by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Wendy’s now offers skin-on French fries made from whole Russet potatoes and seasoned with sea salt. Ingredient information posted on their website indicates that the “natural flavors” used in these fries are vegetable-derived. All other ingredients appear to be all-vegetable or synthetic.

The VRG called Wendy’s in May 2011 to find out more information about this new side menu item. We spoke with Rachel, a consumer relations specialist. When we asked if the Natural-Cut French Fries were all-vegetable, she replied “I can read off the ingredients from the list to you; that’s all I can say.” When we inquired whether she would confirm that the fries were all-vegetable, as they appear to be, she would not confirm it.

Rachel stated that there is no designated fryer for French fries at Wendy’s. In fact, the fries are cooked in the same oil as Wendy’s fish and chicken products. Rachel also said that “even if there were designated fryers, cross-contamination [with meat products] would still be possible because the cooking oil used in all the fryers would be filtered at the same time.”

Wendy’s Natural-Cut French Fries are available at all participating Wendy’s restaurants nationwide.

The following study participation request is from a doctoral student at Walden University. This research is part of a doctoral dissertation examining the health status of vegans vs vegetarians as measured by BMI (Body Mass Index).

Please click on the following link to access the survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJVXJGC

A reader was told by his doctor to reduce his intake of oxalic acid and asked about oxalic acid content in foods. This is what VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD had to say:

Some soy products are high in oxalic acid. Others have lower levels. Generally, for people who avoid oxalic acid due to kidney stones, a food containing 10 milligrams or less of oxalic acid per serving is considered acceptable in limited amounts. Researchers in Iowa looked at how much oxalic acid was in a serving of tofu and found that the following brands had less than 10 milligrams of oxalic acid in a 3-ounce serving:

• Pete’s
• Mori-Nu
• Hinoichi
• PacSoy
• Soy Deli
• White Wave
• Azumaya
• Nasoya
• Small Planet

Of all the brands they tested, only Soy Deli had more than 10 milligrams of oxalic acid per serving.

They also found that 1 cup of Pacific Soy and WestSoy Soymilk (the only brands they tested) had less than 10 milligrams of oxalic acid. Soy sauce was also found to be low in oxalic acid. General recommendations that I’ve seen for a low oxalic acid diet call for 2-3 servings daily of foods that have 2-10 milligrams of oxalic acid per serving. Foods falling into this category would be 3 ounces of tofu, 1 cup of Pacific Soy soymilk, 1 cup of WestSoy soymilk, 1 tablespoon of roasted soynuts, and 2 Tablespoons of soy nut butter (not low carb soy nut butter).

Soy foods that are too high in oxalic acid for many low oxalate diets are edamame, textured soy protein, and tempeh.

Speak with your doctor and dietitian concerning your upper limit of oxalic acid.

The reference for the study on oxalic acid in soy products is:

Al-Wahsh IA, Horner HT, Palmer RG, Reddy MB, Massey LK.
Oxalate and phytate of soy foods.
J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Jul 13; 53 ( 14 ): 5670-4 .

The USDA has published a table of the oxalic acid content of vegetables at:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Other/oxalic.html

This scientific article also has information about oxalic acid in some foods:
http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v57/n4/pdf/4491506a.pdf

The Oxalosis and Hyperoxaluria foundation has published tables of oxalates in foods.
See: http://www.ohf.org/docs/Oxalate2008.pdf

The contents of this blog, 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.

To Support VRG research and education, please donate at:
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

Come visit VRG’s booth at these events!

• Ecofair 2011 – Reisterstown, MD – 6/5
• Federal Hill Jazz Festival – Baltimore, MD – 6/5
• Richmond Vegetarian Festival – Richmond, VA – 6/18
• VegFest Colorado – Golden, CO – 7/2
• Naperville-Chicago Veggie Fest – Naperville, IL – 8/12-8/13
• HampdenFest – Baltimore, MD – 9/10
• Natural Products Expo East – Baltimore, MD – 9/22-9/24
• VRG’s Vegan Indian Dinner – San Diego, CA – 9/25
• American Dietetic Association Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo – San Diego, CA – 9/24-9/27
• San Francisco VegFest – San Francisco, CA – 10/2-10/3

Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Food Ingredients is now available on Amazon Kindle!
Price: $6.92, includes VAT & free international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
Click here to order the Kindle Edition

Also available on Amazon.co.uk for £4.26

The Guide to Food Ingredients is indispensable in deciphering ingredient labels. It lists the uses, sources, and definitions of over 200 common food ingredients. This easy-to-read list of ingredients commonly found in many foods and beverages indicates whether they are vegetarian, vegan, typically vegetarian, typically vegan, may be non-vegetarian, or non-vegetarian. The emphasis is on commercial sources of ingredients most commonly used today. Each entry lists commercial sources, alternative names (if any), foods or beverages containing the ingredient, and in some cases manufacturer’s information about current supply sourcing.

Print copies of Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Food Ingredients are available for $6 from our online catalog, and can also be ordered by calling us at 410-366-8343, M-F, 9-5.

Click here to view FAQs about VRG’s new Visa® Platinum Rewards Card such as: Is there an annual fee? What is the APR on the card? What can I redeem for with my points earned?

VRG’s new affinity Visa® Platinum Rewards credit card is now available!

When a cardholder activates the card, VRG receives $50. Then for the life of the program, VRG will receive a portion of every dollar that each cardholder charges. The VRG Visa® Platinum Rewards card offers qualified cardholders exceptional benefits including no annual fee, a low APR and reward points for shopping at participating merchants.

Add your support with every purchase when you use the The Vegetarian Resource Group Visa® Platinum Rewards card. To apply, see:
http://www.cardpartner.com/app/vrg

Recently VRG was visited by dietetic interns from the University of Maryland Dietetic Internship Program. Below is one student’s report about the day. Thanks for visiting with us – we enjoyed having you all here at the office!

The Vegetarian Resource Group
By: Kait Fortunato

I sit here tonight with my grilled veggie burger and home made sweet potato fries reflecting on the great day my fellow interns and I had at the Vegetarian Resource Group. While I am not vegetarian, I do try to eat a plant based diet and participate in Meatless Monday. Not only did we receive a wealth of printed materials and educational brochures to gain knowledge of a vegetarian diet to share with our clients, we also took park in intriguing discussions regarding ethical concerns in dietetics. As a follow up to the recent release of the Dietary Guidelines we split into groups to create meal plans for vegan clients based on certain calorie limits. It was fun to come up with dairy, protein, and grain sources while adding variety and considering all age groups. We also had fun taste testing various vegan items including Justin’s maple almond butter, BBQ flavored Pirates Booty, rice chips, carrot ginger soup, and vegan granola and animal crackers. The Vegetarian Resource Group has an excellent website that includes recipes, a blog, a guide for eating out, handouts and resources, and list serves to discuss various topics with people having the same questions and concerns as you are. The group works closely with 3 Registered Dietitians who help create resources and publications and assist with list serve questions. This group is great for new vegetarians seeking guidance, parents of vegetarian children, and even experienced vegetarians/vegans looking for new recipes and information. All in all it was a great experience with a kind staff and I am grateful to have learned so much to share with clients in the future!

If you would like to support Vegetarian Resource Group projects, such as education of dietetic interns, please donate at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565.

The Vegetarian Resource Group is proud to present Rachel Sandalow-Ash, from Brookline, Massachusetts with a $5,000 college scholarship for her work in promoting a vegetarian lifestyle in her high school. Through her commitment to social justice and vegetarianism, Rachel has done an outstanding job of educating her community about the environmental benefits and sustainability of vegetarianism.

Rachel was president of her school's Environmental Action Club (EAC), a position she had held since her sophomore year of high school. Through the EAC, Rachel helped implement a 'Meatless Mondays' program at her school's cafeteria. The menu for Mondays includes such delicious options as vegetarian chili and burgers, baked ziti, hummus, and baba ganoush. 'Meatless Mondays' also helped increase the number of vegetarian options on other days of the week. In addition, education and publicity components are included, something which illustrates Rachel's commitment to increasing awareness.

Rachel also helped promote vegetarianism through her work with her school's Student Action for Justice and Education club (SAJE). With SAJE, Rachel helped coordinate the yearly Hunger Banquet, which highlights economic disparity and access to healthy food. Rachel describes this event as very 'pro-vegetarian,' as it emphasized vegetarianism as one of the most healthy lifestyles for people. Her work with this event shows Rachel's commitment to social and food justice– something she hopes to continue with in college, saying, "I am passionate about environmental and food justice issues, and if I worked in those fields in the future, I would be able to promote vegetarianism nearly every day."

Rachel's commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle is also apparent in her work to restore a dilapidated greenhouse at her high school. She also had an all-vegetarian menu and gave a speech about the importance of caring for the earth at her bat mitzvah. A vegetarian since the age of eight, Rachel says, "I knew that my own individual actions would not be enough to stop the entire industry…[but] if each person takes positive individual actions, then the world will slowly but surely become a better place. For me, vegetarianism was and is a personal choice with positive societal consequences."

The Vegetarian Resource Group is also proud to present Nicole (Niki) Gianni of Chicago, Illinois with a $5,000 college scholarship for her outstanding work in combating animal cruelty and her lifestyle as a dedicated vegan. Niki was the co-president of the Lane Tech Vegetarian-Animals Rights Club at her high school.

Niki became a vegetarian when she was twelve years old, and switched to a vegan lifestyle a few months later. She became committed to activism soon after, beginning to volunteer with Mercy for Animals, an animal rights non-profit that promotes vegetarianism. Niki helped organize events such as hosting 'feed-ins,' allowing people to sample vegan foods for free. She has also participated in over a hundred demonstrations and protests against inhumane treatment of animals. Kenny Torella, the Chicago campaign coordinator for Mercy for Animals says, "In my years of activism I've yet to meet someone so mature, dedicated and passionate for their age as Niki is. As long as there are activists like Niki, there is hope for animals."

Niki's work as co-president of the Lane Tech Vegetarian-Animal Rights Club also shows her dedication and commitment to activism and veganism. The club hosts speakers and screens documentaries, working hard to educate the school and community about animal rights. Niki also fosters several animals such as chickens and rabbits.

Niki tries to reach out and educate as many people as possible about the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, efforts which have included speaking at a local high school to about a hundred students about a vegetarian diet. As she says, "I try to promote vegetarianism in my day-to-day life with a personal goal of speaking to one person a day, minimum, about why they should consider going veg."

Niki plans to continue her activism into college, where she would like to study to be a veterinary technician in order to further help animals.

The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) is a non-profit organization which educates the public about vegetarian and vegan diets. A vegetarian does not eat meat, fish, or fowl. A vegan is a vegetarian who also does not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

To learn more information about vegetarian and/or vegan diets, go to www.vrg.org or write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

The VRG also offers a book called Vegans Know How to Party by chef Nancy Berkoff. Vegans Know How to Party contains recipes for a variety of different types of vegan party foods, from cakes and desserts to vegan pizza and hot dogs. It also includes tips on planning parties for vegan teenagers. To order, send $25 to the Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or go to www.vrg.org/catalog.

The VRG sponsors two annual $5,000 scholarships for graduating high school seniors who have promoted vegetarianism in their communities. Applicants are judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Entries should be sent in a student's senior year before February 20th. Early submission is encouraged. For more information visit http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm.

Excerpted from:

Vegans Know How to Party
OVER 465 VEGANS RECIPES, INCLUDING DESSERTS, APPETIZERS, AND MAIN DISHES
By Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD
Purchase a copy for $25.00 here

Kebobs with Pineapple and Red Pepper
Serves 10

1/2 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/4 cup white vinegar combined with 1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup minced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound 1-inch chunks extra-firm tofu, seitan, or tempeh (about 3 cups)
2 cups 1-inch pieces red bell pepper
2 cups 1-inch chunks fresh pineapple

Combine soy sauce, oil, wine or vinegar and water, onions, and garlic in a large plastic or glass bowl. Add tofu, seitan, or tempeh and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove tofu, seitan, or tempeh from marinade. Save marinade. Preheat grill or broiler. On skewers, alternate tofu, seitan, or tempeh with red pepper and pineapple. Place kebobs in a shallow pan. Drizzle with marinade. If using a grill, place directly on grill. Grill or broil for 3-4 minutes, just until pepper begins to brown. Serve alone, on a bed of couscous or cooked bulgur wheat, or with a fresh spinach salad.

Total Calories Per Serving: 135
Total Fat as % of Daily Value: 13% Protein: 6 gm
Fat: 8 gm
Carbohydrates: 10 gm
Calcium: 93 mg
Iron: 1 mg
Sodium: 518 mg
Dietary Fiber: 1 gm

Thank you to these volunteers for helping The Vegetarian Resource Group with our college scholarship contest:

Ryan Andrews
Julia Hart
Lisa Martin
Shannon Merck
Susan Petrie
Jenny Saccenti
Linda Tyler
Amy Vaughn
Kristi Watson

For information about VRG’s scholarship contest, see
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

If you would like to volunteer to respond to scholarship entrants next January through March, please e-mail Sonja at [email protected]

If you would like to make a donation towards our scholarship contest, please go to
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

Please indicate if the donation is towards a college scholarship, a needs based internship, or assisting with publicity, reporting, and administering the contest.

Thanks!