Posted on
December 19, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
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, 2020. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February
20, 2020. 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.
Posted on
December 18, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
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.
Posted on
December 18, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Each issue of Vegetarian
Journal features a column called Scientific Update where Reed Mangels, PhD,
RD reviews recent scientific literature related to the veggie lifestyle. In the
latest issue of the magazine we reviewed an article examining vegan diets for
companion animals. Specifically: How many companion animals (identified by this
study’s researchers as “pets”) are fed vegan diets? That’s one
question that researchers set out to answer when they used an online
questionnaire to survey 3,673 English-speaking “pet owners.” Reed
states in her review, “Over all, about a third of people who did not already
feed a vegan diet to their companion animal indicated interest in doing so and
wanted more information about nutritional adequacy. This supports the need for
additional research into the development of nutritionally adequate vegan diets
for companion animals.”
Reed’s second review looked at whether a vegan diet reduces the risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)? A study was done in Taiwan and vegans were significantly less likely to have CKD compared to nonvegetarians. Reed said, “Additional research is needed to see if the same effects are seen in vegans in other countries.”
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.
Posted on
December 16, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Through December 31, 2019, 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
Posted on
December 16, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
Betsy Shipley shared the following: Thought you might be interested in this information in case any of your readers are traveling to Brazil. The name of the tempeh company is Mun Artesanal. Their contact information is:
Posted on
December 16, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
A Vegetarian Journal reader recently asked us: “I’m concerned that my new baby, whom we plan to raise vegan, might become allergic to peanuts. Is there anything I can do to reduce her risk?”
VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels PhD, RD, response begins with: “Peanut allergy is a relatively
common problem that seems to be increasing in frequency. In 2010, about 2% of
children in the U.S. had a peanut allergy.1 In children with a
peanut allergy, exposure to even small amounts of peanuts can cause a severe,
potentially life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis in which
warning signs like an itchy rash, swollen throat, wheezing, and difficult
breathing can occur. It’s definitely possible for a vegan child to have a
healthy diet without peanuts or peanut butter. Still, it’s understandable that
you’d like to reduce the risk of your child having a peanut allergy.
“Exclusive breastfeeding for the
first four to six months may help to reduce the risk of food allergies overall.
There does not seem to be any benefit of the mom avoiding peanuts or peanut
butter although this is an area of active research.2 In 2017, the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases introduced guidelines for
when to give peanuts to infants.3 Their guidelines differ depending
on whether or not a baby has eczema or food allergies.”
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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