According to Nil Zacharias’ project, Plantega, is the union of plant-based foods and bodegas, small stores in Spanish-speaking areas that Zacharias describes as an essential part of New York City’s fabric. At the moment they are in about a dozen bodegas. We recently passed one of these stores and saw this sign in front of the bodega.

For more information on Plantega, see: https://eatplantega.com/  

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

New York City Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the United States, serving more than one million people each year. Together with Mayor Eric Adams, they recently announced that they are expanding their lifestyle medicine program to six public health sites in New York City. These programs will be modeled after NYC Health + Hospitals‘ Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. Over the coming year, the program will expand to serve adults at Jacobi, Lincoln, Woodhull, Kings County, and Elmhurst hospitals, as well as Gotham Health, Vanderbilt.

According to NYC Health + Hospitals’ website, the plant-based lifestyle medicine program focuses on a healthy plant-based diet, exercise, stress reduction, healthy sleep, social connections and avoidance of risky substances such as tobacco.  The program is administered by plant-based doctors, registered dietitians, and health coaches. It includes individual consultations and group classes.

The program defines a plant-based diet as, “a diet centered around vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, peas, nuts, and seeds. It minimizes or avoids animal foods, sweets, and highly processed foods.” Individuals joining the program should be interested in moving toward a more plant-based diet. The program is open to adults with type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and/or health concerns related to obesity.

Due to the generosity of anonymous donors, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $30,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Additionally, $10,000 in scholarship money will be awarded to graduating high school seniors specifically living in New York City, NY. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2022. Deadline is February 20, 2022. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2021. 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/vegetarian 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.

For details on the contest, see:

http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htmhttps://www.vrg.org/blog/2022/01/27/new-york-city-area-5000-vegetarian-vegan-and-animal-rights-scholarship-for-graduating-high-school-seniors-2/

By Rissa Miller, Senior Editor Vegan Journal

These oat bars are nut-free and ready to go for hikes, car trips, or even long days at the computer. They keep well in the fridge for a week, and for a few months in a sealed container in the freezer. For ideas on how to vary this recipe’s flavors, see the notes at the bottom.

3 Tablespoons flaxseed meal

6 Tablespoons warm water

1-1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (can also use 1:1 gluten free flour blend)

1/2 cup vegan protein powder (plain brown rice protein powder used; or just use more flour)

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup unsweetened vegan milk of choice (oat milk used in tests)

1 teaspoon powdered ginger (or more/less, to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Zest from one lime

1/8 teaspoon salt (optional, to taste)

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 7- x 11-inch baking dish with parchment paper (or coat with non-stick spray). Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together flaxseed meal and warm water. Set aside to congeal. In a medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients. Add flax/water and stir again. The mixture will be stiff and sticky; it may be necessary to work it together by hand instead of with a spoon.

When all ingredients are well-combined, press into the prepared baking dish. Score with a knife to cut into 12 evenly sized bars. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is firm and the edges are crisp. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before re-cutting the bars along the original scored lines and gently removing from the baking dish. 

The bars hold up well in the fridge for about a week. You can also individually wrap them for hikes, car trips, other travel, or days at work/school.

Want other flavor ideas? Swap the lime for lemon and the cherries for cranberries or blueberries to change things up. Love chai? Add in pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg with raisins instead of dried cherries and eliminate the citrus zest. More of a chocolate fan? Take out the dried fruit, add in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips, use orange zest instead of lime, and a tiny splash of coffee extract with the vanilla.

We thought you might be interested in seeing some publicity we (and you) received on one of our area TV stations. We had our monthly vegan group dinner last week, and a gentleman by the name of John Last, who does human-interest type stories for his Erie, PA stations, came to Warren (about 65 miles away) to interview and film us. His segment, called “The Last Word” aired on Monday, January 31, and was very nicely done, I thought. Included in the clip are stacks of the back issues of The Vegetarian Journal that you sent us to distribute. We’ve received lots of great comments about the broadcast and continue to pick up new members because of it.

Here’s a link to the news segment: Spreading the Vegan Lifestyle in Warren – Erie News Now | WICU and WSEE in Erie, PA

Best regards, Don Reed

Webinar: Five Steps to Implement a Vegan Nudge

By Odette Olivares, MSN

On January 26,  2022 the webinar Five Steps to Implement a Vegan Nudge took place. Jan Stoop, Associate Professor of Applied Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands, explained a simple five-step strategy to veganize the catering service in any organization. He originated his proposal by applying the concept of a nudge from behavioral economics and succeeded in his endeavor by following the five steps at his facility.

In the beginning, Jan’s first instinct was to behave as a benevolent dictator, who would oblige the whole university to turn vegan right away. However, he knew this strategy would have generated a lot of resistance. He then came up with the idea of switching the default option of the catering service to vegan, maintaining people’s free will. If someone wanted a non-vegan option, they would simply have to ask for it. By doing this, Jan created a nudge in the catering service.

In behavioral economics, a nudge is a positive reinforcement or indirect suggestion for consumers to behave in a certain way. Nudges are effective because people tend to choose the least effort possible, and because they tend to abide by the norm. Keeping freedom of choice, Jan simply made it easier for people to get a vegan choice while reinforcing a new norm based on environmental consciousness and the values of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Professor Rinus van Schendelen suggested the following five steps to Jan:

Step one: Gather data. Compare the differences between standard food choices to vegan ones.

Step two: Think about arguments. Use the ones that have more probability to convince and represent your audience, and keep those which you have a deeper understanding of.

Step three: Convince key people to join. Write a letter to the dean or the respective authority, signed by the most high-profile people in the organization.

Step four: Confront the ultimate authority. Explain your arguments and show that you are not the only one who wants the change. Keep free will in your proposal. 

Step five: Tasting trial. Offer a nice, good-looking, tasty trial of the newly available vegan food options.

This five-step strategy helped Jan to diminish resistance towards veganism and to teach people that vegan food can be as tasty as non-vegan food.    

Stephen Sturdivant organized the webinar on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6. More than 100 people attended. The interchange of complementary information regarding environmental data related to the vegan diet, scientific articles, non-governmental vegan organizations, and many other vegan entities, showed the great interest participants had on the topic. Jan hopes that all of these attendees apply the five-step strategy to contribute to spreading the goodness of vegan diets.

For more information on veg foodservice ideas, see https://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm

Odette interned with The Vegetarian Resource Group and was author of Traditional Vegan Calcium Sources for Latinos. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm

Public-school cafeterias in New York City will begin phasing in only vegan meals on Fridays. Some backup items currently will be available, such as cheese sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and milk will still be offered. See:

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-nyc-public-school-cafeterias-vegan-fridays-20220203-hnickonlf5hhfmvvgx4fvgzjbq-story.html

https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2022/02/03/adams–nyc-public-schools-to-introduce–vegan-fridays-

By Rissa Miller, Senior Editor Vegan Journal

Trail mixes are a great snack for camping and hiking, travel, long days at work or school, as well as just everyday life. And there are as many ways to combine them as there are folks who love eating them. Yes, you can certainly find plenty of vegan-friendly trail mixes and granolas on the market now (be sure to check labels for honey, dairy, and egg ingredients). But then you’ll miss the fun of blending you own, as well as the savings!

Below, find three recipes for trail mixes, and under that, keep reading for a list of ideas to create your own signature trail mix – sweet or savory!

Nut-Free Trail Mix

1 cup soynuts (dried soy beans; salted or unsalted, as desired)

1 cup hulled sunflower seeds (salted or unsalted, as desired)

1/2 cup quartered dried apricots

1/2 cup dried blueberries

Add all ingredients to a container with a lid, shake to combine. Store in a sealed container for up to one month.

Savory Cheezy-Nut Trail Mix

1-1/2 cups mixed nut blend (salted or unsalted, as desired)

1 cup vegan cheese square crackers (such as Earth Balance crackers or From the Ground Up)

1/2 cup sundried tomato strips (not in oil)

Add all ingredients to a container with a lid, shake to combine. Store in a sealed container for up to one month.

Chocolate-Cranberry Trail Mix

1 cup pepitas

1 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Add all ingredients to a container with a lid, shake to combine. Store in a sealed container for up to one month.

Make your OWN signature trail mix blend with any of these ideas below. Just make a balance of chewy/crunchy ideas and go with sweet or savory profiles! These can go savory or sweet, as you prefer. These lists are here to get you started….

Crunchy

Nuts: Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Coconut Slivers, Hazelnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Pecans, Pine Nuts, Pistachios, Walnuts 

Seeds: Cacao, Hemp Seeds, Peptitas/Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds

Beans: Soynuts, Chickpeas (baked)

Crackers/Cereal: Any small cereal pieces, Cheezy Cracker Squares, Pretzels, Sesame Sticks, Wasabi Peas

Dried Fruit/Veggies

Apples, Apricots, Banana, Blueberries, Cherries, Cranberries, Dates (pitted), Figs, Goji Berry, Kiwi, Mango, Papaya, Peaches, Pears, Plums (Prunes), Pineapple, Raisins, Strawberries, Sun-Dried Tomato

Freeze-Dried Fruits/Veggies

Beets, Blackberries, Blueberries, Mango, Peppers, Raspberries, Strawberries

Sweet Treats (optional): 

Chocolate Chips or Chunks, Fruit Leather strips or bits, Vegan Gummy Candies, Vegan Jelly Beans

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Health experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommend putting limits on the amount of 100% fruit juice that children drink in a day. That’s because excessive fruit juice consumption is associated with overweight and obesity and dental cavities. Ideally, children would eat fresh fruit and not rely on fruit juice to provide vitamin C and other nutrients. For the record, the AAP calls for limiting 100% fruit juice to no more than

• 4 ounces per day for 1- to 3-year olds,
• 4-6 ounces per day for 4- to 6-year olds,
• 8 ounces per day for older children and teens (1).

It gets confusing when we think of all the fruit drinks that are out there. These products may be called juice beverages, juice drinks, juice cocktails, diluted juice, fruit punch, fruit-flavored juices, or other names that imply that they are filled with fruit. In reality, they may be mostly sugar (or artificial sweeteners) and water. At best, they contain some fruit juice but are not 100% juice.

A recent study (2) found that almost all fruit drinks that were purchased by households with young children had claims on their labels that made them appear to be healthy. The most common claims suggested that products had “natural flavors,” “no preservatives, or that they were “organic.” Another common label claim was that products had “100% Daily Value of vitamin C” or were a “good source of vitamin C.” Other claims included “sugar free,” “does not contain high-fructose corn syrup,” and “no artificial sweetener.” Ironically, although 97% of the products had label claims related to nutrition, none would be considered part of a healthy diet for young children because they contain added sugars or artificial sweeteners.

The juice aisle can be confusing. Not only do fruit drinks marketed to families with young children have statements on their labels that may them appear to be healthy, but labels can have lots of statements. Some products may have 5 or more claims on the label. For busy shoppers, it may be tempting to grab a product with lots of pictures of fruit and statements like “made with pure cane sugar,” “made with real fruit juice,” “all natural,” and “10% juice.”

If you choose to purchase juice, make sure that the label says “100% juice,” or “contains 100% juice.” (3) The name of the fruit may be included so an acceptable product could say “100% Apple Juice.”

References

1. Heyman MB, Abrams SA; Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition; Committee on Nutrition. Fruit juice in infants, children, and adolescents: current recommendations. Pediatrics. 2017;139(6):e20170967.

2. Duffy EW, Hall MG, Dillman Carpentier FR, et al. Nutrition claims on fruit drinks are inconsistent indicators of nutritional profile: A content analysis of fruit drinks purchased by households with young children. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021;121(1):36-46.

3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A Food Labeling Guide. https://www.fda.gov/media/81606/download. 2013.