Have you ever wondered if an ingredient listed on a food label is vegan or not? The Vegetarian Resource Group has an online guide to food ingredients that lets you now whether a specific food ingredient is vegan, vegetarian, non-vegetarian, typically vegan, typically vegetarian, may be non-vegetarian, or typically non-vegetarian.

You can search through this guide here: https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

To support this type of difficult research, please consider making a donation to The Vegetarian Resource Group: vrg.org/donate

Truffle Mushroom Alfredo photo from Junkyard Dog

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 (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Adina’s Vegan Cuisine, 6746 Page Ave., St. Louis, MO 63133

Located in the Carter Commons food hall, right across the street from the movie theater on the corner of Ferguson Avenue, this Black mother-and-daughter-owned spot offers a constantly updating, rotating all-vegan menu. Depending on the day offerings could be based around tacos, nachos, sandwiches, jackfruit sliders, plant-based grilled “salmon” etc. with sides like lemon-lime kale salad and mac and cheese.  They also have a grab-and-go section with salads, sandwiches etc., and cold-pressed additive-free juices.

Cloudy Donut Co., 14 Columbia Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11201

This donut shop started in Baltimore, MD and has now opened in Brooklyn Heights. Choose amongst 8 different flavor donuts each week such as blood orange, red velvet, chocolate glazed, cookies and cream, maple butter pecan, and more.

Earth’s Goddess Holistic and Juice Bar, 1032 NW 10th Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Burger wise, they offer Black Bean, “Beefless,” or Chick’n. Fish choices are Sandwiches or Nuggets which come with “handmade” Tartar Sauce. Most of the burgers or fish selections come with fries or salad and the usual fixings. There are two Pizza options–both topped with veggies including greens such as chard, spinach etc., mushrooms, avocado and peppers; the Vegan Goddess Loaded also includes vegan sausage and “beefless.” If an Acai Bowl will hit the spot, there’s a berry version that includes bananas, a tropical style with coconut and mango, or go nuts with their almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanut butter bowl. Earth’s Goddess keeps her secret sauce under wraps–Teriyaki and Veggie Wraps. They also serve Salads, Tacos and at least one vegetable-based soup seasoned with herbs and spices. To note a few Entrees, there’s Vegan Crab cake, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Broccoli & Mushroom, Vegan Curry Chick Strip and Vegan Bean Stew all served with Quinoa. Children can choose a Vegan Smart Dog or Nuggets. For sweet finishes, there are various fruit cups, a few types of cookies, and Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry “Ice cream,” sweetened with dates. Also enjoy a variety of fresh juices.

Junkyard Dog, 4330 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029

A casual punk rocker atmosphere serving vegan comfort food with cocktails and beer. Dine on a variety of breakfast items, pastries, omelets, small plates, salads, and burritos. Smoothies, coffee, tea, juices, and beverages. Try a Mediterranean omelet, hash browns, with an orange chia loaf.

Kind Café & Eatery, 3080 Main St, Vancouver, BC V5T 3G5, Canada

This eco-friendly eatery is on a mission to create a kinder experience through plant-based nutrition and low-waste practices. The menu includes bagels, flatbreads, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and smoothies with house-made coconut-oat milk. A daily happy hour features discounted flatbreads and drinks. Near Heritage Hall in the Mount Pleasant district of Vancouver.

Plant Daddy’s Kitchen, 230C Atlantic Ave., Oceanside, NY 11572

Plant Daddy’s Kitchen is a plant-based, kosher-certified restaurant offering a variety of menu items including bowls, wraps, salads, and burgers. Breakfast items include a PB&J pancake wrap, a breakfast sammich on a brioche bun, and pancake with syrup. Build-your-own bowls are available in addition to regular menu bowls such as a peanut tamarind bowl with brown rice and millet noodles. Handheld wraps include a schwarma wrap with house hummus and a kale garbanzo wrap. Veggie burger are homemade and include the BBQ hunny burger with agave mustard and BBQ sauce. They also offer catering and wholesale foods.

Vegan Curry, 10408 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 and 701 W. Cesar Estrada Chavez Ave., Ste. 107, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Vegan Curry is a vegan Indian restaurant with 2 locations in California. Both locations offer traditional Indian cuisine though the menu at the Los Angeles location is more extensive. Appetizers include pakora and samosa as well as Gobi Manchurian crispy cauliflower in sweet and sour sauce. The main menu offers tofu madras with coconut milk, daal tadka made with yellow lentils, and the chef’s special chana masala. Vegan desserts are available at the Los Angeles location and include Gajar Halwa with fresh carrots and cardamom as well as Sooji Halwa made with semolina and vegan ghee.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

Photos by Rissa Miller

Surprise your guests with fancy mocktails this Thanksgiving! Previously the Journal featured an article titled “Non-Alcoholic Thirst Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule; Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a smile to your face!

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_thirst_quenchers.php

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Around 30 years ago, researchers in the United Kingdom started a large study that would provide a wealth of data about the health of vegans and vegetarians. The study is called EPIC-Oxford which stands for the Oxford cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. It includes 65,000 adult men and women living throughout the U.K, approximately half of whom don’t eat meat (1).  About 30% of subjects are lacto-ovo vegetarian and 4% are vegan (2).

EPIC-Oxford tracked study subjects for more than 18 years, during which the subjects answered questions about their health and food choices. One important area that the study investigated was the relationship between diet type and the risk of developing common chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Compared to nonvegetarians, vegetarians and vegans had a 22% lower risk of heart disease (1). This appeared to be due to the generally lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure, and lower LDL-cholesterol level typical of vegetarians and vegans.

Diabetes is an increasingly common condition. In EPIC-Oxford, vegetarians had a 35% lower risk of diabetes compared to nonvegetarians; vegans had a 47% lower risk. Overall cancer risk was 10% lower in vegetarians and 18% lower in vegans. Vegetarians and vegans also had a lower risk of diverticular disease and cataracts and vegetarians had a lower risk of kidney stones compared to a group characterized as “high meat eaters” (1).

In contrast to these positive results, vegetarians had a higher risk of a type of stroke, namely hemorrhagic stroke (1).  You can read more about this result here. Bone fracture risk was also higher in vegetarians and vegans. You can read more about that result here.

The results, showing a reduced risk of several common diseases in vegetarians and vegans are especially impressive when we consider that both the vegetarians and nonvegetarians in this study were considerably healthier than the average person living in the United Kingdom (1).

The scientists who conducted this important study would like to see more research done investigating changes in diets of vegetarians and vegans over recent years as more vegan convenience foods have been developed. They would like to see a study done which includes many more vegans than EPIC-Oxford did – tens of thousands of vegans in contrast to EPIC-Oxford’s approximately 2,300 vegans.

References

1. Key TJ, Papier K, Tong TYN. Plant-based diets and long-term health: findings from the EPIC-Oxford study. Proc Nutr Soc. 2022;81(2):190-198.
2. Davey GK, Spencer EA, Appleby PN, et al. EPIC-Oxford lifestyle characteristics and nutrient intake in a cohort of 33,883 meat-eaters and 31,546 non meat-eaters in the UK. Public Health Nutr. 2003;6:259-68.

To read more about EPIC-Oxford see:

Long-term Studies of Vegetarians

Adequate Calcium Important for Vegan Bone Health

EPIC-Oxford website

Cranberries are often served on Thanksgiving in the USA. Debra Daniel-Zeller shares the following cranberry-based recipes in a previous Vegetarian Journal article she wrote:

Orange-Cranberry “Butter”

Warming Cranberry-Apple Cider

Heavenly Squash, Cranberries, and Rice

Double Cranberry Soda Bread

Cranberry-Apple Cobbler

Cranberry Fruit Salad

Whole Cranberry-Pineapple Sauce

Creamy Cranberry-Apple Whip

Find the recipes here: Crazy About Cranberries

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Recent topics brought up include:

– The Vegetarian Resource Group’s $30,000 Scholarship Program for Graduating High School Seniors

– Info on bimonthly So Many Kids in the Kitchen show shared

– Kids and food allergies by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

Warm Wheatberry Salad photo by Rissa Miller

Are you searching for some new vegan side dishes to serve to co-workers, friends, and family at Thanksgiving? Chef Brown from The Land of Kush vegan restaurant in Baltimore, Maryland, shares several recipes (serving 12) in his article titled, “Cooking for a Crowd.” Enjoy Thai Squash Stew, Collard Greens in Orange Sauce, Warm Wheatberry Salad, Stuffed Sweat Potatoes, Coconut Curry Eggplant Stew, and Cranberry & Mango Sauce.

Read the entire article here: Cooking for a Crowd

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Waffled Tofu with Red Eye Gravy photo by Hannah Kaminsky

A previous issue of VRG’s Journal featured a recipe piece by Hannah Kaminsky titled “Breakfasts to Savor.” Enjoy recipes for Waffled Tofu with Red Eye Gravy; Curried Coconut Granola; Cheesy Broccoli and Bac-un Toaster Tarts; Bread Omelet; and Black Bean Chilaquiles.

Read the article here: Breakfasts to Savor

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

Matt and Nat CRUISE Vegan Wallet – Loom

Are you looking to buy a non-leather vegan wallet? The following companies in the USA, Canada, and Europe all offer a variety of wallets for men and women.

USA

Couch sells a variety of wallets for men and women.

Doshi offers wallets for men and women.

Fabric Horse sells wallets for men and women.

Grape Cat sells a wide variety of wallets for women and men.

Green Banana Paper sells wallets made out of banana leaves.

K Carroll sells wallets for women.

Labante has offices in the USA and United Kingdom and offer wallets for women and men.

Matt and Nat sells wallets for men and women. Ships internationally.

Mechaly sells a variety of women’s wallets.

Moo Shoes sells a variety of wallets for men and women.

Unicorn Goods sells a variety of men’s wallets.

Vegan Chic sells women’s wallets.

The Vegetarian Site sells hemp wallets.

CANADA

Jeane & Jax is a Canadian company selling a wide variety of wallets for women.

Nice Shoes is a Canadian company that offers wallets for men and women.

Pixie Mood is a Canadian company that sells a variety of women’s wallets.

 EUROPE

Avesu in Germany offers a wide range of wallets in various colors made from different materials.

Corkor in Portugal sells wallets for men and women made out of cork.

Labante has offices in the USA and United Kingdom and offer wallets for women and men.