By Amanda Gilley, VRG Intern

The Vegetarian Resource Group participated in a community health fair that was hosted by the Excel Academy @ Francis M. Wood High School in Baltimore City, which is in one of the more impoverished neighborhoods in Baltimore. Overall this event was a huge success. This event was open to students, parents, and the community.

The VRG first heard of this health fair and the opportunity to attend from a school teacher, who attended the VRG Thanksgiving Potluck and who is vegan. She came with another teacher who is vegan and has been a longstanding member of the VRG. Because this school has two vegan teachers on staff, many of the students were familiar with the word vegan and said they have been interested in trying veggie burgers and vegetarian products that they see in the grocery store. Many of the students were also familiar with the vegetarian friendly restaurants that were listed on our Greater Baltimore Area Dining Guide. Some of the students were very interested in the educational materials that we had to give away because they are interested in incorporating more vegetables into their diet and see vegetarian diets as being a healthy lifestyle choice.

To support vegetarian outreach like this, please donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

These vegan restaurants were recently added to our online restaurant guide. To find restaurants in your area, visit: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php.

Happy Healthy Human
http://www.happyhealthyhuman.com/
1869 South Patrick Dr., Indian Harbour Beach, FL 32937
(321) 779-0077
Vegan/raw foods/organic. Located in the Harbour Villa of Indian Harbour Beach, this raw vegan café features not only a full menu of healthy options, but also has seasoned, experienced staff members who are more than happy to help you improve your vegan lifestyle. Happy Healthy Human goes above and beyond your average restaurant, featuring weekly organic produce boxes as well as consultation services for those interested in the raw vegan lifestyle. If you’re in the market for food that not only tastes amazing, but makes you feel amazing, Happy Healthy Human promises to deliver. Open Monday through Friday for three meals. Open Saturday for brunch and dinner. Closed Sunday. Full service, take-out, delivery, catering, fresh juices, smoothies, VISA/MC/DISC, $-$$.

Kate’s Café
http://www.katescafe.net/
27 Broadway Ave., Mystic, CT 06355
(860) 245-5832
Vegan/café. Kate’s Café offers such delicious foods as BBQ Tempeh, Seitan Sliders, Smoky Chickpea Burger, and Mexican Black Bean Quinoa Salad. For breakfast, enjoy Scrambled Tofu or a Waffle Panini. Kate’s is a cozy little eatery with good food and great prices. Open Tuesday through Sunday for breakfast and lunch. Closed Monday. Full service, take-out, VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC, $-$$.

Localita & The Badasserie
http://localita.co/
817 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 623-3223
Vegan/eclectic. This self-proclaimed hole-in-the-wall is a casual, quick service eatery offering an all-vegan menu. A must-try is The Sir Nasty, a vegan sausage patty dressed in vegan cheddar, chipotle sauce, red onion, maple syrup, and Sriracha sauce on a sprouted multigrain English muffin. You can even text your order for pick-up or delivery! Localita & The Badasserie is located in downtown LA. Open Monday through Saturday for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. Closed Sunday. Counter service, take-out, delivery, catering, fresh juices, smoothies, VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC, $-$$.

Loving Hut Express
http://www.lovinghutvancouver.ca
Pacific Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6B 5E7
(604) 780-1029
Vegan/food cart. Loving Hut Express is an all-vegan food cart that serves gourmet sandwiches and burgers. Try menu items such as the Crispy Chick’n Burger, Sunshine Teriyaki Burger, or Philly’s Dream. Loving Hut is an international vegan restaurant chain with the slogan, “Be Veg. Go Green. Save the Planet.” It was created with a vision that all beings could live in peace, love, and harmony with each other and the planet. Loving Hut Express is located in front of the Roundhouse Community Center by the corner of Pacific Boulevard and Davie Street in Yaletown. Make sure to check online before going as hours may vary. Open Wednesday and Thursday for lunch. Open Friday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Take-out, catering, VISA/MC, $.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

An online reader asked us if a cow bone char filter is used in the manufacture of SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener (a brand name for sucralose), an artificial sweetener found in a wide variety of foods and beverages.

According to http://www.splenda.com/faq/no-calorie-sweetener#3, SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener is made “…through a patented, multi-step process that starts with sugar and converts it to a no-calorie, non-carbohydrate sweetener. The process selectively replaces three hydrogen-oxygen groups on the sugar molecule with three chlorine atoms.” http://www.splenda.com/faq/no-calorie-sweetener#19 also indicates that SPLENDA® contains small amounts of dextrose and/or maltodextrin (VRG note: both usually corn-derived).

Tate & Lyle, the British creator and current major manufacturer of SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener, describes its production methods on its website. http://www.tateandlyle.com/aboutus/ourindustry/pages/sucralose.aspx
This page specifies that the company “…uses ordinary granulated sugar, similar to that used in the home, as the starting material.”

A specialist in the technical resource division for bulk ingredients at Tate & Lyle in August, 2012 when talking about SPLENDA® told us that “no animal-sourced carbon is used in the processing of the sugar or the manufacturing process of our sucralose.”

The Tate & Lyle resource specialist told us by phone in October 2012 that he had contacted his supplier and was told that “…no bone char is used. The cane sugar comes from Australia and is further processed in Singapore.”

In November 2012 The VRG contacted CSR/Sugar Australia, http://www.sugaraustralia.com.au/, a company which described itself to us by email as “…the leading supplier of quality refined sugar products. We service the industrial and consumer sugar market and market the CSR Sugar brand. Sugar Australia produces over 700,000 tons of refined sugar a year, from our two refineries in Melbourne and Mackay.

Refined sugar is produced from raw sugar and the Australian raw sugar industry is one of the largest in the world. The Australian industry produces 4.6 million [metric] tons (10.1 billion pounds) of raw sugar annually and over 70 percent of this is exported. Sugar Australia is the largest domestic customer of Australian raw sugar, and the largest exporter of Australian refined sugar.” (By comparison according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/sugar-sweeteners/background.aspx, the United States produces approximately 3.6 million short tons (7.2 billion pounds) of raw sugarcane annually.)

Sugar Australia also told us that they “…export to many different countries; however, we do not export to South or North America.”
When asked about their decolorization methods, Sugar Australia told us that “[O]ur CSR/Sugar Australia refined white sugar is made at our Sugar Australia refineries in Melbourne, Victoria, and Mackay, Queensland. Both sites use a number of purification steps towards converting the bulk non-food grade raw sugar into the food grade white refined sugar product. The major decolourising step uses granular activated carbon that is derived from coal. This replaced the bone charcoal decolourisation step (which used to use roasted cow bones) that was used until about 1990.

I assume your concern is in relation to the use of animal products. I can state that no animal products at all are used in the sugar refining process by us.

We also have Halal certification and Kosher certifications for our range of sugar products.”

The VRG contacted the Australian Vegetarian Society to see if they could confirm our findings. The AVS president received a reply from Sugar Australia to his inquiry: “I would like to know if you use cow bone char as a refining process, or indeed if you use any animal products at any stage of processing.”

Narelle in the Customer Service Department at Sugar Australia in November 2012 replied to AVS: “I can confirm that we do not use any animal products in our refining process. We use carbon in our processes however this is not sourced from any animal products or byproducts.”

We also asked JK Sucralose, Inc., http://www.jksucralose.com/, the second major sucralose company based in China. An employee at the New Jersey office of JK Sucralose told The VRG by phone in July 2012 that “cane sugar is always used.” No further information was available on how the cane sugar used to make sucralose was processed.

Interested readers may find our 2007 sugar article of interest: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php. In this article, The VRG reported that leading sugar companies in the United States process most cane sugar through cow bone char filters in order to decolorize it.

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.

To purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8

For information on food ingredients, fast food, and for other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our enewsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

To support VRG research, you can donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

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Give a holiday gift that lasts all year long: a $25 gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group! We’ll also send a free Vegans Know How to Party book ($24.95 value) along with the quarterly Vegetarian Journal.

Go to http://www.vrg.org/donate

Under comments, write in the recipient of the gift, his/her address, any message you want us to include with the gift, and mention to send the free Vegans Know How to Party book.

Your gift membership is a great present and helps us continue vegan and vegetarian projects. Give four memberships and the fifth one is free.

You can also place your order by calling us at (410) 366-8343 Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, Eastern Time.

A reader asked about her vegetarian teen daughter doing a summer exchange program in Cost Rica. One program told her it would be hard to accommodate a vegetarian.

For information on a vegetarian student in Costa Rica, see
http://www.vrg.org/blog/2012/06/01/can-an-exchange-student-live-on-a-vegan-diet-in-costa-rica/

Sarah Alper, a VRG volunteer who is a sophomore in college and is planning to study in Latin America next year, writes:

I’m not sure that I know any vegans who’ve studied abroad in Costa Rica, especially through programs for high school students. The main program that comes to mind as being a possibility is Living Routes (http://www.livingroutes.org/), which focuses on sustainability and has semester programs in CR as well as summer programs in Brazil, Peru, and Australia. I know they accept gap year (before college) kids; I am not sure about students under 18. From their website, it sounds like they’re very amenable to vegan participants:

“Q. What is the food like on the programs?
A. Almost all meals are included in the cost of the program, and consist of healthy vegetarian fare made from local ingredients. There are vegan options and a good deal of the food is organically grown in the host communities. Homestay families make an effort to accommodate special dietary needs as well.”

The School for Field Studies (http://www.fieldstudies.org/) has a summer program in Costa Rica, but I think it’s intended for undergrads–perhaps something to keep in mind for the future. According to their website, vegan students have successfully participated in the past:

“Student Dietary Preferences, such as a vegan or vegetarian diet may be accommodated, but the variety of food may be limited due to the location of the program, travel schedules, etc. Due to the group nature of the SFS experience, the cooks are unable to prepare individual meals. Although past vegan students have found our meals to be both delicious and sufficient, please be prepared to bear any additional costs associated with veganism or any special dietary requirements.”

Based on what I know about the typical Costa Rican diet, which includes lots of rice and beans, as well as fresh fruit, as opposed to that of other countries in Latin America where meat is more central, it seems relatively easy to follow a vegan diet in Costa Rica.

“Where do you get your calcium?”

While you may not hear it as often as the ubiquitous protein question, nevertheless, calcium and dairy products are inextricably linked in the minds of most people. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of calcium rich foods that don’t come from a cow. VRG’s newly-updated article Calcium in the Vegan Diet contains a list of vegan sources of calcium, as well as sample menus that provide more than the recommended 1,000 mg per day.

Calcium in the Vegan Diet is excerpted from the newly released 5th Edition of Simply Vegan. For a limited time, we’re offering 50% off the cover price when you order 5 copies from our online bookstore. For more information about vegan nutrition, visit the Nutrition section of our website.

The Vegetarian Resource Group relies upon the generosity of our supporters. Please Donate so we can continue to provide vital nutrition information like this.

Thanks to VRG volunteer Alan Polster for converting this update into HTML!

We recently sent to the printer the fifth edition of Simply Vegan. VRG’s nutrition advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, has completely updated the nutrition section, with information about Protein, Fat, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B-12, Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Pregnancy and the Vegan Diet, and more.

Plus we’ve added the new four color My Vegan Plate (VRG’s vegan version of the U.S.D.A. My Plate) to the center of the book.

Simply Vegan also features 160 vegan recipes that can be prepared quickly, sample menus, and an updated cruelty-free shopping list.

With 100,000 copies in print, the pioneering Simply Vegan was one of the first popular vegan cookbooks. It’s so gratifying to us the number of vegan business owners in their 20’s and 30’s who tell us how much Simply Vegan helped them when they first became vegan. This updated edition should continue to be of assistance to thousands of people who are interested in becoming vegan, but need simple recipes and easy to understand nutrition information.

If you order five copies of the updated 224-page Simply Vegan, we will send them to you at half price. We pay shipping in the U.S. For orders form outside of the U.S. please email vrg@vrg.org to inquire about additional postage cost. These books make a great gift for friends and relatives. Or sell them to your clients or give away at group meetings. ($40 for five books; $16 for one copy).

Your purchase of Simply Vegan supports VRG outreach and promotes vegetarian diets in a totally positive and healthy way. Thank you.

• Click here to order Simply Vegan from our online bookstore.
• Click here to order the Simply Vegan – 5 Pack.

By Gianna Mautone, VRG Intern

As a senior at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, I have seen our dining services transition over the past four years toward a more student-oriented menu. As a vegetarian myself, and conscious about eating healthy, well-balanced meals, I have learned to be creative when purchasing meals on campus to suit my dietary preferences. Loyola Dining implements surveys and student forums in order to hear students’ voices about what they desire for meal options at school. There is also a student dining committee that all students are invited to join. I have found that Loyola’s dining services truly try to make accommodations based off of student input and preferences.

Loyola does not have a mandatory meal plan like some colleges, but rather, all items are a la carte (paid for individually). This option can be an advantage for students with special dietary preferences because students are able to pick and choose items from various dining establishments on campus, without feeling restricted to buy from a set location or to use up dining ‘points’ for the day.

Dining options on campus include a number of chain establishments such as Moe’s Southwest Grill, WoW Cafe and Wingery, Boar’s Head Deli, Starbucks, and Red Mango. Other dining locations include Vocelli Pizza, Savor (homestyle cooking), Ikigaii Sushi, Iggy’s Market (offering packaged market and convenience items) and Iggy’s Express (offering homestyle meals), as well as a pasta bar, salad bar, Bagels & Spreads counter, and Simply To Go items. Each dining establishment on campus offers vegetarian options, though finding vegan options may require more creativity. It is possible to dine on campus as a vegan, though, and there is always a possibility to have your voice heard in order to implement further changes to Loyola’s dining options.

Below is a sampling of the vegetarian and vegan options available across Loyola’s campus for each meal of the day.

Breakfast:

• In the morning, Loyola’s dining cafe offers fresh oatmeal with vegan toppings. Some vegetarian breakfast items such as pancakes are also available, though not much on the vegan front.
• Starbucks offers soymilk as a vegan option in drinks. Starbucks’ oatmeal, which is made with water and served with a choice of nuts and/or dried fruit makes for a satisfying vegan breakfast.
• Packaged granola bars and energy bars are also always available for purchase, including ‘Cliff’ bars (most of which are vegan).
• ‘Simply To Go’ fresh cut fruit cups offered daily.
• ‘Naked’ juices (most of which are vegan, besides “Protein Zone” smoothies, which contain Whey, a milk-derived protein).

Lunch & Dinner:

• Loyola’s salad bar offers an extensive selection of vegetarian options, and is priced by weight. Vegan toppings include a variety of fresh greens, raw veggies, tofu, beans, hummus, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, fresh fruit, pita bread, etc. There are also soups offered daily, usually one of which is vegetarian.
• Savor is a homestyle cooking option that offers a rotating menu. Each day should include vegetarian options such as, Mediterranean Vegetable Pita, Mediterranean Vegetable Burger, Falafel, and Polenta Stuffed Pepper. Roasted vegetables, couscous barley salad, potatoes and Mediterranean salad are some of the veggie sides available.
• Moe’s Southwest Grill serves burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, etc. No matter which Southwestern variety you select, the individual toppings/fillings are up to you, making it easy to customize a vegan meal. An example vegan option would be rice, beans, guacamole, tofu, salsa, lettuce, and tomato served in a bowl. Filling, satisfying, and vegan!
• Ikigaii Sushi – Our sushi bar hand-prepares rolls every day. Vegetable sushi, spring rolls (wrapped in rice paper), and fresh seaweed salad are delicious vegan options.
• Iggy’s offers prepared foods, with a more home-cooked feel. While the menu offerings are always changing, there should consistently be vegetarian options available. I enjoy the roasted, seasoned veggies from Iggy’s. Other vegetarian options may include rice, couscous and barley dishes with veggies, baked beans, chickpea salad, and polenta. Iggy’s is also an on-campus market where packaged items, snacks, and bulk bins are available.
• Boar’s Head Deli offers a variety of vegetable toppings and cheese that create a substantial sandwich or wrap. The cheese can be left off for a vegan sub, though this is not a very substantial meal option.
• Vocelli’s Pizza offers Italian cuisine, with vegetarian options including vegetarian ciabatta, Mediterranean salad, and veggie pizza. Vegan options are limited, aside from pasta with marinara sauce and a Mediterranean salad, without cheese.
• Bagels and Spreads – Bagels are a quick vegan option, though peanut butter and jelly are probably the only vegan spreads available.

Nearby off-campus locations that are vegan/vegetarian friendly do accept the student ‘Evergreen’ cards (from which money is deducted with each purchase). Off-campus dining is a convenient option that allows you to mix up your meals while also getting the opportunity to enjoy the surrounding community. Often, there will be formal dinners on campus for student groups, organizations, or awards ceremonies. For these catered events, students and staff always have a vegetarian and vegan option. Be sure to communicate your dietary preferences, because the catering staff is equipped to meet students’ needs.

While it is not difficult to find vegetarian options at Loyola, I have yet to see extensive vegan options (such as vegan desserts and dairy-alternatives) on campus. As I previously mentioned, Loyola’s Dining Services are accommodating to student feedback, so inquiring and getting your voice heard is important if there is something more that you wish to see on campus.

By Shelby Jackson

My Eleanor Wolff Internship with the Vegetarian Resource Group has been wonderfully inspiring and informative. Charles and Debra were warm and welcoming and made sure that I experienced all the fun Baltimore had to offer. Debra’s kindness never failed to put a smile on my face, and Charles thought-provoking banter exercised my mind and challenged me to think in new ways. As a vegan from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, I had never spent much time with many vegans, especially vegan adults. My coworkers and all those involved in the VRG, as well as the many individuals I met at conferences, proved to be reaffirming on many different levels.

The variety of skills and talents my coworkers brought to the table helped me realize the many different tasks that keep the VRG running smoothly. I began to contextualize the vegetarian and animal rights movement in new, more enlightened ways. The wide variety of organizations and causes are the nuts and bolts that hold things intact just as the ideas, passion, and commitment from all the individuals within the movement fuel it forward. There is a place in the movement for every individual interested in vegetarian advocacy, one that they must personally seek. I learned that I have a definite place; although I do not know exactly what it is yet, I am comforted by the fact that it exists, and that with time, it will become clearer to me.

Working the VRG table at the Taking Action For Animals, School Health Interdisciplinary Program, and Animal Rights conferences, I was forced out of my comfort zone. I began to comprehend that crossing such a threshold, and taking advantage of experiential learning and face-to-face interaction is an effective way to carve your place and truly engage in the world. This sort of engagement is essentially what the entire movement hinges on, and I would have been deprived of many understandings had I not immersed myself in the conversations taking place at the conferences.

Sitting in the VRG office typing away on a computer often made it difficult to grasp the tangible effects I was attempting to bring forth. Often, I felt disconnected from the world that I was presumably working to better. Then I began to realize that results are not always that which you can see, and that certain types of advocacy and real world work are very different than the work that is done in college. Unlike college, you will not get a pat on the back or an A for your hardest, most challenging work. In the real world, you must learn to give credit to yourself by identifying the relation of your work to the larger scheme of things. My work at the VRG helped me discern this difference, and I now realize that the work I engage myself in beyond college must be, like the work I have done for the VRG, personally meaningful. I must remember that not everything is visible, and that as long as I am working for the greater good, and motivated by genuine passion, my efforts will bring happiness.

Click here to learn more about interning with us!

Are you a frustrated vegan or vegetarian who loves shoes, but can’t find any decent non-leather options? Our Guide to Leather Alternatives tells you where to get non-leather shoes, bags, belts, and wallets. Don’t forget hiking and work boots. We even answer those special questions like where to find ballet shoes, baseball gloves, biking gloves, bowling shoes, motorcycle gear, orthopedic shoes, skate shoes, tool belts, and more.

Click here to view our 2012 update to the Guide to Leather Alternatives!

Thanks to VRG volunteer Alan Polster for converting this update into HTML!