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By chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

It’s often interesting to talk about “what’s better for you: cooked or raw fruits and vegetables?” The answer, which has been debated since, well, people have been cooking, is generally “it depends.”

Our blog column is too short to get into details about raw versus cooked philosophies. We’ll try to have a fast, “food for thought” column, rather than attempting to get into the very fine points. Several generalities on this topic could be:

1. Prepare fruits and vegetables the way you enjoy them, so you will be willing consume them on a regular basis!
2. Over processing (boiling for extended periods of time, for example) is rarely a positive for fruit and vegetable enjoyment or for nutrient value; Overcooked Brussel sprouts never won any flavor or vitamin awards.
3. Nutrition is not meant to be an “always or never” routine. Fresh spinach salad one day, steamed garlic spinach the next day… each menu item offers some type of and level of nutrition. “Cooking” may mean up to only 118 degrees for some and roasting over a wood fire for others; raw may mean plucked from the tree and eaten or microwaved for thirty seconds and cooled; each technique provides some level of nutrition.

Way back when, there may have not been a great deal of choice whether fruits and vegetables were cooked or processed, or not. If you lived in an area that had year-round crops, you could have some guarantee that fruits and vegetables would be available throughout the year, no processing needed. If you lived in a limited-growing climate, then fruits and vegetables needed to be cooked or processed to ensure a steady food supply.

If we listen to food technologists, we understand that the way fruits and vegetables are cooked or warmed does make a difference in nutrient availability and absorption. Some nutrients will be better absorbed if veggies or fruit are prepared or eaten with a small amount of healthy fat. The fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, and nutrients found in plants, especially beta-carotene, lycopene, and carotenoids, are better absorbed when a bit of fat is included. So, for example, vegetables or fruit in a salad, served with a small amount of dressing, avocado, or nuts can help with absorption of fat-soluble nutrients. As a rule of thumb, we are speaking about a teaspoon or so of fat per serving. Larger amounts of fat don’t improve the amount of absorption.

Heat breaks down cell walls, releasing nutrients. For example, cooked or heat processed (sun-drying would be one technique) tomato products tend to have higher levels of available lycopene than raw tomatoes. Vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, cabbage, and peppers supply more carotenoids or flavonoids to the body when cooked or warmed than when eaten raw. Oxalates and phytates are substances found in many fruits and vegetables, and can impede the ability to absorb calcium and iron. Light cooking or heating helps to break down these substances, allowing the body to absorb more calcium and iron.

Water soluble vitamins, Vitamin C and all the B vitamins (B6, B12, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, etc.) are heat sensitive. Fruits and vegetables eaten for these vitamins may supply more nutrients if consumed raw. Broccoli and cauliflower, chard, peppers, beets, and radishes contain nutrients that may “leech out” if exposed to a lot of cooking liquid or prolonged heat. If it is desirable to cook these fruits or vegetables, try to use the cooking water (which may contain some of the nutrients lost from the cooked vegetables). Soups, vegetables stews or borscht are ways to obtain water soluble vitamins, as is using the cooking water to prepare rice, grains, pasta or beans.

Both mushrooms and spinach benefit from gentle cooking or heating to release nutrients. The B vitamins found in mushrooms, and the calcium and Vitamin K found in spinach are better absorbed when these veggies are quickly blanched or sautéed.

Of course, this information needs to be considered in the context of regular intake. A menu plan that contains a variety of fruits and vegetables on a regular basis should contribute to health. Varying preparation techniques are helpful, as well… a spinach salad one day, vegan creamed spinach the next day. If fruits and vegetables are more of an “I should really do this” with small portions on an occasional basis, rather than “I really look forward to this” with multiple portions throughout the week, than, hopefully, the maximizing of nutrients will be a consideration.

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by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) affects close to a third of adults globally. Generally, it is defined as a blood pressure reading of 130/80 mm Hg or higher. High blood pressure makes it harder for the heart to pump blood. If high blood pressure is not treated, it increases the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke or of dying from heart disease.

Reducing sodium intake is a cornerstone of prevention and treatment of high blood pressure. While sodium is significant, another nutrient, potassium, also plays an important role. Potassium helps to balance the amount of salt in one’s body.

Increasing potassium intake along with reducing sodium intake is increasingly being seen as the best dietary strategy to promote for population-based recommendations to reduce the risk of high blood pressure (1, 2).

Vegans eating a mostly whole foods diet are likely to get abundant potassium from the dried beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds that make up the majority of their diet. Vegans in general tend to have somewhat higher intakes of potassium than nonvegetarians (3). Perhaps that’s why studies show that vegans have a lower risk of hypertension (4,5).

If you’d like to increase your potassium intake, try adding more cooked dried beans to your meals, especially if you’ve been eating a lot of processed plant meats which tend to be high is sodium. Eat fruits and vegetables for snacks. Consider trading in some commercial bread, which tends to be high sodium, for a filling whole grain or starchy vegetable. A cup of cooked quinoa has close to 300 milligrams of potassium while a cup of mashed sweet potatoes has 572 milligrams of potassium. You can control how much salt you add to the grain or starchy vegetable, thereby controlling sodium and increasing potassium.

To read more about potassium see:

Thinking About Potassium

The New Sodium and Potassium Recommendations and What They Mean for You

References:

1. Sriperumbuduri S, Welling P, Ruzicka M, et al. Potassium and hypertension: A state-of-the-art review. Am J Hypertens. 2024;37:91-100.
2. Fukagawa NK, Welling PA, Johnson J, et al. Rethinking the impact of dietary sodium and potassium on blood pressure to advance public health. Am J Clin Nutr. 2026;124:101396.
3. Mangels R, Messina V, Messina M. The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, 4^th edition. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning; 2023.
4. Fraser GE. Vegetarian diets: what do we know of their effects on common chronic diseases?. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1607S-1612S.
5. Appleby PN, Davey GK, Key TJ. Hypertension and blood pressure among meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians and vegans in EPIC-Oxford. Public Health Nutr. 2002;5:645-654.

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.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) first learned of a new meat alternative called Redefine Meat in 2022. Initially, we had wondered if it was just the latest example of a food product manufactured via precision fermentation (PF), a process usually involving animal genes taken from a virtual DNA library and inserted into microbes who in turn produce an animal or dairy protein such as gelatin or casein, respectively. For example, in 2021, we reported on Perfect Day’s called “animal-free” whey, now used in many food and beverages products available at major chain retailers.

Simultaneously growing in popularity in the early 2020s was cell-cultured (i.e., lab-grown) meat, culminating in the 2022 approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration followed by the 2023 approval by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for two companies to manufacture and sell cell-cultured meat products in the U.S. So, The VRG also wondered if Redefine Meat could be a cell-cultured meat product.

We reached out to Redefine Meat by email in 2022 and asked them to confirm the following:

“1. Your products contain no animal-derived ingredients.
2. There is no animal- or dairy-derived genetic material used to make your products at any step in the process. This includes no animal DNA (including genes coding for dairy ingredients) from a digital library.”

Robin Fine, a business development representative at Redefine Meat, replied promptly and told us: “Redefine Meat products are made from plant-based ingredients and are 100% vegan. They include ingredients from a variety of food groups recommended in a balanced diet, including proteins, carbohydrates and vegetable-based fats. Additional information about our products can be found in the product section of our website.”

In search of more clarity on the manufacture of Redefine Meat, we asked Fine to be more specific by inquiring:

“We know that the words “plant-based” and “vegan” mean different things to different people. So, to get clarity on how you’re using them, could you please confirm that your products:

“1. Contain no animal-derived ingredients at all (including microingredients like animal-derived stearic acid or dairy-derived whey as well as macroingredients like gelatin or beef fat)

2. No animal- or dairy-derived genetic material – including virtual DNA – was inserted into microbes to produce animal and/or dairy proteins later used in your products. Nor was animal- or dairy-derived genetic material used in any other way during product design or manufacture.”

Fine responded simply by stating: “Our products do not contain any of the [above] ingredients or materials and are 100% plant-based.”

Assured that Redefine Meat is neither manufactured by PF using animal genes nor cell-cultured meat, The VRG emailed Fine in June 2026 about the availability of Redefine Meat in the U.S. We learned from Fine:

“We are available at various foodservice establishments in the East Coast mainly in the [New York City, Boston, and Connecticut] areas, and we are working on expanding to more areas. Our current distributors are:

• Chefs Warehouse
• Ace Natural

We are also actively working on launching retail in the USA…[Now]…you can try almost all of our products at Next Stop Vegan in Brooklyn. ”

When we asked Fine for a list of restaurants or stores where people can find Redefine Meat now, Fine advised:

“You can use our online location finder to search for restaurants serving our products in the United States. Most of our current locations are in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania…As restaurant menus may change, we always recommend contacting the restaurant in advance to confirm that they currently serve our products.”

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 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.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, join at https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Mountain Springs 

3254 Spirit Lake Cutoff Road

Spirit Lake, ID 83869 

(208) 263-2273

Assisted living (16 beds), hospice (8 beds), memory support (8 beds open Fall 2026)

Sample menus on their website include a vegetarian menu with scrambled tofu and a black bean burger. A special meals menu notes that “all meat dishes can be substituted with tofu or plant-based product.”

Save money by eating vegan. Enjoy this inexpensive, easy to prepare dinner demonstrated by Vegan Journal editor Hannah Kaminsky.

For more affordable vegan recipes, go to https://bit.ly/vj-budget Visit Vegan Journal and The Vegetarian Resource Group at https://www.vrg.org/

See the Hearty Macaroni video at https://youtube.com/shorts/YeeFVkrSll4?feature=share

Navya said: Promoting veganism has been a central part of my life, as I am passionate about the ethical, environmental, and health benefits it offers. Since I am vegan myself, I educate others through social media by sharing posts from vegan advocates, and I discuss the advantages of plant-based eating with friends. In high school, I created a research project for my AP Language and Composition class, arguing how the consumption of animal products harms society. For my visual component, I designed a children’s book to explain the importance of veganism. Here is the video link to a vegan cheesecake recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsTkyyAQ-2o&t=35s

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group video contest is July 15, 2027. See https://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

See other videos here: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

And https://www.youtube.com/@VegResourceGrp/shorts

For information about VRG’s $5,000 scholarships for high school seniors who have promoted veganism, see https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar  The next deadline is February 20, 2027.

To support VRG’s outreach to young people, join at https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

Or donate at vrg.org/donate

The following is being added to our list of senior residences which offer vegan dishes.

Brightview Wayne

By Brightview Senior Living

1139 Hamburg Turnpike

Wayne, NJ 07470

(973) 587-2343

Independent living, assisted living, memory care, enhanced care

Sample menu displaying a “vegetarian” icon includes an Everyday Menu which contains a vegan black bean burger, Impossible burger, and a vegan meatball and spaghetti with vegan marinara sauce dish. (There is no vegetarian icon next to either the bistro burger or spaghetti and meatballs dishes because meat options are available for these items.) According to a chef there, vegan stir-fry with tofu (as a main entrée) is likely offered 2x/month. A vegan soup is likely offered 2x/wk. The butternut squash/spinach pasta contains a cream sauce.

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By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Although we rarely seem to get much beyond slicing and enjoying it, watermelon is a “total utilization” fruit. We can use the interior, the juice, the seeds, and the rind! If you are in “cut up and enjoy” mode, use watermelon as an accompaniment to summer meals; it’s great with sweet items (cereal, vegan yogurt, baked goods) or savory (grilled veggie dogs or burgers, pasta salad). If you want to get melon-creative, cut watermelon into stick shapes and freeze; you’ll have your own watermelon-sicles which can be eaten as a snack, used instead of ice cubes, or tossed into the blender with other smoothie ingredients (watermelon daiquiris, anyone?). If simple desserts work for you, thinly slice watermelon, sprinkle with rose- or orange-blossom water and served chilled. Mango chunks or slices can be alternated with sliced watermelon for a colorful dessert. If fresh mango is not available, frozen mango will work well.

If you’d like to go savory, with your watermelon, you can use watermelon cubes to “tame the heat” in curries and chilies, in veggies salad with onions and garlic, and in stir-fries or sautés (add small watermelon cubes at the last minute, or use as a garnish). Try a “watermelon steak” (a thick slice of watermelon, rind removed) topped with slices of ripe avocado and shredded jicama, chopped parsley, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  If you would like to get adventurous, do some research for a watermelon or watermelon rind curry recipe, popular in Caribbean and South Asian cuisine.

When slicing watermelon, be certain to capture the juice to use in salads, smoothies, or cold beverages. If you have extra watermelon, blend it to create watermelon juice, refreshing on its own or when combined with other fruit or veggie juices (carrot, cucumber, spinach, etc.).

If your watermelon comes with seeds, save them! Use only the mature, black seeds, and discard the white, small seeds. Collect the seeds, place them in a colander or strain and rinse very, very well, until they are squeaky clean. Spread the cleaned seeds on a baking sheet and allow to dry in a sunny area, or in a low oven. You can skip this step and pat the seeds dry, but very dry seeds roast best. Preheat a large frying pan and add seeds, stirring and turning until they are roasted (you’ll want to taste one to see if the desired texture has been reached). When seeds are roasted, mix together a small amount of salt with water, pour over the seeds, and allow the water to dissolve while stirring. Store your new salty snack in an air-tight container.

Pickled watermelon rind takes a bit of time to prepare, but is really worth the effort! The Watermelon Council, watermelon.org, has step-by-step instructions. Pickled watermelon rind is a versatile condiment, so tasty that it’s hard to refrain from just eating it right out of the jar!

Carnaless is a vegetarian food trailer with plant-based Mexican options. Lunch tacos such as the beefless and chickenless fajitas are made with mushrooms, grilled peppers, and onions. Extras include plant-based mozzarella and beans.

For more information, see www.carnaless.com

photo from dreamstime.com

By Steven Jon Kaplan

Many people who think they have little in the way of disposable income may have considerable stock holdings that they’ve acquired through inheritance or regular contributions to a mutual fund. Perhaps they have accumulated stock through an employee stock ownership plan, or through stock options that some companies offer employees in lieu of larger salaries. These stockholders may not have large salaries or substantial amounts of cash on hand. Perhaps they are very committed to The Vegetarian Resource Group and its mission, and would like to make a donation, but a large cash gift, for whatever reason, is unfeasible.

For example, let’s consider the Smiths, an imaginary family of four, whose annual household income is $50,000. The Smiths are very committed vegans and live frugally. Their $50,000 income must cover a mortgage, child care, health insurance, contributions to a 401(k) plan, and savings for future expenses. The Smiths donate $1,000 to The VRG every year for promotion of vegan options in restaurants and other food service venues. They would love to be able to make a larger gift of $10,000, but their other obligations make that seem impossible. However, ten years ago Mrs. Smith inherited 1,000 shares of stock in Yummy Veggie Dinners Inc. The shares are in the Smiths’ brokerage account. Since her inheritance, these shares have increased in value from $2,000 to $10,000, an impressive $8,000 gain.

While she would like to make a substantial gift to The VRG, it has never occurred to Mrs. Smith to donate stock. Yet by doing so, she can make that $10,000 gift she could not otherwise afford.

Even though the Smiths could never manage a cash gift of this magnitude, once they consider their stock holdings, their giving capacity increases significantly. They are now able to help The VRG, while leaving their 401(k) and savings plans untouched.

Substantial Tax Savings

Consider the Smiths’ case when they are a higher income family. If they sell their 1,000 shares of stock and donate the proceeds, they would have to first pay tax on the $8,000 profit. With a capital gains rate of 10% (for example), the Smiths would owe $800, leaving them with only $9,200 to donate to The VRG, instead of the $10,000 they’d planned. The Smiths would be much happier if they could give the entire $10,000 to The Vegetarian Resource Group. Donating the stock directly allows them to do this. Another tax advantage comes with the Smiths’ itemized deductions. If they sell the stock, pay the 10% capital gains tax, and donate the remaining $9,200, they can deduct that $9,200, yielding an income tax savings of $1,380 (assuming a 15% tax bracket). However, by donating the stock directly to The VRG, the full $10,000 can be deducted, for an income tax savings of $1,500. Both the Smiths and The VRG benefit from this arrangement. When to Donate Securities: The ideal time to donate any security is under the following two conditions: 1) you have a net gain on the stock, bond, fund, or other security; and 2) you have owned the security for at least one year and one day. You will not have to pay capital gains on the increase and the entire value of the donation will qualify for charitable contributions on Schedule A. If you have purchased that security at different times at different prices, your separate purchases (called lots) with the lowest prices will usually have the highest unrealized capital gains and are the shares you should donate.

If you are in a low tax bracket, then your long-term federal capital gains tax will be zero. In that case, either 1) donate cash if you have not already used up your annual limit of one thousand dollars per person (two thousand combined per married filing jointly) if you are taking the standard deduction; or 2) donate either shares or cash directly from your traditional retirement account to VRG. Choice #2 is only valid for tax savings if you are at least 70-1/2 years of age. Whether or not you get a federal tax break, some states and/or localities will give you a tax rebate for charitable contributions.

If you have held a security for one year or less, or if you have a net loss, then do not donate it yet. Instead donate cash.

There are several problems with donating stock that you have held for one year or less. For one thing, you are not allowed by IRS regulations to avoid paying capital gains tax on such a short-term gain in the stock price. You will therefore have to pay taxes on the full capital gain in the stock, even though you donated it.

Another problem is that if you donate a stock that you have held for one year or less, you probably could have waited a few more months until it reached one year and one day, at which point you could have avoided the entire capital gain. You should always keep track of when your shares will reach the one year and one day mark. Most brokers do this for you automatically.

Most importantly, if you donate a stock that has a short-term capital gain, the IRS will think that you might be trying to evade taxes and they will be much more likely to audit your return. Any instance in which the IRS is much more likely to audit you, you should go out of your way to avoid. Keep an eye on your security; as soon as it meets both of the above conditions then it will be worthwhile to consider for donation.

If you don’t have any assets with long-term capital gains, then you are much better off just writing a check. That would be especially true in 2026 when you can get one thousand dollars per person for cash/check donations per calendar year, ($2,000 per married couple), even if you use the standard deduction. If you donate stock then this doesn’t qualify for this purpose, only a cash or a check.

This is not personal tax or legal advice, which you should obtain from your tax or legal advisor for your individual situation.