By Laura McGuiness

Chipotle is breaking new ground with their completely vegan product, Sofritas. Essentially shredded organic tofu braised with chipotles, poblanos, and a variety of different spices, Sofritas is a vegan option for both herbivores and carnivores. It is served to you in either a traditional burrito, burrito bowl, crispy or soft taco, or salad. Topped with your choice of guacamole, salsa, black beans, cilantro-lime or brown rice, and fresh vegetables, you can customize your Chipotle meal to satisfy your taste buds.

Originally, Chipotle had only released this product in California. Being a proud Californian, myself (born and raised in San Jose!) I rushed out with my omnivorous mother to try Sofritas! Both my long-term vegan self and my meat-loving mother were more than satisfied – and full!

I ordered a burrito with cilantro-lime rice, hot salsa, black beans, and Sofritas. My mother got a burrito as well, but one with brown rice, mild salsa, black beans, and Sofritas. The burritos were huge! I ate about half, gave up, and saved it for my dinner later, but even just the half I initially ate was filling. Both of us thought Sofritas was a hearty and filling substitute, making a normally banal vegan burrito exciting and substantial.

I liked Sofritas so much, that I actually went searching for it during my stay here in Baltimore before I realized it was not available on the East Coast, yet. Not to fear, East Coasters, Chipotle is expanding the product to the entire Northwest region, including Calfornia, Oregon, Washington, and Vancouver. This product is so delicious, it’s bound to make it over here soon! In the meantime, if you know of anybody in the North West region, tell them to go support Sofritas! It will only make the trip to the East Coast faster with the help of your North West friends.

For more information see: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/chipotle-offers-vegan-sofritas/story?id=19807489

Vegetarian Journal Issue 2, 2013 is now online!

Articles included in this issue are: Cooking with Fresh Herbs; Vegan Backpacking; Starting a Vegan Food Manufacturing company. Ed Coffin, RD, shares his experience using a co-packer.; Living Among Coconuts; A Vegan in China, Part 2; Which Ingredients are Acceptable to Vegans?; Dietary advice for hot flashes during menopause.; Vegan Cooking Tips ; Quick Breakfast in a Mug or Travel Cup, by Chef Nancy Berkoff; Jim Dunn’s Work with Neglected Youth, by Whitney Blomquist; Which Sugars Aren’t Processed with Bone Char?

For more back issues, visit: http://www.vrg.org/journal

Subscribe to the Vegetarian Journal to receive current issues in print! To subscribe and to support vegetarian research and outreach, either:

• join online with $25 USA; $35 Canada/Mexico; $45 other countries
• call (410) 366-8343 and order by phone with your Mastercard® or Visa®
• or complete this form

A reader asked about taking B12 in excess of what we mentioned in our My Vegan Plate. Here’s the response from Reed Mangels, PhD, RD:

Our MyVeganPlate page suggests taking 25 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily if you don’t regularly use foods fortified with vitamin B12. It can be difficult to find a low-dose vitamin B12 supplement. It would be fine to take a supplement that has 100 micrograms of vitamin B12 daily. We’re able to provide a bit more detail on our website (http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.php) and in the newest edition of Simply Vegan where we suggest taking a daily vitamin B12 supplement of 25-100 micrograms or a twice weekly vitamin B12 supplement of 1000 micrograms. The more vitamin B12 you take, the lower the percent that your body absorbs. So, if you take a high dose supplement, the vitamin B12 that is not absorbed simply passes through your intestines and is excreted.

The contents of this 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.

Are you in the 51+ age category? If so, you might find these vegan menu plans helpful: four different calorie levels – 1600,1800, 2000, and 2200 – are outlined in order to meet the needs of 51+ age men and women of varying activity levels and budgets.

In general, a 1600-calorie diet should meet the needs of an inactive older female; an 1800-calorie diet should meet the needs of an active older female; a 2000-calorie diet should meet the needs of an inactive older male; and a 2200 calorie diet should meet the needs of an active older male.

See: http://www.vrg.org/seniors/veganmenusfor51+.pdf

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including the 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 employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

By Kitty Jones, VRG Intern

Everyone is different and thus the way in which you approach people will always be situational. There are so many reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle and your decision to be vegan has a ripple effect on those around you. It is estimated that if someone goes vegetarian they will be saving 30 animals each year, if they go vegan they save 100 (these are not perfect numbers and depend on the individual’s eating habits). These tips can apply to both your friends and family.

Most people haven’t thought of going vegan because they simply don’t know about the issues. The first step is to educate your friends about why this is an important switch to make. Sometimes it can be frustrating or difficult to explain why veganism is important. Documentaries can be very helpful in conveying the vegan message. Throughout the years I’ve shown my friends Peaceable Kingdom, Earthlings, Forks Over Knives, Vegucated, Fowl Play, and short videos like Meet your Meat and 10 Billion Lives. I feel these videos have a profound effect on people’s perceptions about veganism and their responsibility to change the way they eat.

Consider where a person is at and try not to overwhelm or preach to them. When I first went vegan I could hardly stop talking to everyone about it. This is a stereotype about vegans and can be a huge turn off for potential vegans. You don’t want to inundate your friend with too much vegan information or too many vegan rules. It may be less intimidating for your friend if you stick to the basics instead of quickly going in to ingredients like honey, lactic acid, or shellac.

Make and eat vegan food with your friends and lead them by example. The way to one’s heart is often through their stomach. Try adapting their favorite dishes by replacing the animal product ingredients with vegan ones. This works with most meals and helps people realize that their life doesn’t have to turn upside down when they change to a plant-based diet. I often host vegan potlucks at my house, where vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike get together and enjoy vegan food. You may also try taking your friend grocery shopping with you and showing them what kinds of food they can buy when eating vegan. For extra encouragement you can give your friends recipes or cookbooks to take home and try out. Having recipes in their kitchen gives them incentive to use them!

I often host vegan bake sale fundraisers and potlucks. I have my friends on various diets help me cook and bake vegan goodies, because that in and of itself is a form of activism. Those people are physically making vegan food and it’s becoming more normal to them.

Encourage them but don’t alienate them. You don’t want to make people feel like they have to be vegan or else they’re not cool or a part of some elite club. That kind of pressure can backfire and make people resent veganism. It can also push people away if they feel like veganism is all or nothing. It sounds elementary, but everyone slips up sometimes and if your friend does, remind them that it’s okay and to try again. Every time we eat we’re making a choice. If your friend accidentally eats something with dairy or eggs in it, they can simply make sure to avoid that product at their next meal.

Introducing your friends to the idea of vegan living is definitely planting seeds in their lives. For those interested in going vegan, the best thing you can do is to lead by example. Be patient; share what you know and your food.

Our next Call-A-Dietitian Day will be Saturday, July 20, 2013, from 12 Noon to 3 PM EST. Appointments are in 15 minute increments.

If you have general nutrition questions, Ed Coffin, RD will be available by telephone. To reserve a 15-minute time slot, please email the VRG office at [email protected] or call (410) 366-8343. There is no charge, but if you do commit, please call on time. Otherwise you are taking someone else’s spot.

Ed Coffin holds a bachelor’s degree in clinical nutrition and is a registered dietitian. He has clinical experience from a variety of facilities such as Women Infants and Children and Veteran’s Affairs. Ed has worked in nearly every part of the natural and organic foods sector from logistics to packaging and production.

Please be advised that these sessions are not individualized nutritional counseling. Such advice should only be provided through direct in-person contact with a qualified health professional.

By Kitty Jones, VRG Intern

If you are still a student, you should look through some of these jobs to help you explore career paths and what course of study/experience you need to pursue to obtain jobs which interest you.

Animals
Found Animals Foundation
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
The Marine Mammal Center
Humane Society of the United States
Mercy for Animals
Humane Society, Silicon Valley
Farm Sanctuary
Animal Legal Defense League
Animal Place
Pasado’s Safe Haven
Compassion Over Killing
Alley Cat Allies
Animal Welfare Institute
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Chimp Sanctuary Northwest
Pets Are Worth Saving, Chicago
Washington Animal Rescue League
Performing Animal Welfare Society
Animal Humane Society
ASPCA
Humane League
Pet Finder
PAWS

Environment
ForestEthics
Environmental Defense Fund
The Nature Conservancy
Los Padres ForestWatch
Earth Justice
Wildlife Conservation Society
Natural Resources Defense Council
League of Conservation Voters
Rainforest Alliance
The David Bower Center
The Trust for Public Land
Ocean Conservancy
Earth Island Institute
Beyond Pesticides
Sierra Club
Rainforest Action Network
GreenPeace
Center for Biological Diversity
Pesticide Action Network
350.org
Ocean Futures Society
The Story of Stuff
Environment Jobs in Canada

Food justice
Food Shift
Rainbow Cooperative Grocery
Center for Food Safety
Food and Water Watch
Worldwide Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF)

Social justice/civil rights
Democracy Now
Planned Parenthood
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Amnesty International

Wildlife
World Wildlife Fund
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Born Free USA
Defenders of Wildlife
Wildlife Society

Websites where you can find more jobs opportunities!
http://www.opportunityknocks.org
http://aldf.org/section.php?id=104
http://www.nonprofitjobs.org/search_jobs.php
http://www.bridgespan.org/Nonprofit_Jobs/Search_Jobs.aspx?gclid=CLLPg_Ws3LcCFRCe4AodvlcA-w
http://vegnews.com/veg/jobs.do
http://jobs.veganmainstream.com/
http://veganjobs.jobamatic.com/a/jobs/find-jobs
http://www.environmentalcareer.info/jobs/
http://www.ecoemploy.com/jobs/
http://www.greatgreencareers.com
http://www.nwrawildlife.org/job-search
Vegan Jobs in Canada

More info on good jobs:
http://www.storyofstuff.org/2011/11/17/monica-wilson-more-jobs-less-pollution/

This list is not an endorsement of any particular organization or job. Make sure each employer or position fits your criteria for a suitable job.

By Laura Mcguiness, VRG Intern

When I decided to restore my school garden, I was lucky enough to already have somebody who possessed a lot of useful knowledge about gardening: my mom. If you are thinking about starting a garden and are not blessed with a friend or family member that possesses knowledge about gardens, start researching!

Information about starting a school garden is available online, in bookstores, and even in libraries. Most public libraries are free, so stop by your local one, sign up for a membership, and head on over to the 635’s (The Dewey Decimal classification for horticulture!).

Organizing a Group of People
It is easy to decide to restore/start a garden in your school or community. I just woke up one day and decided I was tired of seeing that once-glorious plot of land sitting neglected behind our biology building. I also decided that I was sick of staring at the school’s only vegan lunch option: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That is when I got the idea to start a school garden. I could simultaneously encourage others to grow vegetables as well as prove to the school district that students really did care about healthy lifestyles and would appreciate a more vegan and vegetarian-friendly lunch option.

Once this idea had taken shape, I started brainstorming how I could make it happen. I figured it was definitely a viable option; I was already farther ahead than most with my garden-knowledgeable mother. What I didn’t realize however, was how difficult it would be to find a group of people who were interested and reliable to keep the garden prospering.

What I decided to do was propose my idea to the president of the high school’s Environmental Club. I knew that by gaining her approval, I would gain the approval of the club’s constituents as well. By doing this, I was able to integrate my garden project into the club, thus gaining a group of people who were already interested in environmental/health issues and would be willing to make this restoration happen. I started attending the Environmental Club meetings every week, promoting my idea, and working with the club’s overseers to start and fund the restoration process. Eventually, I was granted a hardworking group of individuals who were eager and willing to get this garden started.

Whether you’re starting a garden in your high school or your community, it’s necessary to find a group of people that possess the same ideals needed to carry out a garden. At your school it may be an Environmental Club, a Horticulture Club, Botany Club, or a random club that has members that just really like to garden. Talk to them! Write up a proposal stating exactly what you would like to do in the garden and pass it around.

It’s also important to receive support from a teacher. When a teacher is behind a student project, it gains recognition from the school (and possibly even the district) as being a legitimate task. The teacher can always potentially act as an authority figure, as well. This can prove useful if the project gets too difficult for a group of students to handle by themselves.

So if you’re thinking about starting a garden, it’s important to look for people who would be eager to work in that environment. Look towards a group of people, your friends, or a club and start recruiting others. Don’t forget to ask a teacher to oversee your project, though; you may need an authority figure to legitimize your up-and-coming garden.

What Do I Need?

1. Compost pile
• Composting is a way to recycle garden waste while providing important soil amendments that are necessary to grow strong and healthy plants.
• There are many different ways to start a compost pile, but the easiest way would be to mix equal parts green or wet material and brown or dry material. Water and fluff the pile to add air, and leave it alone. Here you have a compost pile, and when it begins to take on a dark brown color with a crumbly texture and an earthy aroma, it’s ready for use! If you see large chunks still left in the pile, remove them and save them for your next batch of compost.
• When the compost is ready to use, you have a variety of options to choose from when deciding how to work it into your garden.
1. You can spread it over your top layer of soil.
2. You can mix the compost with the soil.
3. You can plant directly in compost.
• It would be wise to research composting before starting a pile.
2. Find areas for the plants.
• Raised planters are nice because they raise the plants off of the ground and minimize weeds (which can really be a pain in the neck).
• There are two types of raised planters, one cheaper than the other but less efficient.
1. Raised beds – dig 4-8 inches into the ground and create mounds of dirt where you can plant. (This is much cheaper to build than the planter boxes, but it is not necessarily the preferred option.)
2. Planter boxes – obtain pre-made planters or build your own using donated recycled wood. (This takes a little bit of time and money, but is worth it in the long run.)
3. Tools
• Every garden needs tools, but they can be really expensive! There are a few ways you can obtain tools while spending minimal amounts of your time, money, and energy.
1. Ask neighborhood stores to donate their tools or money to the cause.
2. Ask fellow students to buy one tool each.
3. Ask for students to lend their parent’s tools for use in the garden (with the parent’s permission, of course.)

How Do I Start Planting?

1. Clear the land.*
• It is important to start with a clean, flat, and weeded area. If your area is especially overgrown, host a weeding party! You can provide lemonade, music, even food, and pull some weeds while having fun.
• Once you weed the site (and have fun doing it), water it, keep your eye out for any remaining weeds to sprout, and pull them as well!
2. Prepare the soil.
• Make sure there are no weeds or rocks in the soil.
• Add in your compost to provide amendments.
3. Pick plants.
• This is the fun part! But sometimes (like in my case) it can be frustrating, as well. When I started this step of my garden restoration project I was dreaming of all the different plants I could grow for the autumn planting season. Unfortunately, I had to learn a little lesson about growing seasons.
• Take a look at: http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/planting-schedules. This website will tell you the planting schedules around the world for different types of vegetables.
4. Plant.
• In my area, we had a local organization called Veggielution that had their own community garden. My school was able to receive seedlings as donations from them which we eagerly planted in our garden. Other students bought their own seeds and raised them until they were ready to plant.
• When it is time to plant, organize a day where everybody will go out to the garden and gently plant their vegetables. This is usually a day of great pride and the once barren area starts looking like a real garden.
• Take this opportunity to create a watering and caring schedule for the garden. Have people sign up and give five minutes of their time on one particular day of the week to come in and care for the garden. If you’re comfortable with it, give them your contact information so they can contact you if need be.
• Make sure the people volunteering have been taught the proper way to water (low pressure, close to the root. Not on top of the plant or directly over it.)
• Make sure those volunteering know the difference between weeds and plants. It is inevitable that you or one of your volunteers will accidentally tear out a plant they assumed was a weed, but try to minimize that by providing them pictures of common weeds compared to pictures of plants growing in your garden.
• Discuss the idea of giving and receiving. It is common courtesy in a school/community garden that if you take a vegetable, you give a little bit of your time to the garden. Don’t just break in and take something! Do a little weeding or watering first.

How to Harvest Your Plants
You will know it is time to harvest your plants when you start seeing vegetables growing. Do a bit of research to determine when a particular vegetable is ripe and ready to harvest. When the majority of the vegetables are ready, organize a harvesting day. Invite people to come and pick vegetables. But remember, there is a safe and a dangerous way to harvest your crops.

1. Twist gently. Never pull. If you are removing a tomato, twist the stem gently until it breaks OR use a pair of small gardening shears to cut the stem.
2. If you are harvesting something like chard, kale, or lettuce: pick the leaves on the outside first, not the inside.
3. It is important to research this and learn for yourself, as well as teach others, the proper way to harvest a plant without causing it harm.

What to Do With the Food
Now that you have all of this food, what will you do with it? My school had a few different ideas:

1. Take the vegetables home and make your family a delicious vegan dinner!
2. Take the vegetables home and make a dish to bring into a class potluck (have each student make a vegan dish using the vegetables they took home.) This would introduce others to the tastiness of vegan food.
3. Host a school-wide fundraiser by selling vegetables picked from your garden. (This would also be a really great way to advertise your garden, potentially get more supporters, and promote a vegetable-based lifestyle.)
4. Start a booth at your neighborhood farmers market. This would be a great way to get in touch with the community and raise funds for your garden in the process.
5. Give the vegetables away to the community! Sometimes, just holding a vegetable stand in your neighborhood, donating the vegetables to a homeless shelter, or giving them to a person in need is even more satisfying that making money or eating it yourself.

Be creative! Use this garden as a way to network and promote vegetarian and vegan-living by proving to people it is not that hard to grow great-tasting vegetables!

*Be careful when clearing the land. If there was a garden planted in this area previously, you may still have valuable vegetables and fruits that you don’t want to mistake for weeds and tear out. Look carefully at what you are pulling out and be mindful to identify and mark off any plants you do not want touched.

By Laura McGuiness, VRG Intern

The 2013 Animal Rights National Conference was a huge success. As a vegan myself, there was nothing more exciting than spending my weekend with hundreds of fellow animal rights advocators who share my same vision.

I found it intriguing that so many different people flew, drove, or rode to this one spot just to meet others and learn about animal rights. While at The Vegetarian Resource Group booth, people would walk around and take a look at VRG’s many cookbooks/materials. We were able to talk with the attendees about where they were from, why they were there, and even why they chose the particular book they bought. One interesting man came in to buy a cookbook for vegan cupcakes and informed us that he is part of an organization that is creating the first ever farm animal refuge in Mexico. He gave us his business card so we could possibly reach out to Spanish-speaking countries and in return, we provided him with a free copy of his cupcake book!

The other booths were interesting to visit. The different organizations and their respective ideas were absolutely fascinating to see; I had no idea there was a group solely dedicated to helping animals in India (Help Animals India) or “Kale Yes! Vegan Fashions,” who make vegan-friendly t-shirts sporting nothing but a picture of kale. It was a lot of fun to learn about the different groups.

It was amazing to learn about the different approaches to animal rights and how each approach has its own place within the movement. It was intriguing to attend these workshops, meet new people, learn from their ideas, and build my own opinions off of these new experiences.

To intern at The Vegetarian Resource Group, see http://www.vrg.org/student/
To volunteer at VRG booths, email [email protected]
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at http://www.vrg.org/donate

By Kitty Jones, VRG Intern

First of all, you deserve serious props for everything you do and have done for the vegan and vegetarian movement. Being veg in and of itself is a marvelous achievement. Nevertheless, perhaps now more than ever, there are so many causes and issues worth fighting for around the world. There are also countless actions you can take and decisions for you to make to address these issues. The vegan movement ties in not only animal cruelty issues, but also human health problems and environmental degradation. Being an activist opens you up to all kinds of new information, a lot of which is negative and can be completely overwhelming at times. However, keep in mind that you are a single individual and can only do so much; yet you can do something and make a significant difference in the world. Maintaining your optimism and emotional health is very important if you’re going to be an effective, long-term activist. Luckily there are many ways to avoid burning out.

Burnout refers to when an activist is overwhelmed with stress or feels unable to deal with the challenges or workload of being an activist. People may feel more irritable and cynical or depressed and simply exhausted, or have other painful emotions that hinder their effectiveness as activists. Some people do not fully realize that they are burning out and how much it is affecting them emotionally or physically. If you know of someone who may not be handling their stress very well, perhaps you can offer them help and some advice. There is a lot to deal with, even on a daily basis being an activist; burnout is hardly the individual’s fault. I know that I sometimes feel defeated and disheartened by simply checking my e-mails from various animal rights, human rights, and environmental protection groups each day.

In order to overcome and proactively prevent burning out, you will need techniques to manage stress and healthy coping mechanisms. One of the best things I can recommend is exercise. Exercising, whether it’s running, walking a dog, hiking in the woods, or going to the gym, boosts your brain’s production of feel-good neurotransmitters (called endorphins) and has been proven to reduce feelings of depression. In addition, exercising is a form of meditation in that the concentration on movement helps you forget your day’s tensions. People literally feel happier and often more self-confident when they exercise.

Exercise has helped me personally. I experienced a deep depression early on in my activism. I refused to allow myself to relax, watch a movie, play a game, or do any other activity that I felt was a waste of time because it wasn’t helping the world. I didn’t stop my activism, but I was being completely overwhelmed by all the torture animals endure, all the rainforests being clear-cut, and all the people in sweatshops. I was developing very harmful coping mechanisms until I tried running. A few summers ago, after volunteering with the Humane League on Warped Tour I went for an hour-long jog and I found it to be very relaxing and helpful for me. I now literally jog everyday and it alleviates a lot of my stress. I realize exercise isn’t everyone’s bag, so here are some other ideas.

Taking care of your body can do wonders for your emotional health, which is why eating healthier is also beneficial. Although a vegan or vegetarian diet is usually healthier than the average American’s, there are probably some foods you could add to or remove from your diet that would make you feel healthier and happier. Try to reduce your consumption of junk foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fats. You’ve heard it a million times; but you can’t have too many raw fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.

Getting good sleep is crucial to your overall health. There is a biochemical connection between sleep and stress. Lack of sleep puts extra stress on your body, increasing the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Most people need seven to nine hours of sleep, so try to be within that range.

Socializing is a vital part of a one’s psychological wellbeing. Spend some time with your friends, just “hanging-out” and do things not related to activism such as cooking and watching movies (comedies are best; the more you laugh, the better). Or if you want to do activist-type things together try to make them fun and enjoyable. Many activists tend to surround themselves with like-minded activists. Being with other activists is wonderful and can build up your morale for the cause, provide much-needed support and a sense of community. Some people, however, can marginalize themselves within a small activist community, isolated from other people who are not vegan or vegetarian. I would encourage activists to maintain friendships outside of the activist circle.

If you’re feeling burnt out and powerless, it can actually help to get more involved in the movement. Volunteer work, protests, vegan bake sale fundraisers, and other events give you a sense of accomplishment. Check out your local shelters, community gardens, bicycle co-ops, non-profits, or vegan advocacy groups. See what you can and want to do to help out. When I’m feeling stressed out I find it worthwhile to volunteer with Food Not Bombs or Action for Animals. I feel so satisfied that I’ve ‘done my part’ that I feel more relaxed.

Remember that you are not alone in your efforts and that you are helping to make the world a better place. There are other activists out there and we’re all doing the best we can, keeping in mind what we can handle. You cannot solve every problem and you’re not expected to. Relax, smile, laugh, eat some fresh fruit, and go for a walk! You’ve got this. You can do it.