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

photo from Matt & Nat

Warmer weather has arrived in many parts of the world and you may need a new pair of vegan sandals. Here are online shops selling a wide variety of vegan sandals from various countries:

USA

Bhava Studio: American company offering women’s sandals.

https://bhavastudio.com/collections/sandals

Matt & Natt: American company selling women’s sandals. Shipped to several countries.

https://us.mattandnat.com/collections/sandals

Mooshoes: American company selling women’s and men’s sandals.

https://www.mooshoes.com/collections/womens-sandals

https://www.mooshoes.com/collections/mens-sandals

Okabashi: American company selling sandals for women and men.

https://www.okabashi.com/collections/womens-sandals

https://www.okabashi.com/collections/mens-sandals

Third Oak: American company offering women’s sandals.

https://explorethirdoak.com/collections/sandals

Vegan Chic: American company selling women’s and men’s sandals.

https://www.veganchic.com/women/vegan+sandals/search.aspx

https://www.veganchic.com/men/vegan+sandals/search.aspx

Europe

BioWorld: Company from Spain that offers women’s sandals.

https://www.bioveganos.com/c182148-sandalias-de-mujer.html

Freerangers: British company selling women’s and men’s sandals.

https://www.freerangers.co.uk/ladies-sandals

https://www.freerangers.co.uk/mens-sandals

Green Laces: Swedish shop offering men’s and women’s sandals.

https://greenlaces.se/produkt-kategori/shop/shop-skor/shop-herr-skor/shop-herr-skor-sandaler/

https://greenlaces.se/produkt-kategori/shop/shop-skor/shop-dam-skor/shop-dam-skor-sandaler/

Vegetarian Shoes: British company selling women’s sandals.

https://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/womens/womens_sandals/10153_0c.html

Canada

Native Shoes: Canadian company selling sandals for women and children.

https://www.nativeshoes.com/womens/sandals

https://www.nativeshoes.com/girls/sandals

https://www.nativeshoes.com/boys/sandals

Australia

Holster Australia: Australian company offering sandals for women. Will ship to USA.

https://www.holsterfashion.com/collections/sandals

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate

Debra Daniels-Zeller provides information on selecting and preparing fresh pea dishes including Braised Pea Shoots, Pea Shoots and Quinoa, Minted Sugar Snap Peas and Leeks, English Pea Guacamole, Sesame-Ginger Snow Peas, Snow Pea Slaw with Red Peppers, Mac and Peas, and Penne Pasta, Sugar Snap Peas, and Tomatoes. Enjoy!

The entire article can be read here: A Passion for Peas

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

photo from Ten Little Shoes

The following online stores offer vegan baby and toddler shoes.

Clamfeet: Offers adorable baby shoes and matching shoes for mothers. They have an eco-canvas exterior, organic cotton lining, and rubberized grip sole. They are washable. https://clamfeet.com/

Happy Little Soles: This UK company offers a vegan section of shoes for boys and girls. They ship to the US. https://www.happylittlesoles.co.uk/

Ten Little Shoes: Offers vegan shoes for kids. https://tenlittle.com/

Tom’s: Sells vegan shoes for children worldwide. Search under the word vegan. https://www.toms.com/us/kids/shoes

Vegan Chic: Offers a few options for children including The Kid’s Ramos by Keep. https://www.veganchic.com/kids/vegan+shoes/search.aspx

Photo by Alina Matveyche

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Although airports are more likely to indicate which food establishments have “vegetarian/vegan” options, my experience is that many places don’t have much in the way of vegan options other than beverages or maybe a bag of nuts. If you have an unexpectedly long layover or a canceled flight, you can make do but, all too often, choices are limited, and prices are high. That’s why I usually bring my own food. My criteria for plane and airport food include:

• Not messy.
• Little chance of leakage. I don’t want anything that could seep out of a sealed container into my carry-on bag.
• Meets TSA regulations.
• No strong smells out of kindness for my seatmates.
• Does not need to be kept cold or warm. Also, no food safety concerns.

Here are some foods I bring for the plane:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Resealable bags of nuts
• Trail mix or granola
• Bagels
• Nut butter and jelly in a tortilla – this doesn’t seem to get as soggy as a PB and J sandwich
• Carrot sticks
• Dried fruit – dried mango is a treat
• Vegan jerky
• Energy bars or granola bars

Nothing terribly exciting but it’s enough to get me from one coast to the other without hunger pangs.

Here are some more ideas for food to bring to the airport and on the plane: Budget-Friendly Airport Tips for the Conscious Vegan Traveler

Here are some ideas for finding vegan food in U.S. airports

Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD offers these ideas for adding nuts in your menus:

• Add to salad dressings: Creations include a basil walnut vinaigrette or creamy salad dressing with almonds, mustard, and dill with added chopped pine nuts.
• Add to sandwiches: Chopped walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and pecans add a toasty flavor and extra texture to grilled vegetable sandwiches, falafel, and hummus. Or add chopped nuts to smooth peanut, almond, or soy butters to make a crunchy sandwich.
• Use as garnish: Increase protein, flavor, and texture by adding to bean and rice casseroles, baked potatoes, hot and cold cereal, baking batters, puddings, or vegan ice cream sundaes.
• Add to pasta: Top tomato-sauced pasta with chopped almonds or pine nuts, creamy-sauced pastas with walnuts or pecans, or toss pasta with olive oil, sautéed garlic, and chopped almonds.
• Add to sauces: Stir peanut butter or soy butter into mushroom sauces for a Thai effect; add ground almonds or pine nuts to creamy sauces and pecans or pistachios to fruit sauces.
• Add to breakfast: Baked apples, oatmeal, hot cereals, cold cereals, and muffins can all benefit from a variety of chopped nuts.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue1/2021_issue1_cooking_tips.php

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

The Vegetarian Resource Group has a graphic called Burrito on My Plate, which shows viewers the water footprint of a vegan versus a meat-based burrito. It takes 225 gallons of water to make a vegan burrito without tofu and 253 gallons of water to make a vegan burrito with tofu. In comparison, it takes 541 gallons of water to make a beef burrito.

The Burrito on My Plate Graphic can be seen here: https://www.vrg.org/environment/BurritoOnMyPlate.pdf

The article detailing how we came up with the numbers of gallons of water needed to produce each type of burrito can be found here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue2/2017_issue2_burrito_plate.php

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

More than 11% of the population of the United States has type 2 diabetes (1), which used to be known as adult-onset diabetes. In the United States in 2022, the most recent year for which information is available, the total cost of diabetes was $412.9 billion (1). This includes both direct medical costs and indirect costs such as reduced employment due to diabetes. People with diabetes in the United States had average medical expenditures that were 2.6 times higher than people without diabetes (1). Worldwide, about 12.5% of adults are estimated to have diabetes (2).

Diet is an important part of the treatment of diabetes. Research supports the use of vegetarian or vegan diets in treatment of diabetes (3) and several organizations including the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (4) and Diabetes Canada (5) back the use of vegetarian/vegan diets to manage type 2 diabetes.

A recent study conducted in the Republic of the Marshall Islands examined the use of a whole-food, plant-based diet in people with type 2 diabetes (6). Although a whole-food, plant-based diet is often identified as a vegan diet, the diet used in this study could include animal products.

What is the study?

The study was the longest and largest trial so far of a whole-food, plant-based diet compared to standard medical care in people with type 2 diabetes. Study participants, 149 of whom completed the study, were assigned to either follow a whole-food, plant-based diet along with moderate exercise or to receive their standard medical care for 24 weeks. At the start of the study, most participants were taking medications to control their blood glucose levels.

The whole-food, plant-based diet, as prescribed, was high fiber and low in fat and saturated fat. It featured foods that are commonly eaten in the Marshall Islands. For the first 2 weeks of the study, participants were told to completely avoid animal products. Later they could consume small amounts of animal foods, oils, and processed foods. Records were not kept of what people actually ate so we don’t know how well they complied with the diet. This group was instructed to exercise for an hour a day for the first two weeks and then for 30 minutes to an hour daily for the remainder of the study.

The subjects in the standard care group were told to maintain their current diet and exercise habits.

What did this study find?

On average, participants in the whole-food, plant-based diet group had a greater decrease in their hemoglobin A1C compared to those in the standard care group. Hemoglobin A1C indicates what one’s average blood sugar levels are. More than 60% of those in the diet group reduced their glucose-lowering medications compared to 24% of those in the standard care group. The researchers noted that some of those in the standard care group were attempting to change their diet to be more like that of the diet group. None of the standard care group achieved remission of their diabetes, compared to 8% of those in the whole-food, plant-based group. Remission was defined as having satisfactory hemoglobin A1C levels after not using diabetes medications for at least 3 months. About 67% of those in the whole-food, plant-based diet group were able to reduce their dose of medications for heart disease compared to 15% of the standard care group.

Are there practical implications?

This study suggests that health care providers can recommend a whole-food, plant-based diet with moderate exercise for people with type 2 diabetes.

References:

1. American Diabetes Association. Statistics About Diabetes. https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/statistics/about-diabetes. 2023.
2. International Diabetes Federation. Facts & Figures. https://idf.org/about-diabetes/diabetes-facts-figures/.
3. Guest NS, Raj S, Landry MJ, et al. Vegetarian and vegan dietary patterns to treat adult type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Adv Nutr. 2024;15:100294.
4. Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Evidence-based European recommendations for the dietary management of diabetes. Diabetologia. 2023;66:965-985.
5. Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee, Sievenpiper JL, Chan CB, Dworatzek PD, Freeze C, Williams SL. Nutrition therapy. Can J Diabetes. 2018;42 Suppl 1:S64-S79.
6. Hanick CJ, Peterson CM, Davis BC, et al. A whole-food, plant-based intensive lifestyle intervention improves glycaemic control and reduces medications in individuals with type 2 diabetes: a randomised controlled trial Diabetologia. 2025;68:308-319.

To read more about vegetarian/vegan diets and diabetes see:

Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes

Book Review: The Plant-Powered Plan to Defeat Diabetes

Dietary Factors Associated with Type 2 Diabetes

A Vegan Diet May Reduce the Risk for Developing Type 2 Diabetes in Overweight Adults

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan 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.