The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal includes reviews for the following vegan books:

CRAZY EASY VEGAN DESSERTS
HOT FOR FOOD VEGAN COMFORT CLASSICS
COOK SHARE EAT VEGAN

Read the article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_book_reviews.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 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. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2019. Deadline is February 20, 2019. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2019. 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: VRG Scholarship Contest

Here’s a list of some restaurants offering vegan meals New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day! Happy 2019 from The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Sanctuary Bistro, Berkeley, CA http://www.sanctuarybistro.com
The Stanford Inn Raven’s Restaurant, Mendocino, CA https://ravensrestaurant.com/ravens-new-years-eve-dinner-2018/
Golden Mean Café, Santa Monica, CA (New Year’s Day) http://www.goldenmeancafe.com/

Ethos Vegan Kitchen, Winter Park, FL http://www.ethosvegankitchen.com/news.html#news-events

Café Sunflower, Sandy Springs, GA http://www.cafesunflower.com/events/

Great Sage, Clarksville, MD (New Year’s Day) http://greatsage.com
Vegetable Garden, Rockville, MD (New Year’s Day) http://www.vegetablegarden.co

Urban Vegan Kitchen, New York City, NY http://www.urbanvegankitchen.com/

The Block off Biltmore, Asheville, NC The Block off Biltmore, Asheville, NC http://theblockoffbiltmore.com/index.php/event/nye-with-reggae-infinity-vegan-caribbean-food-included/

No Bones Beach Club (New Year’s Eve Dinner), Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and Chicago, IL https://nobonesbeachclub.com

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In October 2018, The VRG received an email from a reader who learned of a product that says it is not vegan due to the xanthan gum.

“I was reading your article about xanthan gum’s veganness and I recently learned of a product that says it is not vegan due to the xanthan gum.”

Secret Aardvark’s https://secretaardvark.com/ FAQ page said:

“All but the Drunken Garlic Black Bean are vegan as well. The one concern is the xanthan in the Drunken Garlic Black Bean. Xanthan can be produced via corn or lactose. We use the lactose produced xanthan as it is the most consistent.”

The VRG checked Secret Aardvark’s website to confirm what our reader had quoted and saw that it was the case. We then contacted the company to find out if its xanthan gum is derived from cow’s milk lactose. TheVRG received this email in November 2018 from self described “Habanero Wrangler” Katie Osborne of Secret Aardvark:

“We’ve recently switched our xanthan gum and it is glucose-based derived from non-GMO corn. We used a lactose-based xanthan for years because the non-GMO corn wasn’t always easy to find but as the market for cleaner label ingredients expand these things become more readily available.”

Secret Aardvark recently updated their website in November 2018 to reflect this change. From their FAQ page https://secretaardvark.com/contact/faqs/

Q: Are your products vegetarian?

A: Yes they are all vegetarian. All but the Spicy Mayo Habanero Hot Sauce are vegan as well. We use xanthan gum that is glucose-based that is derived from non-GMO corn.

[VRG Note: The Spicy Mayo Habenero Sauce contains mayonnaise.]

The VRG is trying to track down the mentioned lactose-derived xanthan gum and source to see if actually dairy derived, and if so, more information. So far, it has appeared that commercially available xanthan gum today is vegan.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian 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.

Nothing beats delicious vegan cookies. Take some to your office party or give them as gifts to family and friends. A previous issue of Vegetarian Journal featured some delicious vegan cookie recipes including:

• Cranberry-Applesauce Bars
• Almond Sugar Cookies
• Maple Pecan Bars
• Cinnamon-Chocolate Chip Bars
• Gentle Ginger Cookies
• Banana-Raisin Spice Squares
• Soft Molasses Cookies
• Pineapple-Lemon Cookies
• Unbaked Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Fudgies
• Whole Wheat Raisin-Nut Strips
• Citrus Slices

Read the entire article here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2004issue4/2004_issue4_cookies.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Each issue of Vegetarian Journal features reviews of vegan products that we think our readers would enjoy. The latest issue includes the following reviews:

Lightlife Foods introduced two varieties of vegan filled pasta: Wild Mushroom Ravioli and Veggie Sausage Ravioli.

So Delicious released new flavors in their frozen dessert line that are cashew milk- or coconut milk-based.

Bailey’s Almande almond milk liqueur is perfect for the holiday season.

You can read the entire product Veggie Bits column here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_veggie_bits.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, by visiting:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Below are 2 of the scientific updates by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD appearing in the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal.

Another Reason to Choose Whole Grains
We’ve all heard it — “Eat more whole grains.” Yes, we know whole grains are higher in fiber so we’re less likely to be constipated, but are there other benefits of whole grains? And, just what is a whole grain? According to the Whole Grains Council, it’s a grain that still has all the important parts and naturally-occurring nutrients of the grain seed. Whole grains include whole wheat, brown rice, quinoa, and oats. The USDA recommends that at least half of our servings of grains be whole grains, although it would be great to have even more whole grains in our diets.

A recent study suggests that higher whole grain intakes are associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. Researchers followed more than 90,000 women in the United States, checking with them every few years to see what they were eating and how their health was. Women with the highest intake of whole-grain foods [about 1 1/2 servings per day] had the lowest risk of premenopausal breast cancer. If individual whole-grain foods were looked at, the only significant result was that eating more brown rice was associated with a slightly lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer. Women with the highest intakes of white bread had the highest risk of breast cancer, both pre- and post-menopause.

Farvid MS, Cho E, Eliassen AH, Chen WY, Willett WC. 2016. Lifetime grain consumption and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 159(2):335-345.

Iodine in Plant Milks
Iodine is a nutrient that is needed for the thyroid gland to function normally. Studies have reported that iodine intakes of vegans in several countries are lower than those of non-vegetarians. Staples of a vegan diet, including most fruits, nuts, and vegetables, are low in iodine, although their iodine content varies depending on the soil they’re grown on and irrigation and fertilization practices. Cow’s milk and other dairy products are a main source of iodine for many people in the United States. These products are not naturally high in iodine. They contain iodine because iodine-containing disinfectants are used to clean milking machines and the iodine from these products ends up in the cow’s milk. Are plant milks a source of iodine? Researchers examined the iodine content of plant milks in the U.S. They analyzed 30 different plant milks from 16 companies. Products were based on soy, almonds, rice, coconuts, pistachios, walnuts, hemp, and cashews. The milks were very low in iodine, containing about 3% as much iodine as cow’s milk. Some have suggested fortifying plant milks with iodine, but presently this is not a common practice. Vegans can get iodine from iodized salt, iodine supplements, and sea vegetables although the amount of iodine in sea vegetables is variable.

Ma W, He X, Braverman L. 2016. Iodine content in milk alternatives. Thyroid. 26(9):1308-10.

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Vegetarian Resource Group member Linda Long did vegan cooking classes in Kuwait and you can read all about her experiences in the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal. VRG was able to provide handouts to all the students.

You can read the article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_cooking_classes.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal by visiting:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Through December 31, 2018, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each (40% discount). This offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the address(s) of the gift recipient(s) in the comments field. Go to: https://www.givedirect.org/donate/?cid=1565

A Vegetarian Journal reader asked the following question in the latest Nutrition Hotline column: “I recently sampled a plant milk made from peas. How does pea milk compare to other plant milks and cow’s milk in terms of nutrition?”

Reed Mangels, PhD, RD’s response can be read here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_nutrition_hotline.php

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal here:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php