By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

A good-quality tomato paste is a bit of summer sunshine in a can or a tube, just perfect for this cold time of year. Tomato paste is the concentrated essence of cooked tomatoes, period. When purchasing tomato paste, be certain that the main (and hopefully only) ingredient is tomato; a very small amount of salt or citric acid may be added, but is usually not necessary.

     Tomato paste is used to thicken and enhance the flavor and color of sauces, pasta fillings, salad dressings, soups, stews, chili, or in any items where you’d like the tomato flavor to stand out. You can coat sliced vegetables (such as potatoes, parsnips, plantains, or mushrooms) with tomato paste and bake or grill to create a tangy crust. Friends of ours use tomato paste as a sandwich spread, instead of ketchup. Use it sparingly, however, because tomato paste has an intense flavor. If you are using only a portion of a can of tomato paste remember to store the remainder in plastic or glass, never metal, and never, ever in the can (no, we have not been peeking into your refrigerator). If you like, you can freeze properly-stored tomato paste until it is needed.

     To make tomato paste, ripe tomatoes are first cooked for several hours to reduce moisture, are strained to remove the seeds and skin, and then are cooked further to reduce them to a thick, rich concentrate. Yes, you could try this at home, but you’d need lots and lots of tomatoes, pots that are not made of aluminum or copper (cast iron is best), and lots and lots of time. 

     Ever wondered what the difference is between tomato purée and tomato paste? We’re glad you asked! Tomato purée consists of tomatoes that have been cooked briefly and strained, resulting in a thick liquid with a consistency between tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. Tomato paste goes a step further, attempting to remove as much moisture as possible, capturing the tomato “essence.”

    Two tablespoons of tomato paste has only 30 calories with no fat and about 20 milligrams of sodium, a bit of fiber, some iron and potassium, and some Vitamin C and A. Tomato paste, and all tomato products, contains lycopene, a naturally-occurring plant chemical said to help reduce the incidence of certain cancers and cardiac conditions.

     Tomato paste is indispensable in any kitchen. You can use it in soups and stews, casseroles and roasted grains, and as a base for pasta and pizza sauces. Create toaster-oven pizza with bagels or English muffins topped with tomato paste, your favorite pizza flavorings (oregano, garlic, basil, etc.), a small spoonful of silken or soft tofu (or vegan cheese), and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Through December 31, 2021, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each. Offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG outreach. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the name and address of each gift recipient in the comments field. Go to: www.vrg.org/donate 

Chanukah is a time that extended families gather together. Here are some vegan recipes from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook you can share with your friends and family during the 8-day celebration.

Potato Latkes
Serves 4

1-½ pounds potatoes, peeled and grated
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Dash of pepper
2 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Form 3-inch patties and fry in lightly oiled pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Flip latkes and fry for another 10 minutes until crisp on both sides. Serve warm with applesauce or other cooked fruit.

Broccoli Latkes
Serves 5

1 pound broccoli, chopped into small pieces
2 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into small pieces
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups water
½ teaspoon celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon oil

Cook all the ingredients (except the oil) in a large covered pot over medium heat for 20 minutes. Drain mixture and mash ingredients together.
     Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Form 10 pancakes. Fry 8 minutes on one side. Flip pancakes and fry for another 5 minutes on the other side. Serve warm.

You can purchase the vegan recipe book The Lowfat Vegetarian Cookbook here: The Lowfat Vegetarian Cookbook

Due to the pandemic, many young people’s lives were upended with lost jobs and canceled study abroad classes. Thus we were honored with twenty-two virtual summer and fall interns/volunteers from high school through college and beyond, who still needed their time to be useful.  

As one student said, “I am writing to express my deep gratitude to supporters of VRG, which allowed me to live and function when the whole world seemed to pause. I had the opportunity to participate in VRG’s summer internship program which gave me a way to escape and focus on things other than my collapsing world. During the internship,

I did the only thing I always loved doing, which is express with words, on a topic (vegan) that has truly changed my life.”

PhD nutrition student Kavitha, based on a question sent to us from a registered dietitian, added information about potassium and phosphorus to our plant-based milk chart. A Johns Hopkins student worked on research around links between potential pandemics and concentrated animal feeding operations. A Masters nutrition student from Mexico is doing her internship with VRG looking at vegan calcium sources and Latinos. A high school student who hopes to do pre-med studies has interviewed vegan doctors and dietitians for us.

A rising college freshman from Alaska let our readers know “that not everyone in Anchorage is hunting moose and fishing for salmon to stay alive through the winters.” She reviewed her favorite restaurant where she can find vegan options. And two of our interns from Cornell and University of Delaware assisted Marcy Schveibinz with a cooking class she is teaching to formerly homeless men who are in a residential living program.

Thank you so much to Marcy, VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, Vegetarian Journal Editor Rissa Miller, and VRG researcher Jeanne Yacoubou who helped us work with all these individuals, so that they could continue to learn and contribute even with the chaos in their lives.

In spite of a tumultuous 2020, we continue to be very busy. Reed Mangels, PhD, RD spoke virtually about vegan/vegetarian children at the Maryland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting.

She will also be conducting a 2-hour webinar in December on vegetarian diets for the NY state WIC Women, Infants, and Children agencies (RDs, nutrition assistants, and peer counselors). And volunteer Elsa Spencer, PhD is doing a virtual vegan nutrition session for students at Northern Virginia Community College.

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee has completed their review of the evidence on nutrition and health. The final report reflects the Advisory Committee’s full examination of the evidence using three rigorous approaches: data analysis, systematic reviews, and food pattern modeling. The Scientific Report also includes advice to the United States Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services to consider in the development of the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Reed and The Vegetarian Resource Group submitted comments on the Advisory Committee report to the U.S.D.A. and H.H.S. to consider for developing the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This document influences policies and food purchasing decisions throughout the country for years. 

Our national polls on the number of vegetarians and vegans continues to be helpful to businesses, students, academics, and health professionals. For our 2020 poll, we even received a note from a rheumatologist doctor in Brazil who wanted to cite the polls as she was earning her masters in Osteoporosis and looking at vegan diets. 

Thank you to dietitians Reed, Eric, Cathy, Chef Nancy, and Julie, as well as Elsa for volunteering at our Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics virtual VRG booth. It was not the same as physically interacting with people, but it was still impactful. We had 1,268 visitors come by the booth. The conference said they had 13,600 registered attendees from 66 countries. 

Comments in our dietetic conference online chat varied from “I relied on so many of the PDFs and resources available on the website when I was curating resources for cooking classes that I was developing a couple years ago” to “Hi I just wanted to share I’ve been a fan for years, especially for using your vegan iron sources handout.” Another attendee asked about access to our “Ingredients Are They Vegan,” Vegetarian Nutrition, and patient education handouts.

Thank you so much to our supporters in these tough times who enable us to assist young people, do research, help consumers, and provide information to health professionals. May next year be better than 2020 for those that are struggling.

Please donate at vrg.org/donate

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):

Blossoming Lotus Café and Juice Bar, 2122 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210

Blossoming Lotus Café and Juice Bar offers a variety of plant-based foods, from smoothies to juices to green bowls. Green bowls feature a variety of vegetables including kale, avocado and edamame. The smoothies and juices include ingredients with a priority on various health themes. For example, the café offers a “heart strong” smoothie, and a “resilience and immunity” smoothie. They also offer dishes such as Mac and Cheese Bowl, Beet Crunch Bowl, Bibimbap, and more.

Dee’s Vegan To Go, 1540 West Blvd., Ste. 100, Charlotte, NC 28208

Dee’s Vegan To Go restaurant is a family restaurant that strives to serve sustainable meals to all families. They work hand in hand with local farmers in North Carolina. They first opened back in 2016 at the Charlotte’s Regional Farmers Market. They even work with artisans to help them run their bakery and café, completely served with vegan ingredients. When it comes to what they have on their menu, you can slurp up their homemade lemonade drinks or gorge on their sweet potato spice cake desserts! For entrees they provide jambalaya, teriyaki “chicken,” and mac and cheese. They also make an array of soups and sandwiches.

Earth Based Café, 329 Winchester Ave., Martinsburg, WV 25401

Earth Based Café offers various vegan renditions of American favorites. The expansive menu includes gourmet burgers and hotdogs, such as the Slawdog with coleslaw. The menu also contains subs and sandwiches, including the Buffalo “Chik’n” Sandwich. In the mood for something light? Try one of the eight salads – such as the Moroccan salad with greens, chickpeas, and mushrooms. Don’t forget to try one of the various appetizers – including their popular Mini Belgian Waffles with Buffalo “Chicken” Dippers.

Gegen, 5101 W.Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Gegen is most famous for their vegan burgers and fries. They also offer different vegan subs like sausage, hot dog sub, and falafel subs. They even make most of their drinks, from smoothies to chia seed rose water. Their breakfast items are the most diverse part of the menu. They make anything to acai bowls, bagel with cream cheese with tomato and basil, to no-bake protein balls. They also make their own pizzas and provide plenty of gluten-free options.

Riley’s Vegan Sweets and Eats, 1233 W. Brons Ave., Peoria, IL 61604

Birthday Cakes, donuts, brownies, cookies, cinnamon rolls, Oh my! Whether you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth or bite into a dessert that tastes as good as it looks, Riley’s Sweets and Eats has you covered. Their cruelty-free treats are made from scratch with organic ingredients.

The Purple Mint, 6171 Mission Gorge Rd., Unit 118, San Diego, CA 92120

The Purple Mint serves many different options of Vietnamese entrées, starters, noodle soups, salads, and vegan milk iced teas. One of their most popular entrees is the “black rice pasta in coconut milk,” along with many of their dishes, most are made with coconut milk for the flavor and extra creaminess in the dishes. They even have vegan orange “chicken!”

Tucos Tacos Lounge, 582 Kathleen St., Sudbury, ON P3C 2N3 Canada

With a casual vibe, and laid-back ambience, some of the delicious vegan dishes they offer include the signature Carnitas Tacos, which are filled with jackfruit carnitas, pico de gallo, and vegetables. Another dish to try is the Chili van Cleef made with house made seitan and soy chorizo chili. Other offerings include various tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, and churros for dessert.

Vegan Picnic, 1323 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109

Vegan Picnic offers a variety of dishes from sandwiches to breakfast foods. The menu has plant-based protein as a substitute for meat. The sandwiches range from hot sandwiches such as chicken and steak sandwiches to cold sandwiches such as caprese and “egg” salad. Further, breakfast foods include waffles and breakfast burritos.

Zhu Vegan Kitchen, 220 Washington St., Brookline, MA 02445

Zhu Vegan Kitchen offers an array of entirely vegan Chinese, Japanese, and Thai food, with plenty of gluten-free options as well. Main courses include General Tso’s Soy Protein, Kung Pao Eggplant, and Sweet and Sour Soy Protein. Noodle and rice options include Stir-Fried Udon and Pad-Thai. Don’t forget to try a dessert – such as fried ice cream or a banana spring roll – on the way out!

Share this handy poster with family and friends. You can also print it out and post it on your refrigerator. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/VeganDietsinaNutshellPoster.pdf

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

A recently published study about fracture risk in non-meat eaters has received a lot of media attention. Here’s what you need to know.

What is the study?

The study is from the United Kingdom and was conducted by researchers at Oxford University and the University of Bristol. Study subjects were recruited between 1993 and 2001 and were studied until 2016. About 55,000 men and women were included in the study. At the start of the study, subjects were classified into 1 of 4 dietary groups based on their responses to a questionnaire which asked questions like “Do you eat any meat?” The groups were meat eaters, fish eaters (did not eat meat but ate fish), vegetarians (did not eat meat or fish, but ate one or both of dairy or eggs), and vegans (participants who did not eat meat, fish, dairy, and eggs). At the start of the study there were 29,380 meat eaters, 8,037 fish eaters, 15,499 vegetarians, and 1,982 vegans. 

     Some subjects completed a similar follow-up questionnaire in 2010. The majority of subjects had followed the same diet for years before the start of the study. For example, 88% of fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans had not eaten meat for at least 5 years before recruitment, 85% of vegetarians and vegans had not eaten fish for at least 5 years before recruitment, and 82% of vegans had not eaten eggs or dairy for at least 3 years before recruitment.

     During the follow-up period, the occurrence of fractures was determined through use of the National Health Service’s records. The study’s goal was to determine if there were differences in fracture risks between vegetarians, vegans, and non-vegetarians.

What did it find?

Over the follow-up period which averaged 17.6 years, there were 3,491 fractures – 566 arm fractures, 889 wrist fractures, 945 hip fractures, 366 leg fractures, 520 ankle fractures, and 467 other fractures. The researchers were not able to determine how many fractures were due to trauma like auto accidents and how many were due to osteoporosis (weak bones).

     Compared with meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans had a higher risk of total fractures and hip fractures and vegans had a higher risk of leg fractures and of vertebral fractures. Vegetarians had a 25% higher risk of hip fractures than did meat eaters while vegans had more than twice the risk. No significant differences were seen between the groups in the risk of wrist or ankle fractures or the risk of arm fractures after controlling for body mass index (BMI).

     Differences in BMI between the groups account for some of the differences in fracture risk. Vegans tend to have a lower BMI on average. A lower BMI has been associated with less dense bones because bones are strengthened by weight-bearing exercise. If a person weighs more, their bones do more weight-bearing. Additionally, some studies have found increased risk of hip fractures with lower BMIs, possibly because of less fat to cushion the hip when a fall occurs.

     The vegans had lower average intakes of calcium and protein from food. The average calcium intake of vegans was 591 milligrams per day, considerably below the approximately 1,000 milligrams per day which was the average for the other diet groups. However, even when only those study participants who had calcium intakes above the U.K. recommendations were examined, the vegans still had a higher risk of bone fractures. The differences in dietary protein and calcium intake do not account for all the differences in fracture risk between the groups and the researchers were unable to explain why differences in fracture risk persisted even after their data were adjusted for differences in BMI and calcium and protein intake.

     Additionally, there was a higher risk of total fractures among vegans who were not very physically active and who had a low BMI but vegetarians (not vegans) with a higher BMI had a higher risk of hip fracture. There were a limited number of subjects who were in these subgroups which makes it difficult to be confident that these results would hold in a larger group.

What are the study’s limitations?

While the investigators examined dietary calcium intake, they did not determine if there were differences in intake of calcium supplements, nor did they investigate vitamin D intake or status. Adequate vitamin D is needed to promote calcium absorption. They also did not investigate vitamin B12 status or intake. Inadequate vitamin B12 is associated with an increased fracture risk.

     Because of the observational nature of this study, it is not possible to say if changes in vegans’ dietary or supplement practices (such as increased calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, or protein intake) could have affected their risk of fracture.

Are there practical implications?

This study alerts vegans that they may be at increased risk for several types of fractures including hip and vertebral fractures. Vegans should follow general recommendations to promote healthy bones including:

• Meeting calcium recommendations,
• Getting adequate vitamin D,
• Getting enough protein,
• Using fortified foods and/or supplements to meet recommendations for vitamin B12,
• Getting weight-bearing exercise.

Tong TYN, Appleby PN, Armstrong MEG, et al. Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study. BMC Med. 2020;18(1):353.

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Did you ever wonder how much vitamin B₁₂ you need or how often you should take a supplement or use foods fortified with vitamin B₁₂? VeganHealth.org, a website where vegan registered dietitians review the scientific literature related to the health benefits of a vegan diet, has just updated their vitamin B₁₂ recommendations. The recommendations are based on the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and the more recent European Food Safety Authority’s Adequate Intake value for vitamin B₁₂. These recommendations and the supporting information detailing how the recommendations were developed are based on the most current evidence and address many questions that consumers and health care professionals may have about vitamin B12.

Get ready for a delicious Vegan Essentials holiday! Whatever you’re celebrating this year, we’ll be carrying all your favorite vegan roasts, sides, desserts, everything for the new year and everything in between! We carry over 2,100 different vegan items from hundreds of different companies! From all your favorite staples to small companies sold exclusively through us, we have you covered and we ship everywhere! And for the months of November and December, get 10% off your orders with the code VRG! Everything is always vegan at Vegan Essentials. Use this link: https://store.veganessentials.com/?Coupon=VRG

Whether you live in London, England or plan on visiting, the restaurants below serve up a wide variety of vegan cuisine. Enjoy!

Karma Oriental: Vegan Southeast Asian food including Thai dishes, Bento boxes, and more. https://www.karmaoriental.co.uk/

Mr. India: Vegan Indian food including Biryani boxes. https://www.mrindiadelivery.co.uk/

Vebabland: Vegan kebabs reinvented along with desserts. https://www.vebabland.co.uk/

Friesology: Vegan fries and boxes. https://www.friesology.co.uk/

Texcoco: Wide range of vegan Mexican food. https://www.texcoco.co.uk/

Vegan World: Featuring American junk food, Indian and Asian starters, burgers, kebabs, boxes, pizza, side dishes, shakes, and desserts. https://www.veganworldtakeaway.co.uk/

Yooow Vegan: Vegan Caribbean food. https://www.yooowvegan.co.uk/

Two Peas: Primarily vegan serving burgers, pizza, etc.  https://www.two-peas.co.uk/