In the Nutrition Hotline column of the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, answers the question Can a Vegan Diet Be Anti-Inflammatory? Read how she comes to this conclusion: A vegan diet emphasizing whole foods and with little to no highly processed foods fits with this dietary pattern described as being associated with a lower risk of chronic inflammation. Thus, a whole foods vegan diet can be considered an anti-inflammatory diet. Studies that have found that a vegan diet is associated with lower blood concentrations of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, support this conclusion.

Read the entire column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue1/2026_issue1_nutrition_hotline.php

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

photo from Freepik

We don’t know about you, but we enjoy soup any day, but especially on a cold winter evening. A previous VRG article titled “Hot, Hearty Soups for Cold Winter Days,” provides numerous vegan recipes you’re certain to enjoy.

• Italian-Style Vegetable Soup
• Curly Kale, Corn, and Tomato Stew
• African Peanut Soup
• Garbanzo Bean Soup with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Corn
• Easy Lima Bean Soup
• Potato-Green Pea Chowder
• Lentil-Potato Soup with Indian Seasonings
• Beans and Franks Soup
• Black Bean-Yellow Corn Soup with Fresh Jalapeños
• Peppery Split Pea-Vegetable Soup
• Rustic Cream of Potato Soup
• Chili with Corn and Black Beans

The entire article can be read here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue1/2005_issue1_soups.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit www.vrg.org/member

Food Joy is written by Tess Challis, with contributions from her daughter, Alethea Barrows. The book showcases stunning photography by Vegan Journal Senior Editor Hannah Kaminsky. Together, they’ve created a vibrant and inviting cookbook filled with inspiring plant-based recipes for the whole family.

Read Vegan Journal’s review of this book: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2026issue1/2026_issue1_book_reviews.php

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

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are permitted to provide an allowable fluid milk substitute for cow’s milk for children without a disability who cannot drink cow’s milk (for example, for vegan children). Schools are required to provide a substitute for children with medical conditions such as a life-threatening cow’s milk allergy.

Fluid milk substitutes, such as plant milks, must meet specified nutritional standards, be requested in writing by a medical authority or the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the school must cover any expenses that exceed program reimbursements (1).

For a plant milk to be considered an allowable fluid milk substitute for the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, a cup of plant milk 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. The milk can be flavored or unflavored (1).

We wondered which plant milks meet these standards. The Connecticut State Department of Education has developed a helpful list of products that are acceptable for use in their school lunch programs (2, 3). Note that other brands of acceptable milk may be available in other areas of the country. Some national brands on this list include:

• Pacific Foods Ultra Soy Original Plant-based Beverage quart aseptic container (food service must pour 8-ounce portions)
• Kikkoman Pearl Organic Soymilk Smart Original, Smart Creamy Vanilla, Smart Chocolate, 8 oz aseptic container
• Ripple Plant-based Milk Vanilla or Chocolate, 8 oz aseptic container
• 8^th Continent Soymilk Original or Vanilla half gallon refrigerated container (food service must pour 8-ounce portions)

Silk Soy Original also appears to meet the USDA’s requirements. There may be other acceptable products that are not on this list.

This information may be helpful if you approach a local school to request a fluid milk substitute. At this time, the school is not required to meet your request for a child without a disability. Each school foodservice decides which, if any, allowable fluid milk substitutes it uses. If one product is offered and the student does not accept that product, the school foodservice is not required to offer a different substitute.

References

1. Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture. Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 7 CFR Parts 210, 215, 220, 225, and 226. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-25/pdf/2024-08098.pdf. 2024.
2. Connecticut State Department of Education. Allowable Fluid Milk Substitutes for Non-disability Reasons in the School Nutrition Programs. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Nutrition/NSLP/SpecDiet/Milk_Substitutes_SNP.pdf, revised 2025.
3. Connecticut State Department of Education. List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages. Dairy Alternatives. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/nutrition/hfc/fblist/acceptablefoodslist17.pdf?rev=933d1db3f7914464af4cb93f6f6c81bd&hash=1BBDF40F428A86726549F49683315792. Revised, November 2025.

For more information about school meals see:

USDA Issues Revisions to Child Nutrition Programs

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch

The contents of this website and our other publications, including The Vegan 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 statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Vegans looking to boost their iron intake have lots of options. In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, you will find a list of some higher-iron vegan foods, all with more than 3 milligrams per serving, some of which may be surprising sources of iron.

Read the entire article here: 10 Ways to Boost Your Iron Intake

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

In VRG’s Work with Purpose series, Vegan Journal editor Hannah Kaminsky talks to TheBeHive owner about starting an ethical business. See the video at https://youtu.be/_dMglrK4GrM

Work with Purpose is Vegan Journal’s series on ethical entrepreneurs. This episode features The Behive from Austin, TX and Nashville, TN. Tips for starting a business with values. Vote with your dollar. Treat people well and take care of people in your business. Try stuff. Have humility to change the plan. Ways to make a difference. Order Vegan pepperoni, turkey, taco meat, and more. Vegan is just food. Peanut butter is vegan.

For info on other careers with values, see https://www.vrg.org/links/JobSearch.htm

To join The Vegetarian Resource Group and receive Vegan Journal, go to https://www.vrg.org/member/

photo from Long Count

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: www.vrg.org/restaurant

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:

Long Count, 155 Ave. B, New York, NY 10009

The theme at Long Count is to experience the way “… time transforms flavor — through wines…”  “slow-fermented sauces…” and more. Here, the goal is for the food to complement the wine. Some sample plates are Arancini with preserved truffle, miso aioli, and tempeh parmesan; Shiitake showcasing shoyu–porcini glaze, fresh wasabi, and chive blossom; King Trumpet offering cashew miso, poached kohlrabi, and chamomile butter; and Rainbow Carrots with caramelized sunchoke miso, anise hyssop oil, and kale chips to note a few. When it’s time for dessert, there’s Hazelnut Cake accompanied by butterfly pea–poached pears, white chocolate ganache, and chocolate–orange ice cream.

Mr. Charlie’s, 1560 Garnet Ave., San Diego, CA 92109

Here, you will find timeless American classics with a plant-based twist, such as “frowny meals,” “not a double double,” “not a cheeseburger,” not a chicken sandwich,” “not chicken nuggets,” and everyone’s favorite, french fries!

Sabor a Vida Café & Deli, 735 Shadowridge Dr., Vista, CA 92083

Focused on kindness, sustainability and environmental as well as human health, Sabor a Vida Café & Deli endeavors to use house-made sauces and local, organic ingredients whenever possible. Besides various Avocado Toasts, they have Super Food Toasts like homemade Roasted Garlic Cashew Spread with kale and pumpkin seeds. Sandwiches have names that honor natural elements like Rainbow with vegan ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and Provolone. Panini offerings include Love with spinach, roasted red pepper, mozzarella, and pesto spread, and many others. For Wraps and Burritos, you may choose Flour or Spinach. Eden wraps spinach, edamame beans, carrots, cucumber, avocado, and homemade Cashew Cream. Lightning Burrito strikes with hash brown, beans, Just Egg, vegan ham, tomato, avocado, and cheddar. One of their Salad options is Agua with greens, tomato, black beans, marinated tofu, avocado, roasted sesame seeds, and homemade coconut Ranch dressing. A Sabor Bowl example is Bosque with quinoa, black beans, kale, chickpea tuna, feta cheese, and homemade Jalapeño cashew cream. They serve a large menu of coffee and tea drinks, soft drinks, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and more. One of their many Smoothies is Black Forest, featuring strawberries, blueberries, bananas, cacao nibs, cacao powder, almond milk, and agave. Among their several Vida Bowls is Tropical Delight showcasing banana, mango, pineapple coconut milk, fresh ginger, turmeric powder, maple syrup, toasted coconut, and chia seeds.

Street Beet, 1800 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48216

Street Beet aims to create modern, “nostalgic…plant-based twists on classic comfort foods…” The large Brunch menu offers Crab Cake Benedict–English muffins, crab cakes, arugula, poached “eggs”, hollandaise, old bay, and chives; garlic butter grilled Shrimp and (Cheesy) Grits with scallion; Breakfast Hash of Home fries, sausage, scrambled or sunny “egg”, grilled onions, and peppers, cheddar cheese, Pico, and spicy mayo to name a few. Besides Wraps, Sandwiches, Salads, Burritos, Burgers, Franks, Biscuits and Gravy, some Sides are Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts with Violife feta, fried shallots, and more. They offer a Kids Menu, too. Soft Beverages include Hot Cocoa, Tea, Coffee, Sodas, Non-alcoholic Mimosas and Bloody Mary, Espresso Martini, Spiced Citrus Mule and Lavender Lemonade. They have Floats and Milkshakes like Coffee Shake with chocolate sauce, and cocoa powder, Chocolate Malt with sprinkles, Cookie Butter with salted caramel and cookie crumble, Strawberry and Classic Vanilla—all with whipped cream. For Desserts there’s Bread Pudding, Salted Maple Pie with whipped cream and cinnamon, “gooey” warm Cinnamon Roll with cream cheese frosting and Classic Sundae–three scoops of vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, salted caramel, and house-made whipped cream.

Throop Soups, 737 Dunmore St., Throop, PA 18512

Throop Soups is a plant-based restaurant serving seasonal salads, soups, sandwiches/wraps, smoothies, and oat bowls. The southwest salad includes black beans, veggies, pico de gallo, and hummus with chipotle garlic vinaigrette. The roasted cauliflower soup is a cheesy and creamy roasted cauliflower soup with roasted garlic and nooch. Vegan crab cakes are served on a multigrain bun with tomato, lettuce, and tartar sauce. Smoothie options on the menu include pistachio cake, mint chocolate chip, and carrot cake.

Veggie Life, 1732 N Berwick Rd., Wells, ME 04090 

Veggie Life features vegan comfort foods. Shareables include creamy buffalo chik’n dip served with toasted crostini, as well as spinach rangoon wontons filled with spinach, scallion, and cheese. Plantstrami Sammie is made of vegan pastrami with Dijon mustard on grilled marble rye. Signature pizzas include white pizza with an alfredo base, as well as animal lovers pizza with meatballs, tempeh sausage, and bacon. Sunday brunch includes savory classics such as vegan eggs benedict with English muffins, vegan ham, and poached vegan egg drizzled with house-made hollandaise; blueberry bliss waffles served with maple syrup; and berry bliss smoothie bowl topped with crunchy granola. Reservations not required but encouraged.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Also known as: D-allulose, D-psicose

Commercial source: vegetable (corn)

Used as: sugar substitute, zero-calorie sweetener, bulking or browning agent

Definition: A simple sugar with GRAS status possessing 70% of the sweetness of table sugar (sucrose). Allulose does not cause cavities, a rise in blood glucose, nor upset the gut microbiome, but it may cause gastrointestinal problems especially in high amounts.

Category: Vegan

More information: Cleveland Clinic, U.S. FDA

Manufacturers/Distributors:

Tate & Lyle: “…allulose is derived from corn…No animal or dairy inputs are used in this. No processing aids of animal or dairy origin are used when manufacturing [allulose].”

Apura Ingredients: “Allulose is a [microbial] enzyme-derived product from fructose, produced by the hydrolysis of corn starch…No animal-derived ingredients are used in the production of…allulose.”

North Central Companies: “Allulose does not contain or come into contact with any ingredient of animal origin or their derivatives.”

Icon Foods: “Allulose contains no dairy, no animal ingredients…Allulose is all corn.”

Added: January 2026

For more ingredient information, see https://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

Support ingredient research and vegan education. Join The Vegetarian Resource Group at https://www.vrg.org/member/

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegan 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 statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a

photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Cardiovascular disease (a group of diseases, such as stroke and heart failure) affecting the heart and blood vessels) and heart disease are the main causes of death worldwide. Thus, health care professionals are interested in finding ways to reduce the risk of developing and of dying from these diseases. Diet is one area of active investigation and nuts are a food group of interest. More than ten years ago, researchers estimated that eating an ounce of nuts daily could reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke by 4-6 percent (1). More recently, researchers at Loma Linda University examined the effect of eating nuts on the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or heart disease (2).

What is the study?

The study subjects were 80,529 Seventh-day Adventists living in the United States and Canada who participated in a large, long-term study called The Adventist Health Study-2. The study subjects completed questionnaires at the start of the study that asked, among other questions, how often they ate nuts. Nuts were separated into tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.) and peanuts. Peanuts are botanically classified as legumes, so they were examined separately. The subjects were observed for an average of 11 years and deaths from cardiovascular disease and heart disease were recorded.

What did this study find?

At the end of the study period, more than 4,200 deaths due to cardiovascular disease and heart disease had occurred. Overall, eating nuts, was significantly associated with a reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and heart disease. Statistical adjustments were made for age, sex, race, and other factors. If we compare someone in the 90^th percentile of nut intake (eating a little less than an ounce of nuts daily) and someone in the 10^th percentile of nut intake (eating no or almost no nuts), the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is 14% lower and of death from heart disease is 19% lower. These results are based on total nut consumption, including tree nuts and peanuts and peanut butter. If only tree nuts are examined, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is 17% lower with a higher consumption of tree nuts and the risk of dying from heart disease is 27% lower with a higher consumption of tree nuts (2).

Statistical techniques were used to model what would be likely to happen if a 1-ounce serving of total nuts or tree nuts replaced a serving of other foods. When a serving of nuts regularly replaced a 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 41% lower for total nuts and the risk of death from heart disease was 35% lower. Using a serving of tree nuts to replace a serving of processed meat, or eggs, or cheese, or fried potatoes, was associated with a 21%-26% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and 20%-30% lower risk of dying from heart disease (2).

These results suggest that choosing more nuts, including tree nuts and peanuts, may be a way to reduce the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease or heart disease.

References:

1. Del Gobbo LC, Falk MC, Feldman R, Lewis K, Mozaffarian D. 2015. Effects of tree nuts on blood lipids, apolipoproteins, and blood pressure: systematic review, meta-analysis, and dose-response of 61 controlled intervention trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 102:1347-56.
2. Suprono MS, Shavlik DJ, Butler FM, et al. Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease mortality: The Adventist Health Study 2. J Nutr. 2025;155:4465-4475.

To read about ways to add more nuts to your meals see:

Quick and Easy Ideas for Nuts

Nuts to You!

Celebrating Peanut Butter on National Peanut Day

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan 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 statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Due to the generosity of anonymous donors, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award one $10,000 and several $5,000 college scholarships to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism in their schools and/or communities. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in SPRING 2026

We will accept applications emailed or postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2026. 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

For information on applying, visit: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar or call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

This contest is sponsored by The Vegetarian Resource Group/Vegan Journal, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.