Green Mitzvathon Environmental Fair
​Sunday, May 4, 2025
Fair hours 11 am – 3 pm
Chevrei Tzedek Congregation @ Myerberg Center
3101 Fallstaff Road, Baltimore, MD 21209

For details, see: https://www.chevreitzedek.org/greensunday.html

VRG will be tabling at this event. Vegan food will be available.

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

To subscribe in the USA only, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Food is Care – Northern Westchester Hospital Northwell Health

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

We recently heard from two vegan VRG members who had positive experiences during their hospital stays and who agreed to share their stories.

A VRG member had to spend a night in Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. His meal request was put in as lacto-ovo vegetarian (due to the confusion of everything going on medically speaking); however, the meals served to him were vegan with one item being an exception!

The first dinner meal consisted of Spaghetti Marinara, Steamed Rice, Zucchini Noodles, and a Wheat Dinner Roll. Breakfast the following day contained Oatmeal, Hash brown Potatoes, an English Muffin, a Banana, and the only item that was not vegan was a Greek Yogurt (however, if the meal request had been entered as vegan, perhaps vegan yogurt would have been provided). Finally, lunch consisted of Pasta and Sauce with Steamed Fresh Spinach and Beans, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, and Diced Peaches.

Additionally, the cafeteria at Union Memorial Hospital had a separate station where one could purchase a vegan falafel bowl with many add-in items that were clearly labeled as vegan. They also sold fresh fruit, hummus, guacamole, and more.

Another VRG member spent several days at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York. According to the hospital’s website, all patients’ meals are cooked to order by Culinary Institute of America chefs with access to an onsite herb and perennial garden and locally grown, fresh produce.” The patient menu encouraged patients to call the food service to learn more about vegan dining options. They were very helpful in terms of altering menu items to make them vegan and answering questions.

Vegan-friendly breakfast items at Northern Westchester Hospital included avocado toast, tofu scramble, a mango strawberry smoothie, steel-cut oats, assorted breads, fruit, peanut butter, almond butter, roasted vegetable hash, and veggie sausage.

For lunch and dinner, tofu and chickpeas could be added to any salad. There was also a grilled garden vegetable sandwich with hummus and a Baja Veggie Bowl featuring black beans, butternut squash, zucchini, corn, a quinoa and brown rice pilaf, and avocado with seared tofu available as an add-on. A personal pan pizza with lots of vegetables was on the menu and they readily agreed to make it without cheese. Desserts included fruit and several flavors of Italian ice. Almond milk and vanilla soy milk could be ordered with every meal.

The cafeteria had the same grilled garden veggie sandwich as was on the patient menu as well as almond milk yogurt, fruit, and a hearty salad with farro, lettuce, sweet potatoes, pickled red onions, and walnuts.

We are heartened to hear of these positive experiences, while recognizing that not every hospital will be as vegan-friendly as these were. As Camryn Bell, a dietetic intern, wrote in 2020, “much like society, they [hospitals] have come a long way with accommodating and offering vegan options. It is a lot easier to get information on ingredients and being able to have vegan food in the hospital than it was even a few years ago.”

To read more about being vegan in the hospital see:

Hospital Survival Guide for Vegans

Vegetarians in the Hospital

photo from Freepik

The Vegetarian Resource Group is once again sponsoring a video contest. We will be awarding several $100 awards. The deadline for entries this year is July 15, 2025.

Create and submit a video relating what you want to tell others about veganism. Some possible topics: food, nutrition, your feelings about veganism and/or vegetarianism, water usage and veganism, veganism and animal rights, or other veggie topics which appeal to you. Humor and feelings are appreciated. All videos should be positive, not be critical of anyone, and not include any footage of animal cruelty. You may submit a video you have already made. Please do not enter videos made completely using AI.

Aspects of judging include accuracy and judges wanting to share the video with others. Entrants give permission to The Vegetarian Resource Group to post and share the video, to link to and from the video, and share the video with the media.

To see the video contest rules, visit: http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

Previous wining videos can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Dietary Supplements and Life Stages Pregnancy – Health Professional Fact Sheet

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), a division of the National Institutes of Health, recently posted a new fact sheet for health professionals, Dietary Supplements and Life Stages: Pregnancy, on the ODS website. This fact sheet provides a summary of current research and recommendations for vitamins, minerals, choline, and omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy. Specifically, it addresses calcium, choline, folate/folic acid, iodine, iron, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and zinc. Sections are included on several botanicals (such as chamomile and raspberry leaf), and on nutritional considerations for twin and other multiple pregnancies, vegetarian and vegan diets, bariatric surgery, and sickle cell disease. This fact sheet could be a useful resource to share with your obstetrician or nurse midwife.

To read more about vegan diets in pregnancy see:

Vegan Nutrition In Pregnancy and Childhood

Pregnancy and the Vegan Diet

Prenatal Supplements for Vegans

Miyokos cheese wheels board

by Debra Wasserman

One of my many hats at The Vegetarian Resource Group is Managing Director of Vegan Journal. In that role, I often scan through different types of publications to see what the general population is thinking. For example, I read a Hindu magazine, a Kosher magazine, and food sections in various newspapers. Recently I was glancing through the spring edition of Deli Business magazine and was delighted to read the publisher’s message titled “An Explosive 2025.”

Ken Whitacre states, “The three areas of innovation will be in prepared foods, plant-based items and vegetarian/vegan alternatives … Innovation is changing the makeup of many products. Plant-based foods are gaining traction. It’s important for buyers to recognize that plant-based and vegetarian or vegan are very different.”

He then goes on to say, “Plant-based means common items are not produced with the use of animal products. As an example, plant-based cheeses are growing in popularity. The early examples were mainly a failure, featuring an overwhelming flavor of chemicals and plastic, and the texture was even worse. Even more distasteful were vegan meats.”

Whitacre then adds, “However, plant-based cheese and dairy products have gotten very good. No, they do not taste like dairy-based cheese, and some people debate whether they should be called “cheese,” but the quality is high, and they are very tasty. They should be included in every cheese department. Additionally, plant-based meats are increasingly becoming popular, although the location maybe in the frozen food aisle.”

All this is being stated in a magazine that generally is focusing their promotion on standard deli department items such as cold-cuts and sliced dairy cheese. In fact, this editorial was published in the same mailing that included an entire separate insert featuring varieties of dairy-based cheese. Whitacre also urged deli managers to consider adding healthy vegan-stye salads not using tons of added mayonnaise, etc. Consumer demand certainly continues to evolve!

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Currently the requirements for public schools in the United States to provide a substitute for cow’s milk for non-disability reasons (such as a vegan diet) include a fluid milk substitute meets specified nutrition standards, the milk substitute is requested in writing by a medical authority or the child’s parent or legal guardian, and the school must cover any expenses that exceed program reimbursements.

Recently, the bipartisan Freedom in School Cafeterias and Lunches (FISCAL) Act (S.1236), was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and John Kennedy (R-LA). This bill , would make it easier for schools to serve plant-based milks that are nutritionally equivalent to cow’s milk. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The bill was introduced in the House (H.R. 2539 FISCAL Act) by Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), and John Mannion (D-NY) and was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

To read more about school meals see:

USDA Issues Revisions to Child Nutrition Programs

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch

New York City School Lunch Program Features “Vegan Fridays”

School Food Lunch

Tempeh in School Meals

The Internal Revenue Service states that individual retirement arrangement (IRA) owners age 70½ or over can transfer up to $100,000 to charity (such as The Vegetarian Resource Group) tax-free each year. These transfers, known as qualified charitable distributions or QCDs, offer eligible older Americans a way to give to charity. For those who are at least 73 years old, QCDs count toward the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution (RMD) for the year. You need to have your IRA trustee send the money to the charity directly, and not to you first. You do not need to itemize your taxes for this benefit. For more information, see https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/qualified-charitable-distributions-allow-eligible-ira-owners-up-to-100000-in-tax-free-gifts-to-charity

This is not legal or tax advice, for which you should speak to your financial and legal advisors.

To make direct donations to VRG and support vegan education and research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Eggplant photo from Freepik

Here are some eggplant ideas from Chef Nancy Berkoff…

• Roast an eggplant whole, in the oven or on the grill, until soft enough to mash with a fork. Scoop out pulp and add oil and vinegar, garlic, and black pepper to use as a dip or salad dressing. This dish is sometimes called “eggplant caviar.”
• For homemade baba ghanoush, purée roasted eggplant and mix with garlic, tahini (sesame paste), lemon juice, chopped parsley, and olive oil. Use it as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich filling.
• Mix diced, grilled eggplant with grilled peppers, lentils, onions, and garlic. Serve cold, topped with balsamic vinaigrette, or hot, atop grains, pasta, or pizza.
• Skip-the-Frying Baked Eggplant: Peel eggplant and cut into ½-inch slices. Create a breading with your favorite crumbs (bread, cornmeal, etc.) and dried Italian herbs (garlic powder, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, etc.). Spray eggplant slices with vegetable oil, coat with breading, place on non-stick pan, and bake until soft. Layer baked eggplant into a deep baking dish, alternating layers with thick tomato sauce; drained, diced, canned tomatoes; sliced mushrooms (if desired); and either shredded vegan cheese or thinly sliced extra-firm tofu. Cover and bake until bubbly.
• Mini Japanese or Thai eggplant stuffed with a mixture of diced smoked tofu, tempeh, or veggie crumbles; pine nuts; and roasted peppers. Wrap in foil and bake.
• Make Eggplant Frisbees: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place slices of unpeeled eggplant (about ½-inch thick) individually on a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle with grated vegan cheese, minced onions, sunflower seeds, and nutritional yeast. Bake until bubbly and the eggplant is slightly soft. The Frisbees may also be used as eggplant burgers served on a hearty roll with fixins.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue4/2021_issue4_cooking_tips.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Share this handy poster with family and friends. You can also print it out and post it on your refrigerator. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/VeganDietsinaNutshellPoster.pdf