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: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at:
www.vrg.org/donate

Arata
108 Main St.
Belfast, ME 04915
Arata opened in a historic building, The Gothic. They serve fresh bowls, buns, and summer dishes along with cocktails and organic wines. Some of their dishes include Heiwa Tofu served with mustard miso, pickled chile, and napa cabbage and Garbanzo Ramen, which is served with kale, chickpeas, and sundried tomatoes. Stop in for healthy, flavorful food in a unique atmosphere.

Nanashake
4750 Yonge St. Unit 134
Toronto, ON M2N 0J6
Nanashake treats are gluten and dairy free and are offered as soft serve or popsicles. Their proprietary ingredients include Fair-trade bananas and nuts. The most popular shake is the Abbogoto, which includes a shot of espresso. Chocolate and strawberry flavors are also popular.

Screamer’s Pizza
620 Manhattan Ave
Greenpoint, NY 11222
Enjoy vegan pizza and calzones! Cheese is made from tapioca and coconut oil and the sausage from seitan and spices. Pizza varieties include Margherita, Hawaiian, and Supreme with DIY slice toppings like almond ricotta, caramelized onion, broccoli rabe, seitan sausage, avocado and kale pesto, with options to go Calzone or Sicilian Style. The house-named, “Screamer,” features garlic oil, cheese, cremini and oyster mushrooms, and homemade almond parmesan. This pizzeria is a partner of Philadelphia’s Blackbird Pizza.

Screaming Carrots
826 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
Screaming Carrots opens mid-morning and serves breakfast where the Tofu Scramble is a popular item. Lunch and dinner service includes the popular Glass Noodles; the noodles themselves are made from green beans, southeast Asian-style, with seasonal vegetables and shredded tofu. Another popular dish is stir-fried vegetables, also southeast Asian-style. Gluten-free options are available. A raw nut shake made from walnuts, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans, coconut, dates, and almond milk is available. You may also choose to start your meal with the mushroom in coconut milk soup.

Seed To Sprout
560A River Rd.
Fair Haven, NJ 07704
Seed to Sprout specializes in vegan food with plenty of raw options as well. Along with their entrees, Seed to Sprout also offers a juice and smoothie bar and baked goods right at their counter. Everything they offer is incredibly tasty, ranging from live, raw Margherita pizza, to their “bacon cheddar” melt, or their many different lattes and smoothies.

Veg Box Café
75 E. Pennington St.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Veg Box Café is not only vegan, but is also entirely soy-free, GMO-free, and gluten-free. Affordable, delicious, and extremely welcoming, Veg Box Café offers tasty food (with raw options!), juices, smoothies, and baked goods. Enjoy a meal of Squash Fettuccine Pomodoro, Sweet Chile Fries, a Mushroom Burger, their “Starburst” Chia Fruit smoothie, or a black bean brownie.

Veganic Thai Café
1417 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Vegan Thai Cafe offers an extensive menu including appetizers, soups, curries (including pumpkin!), noodles & rice, and stir fry. Drunken noodles with mock duck or beef are customer favorites. The curries are also quite popular. Mock seafood, including squid, shrimp, and abalone are also available.

Yard House advertises this burger:
VEGAN BURGER Vegetarian

red quinoa, kale, shiitakes, Daiya mozzarella, avocado, tomato, arugula, onion, miso, onion bun, mixed greens

For more information, see: http://www.yardhouse.com/menu-listing/eat

Jasmine Westerdahl has been involved in promoting vegetarian nutrition and cooking classes in various communities most of her life in both Hawaii and California, including assisting in doing vegan cooking on a television show in Hawaii called Tasty and Meatless. Jasmine is the youth representative and coordinator for her church health committee. She volunteers and coordinates other youth in assisting with community vegetarian cooking classes and lectures.

Patricia Bragg from the Bragg Live Foods Company said, “For the past seven years, Jasmine has been an enthusiastic volunteer for both the Bragg Live Food Products Company and our nonprofit Bragg Health Foundation. For our health product company, Jasmine has represented Bragg at national health food industry trade shows and conferences. She has professionally educated consumers and health food retailers about our line of vegan food products. She also helped test recipes for our vegetarian cookbook and assisted in evaluating new vegan/vegetarian food and beverage product formulations for our company, so that they could be kid tested. Volunteering for our nonprofit foundation, Jasmine represented us at community health education events, lectures and seminars, fairs, and our exhibit booths.” (Also, Jasmine assisted The Vegetarian Resource Group at our booth during the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Annual Meeting and we witnessed firsthand her knowledgeable and professional demeanor.)

Jasmine attended a Seventh-day Adventist school. She said that more than half of her school’s student body are not vegetarian, but she has had the opportunity to educate her classmates about vegetarian diets. A faculty member stated, “Jasmine always is volunteering and helping with community outreach through helping educate about nutrition throughout the community. She is always first to help and last to stay. A leader to me is not always the loudest person but the person who works hard for no credit but to do the right thing. This is in essence Jasmine.”

As a lifelong vegan, Jasmine said, “I have a passion to continue my education through college and university in nutrition with a strong desire to one day be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who specializes in vegetarian nutrition to my patients and clients. I believe in vegetarian nutrition for both health reasons as well as for the compassion for animals.”

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship for graduating high school seniors is February 20, 2017. For details, go to http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

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

By Christiana Rutkowski

The book Vegetarian Sports Nutrition by D. Enette Larson-Meyer is a comprehensive, well-explained, easy to follow book about eating a vegetarian or entirely vegandiet while participating in athletics, ranging from an elite athlete to a recreational jogger.

This book, 230 pages in length, breaks down common misconceptions and misunderstandings about not consuming meat, dairy, eggs, and other products made from or coming from animals. The book includes many concrete scientific facts, evidence, and easy to understand knowledge to explain to readers just how easy it is to thrive and compete while eating a diet free from many or all animal products.

The best part about this book for me was its inclusion of many different ways to calculate an individual’s caloric needs as well as each individual macronutrient amount appropriate for their own lifestyle. I think something that often happens with athletes is that they underestimate how many calories they need, which can result in issues like low iron, other vitamin deficiencies, inadequate energy, and overall performing or training less than their best.

Not only does this book give basic concepts for consuming a diet rich in plant-based foods, but it also breaks down each contributing factor, providing many pages for each macronutrient (fat, protein, and carbohydrates), bone health, individual vitamins and minerals, physical ailments like muscle cramps and inflammation (and how to combat both), supplements (and whether one should or should not take them), and how to come up with and customize a meal plan based on unique one’s own unique lifestyle and physical activity.

Another difficult area for many that decide to embark on a more plant-based or entirely vegan diet is figuring out what to eat (and how much). Larson-Meyer provides the reader with an endless amount of dietary choices that give a wide variety of foods to make it possible to consume plenty of each macro and micronutrient, while keeping the choices exciting, tasty, and also very easy to attain and/or prepare.

Lastly, what makes this book very interesting is its appeal to not just individuals looking to eat plant-based, but its specific focus for athletes looking to train and compete while refraining from eating animal products. Personally, I feel one of the most important things about transitioning to a more (or completely) vegan diet is educating oneself on the knowledge and science behind it. Especially as an athlete, it is critical to get enough calories coming from a variety of plant-based sources, and this book provides a ton of information and useful knowledge to the reader.

To order Vegetarian Sports Nutrition, go to:
http://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=79

In addition to not eating animal products, vegans do not wear animal products including leather. The Vegetarian Resource Group has an extensive guide to businesses that sell shoes, wallets, handbags, belts, jackets, and more that are made with alternatives to leather. The guide includes companies in the USA and other countries.

Are you looking for vegan work boots, ballet shoes, guitar or camera straps, biking gloves, cowboy boots, motorcycle gear, musical instrument cases, tool belts, iPhone cases, lap top and iPad carrying bags, dance shoes, watchbands, snowboarding boots, rock climbing shoes, and other items? If so, the entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/leather.php

To support the research for this guide, please donate here: http://www.vrg.org/donate

Riley Howard became vegetarian after her sister started ordering vegan literature from PETA. In sixth grade she began bringing pamphlets to school to distribute to students during lunch times. Riley became vegan in eighth grade. She started an animal rights club in high school, which organized campus screenings, bake sales, and vegan potlucks during school. Riley stated, “I’ve found a lot of success modifying my advocacy…I used to show cruelty investigations, but I saw how much more harm that does than good. Instead of having members walk out in the middle of meetings, people stay the whole time, engage in conversation, and perform social media outreach.”

In January of her junior year, she went to Chicago for a month to intern with Mercy for Animals, jumping between office work and outdoor leafleting. She did another internship with them in Los Angeles.

In 2015 at school she organized a screening of Cowspiracy for 200 members from the local community. “I talked to athletic coaches and got them to agree to cancel practice for the screening. Students brought their friends and family.”

She currently had her school agree to add more vegan items to the menu. “They bought a rice cooker, through which they provide self-service rice, quinoa, and other whole grains. They have started offering nutritional yeast and vegan dressings in the salad bar. They’ve agreed to provide a daily vegan cooked meal. Now they sell veggie burgers, portabella sandwiches, vegan grilled cheese, and various vegetables and rice dishes. They also sell vegan sorbet, which has been a huge hit.”

Riley was an apprentice crew leader for the Student Conservation Association in Texas. “I made quite a few vegetable rice/quinoa dishes that were a big hit among all the crew members…I made sure to make food for the group that was not only vegan but tasted good to nonvegans.”

Riley is also a gifted artist. Her work can be found at http://rileyhowardart.tumblr.com/

One reference stated, “Riley does not simply think outside the box; she affirms that there – is in fact – no box. After thirty years as an educator, I have learned that I have not seen it all, because I have never before experienced Riley Howard. Quite simply, Riley gets it. She gets life’s complexities and its redemption. She gets the purpose of compassion. Riley is helping the environment, animals, humans… all those in need.”

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship for graduating high school seniors is February 20, 2017. For details, go to http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

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

By Casey Brown

Some people think that vegan diets are expensive and time-consuming, however that is not the case any more than meat-based eating. Vegan diets can be affordable and convenient by focusing on whole foods rather than specialty vegan products and convenience foods. If you are looking to go vegan on a budget, here are some tips!

Tips for budgeting:
● Don’t focus meals around vegan alternatives such as vegan cheese, mock meats, and other specialty items. These make a treat every now and then (even once a day), but they are more expensive. It is healthier and less expensive to focus more on a whole food, plant-based diet that is rich in grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruit.

● Shop around. Go to a few different grocery stores in the area to compare prices and find the best deals.

● Stay local. Farmer’s markets are a great place to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables at a lower cost. While some of the produce may be more expensive, they often have better deals on in-season harvest. Make sure to look for sales and compare the prices with other stores in the area. If the produce is on sale, items can be bought in bulk and frozen for later (this works great for berries). Many farmers markets also offer ‘seconds’ (blemished and bruised produce) for a discounted price.

● Buy in bulk. As mentioned previously, many vegan staples can be bought in bulk. Wholesale stores, health food stores, and normal grocery stores offer large quantities of food for a lower cost. It is helpful to compare unit prices when shopping in order to determine the best deals. Some foods that are best to stock up on include nuts, seeds, produce, pasta, rice, oats, and other items. Buying large quantities can seem expensive, but it will provide more food for its value. With this being said, it is important to only buy food you will actually use. Otherwise you will end up wasting food and money.

● Buy canned and frozen options when less expensive. Beans and vegetables are good items to buy canned. Dry beans are also inexpensive, however they take more time to prepare. Frozen fruit and vegetables are a great way to stock up on these items, and they will last longer than fresh produce. Frozen options are not always cheaper, so it is best to always compare prices while shopping.

● Prepare your own food. Prepackaged and pre-cut foods are more expensive, so it will save you money to prepare them yourself. Preparing your own meals, hummus, trail mix, and other foods can help to eliminate costs.

● Buy store brand foods and go for sales. Store brands typically contain the same ingredients as name brand foods, but at a much lower cost.

● Invest in a reusable water bottle. This way you do not have to buy water bottles at the store every week. These can be filled up at home and while on the go! Opting for water over other drinks is also a cheaper and healthier option. Plus these bottles are better for the environment!

● Plan meals ahead of time. Make a grocery list according to your meal plan and stick to the list while shopping. This will prevent you from buying more food than needed, eliminating food costs and food waste.

● Grow your own garden. This may not be practical for everyone, but growing your own produce or herbs can cut costs, and it is also a really fun experience!

Need some cost effective ideas for meals? Here are some meal ideas you can make while on a budget.

Breakfast:
● Oatmeal with soymilk, a banana, and peanut butter or other toppings (cocoa, fruit)
● Smoothies – these are great if you find a good deal on fruit!
○ You can even make a smoothie bowl and top with granola, fruit, or nuts

Lunch/Dinner:
● Beans with rice, veggies, and any kind of dressing or seasonings you want to add
● Stir-fry with veggies, tofu, and rice
● Pasta with tomato sauce, nutritional yeast, avocado, and spinach
● Burritos with rice, beans, and vegetables

Snacks/Dessert:
● Banana ice cream
○ Blend together 3-4 frozen bananas, 1 cup non-dairy milk, and fruit, cocoa, PB, or anything else (for flavor)!
● Carrots and other veggies with hummus
● Trail mix, nuts, or seeds
● Fruit

Price Comparison:
(Prices were obtained from Giant Supermarket in Maryland. Prices will vary by brand/store):

Burritos:
• Homemade: $1.19 ($0.21 for one tortilla wrap, $0.20 for 1 serving/0.5 cups black beans, $0.16 for 2 servings of cooked white rice/1 cup, and $0.62 for 1 serving of Daiya cheddar cheese)
• Frozen vegan burrito: $2.69 for 6 oz. Amy’s Organic Non-dairy burrito made with beans & rice. ($0.49/oz)
• Frozen meat burrito: $2.50 for 5 oz. Red’s Natural Foods Burrito Chicken and Cheese ($0.50/oz)

The store-bought burritos are similar in cost. Amy’s burrito is an organic burrito, and it consists of a flour tortilla with pinto beans, rice, and veggies in a Mexican sauce. It costs more than the non-vegan burrito, however it was slightly cheaper per unit price. Red’s Natural Foods Burrito is also organic, and it consists of a tortilla filled with chicken, brown rice, pinto beans, a cheese mixture, and a red chile sauce. These burritos are similar in contents and in price. The homemade burrito is less expensive, and it consists of a tortilla with black beans, rice, and vegan cheese. Other toppings and sauces could be added for minimal cost. Buying any of these options in bulk when possible (either the frozen burritos or the ingredients for the fresh burrito) could help to reduce the cost. But remember, don’t buy more food than you will be able to use.

Ice Cream:
• Pint (2 cups) of homemade banana ice cream: $1.24 ($0.90 for 3 bananas and $0.34 for 1 cup of store-brand almond milk)
• Store bought pint of nondairy ice cream: $4.99 for any flavor So Delicious dairy-free ice cream
• Store bought dairy ice cream: $1.00 for pint serving of store-brand vanilla ice cream (sold by the gallon)

The homemade banana ice cream comes in at a similar price as the store-brand vanilla ice cream. Of course, other ingredients can be added to the banana ice cream for more flavors, which will slightly increase the cost. The non-dairy So Delicious ice cream is fairly expensive in comparison. This is an example of one of the vegan ‘specialty’ items previously mentioned. Meat and dairy replacements can be more expensive at the store, however they make for a nice treat every now and then. Banana ice cream is a great alternative in this situation!
While some of the vegan options might not have been cheaper than the non-vegan options, they are typically similar in price. As mentioned before, as long as you are not relying on specialty vegan products, then your budget should not be more expensive!
See more info at:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue2/2006_issue2_mealplans.php
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue1/2003_issue1_quick.php
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue1/2015_issue1_vegan_shoestring.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 judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Casey is doing an internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group this summer.

A VRG staffer attended the Orioles game last night, eager to find out how available Field Roast vegan dogs and burgers would be. Happily, we can report that we saw the vegan dogs and burgers at many O’What a Dog and Baseline Burger locations on each level. The items are listed on the menu board as “Vegan Dog” and “Vegan Burger” clearly so that you don’t have to wait in line at the stand to find out if it is one that serves the option.

When our staffer ordered her vegan dog, the cashier said “I’ll have to check if we have any left! Those things sell out quickly!” Luckily, they did, and it was hot and ready quickly….and delicious!

If your’e vegan and vegetarian at the ball game, be sure to come on an empty stomach to continue showing just how in-demand veg options are!

Other vegetarian options available at Oriole Park at Camden Yards:

Cheese Pizza (Pizza Boli Stands)
Nachos (Nacho Portables)
Fries (Baseline Burgers, Das Sausage Haus, and Baltimore Burger Company)
Soft Pretzels (O’ What A Dog)
Hand Rolled Soft Pretzel (Pretzel Kiosk)
Vegetarian Edamame BAO (TAKO-Asian)
Salads (Pizza Boli Stands, Eutaw Market, Dempsey’s Restaurant)
Veggie Wrap (Eutaw Market)
Fresh Fruit (Eutaw Market)
Vegetarian snack items (Eutaw Market)
Vegan Hamburger and Frankfurters-(Located at O’ what a Dog’s and Baseline Burgers.)

Lauren Hickey was a vegetarian since seven years old. She stated, “As my mother tells it, one day I looked up from my dinner plate and blurted ‘Mommy, what’s this made out of?’ … When my mother so gently explained that the meat I was eating was once an animal, I was suddenly alarmed and upset. I simply couldn’t understand how I would eat something dead that I coo at and cuddle with alive… As a second grader, I soon realized that although being different took a dose of courage, it was strangely thrilling … Since seven years old, I have unwaveringly abided to my principles… In third grade, I stood in front of my enrichment class, beaming as I enlightened them on my area of expertise: vegetarianism… After presenting my slideshow to the class, my mom and little sister strolled into the classroom on cue with samples of mangos and hummus.”

Lauren joined the Colchester Board of Education as a student member in 2014. She states, “Two years ago I initiated a Farm to School program in my town and established our high school’s first organic garden. Colchester’s Farm to School Initiatives is a program that reaches every school in the district with fresh vegetables from local farms and multiple school gardens. I initiated a weekly program at the intermediate school in which I teach a weekly class of 39 students in grades 3-5 about fresh food and environmental consciousness. I wrote and received a grant for fruit trees that the kids planted in the spring. I helped coordinate collaboration between the AP Biology students who took a field trip to the elementary school, where the second graders taught THEM how to compost.”

When teaching the third to fifth graders, “It moved my heart to hear a student tell me that he wants to save the environment and all the animals. I was filled with joy when every kid jumped out of their seat with both hands in the air when I asked, ‘So who liked the kale?’ I even teared up watching the kids take enormous pride in planting trees with their own hands that will bear fruit for generations.”

“My vegetarian journey began when I was 7 years old when I… realized that I could not agree with killing animals… I have made a conscious effort to frame my vegetarian mission in a very positive way rooted in encouragement…” When I was in fifth grade, I wrote an essay for the Connecticut Higher Education Trust on my future career goals and how college would help me achieve them. I declared I would become an ‘animal activist.’ In retrospect, I was not too far off the mark. I plan on going to college and majoring in Environmental Studies… In college and beyond, I plan on promoting vegetarianism by engaging in an environmental or animal activism club, working in the organic garden, and ensuring dining hall food promotes values… Maybe one day I will live out my 5th grade dream of giving speeches around the world.”

The deadline for the next Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship for graduating high school seniors is February 20, 2017. For details, go to http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

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

See an update from Lauren here: http://www.vrg.org/blog/2017/01/04/update-from-lauren-hickey-vegetarian-resource-group-2016-scholarship-winner/

Please participate in a survey about your attitudes, feelings, opinions, and behaviors concerning social, economic, environmental, and animal-related issues.

Dear Respondent:

This is a survey about your attitudes, feelings, opinions, and behaviors concerning social, economic, environmental, and animal-related issues. Please read each question carefully and follow the instructions given. It should take about 5 – 15 minutes to complete the survey. For each Fully Completed survey (or all questions answered) the Vegetarian Resource Group will receive a donation of $1.00.

Click the link below to find study details; then click the ‘next’ button to indicate your willingness to participate and begin the survey.
http://www.compos-sui.com/KB_SurveyDir_1.htmlIf you have any questions about this survey, please contact:

Dr. Karin Braunsberger
Professor of Marketing
Kate Tiedemann College of Business
University of South Florida St. Petersburg
E-mail: [email protected]