Notes from the Scientific Department

VRG IN THE NEWS

VRG's Food Service Advisor Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, wrote an article, “Being Vegetarian, Being Diabetic” for Diabetes Self Management magazine. She also continued to write a weekly column for the Orange County Register (syndicated by Freedom Media) on “healthy eating,” providing tips about eating meatless and dairyless and living a healthy lifestyle. VRG Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, was interviewed by Essence magazine for a story about food labels. VRG Co-Director Debra Wasserman was interviewed for a piece on vegetarian trends for The Natural Foods Merchandiser. VRG poll information was quoted, and Debra stated that animal rights activists are big promoters of natural foods, yet decision makers often underestimate their value.

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was interviewed for a story in the Boston Herald about vegetarian diets for kids as a possible solution to the youth obesity epidemic; stories in the New Jersey Star-Ledger and the Philadelphia Inquirer about veggie teens; a story in the Miami Herald about veggie teens that was syndicated through the Knight-Ridder News Service to other newspapers; and a story about veggie burgers in Cooking Light Magazine. She also had a letter to the editor, “Calcium in Many Forms,” published in the science section of The New York Times. Reed was interviewed for a story about the pros and cons of teens adopting a vegetarian diet, published online for Kidzworld Media, Inc. Her article, “The Vegan Diet for Infants and Children,” written with Sandra Hood, BSc (Hons), SRD, appeared online in The Vegan, Autumn 2002, and is reprinted on The Vegan Society's website.

VRG OUTREACH

Advisor Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, has two California State University, Long Beach dietetics interns shadowing her as a vegetarian dietitian to provide them with a chance to learn about career requirements, job opportunities, and educational needs of a dietitian with an interest in vegetarianism. She also presented hands-on workshops at several Wild Oats locations, where she taught consumers in the Los Angeles area how to shop for and use vegetarian convenience items, such as veggie burgers and flavored tofu or seitan.

VRG PRESENTS AT STATE AND NATIONAL MEETINGS

Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, spoke on the topic of diet in the prevention of chronic disease at a meeting of Carolina Cancer Focus on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, provided the educational portion of a monthly meeting of California Dietietics Association, Orange County Chapter. Approximately 60 RDs attended her talk on “trends in vegetarian ethnic cuisine” and received pointers and materials on how to work with vegetarian clients. VNU Publishers, which produces FoodService Director, Supermarket Update, Frozen Food Digest, and other publications, hosted their inaugural Menu Trends Conference in Houston in March. Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, presented several hands-on workshops about enhancing vegetarian menus for noncommercial facilities, such as schools, universities, health care, business, and industry. Also, she co-presented the keynote address on trends in vegetarian eating styles.