By Casey Brown, Alicia Hückmann, and Marissa Thobe

Recently we, Casey Brown, Alicia Hückmann, Marissa Thobe, and Matt Baker, had the opportunity to volunteer at The VRG’s booth at the third Baltimore Vegan Soulfest. It was a great event, which combined the innovation of the first festival with the size of the second. From sticky buns to “mac & cheese” to freshly made vegan pizzas, it was difficult to taste everything because there was so much food! Dozens of vegan chefs, bakers including Scotty Cakes, tailors such as Compassion Co., and nonprofit organizations including The United Poultry Concerns came together to share their enthusiasm for the vegan movement. There were also speakers including David Carter (“the 300 Pound Vegan”), cooking demonstrations, various children’s activities, and music performances such as a unique rap show about kale.

At The VRG booth, we spoke with many people hoping to transition to a vegan diet, long-time supporters of The VRG, and innovators in the vegan community. Of the people transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, many of the common questions were nutrition related. One man asked us about B12 intake since he was interested in how much nutritional yeast he should consume on a regular basis to meet his RDA. We were able to refer him to our Simply Vegan book to determine the answer for his question. Another lady asked us about the potential health risks of soy, and we were able to answer her question as well as refer her to our website for additional information. Multiple people were interested in learning more about vegan and vegetarian diets for their children and teenagers, so we referred them to our “Vegan Nutrition for Teenagers” brochure and our “Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood” brochure. Marissa, one of our teen volunteers who has recently begun powerlifting, was able to provide herself as proof to parents and concerned non-vegans that teenagers and athletes can be vegan and thrive.

It was great to meet so many fellow vegans at the festival, but it was also awesome to see how many people were interested in the lifestyle. The majority of the people there were interested in general advice for transitioning to a vegan diet. We were able to share advice from our personal transitions, answer their questions, and refer them to many of our resources, specifically our “Vegan Diets in a Nutshell” brochure, our “My Vegan Plate” handout, and a copy of The VRG’s Journal, which has a lot of information as well as some great recipes to get them started. People were very interested in the cookbooks we were selling as well since they were all looking for some great new recipes to help them begin the transition. Meatless Meals for Working People and Vegan Soul Kitchen were popular among the crowd. Our Baltimore Dining Guide handout was also a great resource, and the children’s coloring books were a hit with the kids.

Through this festival, we were able to see how big The VRG’s network is since we met with many friends and long-time supporters of this organization, including a past intern of The VRG. We also were able to help the network grow by connecting with innovators who were interested in using our materials and resources within their own organizations. We spoke with individuals who ran nursing homes and religious groups that were hoping to use our resources to educate the people they work with. We also met with individuals from HaVen, which is a new organization within Baltimore that serves as a vegan community for people to hold meetings, workshops, or just relax. They were interested in using our resources within their group to promote veganism, health, and ethics so we can support each other’s endeavors.

The festival was a great experience, and we are all looking forward to the fourth annual Vegan Soulfest. We are also excited for our next opportunity to volunteer with The VRG at a booth for Eat Well Stay Well in Columbia, MD on September 18, 2016.

To support VRG booths and other outreach, please donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Sunday, 11 September 2016, 1-4 pm
Capital Memorial Church (CMC)

CMC members, hailing from more than 40 countries, present an unlimited “sampling” of authentic international vegetarian cuisines. You can take a small serving of hundreds of items and come back for more if you like! It’s the perfect way for kids to try delicious ethnic foods from Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, India, Latin America, and North America (for kids 10 and younger, it’s FREE!). Seniors age 60 and older (with ID) get a discount. All items will be vegetarian; those which are vegan will be noted. There is free parking or you can take the Metro Red Line, which is four blocks north of Van Ness-UDC and two blocks east of Connecticut Ave. Doors will be open from 1-4 p.m., and food will stop being served at 4:30 p.m.

PRICE: $15 per person, free for children age 10 and under, $10 age 60 or older.
Credit cards accepted.

Capital Memorial Church
3150 Chesapeake Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 362-3668
[email protected]
www.capitalmemorial.org

VRG Senior Editor Samantha Gendler wrote a Veggie Action piece in the recent issue of Vegetarian Journal on the co-owners of Like No Udder, a vegan ice cream truck.

Rhode Islander Chris Belanger doesn’t think of himself as an activist, but rather as someone who spreads the vegan message one person at a time. It’s something we can all do, but the vegan ice cream truck Like No Udder that he co-owns with his wife Karen has given them a moving platform. “We’re injecting veganism everywhere we go,” Belanger said.

The entire piece can be found here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2016issue3/2016_issue3_vegetarian_action.php

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

By Christiana Rutkowski

This summer I was given the opportunity to intern for The Vegetarian Resource Group and I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have been given this chance. Due to the fact that the group is based out of Maryland and I am from New Jersey, I was unable to intern in person during the time of participation. Instead, I was able to complete multiple projects and write various articles for the blog via email, conversing back and forth with various individuals from The Vegetarian Resource Group.

VRG Co-Director Charles Stahler was extremely welcoming and helpful when I had first gone out on a whim, emailing Charles and asking if it would be at all possible to intern from home this summer. I heard back immediately, and in no time I was given the chance to form my own schedule, practicing time commitment skills and organizing my own projects.

Although I was limited in some ways by not interning at The VRG’s location in Maryland, I was still able to complete some really interesting projects and articles. One of the first projects I did was writing a restaurant review of a vegan restaurant in my own town. Not only did this mean getting to try delicious food—but it allowed me to discover one of my new favorite places to eat! Alongside this write-up, participating in other write-ups for other various restaurants allowed me to see how much the vegetarian and vegan diet has expanded. Naturally, this excited me a lot.

As a book fanatic, I could not be more grateful for when The VRG sent me the book Vegetarian Sports Nutrition by D. Enette Larson-Meyer. As an athlete myself, this book quickly became one of my top books I’ve ever read because it introduced me to much more information on not only vegetarianism but how it pertained to athletics and being an athlete. Not only did I get introduced to a new and exciting book, but I was able to keep this book at no cost. It was a very generous gift that I am very thankful for. Writing a review on this book was easy because of how interesting every single part was. [fyi, you can order this book from the VRG Book Catalog: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/

During my time interning, another favorite project of mine was compiling a table of foods labeled “vegan” located in a ShopRite supermarket in my town. Ever since I was younger, I always loved going to the grocery store. This project allowed me to spend tons of time in one while discovering new vegan foods and being able to share them by creating this table. Again, this project showed me how much the vegan lifestyle has expanded over the last year or so and how many different options are available.

Two bigger pieces I wrote included topics like different vegan foods that could be prepared for individuals who were vegetarian, vegan, or those who were neither, and an article written about veganism for my college’s school newspaper. This first article was fun because it allowed me to get creative in the kitchen while also introducing people in my life to vegan foods and meals who in turn then gave me a real-life evaluation on what they thought about the food. To my delight, the reviews were all nothing but positive, and on top of that, it meant consuming delicious food. The second, the article for my school’s newspaper, is something that will be seen by many college students, which excites me because it means that veganism will be reaching new viewers.

This internship experience was a perfect fit: something that allowed me to complete straightforward yet interesting projects from the comfort of my home about something I am passionate about. I have nothing but positive words for The Vegetarian Resource Group and the flexibility, time, and kindness the group displayed while having me intern for them. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity.

For more information about VRG internships, see http://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support VRG interns and other outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Vegetables and Pulses Outlook – The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has released its latest report which “… covers basic supply, demand, price, and trade analysis for fresh market vegetables, processing vegetables, mushrooms, potatoes, and pulses … This feature also includes special articles on U.S. organic vegetable production and dietary assessment of vegetables …”

Document Title: The title of the August 30, 2016 USDA ERS Vegetables and Pulses Outlook report is “U.S. Dry Edible Pea Area Harvested Projected at Record-High”
Organization: USDA Economic Research Service (ERS)
Source: August 30, 2016 USDA ERS e-mail announcing the availability of the latest Vegetables and Pulses Outlook report
Web site: The August 30, 2016 USDA ERS Vegetables and Pulses Outlook Report is posted at
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/vgs-vegetables-and-pulses-outlook/vgs-357.aspx
* Specifically at
http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/2135199/vgs-357.pdfThe USDA ERS topic page on Vegetables and Pulses is available at
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/vegetables-pulses.aspx

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD is speaking on the topic “Growing Up Healthy” at the Toronto ON Canada VegFest that is happening September 9th-11th, 2016. The talk is a practical look at nutrition needs of veg babies, toddlers, children, and teens from the co-author of Simply Vegan, The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets, and Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book. This presentation will include strategies to ensure that children are eating healthy foods and ideas for young vegetarians to thrive in non-veg settings such as birthday parties, schools, family gatherings, and play dates.

For details on this event, visit: vegfoodfest.com

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

All of Chipotle’s menu items: burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, and salads may be vegan-customized. Doing so is easy through several different ways each presented on Chipotle’s website.

A nutrition calculator allows web visitors to use a vegan filter: https://chipotle.com/nutrition-calculator. Doing so renders all and only vegan menu components clickable while non-vegan items are grayed out. As a consumer clicks on desired elements while building a customized burrito or taco, nutrition information appears beside each item and a cumulative total (e.g., calories, fat, sodium, etc.) for the entire menu item displays at the screen’s bottom.

There is also an Allergens & Special Diets page https://chipotle.com/allergens which presents vegan menu components in tabular form. Here Chipotle states:

Our Sofritas is vegan…Vegans should avoid our meats, cheese, sour cream, and our chipotle-honey vinaigrette. Our tortillas, vegetables, rice, beans, salsas, chips, and guacamole are…vegan.

Chipotle lists its complete ingredient statements on another page: https://chipotle.com/ingredient-statement.

On its Dietary Options page Chipotle presents its ingredient information in another manner: https://chipotle.com/dietary-options. Suggested vegan meal options such as a Sofritas soft corn taco or a fajita bowl appear. This page also displays Chipotle’s cross contamination statement:

Individual foods may come into contact with one another during preparation, which is not reflected in these recommendations. Although we make efforts to separate ingredients in our cooking processes and on our serving line, Chipotle cannot guarantee the complete absence of cross contact with any particular ingredient in any of our food.

About added sugar Chipotle states on this page:
While lots of the fresh fruits and veggies in our food are naturally sweet, we don’t add any sugar to our food. Our vinaigrette is made with a small amount of honey…

Chipotle lays it all out for vegans very clearly unlike most chains. Their website is very accessible. Several of VRG’s staff enjoy Chipotle bowls with half pinto beans, half black beans, veggies, rice, and guacamole. These are very filling meals.

For more quick service chain information, see http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php
For information on vegetarian restaurants, see http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Join at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

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 judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Stock up on your favorite veggie products from The Vegetarian Site this month! For the full month of September 2016, The Vegetarian Site will give 10% of their sales to The Vegetarian Resource Group!

The Vegetarian Site sells vegan footwear, belts, wallets, bags, and other accessories, food products, books, personal care items, plus much more. They are always adding new items in their store.

Try the one cent sample of PARMA! VEGAN PARMESAN.

Support The Vegetarian Resource Group by shopping online at: http://www.thevegetariansite.com

The Vegetarian Resource Group will host a vegan Thai dinner
at My Thai Vegan Café in Boston on Sunday, October 16, 2016 during the
annual meeting of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Meet VRG
advisors Reed Mangels PhD RD, Catherine Conway MS RD, Debra Wasserman,
and vegetarian dietitians from around the country. All are welcome.

MENU:
Tom Kha, Thai Coconut Soup with tofu
Thai Mango Salad
Nam Prik Kaeng Kari with tofu (Yellow Curry) and brown rice
Pad See Ew. Wide rice noodles with Chinese broccoli and vegan gluten.
Fruit cocktail for dessert or other fruit
Tea and cold water

This will be a plated sit down dinner.

TO RESERVE: Send $30 person (includes tax and tip) (Under eight is half
price) with names of attendees to The Vegetarian Resource Group,
P.O. Box 1463,
Baltimore, MD 21203.
Call (410) 366-8343.

You can also pay at www.vrg.org/donate and write Boston Dinner in the Comments.
Refunds after September 30th only if your seat can be replaced.

Hope to see you there!

QUESTION: I’m a vegan and I want to know if I should be taking a daily multivitamin supplement.

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, answers this question in her Nutrition Hotline column in the latest issue of Vegetarian Journal. Her response to this question starts off with:

As a vegan, you should be able to meet your needs for most nutrients from foods. Eating a variety of whole plant foods is a good practice, both because it’s a simple way to get needed nutrients and because of the other benefits that go along with a plant-based diet. That said, there may be occasional days when your food choices aren’t ideal; using a multivitamin/mineral supplement on those days can be better than nothing. Of course, supplements don’t take the place of a healthy diet.

To read the rest of this column, see:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2016issue3/2016_issue3_nutrition_hotline.php

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