By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Picture a baby, 6 months or older, sitting in a highchair, covered with food – maybe orange carrots or green puréed spinach. It’s clear that their eating experience is not just to satisfy hunger. First food experiences typically don’t result in lots of food going into (and staying in) baby’s mouth. These first encounters with solid food introduce new tastes, textures, and colors. They prepare babies for a lifetime of eating foods.

Pediatricians usually recommend that babies start eating solid food around age 6 months. That’s when they’re able to sit up and physically able to eat solid foods. Does it matter which foods are introduced first? A new study suggests that introducing vegetables before fruits may make it more likely that children will eat more vegetables.

In this study, which took place during the first 4 weeks of feeding solids, one group of babies ate only vegetables (spinach, potato, beets, green beans) and another group ate a combination of fruits and  sweeter vegetables (apple, pear, pumpkin, small amounts of spinach and beets mixed with apples and pears). This was in addition to the babies continuing to receive breast milk and/or infant formula. They also were given puréed meat as an iron source. Although this study used meat as an iron source, other foods such as iron-fortified baby cereals, puréed lentils and other legumes, and tofu supply iron. After the 4 weeks of the study were completed, families were encouraged to feed the babies as they wished.

When the babies in the study were 9 months old, the babies who had been in the “only vegetables” group ate more vegetables over the course of a day than did the babies who had been in the “fruit and sweeter vegetables” group. The babies in the “only vegetables” group were more likely to accept broccoli and spinach than were the other infants. Both groups of infants ate the same amount of fruit. According to the study’s authors, the take-home message could be to offer babies a variety of tastes of vegetables when they start eating solid foods.

Reference:

Rapson JP, von Hurst PR, Hetherington MM, Mazahery H, Conlon CA. Starting complementary feeding with vegetables only increases vegetable acceptance at 9 months: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116(1):111-121.

To read more about feeding babies see:

Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood

Off to a Good Start with Baby Cereal

If you live in Maryland (especially near Baltimore) or will visiting this area, you might want to dine in one of the many restaurants participating in Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month that is being held through August 28^th this year. Some of the participating establishments include Land of Kush, Golden West Café, Liora, Double Zero, Gangster Vegan Organics, Roland Park Bagels and Sandwiches, Harmony Bakery, Miss Shirley’s, and Treehouse Café and Juice Bar.

Photo from Gulino’s Pizza

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):

Can’t Believe It’s Vegan, 584 W. Schrock Rd., Westerville, OH 43081

Located in the northeastern suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Can’t Believe It’s Vegan serves familiar favorites that after one bite will make you say, “Can’t believe it’s vegan!” Their expansive menu is full of amazing dishes prepared by Chef Clayton himself, the head of the restaurant, who is on a mission to gather more “one-bite believers”. Their menu includes starters, sandwiches, salads, bowls, pastas, savory favorites, and even a timeless brunch menu that is available from 10 am – 1 pm when open. Customer favorites include the barbecue ribs (made from jackfruit instead of meat), a spicy Thai kale salad, a vegan BLT, a spicy tofu quinoa bowl, and the crispy noChick sandwich. Head on down to Can’t Believe It’s Vegan to become a “one-bit believer” today!

Gulino’s Pizza and Italian Market, 621 Boll Weevil Cir., Enterprise, AL 36330

Craving some oven-baked Chicago Style pizza? Well, I have the place for you: Gulino’s Pizza! Every dish is made entirely from scratch as their pizza is fresh and hand-tossed, toppings are never frozen, and their selection of vegan meatless meats and dairy-free cheeses are made in house. With 4 different preparations, people can choose between a calzone, a thin (or tavern) pizza, pan crusted, or a stuffed deep-dish! There are 13 different types of pizza to choose from, 5 of which are gluten-free. With such a variety of toppings, including pepperoni, garlic, mozzarella, sausage, diced peppers, basil, and even crunchy pickles, Gulino’s Pizza is a delicious delight that anyone in or near Enterprise, AL should stop on by!

Korgette, 609 Irvington Ave., Orlando, FL 32803

Inspired by international travels, the foundations of Korgette’s menu are their falafels and build-your-own fusion bowls, enhanced with signature sauces that bring cilantro, garlic, lemon, and tahini to the party. With a focus on seasonal ingredients, all dishes are made-from-scratch, so a diner’s only worry is how to choose which items to include in the fusion bowl, with options ranging from chipotle and lime corn to sweet chili plantains to house-made hummus. Or you may be tempted to skip straight to their dessert offering: the churro ice cream sandwich, made with house-made churros and coconut ice cream, topped with toasted coconut and chocolate drizzle.

Proletariat, 21 E. 7th St., New York, NY 10003

Enjoy this gastropub with a British dining experience and a unique underground beer and a tattoo flashy atmosphere. Over 20 selected drafts and unusual, limited bottles and cans. Reservations open 21 days in advanced. Example of menu: Bubble & Squeak, potato and polenta cakes, Brussel sprouts, leeks, pickled cabbage, and mustard cauliflower purée. Locate near Swiss Institute Art Museum.

Soy Boys, 471 Church St., Toronto, ON M4Y 2C5 Canada

The menu is concise (burgers, fries, soft serve), but the mission is expansive, because for every burger sold, Soy Boys, in partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects, plants a tree. The burgers are available in single (Soy Boy 4-ounce) and double (Soy Boy 4-ounce times 2), using the Impossible Patty, with their house sauce and the option of cheese. The fries are the nostalgic waffle variety, and of course no fast food run is complete without a dessert of soft-serve.

Squeeze Juice Works, 495 7th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Fresh juices, holy guacamole, pesto is besto, lil toastie, chana masala, kimchi fried rice, forbidden forest, farro way, strawberry fields salad, toasties, and bagels are on the menu.

The Rogue Panda, 1601 Drexel Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33139

Heard of “Kung Fu Panda”? Well, we introduce to you The Rogue Panda, which isn’t your traditional Chinese food spot. Serving unforgettably delicious, crave-worthy, plant-based Chinese food, The Rogue Panda are proving that reducing meat consumption and improving sustainability can be done with zero sacrifice to taste or experience. Their menu only includes 7 items, but don’t fret, each one is insanely delicious! You can choose from their slippery dumplings, rogue “egg” rolls, sesame cucumbers, dandan noodles, kung pao brussels, mapo tofu with white rice, or Sichuan green beans. Whatever you choose, just be sure to wave to the insanely cute anime-drawn panda!

Vibez Kitchen, 4505 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd., Killeen, TX 76543

Diners’ reviews of Vibez Kitchen clearly demonstrate that the owners are living up to their mission statement of “Giving back to the community in a healthier vegan way.” Their storefront may be simple, but their menu inspires many exclamation points, as they bring a Caribbean-American fusion to Texas. Main plates include an Okra & Butter Bean Stew and Stir-Fry Oyster Mushrooms. Or you might want to mix it up and choose from among tacos & wraps, sandwiches, wings & tenders (including the cauliflower wings), and sides. Because who can resist a side of sweet potato fries or jalapeño cheese fries?

Three Days of Lodging, Nutrition Instruction, and Whole-Food Plant-Based (WFPB) Food

Are you interested in moving toward a whole-food plant-based vegan lifestyle but aren’t sure about the pragmatic steps? Enjoy 3½ days this September on the North Carolina shore. Show up, relax, soak up evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle information, and enjoy healthy meals and their recipes. For information, see https://rochesterlifestylemedicine.org/immersion/

By Carole Hamlin

I attended the wonderful annual conference of the National Health Association in Cleveland in June of this year. One of the speakers was a man named Tim Kaufman, whose talk was inspiring – and eye-opening for people who might not yet be convinced that a whole-foods, plant-based diet can be the way to health and a longer life. Tim’s website, www.fatmanrants.com, has a wealth of information about how his current lifestyle has changed everything about his life for the better.

In the past, Tim was a very unhappy man who had been chronically sick for years and addicted to alcohol, and also opioids and Fentanyl that doctors had prescribed. He weighed as much as 400 pounds. His wife was also overweight. But in January 2013 they started on a whole-foods, plant-based diet, and over time he was able to get his life back. Instead of spending time in a wheel chair and sitting most of the time, he is now able to be very active physically. He and his wife both are athletes in good enough shape to meet many physical challenges that would daunt most people. Tim competed at Ironman Lake Placid, a 140.6-mile triathlon, at the end of July.

Tim has said his discovery of a whole-foods, plant-based diet, which enabled him to lose the weight and be active physically, has totally turned his life around. Tim had to have some spine and ankle surgery a couple years ago, which temporarily affected his physical abilities, and he had to learn how to walk again last October. The doctors told him it could take a year, but he learned in just a few months. His choice to eat healthfully made his body able to heal much more quickly.

Tim is an amazingly accomplished person – teaching, doing community work, owning a restaurant, writing, publishing, etc. His is a moving, uplifting story.

I recommend taking a look at Tim’s website and seeing him speak at an event if you get the chance. The formerly unhappy man has become an enlightened person who can inspire others to take his advice about how to live better and longer. For a quick overview, you could watch his 12-1/2-minute video on his website called “My Plant-Based Journey.”

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A Vegetarian Resource Group member wrote us asking about the saponins in quinoa and whether these interfere with the absorption of vitamins and minerals. The outer layers of quinoa grains contain a bitter coating called saponin. This bitter layer makes quinoa less appealing to birds and other animals. Saponins (from the Latin word for soap), give quinoa a bitter taste. They have also been shown to reduce the amount of iron and zinc absorbed from quinoa although the extent of this reduction does not appear to have been assessed in humans. If you eat other foods that provide iron and zinc, it’s not likely that this reduced absorption of iron and zinc from quinoa will be a concern.

Saponins can be removed from quinoa by rinsing, heat treatment, and abrasion as well as through selective breeding for lower saponin quinoa. Many packages of quinoa include a statement on the label that they have been pre-washed or rinsed to remove saponins. If you are not certain that the quinoa you plan to use has been pre-washed, you can put the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it until the rinse water runs clear. This should reduce its saponin content and eliminate the bitter flavor.

Reference:

El Hazzam K, Hafsa J, Sobeh M, et al. An insight into saponins from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd): A review. Molecules. 2020;25(5):1059.

To read more about cooking with quinoa see:

Quinoa Dishes: Vegan Cooking Tips

Southwest Quinoa & Beans

Quinoa and Veggies Recipe

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a document that is produced every 5 years by the U.S. government. It is important because it is used as the foundation for federal nutrition education materials as well as being used by schools, the food industry, and many others. The most recent Dietary Guidelines, released in 2020, endorses “a healthy vegetarian dietary pattern” as one of three recommended dietary patterns. All of the Vegetarian Dietary Patterns call for use of eggs with no suggestions for vegan foods that could replace eggs. We, at The Vegetarian Resource Group would like to see vegan dietary patterns included in Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

A recent study provides evidence that it would be easy to modify the vegetarian dietary pattern in Dietary Guidelines to make it vegan. In this study, the “dairy food group” was replaced with fortified soy milk and fortified soy yogurt. Eggs were replaced with a combination of beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy foods. Vegan patterns were created to be similar in calories to the original Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Pattern. The resulting vegan dietary patterns were analyzed for nutritional adequacy and compared to the original Healthy Vegetarian Dietary Patterns which contained dairy products and eggs.

The vegan patterns were higher in iron, copper, vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin K. Protein was slightly lower but still adequate. Sodium, cholesterol, and zinc were lower in the vegan patterns. Other nutrients were similar in both patterns.

This study only looked at nutritional adequacy for non-pregnant, non-lactating adults. Hopefully, future studies will examine other age and life-cycle groups. Additional studies should examine the use of other fortified plant milks and determine the minimum amount of these products needed and examine the need for supplements if fortified foods are not used as sources of vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin B12.

We hope that the results of these and similar studies will be used to include vegan dietary patterns in the next edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Reference:

Hess JM. Modeling dairy-free vegetarian and vegan USDA food patterns for non-pregnant, non-lactating adults [published online ahead of print, 2022 Apr 29]. J Nutr. 2022.

To read more about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans see:

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released

VRG’s testimony about the 2020 Dietary Guidelines and the Scientific Report Underlying the 2020 Dietary Guidelines

By Nadely Requena, VRG Intern

Hi there! My name is Nadely (pronounced like Natalie) and recently, I decided to embark on an adventure! Lately, everything seems to overwhelm me. From little snippets of conversations with others, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one who’s going through it. I find myself procrastinating way too much and the work just never seems to end.

In moments like these, it’s vital that we listen to our bodies. There are internal alarm systems going off and we need to respond. I’ve always found that going on walks provides me with clarity and an overall sense of peacefulness, especially when I go by myself.

In light of how I’ve been feeling, I thought a nice hike and vegan picnic would be a good way to alleviate my anxious thoughts. However, how fun would it be if I took you, a fellow reader, along for the ride? Or at least through some tips and tricks I’ve learned from my numerous hiking trips?

Are you ready? Okay, let’s begin.

First off, you need to make your lunch! I’ve always found it very helpful to prepare meals that are easy to eat and that won’t get your hands dirty. Sandwiches are usually my go-to just because they’re so simple, but super customizable and delicious with every bite.

Vegan Picnic Meal:

• Main: sandwich with 2 toasted bread slices along with lettuce, avocado, and vegan cheese
• Side: leftover tater tots mixed with spring mix (added sriracha for a little spice)
  • *Tip: frozen tater tots can be cooked in the microwave in just 2-3 minutes!
• Snack: roasted peanuts

Now, when it comes to preparing your backpack, you want to make sure your lunch is in a tight, fully sealed container. We don’t want anything to spill — no mini accidents! I also make sure to bring a couple napkins just in case. Additionally, I bring a towel to sit on, whatever book I’m reading at the moment, and my journal to make sure I document my beautiful surroundings.

More Tips & Tricks:

• Bring at least 2 liters of water — I always have my neon lime green Hydro Flask with me wherever I go, but whenever I go on longer walks, I like to prepare by bringing my extra Nalgene bottle (which is also lime green in case you were wondering). Not only are you helping the environment by not using plastic, you are also preparing your future self to not be dehydrated!
• Wear comfortable shoes and clothes — I mean it! There is nothing more horrible than wearing clothing pieces that don’t suit the activity you’re doing. It’s so uncomfortable! On my hiking days, I love wearing my pair of biker shorts, either a baggy t-shirt or a tank top, and some tennis shoes or hiking boots.
• Prepare for the heat by bringing a bandanna — Now, I don’t know what part of the world you’re reading this from, but where I’m from (Texas), the heat loves being the villain in everybody’s day. Bringing a bandanna or some type of cool and washable fabric can come in handy to wipe off sweat.
• Have long hair? Put it up! Your future self will thank you, I promise!

And that’s it from me! Preparing for a hiking trip is pretty easy and once you get into the flow, you can start to modify certain things to best suit your needs.

This weekend, I walked 13.5 miles through luscious greenery at the Barton Creek Greenbelt Trail in Austin, Texas. As I contemplated quietly, a running creek was my companion and I occasionally smiled and greeted fellow hikers who I hope experienced the same amount of contentment as myself.

A gentle reminder: we are only human. Our emotions fluctuate, life happens, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling overwhelmed or out of it at times.

With the constant breaking news, the endless notifications on every device, and the endless stream of work, there needs to be a time to re-energize yourself. Self-care care is a form of self-love. It’s okay to not be okay.

Here’s some picnic and hiking recipes:
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2015/07/17/everything-you-ever-needed-or-wanted-to-know-about-picnics-vegan-style/
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/05/14/warmer-weather-is-here-enjoy-some-picnic-recipe-ideas/
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2002issue2/2002_issue2_picnic.php
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue3/2018_issue3_summer_picnic.php
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/05/26/portable-picnic-feasts-to-enjoy-memorial-day-weekend/
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2016/07/15/vegan-summertime-picnic/
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2022/05/19/tips-for-vegan-hiking-2/
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue2/2013_issue2_vegan_backpacking.php

Stone fruits are abundant during the summer. Debra Daniels-Zeller previously wrote an article for The Vegetarian Resource Group titled Stone Fruit. Enjoy these recipes:

ANISE POACHED PLUMS AND CHERRIES

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

COOL AND SPICY STONE FRUIT SOUP

GINGER-PEACH SCONES

SPICY PEPPERS AND NECTARINES WITH SEITAN OVER RICE

STRAWBERRY PLUM SAUCE

ALMOND-NECTARINE PUDDING

SAUTÉED BALSAMIC CHERRIES

Find the recipes here: Stone Fruit

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

Recent topics brought up include:

– How do you all explain why your family is vegan to younger children?

– Posted a review of the book Feeding Your Vegan Child that ran in Vegan Journal.

– Shared air-fryer recipes from Vegan Journal.

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.