Wasserman and Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

3 stalks broccoli, chopped
1 Tablespoon oil
½ cup water
½ pound mung bean sprouts
½ cup slivered almonds or sunflower seeds (optional)
1 Tablespoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch
½ cup water
1-½ Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Stir-fry broccoli in oil and ½ cup water for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add bean sprouts and almonds or seeds. Stir-fry for 2 more minutes.

Dissolve starch in ½ cup water. Add to broccoli and sprout mixture along with tamari or soy sauce and sesame oil if desired. Stir, then heat covered for 1 minute longer. Serve hot.

Moo Shu Tempeh

Serves 8

From Vegans Know How to Party
By Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Marinade:
4 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 Tablespoons cold water
2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons orange juice concentrate
3 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large glass or plastic bowl. Set aside.

Tempeh:
2 Tablespoons dried mushrooms (shiitake are a good variety)
1 cup warm water
1½ pounds tempeh, cut into thin strips
Vegetable oil spray
4 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1 cup diced green onions (white and green parts)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup warm water
8 flour tortillas

Combine mushrooms and 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes or until soft. Discard water. Cut mushrooms into thin strips. Set aside.

Add tempeh to marinade, cover, and marinate for 30 minutes. Drain tempeh, reserve remaining marinade to use as sauce.

Spray a large skillet with oil and allow to heat. Add tempeh and allow to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and green onions. Quickly mix cornstarch with ½ cup warm water and add to tempeh mixture. Stir and cook over high heat until cabbage is tender and mixture is hot. Remove from stove.

To serve, warm tortillas in the microwave or oven, rolled, and wrapped in a towel. Place tortillas flat on a serving platter or on individual plates. Spoon a small amount, about 1 teaspoon marinade in the center of each tortilla. Top marinade with ¼ cup tempeh mixture. Fold bottom edge over tempeh mixture. Fold left and right sides of tortilla to the center to form a loose roll. Serve hot.

Fried Rice with Peanuts or Almonds

Serves 6

From Meatless Meals for Working People
By Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler

1 large onion chopped
1 Tablespoon oil
2 cups pre-cooked rice (leftovers are good)
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 Tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 cup roasted peanuts or almonds, chopped or whole

Sauté onion in oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry 15 minutes.

We would like to send a special thanks to Chris Belanger and Karen Krinsky. They featured VRG as both a recipient and sponsor of the charity raffle held at their annual vegan holiday meal last month in Providence, Rhode Island. Over 110 people gathered for an afternoon of like-minded company, fun, great music, and delicious vegan food. Ticket sales were brisk this year bringing in just shy of $600. Chris and Karen kindly rounded up so VRG, along with two other organizations, each received $200! Thank you!!!

Check out Chris’ Rhode Island Vegan Guide, an excellent resource for all things vegan in Rhode Island. In warmer months, Karen runs Like No Udder, an all-vegan soft serve ice cream truck!