Roasted Eggplant Red Pepper Spread photo by Rissa Miller

Chef Kathleen Byrd, wrote an article titled “Heavy Lifting: Sweet and Savory Dips, Gravy, and Sauces for Winter” in a previous issue of Vegan Journal. Enjoy recipes for Lentil Walnut Paté, Cranberry Onion Jam, Roasted Garlic Dip, Roasted Carrot Sriracha Hummus, Buffalo Chickpea Dip, Roasted Eggplant Red Pepper Spread, Golden Sage Gravy, Mexican Chocolate Sauce, and Coconut Caramel Sauce.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue4/2020_issue4_sweet_savory.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Runny yolks, long held as the holy grail for egg lovers, have been out of easy reach for vegan alternatives. Yo Egg is breaking ground on that front. Learn about this product in our Vegan Journal review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Food is Love, written by Palak Patel, serves up vegan Indian dishes that you’ll absolutely enjoy. Read our review in Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_book_reviews.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

soup image by KamranAydi

Tomorrow is the first day of winter. You can warm up with these vegan soups created by Chef Nancy Berkoff: Vegetable Stock; Mushroom Broth; Black and White Bean Soup; Spinach and Pasta Soup; Holiday Chowder; and Latke Soup. Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue4/2015_issue4_holiday_soups.php

Be sure to subscribe to Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC) or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

Here’s a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:

• The Vegetarian Resource Group Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was interviewed for an article for Contemporary Pediatrics about nutritional benefits and/or drawbacks of veganism and vegetarianism in adolescents. The aim of this article is to provide general practice pediatricians with guidance and nutritional information that they can share with their patients who may want to pursue either of these diets. Reed was also interviewed in The New York Times about nutrition for new vegetarians or those transitioning to a vegetarian diet.
• The Dental Hygienist’s Guide to Nutritional Care textbook asked to reprint VRG’s My Vegan Plate. One of our VRG interns separately said, “This visual was also a resource my supervisor, the registered dietitian I worked with during my peer nutrition coach internship, recommended for vegan clients.”
• Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, spoke for the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group Spotlight session at the annual FNCE meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The session was based on two systematic reviews of topics in vegetarian nutrition, namely, Vegetarian Nutrition for Disease Management and Vegetarian Nutrition for Disease Prevention, that were conducted for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library. The session is titled Exploring the Rewards and Challenges of Vegetarian Diets: A Fresh Look at the Academy’s Position.
• Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman coordinated a booth at the Animal Vegan Summit in Alexandria, Virginia, while Elsa Spencer, PhD, staffed a VRG booth at Charlottesville VegFest in Virginia, Phil Becker staffed a booth at World VegFest in San Francisco, California, and Heather Francis coordinated VRG’s booth at the Boston Veg Food Fest in Massachusetts.
• VRG sent 600 of VRG’s I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Books plus El arco iris vegetariano coloring books to PG County Maryland WIC. A nutritionist from a county health department in New Jersey asked to reprint our My Vegan Plate. We sent 400 Vegan Journals for grab bags for the Columbia, South Carolina VegFest and also Sarasota, Florida VegFest, and we sent a box of brochures for tabling at a Black Family Wellness Expo in AL. We also shipped a box of Vegan Journals to be distributed at Texas VegFest in Austin, Texas.
• VRG continues to host interns/volunteers throughout the year.

This is just a small sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t do this without your support.

You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.

photo from Freepik

The latest Vegan Cooking Tips column in Vegan Journal features lentils and split peas, two ingredients that are quite cost-effective. Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, offers numerous ideas on how to use lentils and split peas in your meals here https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_cooking_tips.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Thanks to generous donors, in 2025 The Vegetarian Resource Group will be awarding $50,000 in college scholarships! Deadline is FEBRUARY 20, 2025.

We will accept applications postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2025. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Applications

Please click here to download a PDF of the application. However, applicants are not required to use an application form. A neatly typed document containing the information below will also be accepted as a valid application.

However, applicants are not required to use an application form. A neatly typed document containing the information below will also be accepted as a valid application.

Please send application and attachments to [email protected] (Scholarship application and your name in subject line) or mail to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

If emailing, please put your essay in a separate attachment with your first name and last initial. A PDF or Word document is preferred, but if you send a Google document, make sure permission is given so readers can access it. For more information call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

Hodo is known for their tofu; however, they have now unleashed a new line of soybean-based dips to shake up your snacking and dining routine. Read about their new dips that come in several flavors here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_veggie_bits.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Parents searching for a vegan-friendly book for their child will absolutely enjoy I Dance and I Eat Plants. Read our review in Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_book_reviews.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

photo from FreePik

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Think of a pro football player. What words come to mind? Perhaps muscle, strength, power, speed. Depending on their position, players are estimated to require between 5,300 calories per day for a quarterback and 6,350 calories per day for an offensive lineman. Protein needs are high. The International Olympic Committee recommends that high-performance athletes get 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per day in order to maximize strength and muscle mass (1). That’s 0.73 grams of protein for every pound that a player weighs. Thus, a 315 pound offensive lineman would need 230 grams of protein daily.

Not surprisingly, football players are commonly encouraged to eat meat, lots of meat, along with other animal-based protein sources (2). Also, not surprisingly, cardiovascular diseases (conditions that can lead to events like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure) are the most common cause of death among former NFL players (3). What if there’s another, healthier way to meet nutritional needs that doesn’t involve lots of meat and other animal products but that supplies recommended amounts of calories and protein and other nutrients?

Can a vegan diet be planned to meet the nutritional needs of professional football players? Researchers used existing data about NFL athletes to calculate calorie needs of pro football players (2). They then used information on the dietary intakes of vegans and scaled up the amounts of food these vegans ate to develop theoretical vegan diets that would meet the calorie needs of pro football players. When they did this, the resulting diets easily met or exceeded recommended protein intakes for pro football players. The theoretical vegan diets also supplied the recommended amount of leucine, an amino acid, for those wanting to maximize muscle development. The diets met recommendations for all nutrients. Fortified foods or supplements are needed to meet recommendations for vitamins B12 and D.

Vegan diets can be used by athletes with high nutrient and calorie needs like professional football players. They can also meet the needs of recreational athletes and less active individuals.

References

1. Maughan RJ, Burke LM, Dvorak J, et al. IOC Consensus Statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2018;28:104-125.
2. Goldman DM, Warbeck CB, Karlsen MC. protein requirements for maximal muscle mass and athletic performance are achieved with completely plant-based diets scaled to meet energy needs: A modeling study in professional American football players. Nutrients. 2024;16:1903.
3. Nguyen VT, Zafonte RD, Chen JT, et al. Mortality among professional American-style football players and professional American baseball players. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2:e194223.

To read more about vegan diets for athletes see:

Athletes & Vegan/Vegetarian Diets

Vegan/Vegetarian Athlete’s Plate®: A Visual Guide Developed by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs