VRG’s Parents and Kids Facebook Group is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Recent discussion topics include:
Video of a 3rd generation vegan being interviewed.
How do you give Vitamin B12 to your toddler?
What do you do when your family says you need to feed your child meat?
What is your child’s favorite packed lunch to take to school, camp, etc.?
Plus more!

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

By Shannon Borgoyn, VRG Intern

Deep in the hills of Western Maryland, the occurrence of vegan and vegetarian food is far and few. I found this out the hard way when my parents and I took a biking trip on the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which is near the C&O Canal. After having biked for at least two hours, I felt a craving for a decent meal. My only energy was from snacks (a muffin, etc.) gotten from a quick stop at a bakery near the bike trail. Having eaten the same food, my parents happily agreed to my request. Quickly Googling veggie-friendly places, I found next to nowhere to eat nearby. Most of the places were at least forty-five minutes away. I looked harder and found Desert Rose Café and Catering. It is a cute, seemingly hidden cafe in the small town of Williamsport, MD. It offers indoor and outdoor seating and has A/C for those hot days! It is fifteen minutes away from Hagerstown, twenty minutes from the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and near the Maryland-West Virginia line. Glancing over their online menu, I excitedly noted that it had a vegetarian section, meaning we could easily adjust our meals to be vegan.

As we entered the cafe, we were told to seat ourselves, and so we chose a table at the back of the café. Walking through, I spied many things: baked goods, a sign for smoothie flavors, a fridge full of drinks, a free library, various brochures, bike equipment, and more. I was particularly impressed by the bike equipment, as it wasn’t something I was expecting to see. I asked an employee about it, and she said that there was a bike shop in town that closed down. Seeing the gaping need, the café purchased the bike shop’s stock. This is important because Desert Rose Café is literally right down the street from the C&O Canal, about a four minute bike ride, and receives a lot of bikers. However, bike equipment isn’t the only thing they have, but also delicious food! The café is perfect for the tired and hungry biker desiring a quick, nutritious meal or snack.

What would be a good meal or snack? There are several options. First, the most obvious is the vegetarian sandwiches: there are sandwiches like peanut butter and jelly; veggie lover (with spinach, tomato, onion, cucumber, banana peppers, and avocado); hummus and veggie (with spinach, onion, tomato, cucumber, banana peppers, and avocado); and more. Vegetarian sandwiches come with the choice of chips, yogurt, or a veggie bag, which is a bag of raw veggies that comes with ranch, hummus, or peanut butter. Keep in mind that there are sandwiches not easily made vegan, like the classic grilled cheese and the fancy grilled cheese with tomato. If you opt for the black bean burger, note that it has egg in it, but don’t let this deter you! When we told our server we were vegan, she informed us that they have a vegan burger. Just ask for it!

Second, there are other options that could be made vegan: red beans and rice; a daily hot soup (it varies day-to-day and isn’t necessarily vegan); gazpacho; vegan mayo (request this from your server); red beans and rice (made with vegetable broth); and salads (just order them without cheese). Third, as their name suggests, they do catering. Their catering service accommodates for gluten-free and vegan food requests, but they don’t usually have vegan desserts made, as they’re considered a specialty item. Fourth, gluten-free folks can also find options here: some bread and their red beans and rice are gluten free.

I got the hummus and veggie sandwich and chips; my mom got the black bean burger and the veggie bag (with hummus); and my dad got a wrap, a daily soup, and red beans and rice. My mom ended up sharing some of the veggies from her veggie bag with my dad and I because she found it to be too much for her. As we finished our meals, we found ourselves to be incredibly satisfied. Although our meals had been simple, they had also been delicious and hearty! We agreed that if we were riding the Western Maryland Rail Trail again, we would stop by Desert Rose Café.

If you’re in Western Maryland and find yourself hungry for good food, Desert Rose Café and Catering is the place to go! They are open from 8am-8pm Monday through Saturday and from 9am-8pm on Sunday. Whatever you’re in the mood for, they serve it: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Find out more at: www.desertrosecafeandcatering.com

For information on veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada visit:
VRG Online Veggie Restaurant Guide

By Amy Dell, VRG Intern

On (Meatless) Monday, July 9, 2018, The Vegetarian Resource Group summer interns gave a presentation about vegetarianism and healthy eating at TuTTie’s Place, a culinary summer camp in West Baltimore. The other intern, Hannah Greene, and I talked to kids aged 5-17 about why people go vegan, the importance of the different food groups, and My Vegan Plate. We were also assisted by Health and Wellness Coach and VRG volunteer, Marcy Schveibinz.

First, we introduced ourselves and played a name game to start off the presentation. We then distributed My Vegan Plate and had the kids draw on the back of the paper what their normal dinner plate looks like. After comparing the two sides, we brainstormed ways to “veganize” their plates. We quickly went through why each food group is important. In order to reinforce what they had just learned, we laid out a giant My Vegan Plate (see photo above) made from a bed sheet and had the kids place empty food containers on the right section of the plate. We went over the plate and discussed how some items can fall into multiple categories, like how some soy milk has calcium and protein.

We then headed outside to play on the basketball court. On the four corners of the pavement, there were labels for “Vegetable,” “Fruit,” “Protein,” and “Grains.” We called out food items and had the kids run to whatever section they thought the food belonged in. This also introduced them to new foods. When we called out “Chickpeas,” some of the kids ran to “Vegetable” because they heard the word peas. We explained that chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are legumes and are a great source of protein.

Once we came inside, we washed our hands, got some water, and let the kids make faces out of fruits and veggies. This activity encouraged playing with your food and being creative. Marcy handed out orange segments and led the kids through a mindful eating exercise to help them slow down and appreciate their food more. We next talked about the health, environmental, and ethical reasons behind going vegan. After we cleaned up, we handed out some resources, including VRG’s I Love Animals and Broccoli coloring books and easy recipes for teens.

We ended the presentation by making vegan banana ice cream and talking about what they had learned. We discussed how veganism is a form of activism, and how every dollar we spend is supporting certain companies or ideals. Many students seemed interested in eating a healthier diet after we talked, and a few wanted to do this by limiting meat consumption.

It was amazing being able to work with kids and see them learning new things. Hopefully, The VRG will be able to continue presenting at TuTTie’s Place for years to come.

To intern for The Vegetarian Resource Group, see Intern at VRG

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at Donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group

To join The Vegetarian Resource Group, go to https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Amazon’s Prime Day starts July 16, 3pm ET and runs through July 17. Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year and a great way to support The Vegetarian Resource Group while you shop through smile.amazon.com. Thanks for your support!

Photo from The Pizza Plant

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Below are some recent additions. The entire guide can be found here: VRG Online Veggie Restaurant Guide

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at:
Donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

El Cactus Veggie-Vegan
18 W. Pacific Ave.
Henderson, NV 89015
This all-vegan Mexican restaurant has tacos to be sure, but also pambazo, albondigas, guajolotas, and more! The portions are generous, the prices are reasonable, and the flavors are amazing. Their aim is to make you feel like at you’re at your abuelitas house!

Heart Choices Café
4127 6 St. NE
Calgary, AB T2E 6V5 Canada
This place has great choices, whether you’re looking for a hot sandwich or a curry. Choices include green and yellow curries, satay skewers, Beyond burgers, and French dip sandwiches. Everything is 100% vegan, including the poutine and the mac and cheese!

Rabbits Café
555 SW Oak St., Ste. 6
Portland, OR 97204
Rabbits Cafe is a small breakfast and lunch spot that you may have to search for, as it’s located inside the Bancorp Tower on the bottom floor. Once you’re there though, they have a range of rice and kale bowls, wraps, smoothies, and salads to choose from. Arrive before 11am to try their biscuits and gravy or one of several varieties of tofu scramble. Seating is limited, but you can always order your meal to go!

Raw Fresno
2405 Capitol St., Ste. 103
Fresno, CA 93721
Tacos, wraps, veggie burgers, and salads made from fresh, local ingredients are just a few of the many offerings at Raw Fresno. There’s also fresh smoothies, blended drinks, and delicious desserts. Make sure to leave room for the brownie sandwich or the cheesecake!

Root & Bloom
423 Elmwood Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14222
West coast vibes meets east coast comfort food style of café in Buffalo! The food is vegan, free of processed ingredients, and local and organic when available. They have homemade cinnamon rolls, pancakes, waffles, and eggless omelets for breakfast and brunch, just to name a few options. For dinner, choices include jackfruit sliders, salads, and vegan mac and cheese.

Sol Sips
203 Wilson Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11237
Sol Sips is changing up the drink game with innovative “Bevs” like raw hot coco, root brews, fresh nut milks, smoothies, and milkshakes. The entire restaurant uses agave and maple syrup as the sweeteners. Order a Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich made with chickpea eggs, tempeh bacon, and violife cheddar cheese, or head over on the weekends to get pancakes for brunch. The locally sourced ingredients are fresh and the food is made to order.

The Pizza Plant
55 S Madison Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
From Stuffed Avocados and Jalapeño Poppers to the Not Your Grandma’s Pizza, The Pizza Plant is the vegan pizzeria we’ve all been waiting for. Choose from a pre-designed pizza, or create your own from a list of crust, sauce, cheese, and topping options. There are also salad options, and every salad and pizza has two size possibilities.

The Thai Vegan Café
9679 MacLeod Trail SW
Calgary, AB T2J 0P6 Canada
While the focus here is clearly on Thai favorites, that’s not all on the menu at this latest offering from Hearts Choices. Consider the BBQ “pulled pork,” made from jackfruit and topped with caramelized onions and house-made slaw. But if Thai is what you came for, try the Pad Thai or Tom Kah Pak. Either way, why not end your meal with a cashew cheeze cake? It’s all vegan, and many of the dishes also have gluten-free options.

Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal today and you’ll start with the August issue that’s now hot off the press! Enjoy articles such as Vegan Recipes from Egypt, A Summer Picnic with a Pan-Asian Twist, Getting Vegan Food into Elementary Schools, Nutrition Hotline: Does drinking black tea every day interfere with iron absorption?, New Vegan Product Reviews, Vegan Book Reviews, and much more.

Visit Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal for a one-year subscription or a two-year subscription with a free copy of the book Simply Vegan.

By Hannah Greene

My internship at The Vegetarian Resource Group has been absolutely life-changing! From the minute I walked into The VRG, Co-Coordinators Charles and Debra were so welcoming. I couldn’t stop smiling after my first day of work! I had been nervous to start this new job, but they made me feel instantly at home. Each day, they offer advice and tell stories, and the office is always full of laughter. I have learned so much about the vegan movement, and also about the nonprofit world as a whole. I learned about the book and magazine publishing industries, the analysis needed to understand statistics truthfully, the politics of agriculture, and a lot of other important life lessons.

We’ve had stimulating conversations about ethical dilemmas in the animal rights movement and all sorts of thought-provoking questions.

Highlights of my internship were… everything! This was the first job that I have looked forward to every single day. I spent each day feeling excited about articles I was writing, intrigued by all that I learned, and even more inspired to make change in the world. I loved learning about the environment and the importance of veganism, and sharing this knowledge with others in creative ways. I gained experience writing articles for the website, sharing vegan meals, and planning presentations and outreach booths. I found new understanding of the nonprofit world, which I’m sure will inspire me for years to come.

Our outreach work reached someone I hadn’t expected– me! When I first started at VRG, I was vegetarian, but now that I have learned more about veganism, I am committed to the vegan lifestyle.

I connected with so many inspiring people during my internship. During our outreach booth at Waverly Farmers Market, I interacted with countless fellow Baltimoreans, from lifelong vegans to people newly interested in eating less meat. Later, we visited a longtime friend of VRG at his homemade wildlife preserve. On his 23-acre protected land, we saw beautiful birds, chipmunks, and trees. His interesting stories inspired me for a lifetime of activism and service to the world.

Amy and I gave a presentation at Tuttie’s Place, a group home for foster children in Baltimore City, with a lesson plan designed to inspire and empower the students to think about the impact of what they choose to eat. We played a game using a six-foot-diameter My Vegan Plate we had made to teach them about healthy eating. I enjoyed designing a coloring book to inspire children to be activists for the issues they care about.

By far the most challenging task was sampling delicious food for Veggie Bits articles! I got to try vegan microwavable meals, millet tots, vegan pizza pockets, millet medleys, fig “salami,” and vegan cream cheese! Researching vegan restaurants for write-ups in the restaurant guide was informative practice for researching and communicating information. Recording these exposed me to new fields of writing.

One of the most exciting parts of my internship has been interviewing vegans and vegetarians in the field of public health. I dream of working in global health, and networking with these people was a valuable opportunity – plus I loved acting as a journalist and writing about their fascinating stories!

Writing an article on vegan Malaysian recipes combined a lot of things I’m passionate about – veganism, cooking, travel writing, and Malaysia! After my amazing year-long experience living in Malaysia as an exchange student, I was excited to share my knowledge of this culture with readers of a future issue of Vegetarian Journal. This was a valuable opportunity to spread cultural awareness and exciting new recipes.

I enjoyed writing articles about vegan snack options for field hockey players and other athletes, and about starting a vegetarian group in high school. Hopefully these articles will inspire other teens to embrace veganism fully and to be activists for the issues they care about!

This internship was particularly fulfilling because of all the community service I was able to do. One of the most challenging but rewarding opportunities has been helping to create a vegan meal plan that fulfills nutrition requirements and meets the financial limits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. We helped design a vegan meal plan, alter it within a nutrition tracking database, and make a shopping list for a family of four. After that, we visited a supermarket in a Baltimore neighborhood to check prices for ingredients. Finding that even the staples added up to be too expensive, we continued to modify recipes to cost less and still fulfill daily nutrition requirements. It is difficult to find any SNAP meal plans at all, so this vegan one should be particularly impactful.

Making six large vegan casseroles for Our Daily Bread was another fulfilling way to give back to the Baltimore community. Cooking on a large scale was a new adventure, and the seven hours spent cooking was a fun bonding opportunity with the other intern, Amy, who is now one of my best friends!

I am so thankful to Charles, Debra, Amy, Gene, Rissa, and everyone else I have met through my work at The VRG. Each of you made it uniquely fun, rewarding, and enjoyable, and working among like-mind fellow vegans was a real privilege. It was so nice to meet people who share my passion for making the world a better place. I look forward to many years of continuing to help The Vegetarian Resource Group!

For more information on The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

The Vegetarian Resource Group has compiled an extensive list of non-leather items that are often difficult to find. Listed are both online stores and actual shops where you can purchase items such as non-leather hiking boots, cowboy boots, Iphone cases, and more.

See: VRG’s Guide to Nonleather Shoes, Bags, and More

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that helps to keep blood cells and the nervous system, including the brain, healthy. It also helps make DNA. Vegans get vitamin B12 from foods fortified with vitamin B12 and/or from supplements containing vitamin B12. You can read more about vitamin B12 on our website here: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.php. Many non-vegans also rely on fortified foods as a source of vitamin B12 since the vitamin B12 in fortified foods is easier for some people to absorb than vitamin B12 in meat.

One food group that is commonly included on lists of foods fortified with vitamin B12 is plant milks. While many plant milks do have vitamin B12 added, not all popular brands do. As of July, 2018, based on website information and product labels, the following milks are not fortified with vitamin B12:

Almond Breeze almond milks
Califia Farms almond milks, cashew milks, coconut milks
Dream Ultimate almond milks
Edensoy soymilks except Edensoy Extra soymilks
Elmhurst Milked nut milks and grain milks
Forager cashew milks
Malk almond milks, pecan milk, cashew milk
Milkadamia Latte de Barrista macadamia milk
Mooala almond milks, banana milks
New Barn almond milks
Orgain almond milk
Pacific Foods almond beverages
Pacific Foods cashew beverages
Pacific Foods hazelnut beverages
Pacific Foods unsweetened hemp beverages
Pacific Foods oat beverages
Pacific Foods rice beverages
Pacific Foods soy beverages except UltraSoy
Pearl soymilks
Rice Dream Classic rice drinks, Horchata, and Rice Nog
Ripple pea milks
Silk almond milks
Silk almond & coconut blends
Silk blended nut milks
Silk cashew milks
So Delicious coconut holiday nog and chocolate coconut milk
So Delicious crafted almond milks and almond milks
Soy Dream Classic soymilks
Three Trees almond milks
Trader Joe’s refrigerated and shelf-stable almond milks, Matcha almond milk, Blueberry Lavender almond milk, Cocoa Almond Cashew milk, Cashew Macadamia milk
Trader Joe’s shelf-stable Extra soymilks and soy beverages
WestSoy organic original and organic unsweetened soymilks, lowfat and nonfat soymilks, Soy Slender, Chocolate Peppermint Stick soymilk

If your favorite milk is on the list, don’t despair! You could try another similar product that does provide vitamin B12, find other foods fortified with vitamin B12, or take a supplement supplying vitamin B12. Look for our upcoming posting listing plant milks that have B12.

This is not an exhaustive list so if you’re aware of other plant milks, please send us a photo of the front of the package and the Nutrition Facts label and we’ll update our listing.

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.

Two Vegetarian Resource Group interns were assisting people at a farmers’ market VRG outreach booth. Because there were so many questions on protein, they created this protein for Vegans and Vegetarians handout. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/Protein-1.pdf