By Carolyn Stoller, VRG Intern

Starting this past January, I began my internship at VRG to fulfill my Environmental Capstone at Loyola University Maryland. Throughout the internship, I was assigned various assignments, such as writing reviews on vegan restaurants, writing articles on environmental law and how to become an environmental lawyer, helping VRG with their High School Senior scholarship contest entries, and analyzing current VRG articles on various vegan/vegetarian issues.

One of the most interesting articles I wrote for VRG was an article where fellow Loyola University Maryland VRG intern Danielle Choma and I interviewed Heather Francis, a previous VRG intern, who is now a successful environmental lawyer. This article was most interesting to me because I was able to delve into a type of legal field that I hope to pursue after I receive my JD at Maryland Carey Law. To explore deeper into the content of the article, Danielle and I detail the complex field of environmental law, highlighting its critical role in regulating human interactions with the environment. Environmental lawyers play a key role in developing legislation and agreements to protect and conserve natural resources and ecosystems. The area offers a wide range of job opportunities, including private practice, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and advocacy groups, as well as subfields such as energy, land use, and agricultural law.

The article continues with insights from Heather Francis, highlighting her path to law school and beyond. According to Heather, the path to becoming an environmental lawyer includes succeeding academically, doing well on the LSAT, and attending law schools with specific environmental law programs. Following graduation, environmental attorneys take on a variety of professions, ranging from public interest campaigning to compliance advice for corporations. Lastly, the article also explores the intersection between veganism and environmental legislation, emphasizing the relationship between dietary choices, animal welfare, and environmental conservation. It promotes local food systems to help reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable agriculture.

Another interactive and informative assignment from VRG was writing their restaurant reviews. One of the reviews I wrote talked about Baltimore’s very own bagel shop, called Roland Park Bagels. In this article, I wrote about their vegan bagel menu. Offering a range of plant-based bagel flavors and sandwiches, such as a take on the traditional “bacon, egg, and cheese,” Roland Park Bagels wowed me with its creative take on vegan cooking. In the process of exploring their vegan options, I discovered that plant-based substitutes like “Just Egg” and “Beyond Sausage” closely mimic the flavors of their animal-based counterparts. The vegan bagel I tried and reviewed at Roland Park Bagels surpassed my expectations and dispelled any myths I had regarding the caliber and flavor of vegan cuisine. This meal at Roland Park Bagels was a perfect example of how vegan cuisine is developing, showcasing how sustainable choices can offer delicious alternatives without compromising on taste. What I tried at Roland Park Bagels is exactly what VRG tries to display to the world. Vegan and vegetarian food is not only good for you and good for the planet but can be delicious too.

I’m so thankful I was able to work with The Vegetarian Resource Group this semester. I learned a great deal about the vegetarian and vegan food options available across the nation, the benefits of eating vegan, and how veganism can be applied to my passions in environmental law. I hope to continue my exploration of vegan options beyond my time at VRG.

For more information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support VRG internships and youth outreach, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The WIC (Women, Infants, Children) Program provides vouchers to purchase specific foods for low-income pregnant and post-partum people, infants, and children up to age 5. A number of changes have recently been made to the WIC program. One change is in the area of plant-based dairy alternatives.

The WIC Program is a federal grant program which is administered at the national level by the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA and by 89 WIC state agencies (states, territories, Indian Tribal Organizations, and the District of Columbia). Each WIC state agency determines which eligible foods, including brand of foods and package sizes, will be allowed to be purchased with WIC vouchers in their state. Considerations for which foods to incorporate in each state’s list of approved products include product availability, price, and participant acceptance. It is important to note that WIC state agencies are required to authorize some foods and allowed to authorize other foods. For example, WIC state agencies are required to authorize legumes and peanut butter as substitutes for eggs and allowed to authorize tofu as a substitute for eggs.

In the WIC program, who gets milk and how much do they get?             

The Maximum Monthly Allowances of milk are:

• 12 quarts per month for children age 12 to 23 months,
• 14 quarts per month for children age 2 through 4 years,
• 16 quarts per month for those pregnant or partially or fully breastfeeding or up to 6 months postpartum.

Do the new changes allow plant-based options to replace dairy milk?

Yes. WIC state agencies now have the option (but are not required) to authorize plant-based milk alternatives, plant-based cheeses, and plant-based yogurts to replace dairy milk with some limitations.

• Plant-based milk alternatives that meet nutritional requirements may be substituted for dairy milk on a quart for quart basis up to the Maximum Monthly Allowance for milk. Thus, a child age 2 through 4 years could receive up to 14 quarts of a plant-based milk alternative.
• Tofu that meets nutritional requirements may be substituted for dairy milk at the rate of 1 pound of tofu per 1 quart of dairy milk up to the Maximum Monthly Allowance for milk.
• No more than 1 pound of plant-based cheese that meets nutritional requirements may be substituted for 3 quarts of dairy milk for children age 1 through 4 years, pregnant people, those who are partially or mostly breastfeeding up to one year postpartum, and postpartum people who are not breastfeeding or minimally breastfeeding up to 6 months postpartum. Up to 2 pounds of plant-based cheese that meets nutritional requirements may be substituted for 6 quarts of dairy milk for those fully breastfeeding up to 1 year postpartum.
• 1 quart of plant-based yogurt that meets nutritional requirements may be substituted for 1 quart of milk with a maximum of 2 quarts of yogurt that may be substituted for 2 quarts of milk.

What are the nutritional requirements for plant-based milk substitutions?

• Plant-based milk alternatives may be flavored or unflavored.
  • Must contain <10 grams of added sugar per cup
  • Must contain at least 276 mg of calcium, 8 grams of protein, 500 IU of vitamin A, 100 IU of vitamin D, 24 mg of magnesium, 222 mg of phosphorus, 349 mg of potassium, 0.44 mg of riboflavin, and 1.1 mcg of vitamin B12.
• Plant-based cheese
  • Must contain at least 250 mg of calcium per 1.5 ounces
  • Must contain at least 6.5 grams of protein per 1.5 ounces
  • Cannot be a plant-based curd cheese.
• Plant-based yogurt may be flavored or unflavored.
  • Must contain <16 grams of added sugar per cup
  • Must contain at least 250 mg of calcium, 6.5 grams of protein, and 106 IU of vitamin D per 8 ounces.
  • Cannot be a product sold with accompanying mix-in ingredients such as granola, candy pieces, honey, nuts, etc.
  • Cannot be drinkable yogurt.
• Tofu
  • Must contain at least 100 mg of calcium per 100 grams of tofu.
  • May not contain added fats or oils, sugars, or sodium.

Are there actually products that are commercially available that meet these nutritional requirements?

There are some commercially available plant-based milk alternatives and tofu that meet these nutritional requirements. Few, if any plant-based cheeses and yogurts that are currently available meet the requirements. The USDA’s thinking seems to be that more products will be developed that meet the requirements and that as these become available, WIC state agencies will be able to authorize their use without the need for future changes to WIC regulations.

Will medical documentation be needed to replace dairy milk with plant-based milk substitutes? Medical documentation generally cannot be required to provide a milk substitution option. According to the current regulations, WIC state agencies must provide milk substitutions to participant to “accommodate special dietary needs and cultural and personal preferences. (1)” In certain “medically fragile” WIC participants, medical documentation is required for plant-based alternatives to be used in place of dairy products.

When will these changes to the WIC program be implemented?

WIC state agencies may begin implementing the new regulations immediately and are required to implement most of the regulations within 24 months from the publication date of the regulations – by April 20, 2026. The vitamin D requirement for yogurt is required to be implemented by 36 months from the publication date – by April 2027.

In practical terms, does this mean someone receiving WIC benefits can get vouchers for oat milk or almond milk?

It depends. There may or may not be oat milks or almond milks that meet the nutritional requirements described earlier. States are allowed but not required to authorize plant milks including oat milk or almond milk that meet nutritional requirements as a replacement for dairy milk. In the past, only soymilk was allowed to be authorized. When we last checked, in 2020, all 50 states and the District of Columbia authorized approved brands of soymilk to substitute for dairy milk and almost 70% of states and the District of Columbia authorized certain brands of tofu to substitute for dairy milk. This suggests that WIC state agencies are trying to allow dairy alternatives. The new regulations state that options such as plant-based milk alternatives, plant-based cheeses, and plant-based yogurts “better accommodate special dietary needs as well as cultural and personal preferences while still providing critical nutrients (1).” They also recognize the potential cost of these products and state, “When deciding which types and brands of WIC foods to authorize, including when authorizing plant-based milk alternatives, WIC State agencies should consider factors such as package size, food prices, product availability across their jurisdiction, and program management costs along with participant preference and demand (1).” This suggests that participant demand for alternative products that meet nutritional requirements can help to influence state decisions as to which products to authorize.

To read more about the WIC program see:

The Vegetarian Resource Group Sent in Testimony on the Proposed Revision in the WIC Food Package (2023)

USDA Proposes Updates to the WIC Program (2022)

WIC Programs Offer Foods For Vegans (2020)

WIC Farmers Market Program (2020)

Revisions to the WIC Food Package Make Sense (2014)

Reference

1. Food and Nutrition Service, USDA. Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages. 89 FR 28488: 28488-28567. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/18/2024-07437/special-supplemental-nutrition-program-for-women-infants-and-children-wic-revisions-in-the-wic-food. April 18, 2024.

photo from Sen Saigon

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Ambrosia Veggie House, 1009 4th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0K8 Canada

Located in the Avatamsaka Monastery, the Ambrosia Veggie House is a Buddhist and vegan all-you-can-eat buffet several days during the week! If you come on Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday, the buffet will be available offering a variety of Chinese food. If visiting on Friday, you will be given a set menu to choose from. It includes soups (like vegetable, kimchi, and Sichuan spicy soup), house specials (stir-fried veggie rice, noodles, and udon), and side dishes (like spring rolls, sushi, and boiled dumplings). Come on down to the Ambrosia Veggie House to have a feast like no other!

Life Garden, Carr #2 Km. 139.2, Bo Cerro Gordo, Aguada, PR 00602

Located on road number two, the bright red roof of Life Garden Veggie & Vegan Restaurant will make them hard to miss! They offer a consistently rotating menu where people can find a new alternative to healthy eating. Their breakfast menu includes white rice and vegan bacon, vegetables with quinoa, lentils, and even Creole chicken strips. They have soup of the day, sometimes it’s broccoli or carrot, and also a dessert of the day featuring a variety of bizcocho, sometimes being lemon, almond, pumpkin, or coconut. Occasionally, they bring out their vegan hot dogs, burgers, and pizza. You can also make your own salad and acai bowl. Don’t forget to try their natural juices prepared on the spot without added sugar and water. Check out their Facebook to see the daily menu!

Lulu EthioVegan, 12 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404

Starters include 4pc Sambusa (pastry shell filled with brown lentils, onion, garlic, jalapeño pepper, and herbs, served with sweet, housemade dipping sauce), and Foule (crushed fava beans cooked in onion, berbere, tomato, green pepper, and coconut yogurt), served with warm pita bread/white bread. Main courses start with a house salad and include Difin Misir (brown lentils cooked with fresh garlic and ginger, onion, and curry sauce) and Fasolia (string beans, carrots, onions, garlic, and ginger blended with herbs). House Specials include Mushroom Tibs (mushrooms sautéed with onion, garlic, jalapeño peppers, and herbs, served with house salad) and Shimbra Asa (baked chickpeas marinated and slow cooked in spicy homemade berbere sauce, served with house salad). Also offered are salad bowls, pasta, burgers, and desserts, along with hot and cold drinks and smoothies.

More Vegan Café, 4622 N. Main St., Columbia, SC 29203

Appetizers include Cauliflower Bites (BBQ, Carolina Gold, or Buffalo), and Walnut Eggrolls. Main dishes include Rasta Pasta (Caribbean pasta dish with jerk sauce and vegan scallops made from hearts of palm), Lions Mane Steak (served with mashed potatoes and asparagus), and Curry Chickpea Cauliflower over quinoa. There are several raw dishes, including Raw Spaghetti (zucchini noodles with a savory walnut tomato-based sauce) and Kale and Tabouli Salads. There are several drinks, including Kakarot (fresh-pressed carrot, apple, and ginger) and Mother Nature (apple, celery, lemon, cucumber, basil, mint), as well as a smoothie and several desserts such as Carrot Cake with raisins and pecans.

Oh! Dahon, Canal Street Market, 261-263 Canal St., New York, NY 10013

This is a sushi and salad food stall located in the Canal Street Market. Some of their dishes include Miso Truffle Eggplant, Crispy Broccoli, Pad Thai Slaw, Dahon Signature Roll, and more.

Sen Saigon, 150 E. Broadway, New York, NY 10002

When the owners of Sen Saigon embarked on a vegan lifestyle, it literally got their creative juices flowing. They aim to reimagine familiar Vietnamese fare through a vegan lens, but also to share their passion, helping diners discover some lesser known dishes. Located on the Lower East Side, their signature Banh Mi, referring to bread or sandwich, is Lemongrass Tofu Mushroom featuring house-made nut pate, mayo, banh mi sauce, Vietnamese pickles, cilantro, and coriander on a crisp baguette. There’s also a version of this with house-made vegan ham. Soups include Pho Sen Noodle Soup with house-made vegetable broth, mushrooms, tofu, and vegan beef ball, topped with mung bean sprouts, cilantro, onion, Thai basil, and lemon. Hue Spicy Rice Noodle Soup is a similar version in a lemongrass broth with carrots and vegan ham, topped with red and white cabbage, banana blossom, most of the same seasonings as the Pho but with the addition of Tia To (a peppery herb) and lemongrass chili sate. Sen Signature Salad blooms with Lotus root, cucumber, red pepper, carrot, and herbs, tossed with a vegan fish sauce dressing and crushed peanuts. Both Spring Roll options offer fried rice paper, wood ear mushroom, taro, and onion with sweet and spicy dipping sauce, but the Root Vegetable version also contains sweet potato and mung bean. The Corn Spring Roll has corn and fried shallot. Both Lemongrass Mushroom and Lemongrass Tofu Summer Rolls showcase fresh rice paper with peanut hoisin dipping sauce. Vermicelli Noodle Bowl with Spring Rolls includes some of the same ingredients plus shiitake flower mushroom. If you’re a fan of flan, they offer a nut-free, gluten-free, caramel vegan custard version for dessert.

The Vegan Cheese Lady Café, 605 Main St., Lafayette, IN 47901

For those who lament the difficulty of finding good vegan cheese, The Vegan Cheese Lady has come to your rescue. With a menu featuring made-from-scratch vegan meats and artisan cheeses, this café should be your go-to place. The cheeses are made from soy, cashew, or almonds and are all gluten-free. The meats do contain wheat. If you are looking for some simple cheesy goodness, try the classic grilled cheese. If you desire something a little heartier, there is Julieann’s Crunchy Wrap (made with smashed black beans, taco-seasoned vegan beef, vegan cheddar, and salsa and jalapenos), or the Chickun Salad Wrap (shredded vegan chicken with mayo, mustard, relish, bell peppers, and vegan cheddar wrapped in a tortilla). Dessert options may include a pineapple sorbet or a banana ice cream. Make sure to check the café’s Facebook page for menu updates and specials. They sometimes offer live music in the evening.

Leek and Potato Soup with Watercress Photo by Hannah Kaminsky

How often have you seen leeks displayed in the produce section of your supermarket and wondered what people do with them? Nava Atlas answers that question in an article she wrote for Vegan Journal. Learn about buying leeks and basic prep tips. Also, enjoy these recipes:

Leek and Potato Soup with Watercress

Warm Leek and Potato Salad

Sautéed Leeks with Fennel and Mushrooms

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Leeks and Walnuts

Persian-Style Spinach and Leeks with Black-Eyed Peas

Simmered Tofu with Leeks and Tomatoes

See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue2/2023_issue2_love_leeks.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Danielle Choma and Carolyn Stoller, VRG interns from Loyola

The VRG booth went well! A lot of Loyola students came up to us and loved the VRG magazines we had on the table and were very interested in learning more about The Vegetarian Resource Group. Overall, it was a great Earth Day!

During covid restrictions, Satvika was helping to distribute food to families at a makeshift drive-through. Seeing the unhealthy food, she partnered with a local farm, Veggielution, and created a plan with them to bring their produce to the federal distribution site. “It started off with flyers, and ramped up to brown bags filled with fruits and vegetables that I could hand to the cars along with their processed packages. This was the first time the farm was directly connected to the local school district… Intrigued by the link of nutrition to the highly subsidized and destructive processes of factory farming, inefficient at its core, I reached out to my district’s nutrition service directors. I have been a team member for the past three years, creating and serving a climate-friendly and culturally relevant menu, with items like chana masala and edamame fried rice now a permanent fixture.” One reference wrote, “This has been a lot of work by Satvika to get these dishes included, as the school has a lot of bureaucratic hurdles to get through, including a change in principal.”

Another reference from Friends of the Earth relayed about her further activism in Washington, DC: “Ms. Iyer spoke persuasively to her peers and to policymakers at USDA and in Congress about her own experiences that led her to become passionate about expanding climate-friendly, culturally appropriate lunch options in school … She led a rapid response effort to gather testimonies from youth, parents, and teachers about why they want to see more plant-based school menus and disseminated them to Members of Congress ahead of a key vote on the child nutrition reauthorization bill.

Satvika will major in Environmental Engineering at the University of California Berkeley, and plans to pursue humanitarian engineering, social entrepreneurship, and policy careers that make sustainable choices readily accessible.

Support Young Veg Activists

To send support for additional scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate or call (410) 366-8343. You can also send a donation to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Do you know an amazing vegan or vegetarian high school student? If so, let them know about our annual scholarship contest. The deadline for high school seniors is February 20^th of each year. To see scholarship rules and past winners, visit www.vrg.org/student/scholar

Third generation Vegetarian Resource Group booth volunteers Millie and Della at Wilmington NC VegFest. They were doing vegan outreach with their parents. Despite the poor weather, turn-out was good.

Cajun Chickn Nuggets photo by Rissa Miller

In a previous issue of Vegan Journal Chef Jay Staten shares vegan recipes that can be made using an air fryer. But don’t worry, if you don’t own an air fryer, he also includes oven directions. Enjoy preparing Crispy Broccoli, Vegan BBQ Ribz, Jay’s Black Bean Burgers, Maryland Seasoned Fries, and Cajun Chick’n Nuggets.

Read the column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2022issue2/2022_issue2_air_fryer.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Danielle Choma, VRG Intern

I am appreciative of my time at The Vegetarian Resource Group in Baltimore, Maryland. During my semester-long internship experience at VRG, I have learned more about veganism and vegetarianism, as well as veggie food options in Baltimore, scientific information about human health, historic themes about veganism and vegetarianism, and strengthened my writing skills and organizational skills.

As a vegetarian myself, I was intrigued to learn some nutritional information about the veggie diet. In addition to learning new scientific nutritional facts that I can apply to myself and my own diet, I was able to learn and discover new vegan recipes

I found this personally helpful to my own health, but it also shed light on the lack of vegetarian education and knowledge that is easily accessible for young individuals. This realization then connected to two others projects I did; finding restaurants near Loyola’s (my college) campus that serve vegan food and what dining services at Loyola provide vegan and vegetarian food options. These projects were most interesting to me as I was learning about the local restaurants and businesses around my college hometown.

During my entire time interning with The Vegetarian Resource Group, I was able to improve and utilize my writing skills. I wrote up blogs about how to become an environmental lawyer, the vegan and vegetarian food options on Loyola’s campus, VRG scholarship entry comparisons, and a restaurant review. Writing blogs is different compared to the academic and research-oriented writing I am used to through Loyola’s coursework. Blogs are much more simplified and written in a conversation-like manner to give ease to the reader.

My organizational skills were also strengthened through my time at The Vegetarian Resource Group. Right off the start of the semester, Charles tasked me to create my own schedule for all of my VRG assignments and projects. In order to create a tentative schedule, I had to incorporate my Loyola coursework, holidays, midterms and exams, my on-campus job schedule, as well as personal life. Creating this schedule allowed me to mesh all of these important areas of my life together so that I was able to put my best work forward quickly and efficiently.

Another project I will be doing with another VRG intern who attends Loyola is participating in Loyola’s Earth Day event. We will set up a table for VRG and talk to our fellow classmates about what VRG is, veganism, and vegetarianism. Overall, I am very grateful for my internship experience this past semester at The Vegetarian Recourse Group!

For more information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

Debra Daniels-Zeller provides information on selecting and preparing fresh pea dishes including Braised Pea Shoots, Pea Shoots and Quinoa, Minted Sugar Snap Peas and Leeks, English Pea Guacamole, Sesame-Ginger Snow Peas, Snow Pea Slaw with Red Peppers, Mac and Peas, and Penne Pasta, Sugar Snap Peas, and Tomatoes. Enjoy!

The entire article can be read here: A Passion for Peas

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php