Belen is a Vegetarian Resource Group 2021 video contest
winner. She said: “My reasons for including a vegetarian diet into my life, is
to not continue involving myself with products that continuously exploit
animals and their rights. I also wanted to diminish my carbon footprint as much as I could, and understood that dairy and meat
products contained hormones that posed multiple health risks, resulting in me
becoming a vegetarian.”
Despite the present pandemic, The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC) or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate directly to VRG at vrg.org/donate
Here’s
a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:
●
VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, did a webinar on a Plant-Based
Diet for 31 Days. Reed also spoke at six virtual seminars for the San Jose
Public Library in California. There were separate sessions for teens and
parents. VRG interns assisted. Reed also supervised a Mexican graduate student
intern from Wageningen University in the
Netherlands who completed an extensive project on vegan
Latin American foods high in calcium.
●
Our VRG volunteer health coach Marcia Schveibinz conducted a webinar for the
Lafayette, Louisiana Public Library.
● VRG commissioned a YouGov national youth poll to
find out how many 8- to 17-year-olds are vegan or vegetarian. Results are
published in Vegetarian Journal and
at vrg.org
● VRG researcher
Jeanne Yacoubou did a podcast with one of VRG’s interns discussing the
environmental impacts of diets. Based on his questions, Jeanne will also be
doing some updated research on chocolate, bone char, and gelatin. We’ll report
on this in the future. Jeanne also compiled a list of several recent (2015 to
the present) scientific reports that reveal the relationships between dietary choices
and our climate crisis. See vrg.org/blog/2021/02/24/vegan-and-vegetarian-diets-and-our-climate-emergency-scientific-updates-2015-2021/
● VRG
donated money to Land of Kush (a vegan restaurant in Baltimore, MD) to give away
vegan meals to needy individuals. We also sent I Love Animals and Broccoli and
El Arco Iris Vegetariano coloring books to a group in Florida coordinating
Vegan Restaurant Week in their area, and that wanted to give a packet to
families as they picked up meals. Finally, VRG hosted over 25 virtual
interns/volunteers this past year. They all worked/ are working on a number of
exciting projects!
This is just a small
sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t
do this without your support.
You can also mail
donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or
call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.
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):
Allegro
Hearth Bakery, 2034 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217
This plant-based bakery and sandwich shop offers items
such as Apple Galette, Cinnamon Roll, Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Kamalta Olive
Loaf, Seitan Melt Sandwich, Avocado Sandwich, and build your own salads.
Bliss,
567 Memorial Ave., Thunder Bay, ON P7B 3Z1 Canada
Bliss is a plant-based restaurant that makes both raw and
cooked vegan foods. The soup du jour is made fresh daily. The menu includes
several sandwiches and wraps such as the FLT made with carrot “facon,” an UnEgg
sandwich made with smashed chickpeas, and the falafel wrap with Bliss falafel
balls. Salads can be added with sandwiches and wraps or ordered separately.
Pizzahs served on a cauliflower crust are also available The menu varies
according to seasonal produce availability. Custom desserts such as birthday
donuts and wedding cakes are also available to order.
Ital
Vital Living, 2323 N. 24th St., Omaha, NE 68110
Enjoy vegan smoothie bowls and cold pressed juices.
Mama
Hill, 295 Joline Ave. Long Branch, NJ 07740
Mama Hill is a grab-and-go deli that offers 100% vegan
fare. Their store menu includes vegan beef empanadas and specials of the days
such as fried fish made with eggplant and served with greens and mac and
cheese. Grab-and-go items include chicken Caesar salad and Italian subs. Donuts
and tarts are popular sweet options. Mama Hill also offers private chef work,
luxury plant-based picnics, and event catering.
Stefano’s Sandwiches,
1214 Dundas St. W., Toronto, ON M6J 1X5 Canada
Stefano’s Sandwiches is a vegan takeaway specializing in
plant-based sandwiches. All sandwiches are on the house-made ciabatta.
Sandwiches include the all-day breakfast sandwich with pinto bean sausage, the
fried chicken sandwich, and the meatball sub. Italian beverages are available
including Italian sodas and wine. Stefano’s Sandwiches also has a vegetarian
restaurant named Gia at the same location.
Vegan
A.F. Foodtruck, 7951 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
This bright pink food truck, generally found in Melrose or
Hollywood, has an innovative approach to vegan street food. Constantly
experimenting with something different to other LA vegan restaurants, they have
developed a specialty in a new dish: fried crispy egg rolls stuffed with
comfort food — options are always being added, but include an egg roll based on
Philly Cheesesteaks, with vegan meet and cheese, and another based on pizzas,
with veggies, vegan mozzarella, and marinara. They also offer flavor-filled
fries, and, for dessert, a banana pudding.
Vegan
Nova, 3255 Rosecrans Ave., Hawthorne, CA 90250
Thai Restaurant, featuring veggie meats and vegetable
entrees such as Pho Noodle Soup, Beyond Larb Salad, Green Curry Fried Rice,
Tempeh BBQ Ribs, Pineapple Curry, Spicy Jackfruit, and much more. Unique
desserts and Thai iced tea or coffee are available as well.
Located near to Crescent Bend Nature Park in Cibolo, in
the North East of San Antonio Metropolitan Area, Verve Pie serves up an
all-vegan menu of handcrafted pizza, ice cream and cocktails in sleek, modern
décor. Using many local providers,
international chef Keith Cruzan combines traditional flavors and new takes to
create a diverse and enticing menu. Pizzas use plant-based versions of
mozzarella, ricotta, pepperoni and other meats. Ice creams include flavors
ranging from old favorites like chocolate, through salted caramel pecan to
lemon thyme. Cocktails include margaritas and the Scooby Snack, which features
melon and banana liqueur, coconut rum, and vegan whipped cream, while a wide
range of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are also available. 5% of
proceeds go towards a local animal sanctuary.
The Vegetarian Resource Group has compiled a list of Senior Independent Living, Assisted Living, Nursing Home, and Other Senior Facilities in the USA that will accommodate vegetarians and in some cases vegans. This is a work in progress and if you know of any establishments that should be added to this list, please let us know. Our goal in this project is to persuade senior establishments to offer more vegan options on a regular basis. Sometimes by just asking you put the thought on their radar. We were successful in doing the same thing 20 years ago when we urged college campuses to do the same thing.
Ruby is a Vegetarian Resource Group 2021 video contest
winner. She said: “I have been a vegetarian my entire life. I became a vegan
this year. I care about animals and believe every life has value. The meat and
dairy industry aren’t good for our planet. I wish more people would think about
this. I also enjoy vegan food because it’s healthy.”
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tracks
how much food is available each year, on average, for each person in the United
States. These reports provide a fascinating snapshot of what Americans are
likely to be eating. To determine how much food is available, the USDA tracks
domestic production, initial inventories, and imports of a particular food and
then subtracts exports and end-of-year inventories. An estimation of food
availability per person is calculated by dividing the total amount of available
product by the U.S. population. These estimates cannot tell us how much of a
food an individual person eats but they can provide an estimate of the amount
of food available for the average person.
A recent report looks at the years 1970 to
2019. Over those 50 years, the total amount of fruits available, including
fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruit and fruit juice, decreased slightly from
238 pounds per capita to 236 pounds per capita. The amount of available fresh
fruit increased and processed fruit (canned, frozen, dried, juice) decreased.
If we only
consider fresh fruits, the fruits with the largest increases in availability
included
Avocadoes 0.4 lbs/capita now 7.4 lbs/capita
Bananas 17.4 lbs/capita now 27.4 lbs/capita
Pineapples 0.7 lbs/capita now 7.3 lbs/capita
Other fresh
fruits with greater availability over the past 50 years include
Vellabox offers monthly subscription boxes with one or two plant-based,
small-batch candles, all made in the USA. The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers a review of
these candles here: Veggie
Bits
To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member
Salty, sweet, and very addicting! Puffworks snacks come in several flavors.
Note that one variety contains honey and is not vegan. Read the review here: Veggie
Bits
Sophisticated and refreshing, Chef Morgan’s Greek Bowls are
sure to please a crowd any time of year. Try her recipe for Greek Marinated
Tofu on top of couscous and veggies, all smothered in lemon tahini dressing for
lunch, dinner, snacks, or even a meal on the go. See this Vegetarian Resource
Group video at: https://youtu.be/Q53AiF75M5k
Posted on
September 30, 2021 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Do you love pickles? The latest issue of Vegetarian
Journal offers a review of Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo that comes in several
varieties. Read the review here: Veggie
Bits
To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public on veganism and the interrelated issues of health, nutrition, ecology, ethics, and world hunger. We have been helping health professionals, food services, businesses, educators, students, vegans, and vegetarians since 1982. In addition to publishing the Vegan Journal, VRG produces and sells a number of books.
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