The Vegetarian Resource Group has been approved for inclusion in the federal government CFC charity list. The CFC code number 10601. If you are a federal worker, we appreciate your support. If you are not a federal government worker, you can support our veg outreach and education in your workplace campaign. For some workplaces that do matching donations, see www.vrg.org/donate
According to Disney, all of their major quick and table
service restaurants will soon be offering plant-based options at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, marked by a menu icon Green leaf. They
will be made without animal meat, dairy, eggs or honey. Options will include Steamed
Asian Dumplings, Shiriki Noodle Salad, Garden Spread made with hummus,
Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl, and Cashew Cheesecake.
Through December 31, 2019, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian
Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $16 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
Here’s a few products we discovered recently at Natural Products Expo East that might be useful to families raising their young children vegan.
Bambo Nature offers a vegan hair & body wash called Bath
Buddy, a vegan cream called Love Balm, and vegan body lotion called Snuggle
time. See: https://bambonatureusa.com/
Harvey’s says the burger is vegan, but is cooked on a grill where meat is cooked, but they try to segregate the items. Harvey’s states that, “Unlike traditional beef burgers, pink colour inside plant based burgers does not indicate that it is raw. This colour in Lightlife burger comes from the Beet powder ingredient.”
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.
The Annals of Internal Medicine sent out a press release about “New guidelines: No need to reduce red or processed meat consumption for good health.” According to Marion Nestle, “the press announcement was accompanied by 5 review papers, a sixth with this recommendation, and an editorial. These are posted on the website of their publisher, the American College of Physicians, implying this organization’s endorsement of this guideline. Collectively, these papers challenge dietary advice to eat less processed meat and red meat on the grounds of inadequate science.”
According to Dr. Nestle, “The studies look at previous studies that compared people who eat meat to those who eat less. The authors excluded studies of vegetarians compared to meat-eaters.” Here is her initial response to the studies. https://www.foodpolitics.com/2019/09/eat-as-much-meat-as-you-like/
Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor, of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003 and from which she officially retired in September 2017. From 1986-88, she was senior nutrition policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services and editor of the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health.
– Is there anyone who has
a good vegan/plant-based cookbook to recommend for families with young
children, in SPANISH?
– Someone posted a photo and the caption: Heading to the
Dail Museum for a homeschooling event. That means Box Lunches! This is today’s
goodies! (Lunches in photo consisted of: The rolls had
artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, capers, beet/basil pesto (vegan of course),
roasted red peppers, and broccoli sprouts. Then we had walnuts, cranberries,
pepitas, almonds, prunes, and, mangos. Carrots and hummus. And dessert was
oat/coconut/chocolate chip squares.)
–Someone asked: Any favorite vegan clothing brands for back to school shopping? People suggested:
Raw Apparel; Mighty Vegan Apparel; Monkee Genes; Save Lands; Herbivore Clothing; Nanen; Little Papaya Co.; PETIT TEMBO; BEETxBEET; Vegan Power; VEGAN Happy Clothing; Brand13; Dharma Love by Anastasia Keriotis; 365vegan
-Plus other topics covered!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/ 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.
Please share this information
with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.
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:
Earth Plant Based Cuisine
1325 Grand Ave., Ste. 7, Phoenix, AZ 85007
Earth Plant Based Cuisine focuses on
serving delicious vegan dishes in a green and natural setting. Aiming to use
organic and non-GMO ingredients, Earth Plant Based Cuisine offers a plethora of
Mexican-style dishes starring daily handmade tortillas from scratch. Another
special menu item is their monster shakes adorned with varying combinations of
vegan marshmallows, pretzels, popcorn, and more.
Ms. Beasley’s Catering Company
1415 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, LA 70112
Ms. Beasley’s aims to bring healthy
food options to the people of New Orleans. Serving up simple meals like red
beans and rice, veggie burgers, quinoa bowls, and the like, she makes good food
easy. Follow the truck on Instagram @msbeasleyscatering287 for times and
locations.
New Ethic Pizzeria & Café
545 Titus Ave., Rochester, NY 14617
New Ethic Pizzeria abjures the use of
animal products entirely. From the “wings” to the pizzas, everything
is vegan! Try the Dick Dale: their vegan version of the Hawaiian pizza! Or try
the Iggy Popeye, a white pizza made with artichokes, tofu ricotta and, of
course, spinach. There are also wings, subs, paninis, and calzones to choose
from, so stop by today for a compassionate and peaceful dinner!
Plant Base
370 Pacific Ave. , Jersey City, NJ 07304
Plant Base is an all-vegan restaurant
and grocery located in the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood of Jersey City. The eclectic
menu changes daily, but entrees include tofu scramble, vegan quesadillas, baked
ziti, sloppy joes, and mac and cheese of all sorts. They do brunch on the
weekends, and because they’re a grocery as well, you can also pick up some
personal care items. If you’re taking your food to go, however, bring your own
container, as Plant Base aims for zero waste!
PLNT Burger
833 Wayne Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
PLNT Burger is a straight-forward
vegan burger shop. The patties are Beyond Meat, the “cheeses” are
vegan, and the fries are herb seasoned. Pair it with an oat milk based
soft-serve or a sweet tea, and you’ve got a nostalgic masterpiece of a meal.
Renegades of Sunset
254 36th St., Brooklyn, NY 11232
Are they a sandwich shop? A lunch
counter? Whatever you call it, Renegades of Sunset is a good place to get a
vegan sandwich for lunch. Or a Caesar salad. Or a bowl of mac & cheeze made
from scratch. And they’re open late enough for you to grab an early dinner
after work. So why don’t you do just that, and decide for yourself?
Sunflower Bakehouse
2414 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, TN 37214
Sunflower Bakehouse is a unique vegan
restaurant from the owners of Sunflower Café. They operate on the idea that
vegan and gluten-free eating should be both delicious and limitless. This
mission is reflected in their variety of menu items ranging from focaccia to
brownies and their generous hours. Check out their web site before you head
down for a full menu and photos that will make your mouth water!
Vegan Bear
335 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M5B 1R7
Canada
If you’re a vegan shawarma place like
Vegan Bear, you don’t have to do a dozen different things. Just do shawarma,
and do it right! That’s what they do at Vegan Bear. Wash it down with a
kombucha or a kefir water, and enjoy the outdoor seating while the weather’s
nice. If you don’t want to leave the house, that’s fine too: they deliver.
Village Taco
7 E. Main St., Alexandria, OH 43001
Village Taco is a little weekend spot
with a scrumptious menu of vegan tacos, enchiladas, nachos, burritos, and the
like. Fillings include seasoned “chickun”, ground “beaf”,
and pulled “porq” made from
vegan sources like jackfruit and
gluten. They also put special emphasis on local sourcing, so you know it’s
fresh!
Wildseed
2000 Union St., San Francisco, CA 94123
Wildseed is an eclectic vegan
restaurant that caters to a variety of delicious options. From the Beyond
Burger to the house veggie burger, they offer dishes both the familiar and new.
Other dishes include soba noodles in pho broth, Hodo soy tofu skewers, and rigatoni
Bolognese. As they say on their website, “eat like you….[care].”
Posted on
September 30, 2019 by
The VRG Blog Editor
By Lucia Rivera, VRG Intern
As someone with
Latin American immigrant parents growing up in the United States, it makes
perfect sense that I would visit other areas of the world. This being said, it
is never simple, and became significantly less so when I adopted a practically
vegan diet. Although this made family trips more complicated, they are still
very important to me and decidedly worth any stress. Through my experiences I
have learned that there are a magnitude of dishes to eat and tips to use in
order to enjoy a trip abroad in Latin America while also sticking to one’s
beliefs and dietary choices.
It is important
to note that every country, and the various regions within a country, have
different styles of food and different staple dishes. For example, in
Nicaragua, a country in Central America where I used to visit annually, meat is
not as prominent as in countries like Mexico or Argentina. I would find it
extremely easy to enjoy the traditional gallo
pinto (rice and red beans), platano
maduro (fried ripe plantain), and yuca
frita (fried yucca root). These are dishes served at every restaurant,
along with typical side options of beans, rice, or a tortilla. Vegan options
were not at all hard to find, as long as you don’t mind eating similar dishes
in a row. Veganism is possible to follow while enjoying the excitement of
trying another nation’s food, or maybe even ethnic foods prepared in your home.
On the other hand, in a country like Mexico it may be more difficult to avoid animal products in dishes since a common ingredient is lard. In my experience, the best way to ensure a vegan meal while dining in certain areas of Latin America is to inquire about ingredients used in dishes with the waiters and chefs. Every restaurant has its own way of cooking red rice or preparing refried beans. Depending on your level of comfort with asking questions at new restaurants, that can be a solid solution to the possible variation in recipes you might have thought were vegan. While some meals may be played safe and repeatedly consist of beans, vegetables, and tortillas, other areas like Tijuana in Baja California have become more and more common sites for vegan restaurants. In south San Diego County, the nearest vegan restaurants are actually in TJ. Of course, if you are a big snacker and are going on a long trip, something that can be helpful is to plan ahead and bring along vegan snacks with you to any destination.
Research and
planning can be very helpful in other ways as well. A simple google search can
provide information about the specific area you are planning on visiting and
vegan options available there. Grocery stores are still an effective source for
a vegan meal. I can’t count the number of times I had spaghetti and tomato
sauce for dinner during my family trips to Central America. In fact, if it is
your goal, you can keep a similar diet to yours at home through purposeful
dining and shopping. A day’s meals could look like oatmeal or vegan pancakes
for brunch and a favorite sandwich for dinner. Travelers still have a lot of
liberty in their daily meals, whether that be choosing to indulge in native
recipes or sticking to the familiar basics when abroad.
As someone who
eats veganized Mexican and Nicaraguan dishes at home, I know what to look for
in foreign restaurants, ranging from guacamole without sour cream to rice
cooked without chicken broth. It is important to have confidence that a vegan
lifestyle can be retained throughout a trip abroad in Latin America.
Despite difficulties, traveling can be a life changing experience and there are so many beautiful things to visit across Latin America. This is precisely why I advise vacationers to take advantage of their time abroad and try some really good, Latin American and vegan food.
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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