TOWSON HEALTH FAIR

We talked to 150 people at the Towson University Health Fair in October. We placed that many Vegetarian Journals into the hands of students and professors as they came to our booth, as well as guides where to eat locally and our new Vegan Plate handout. Interesting discussions included hiking vegetarian on the Appalachian Trail, our needs based internships, and why a religious Jewish person may have enough self control to never smoke on Sabbath or eat unkosher food, but can’t give up smoking other days or change her diet even if asked to by her doctor. Perhaps we can tap into this dedication to help people make healthy changes.

If you would like to have a table at your school or workplace health fair, please drop us a note at [email protected] requesting literature to give out.

See http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/ for some of our handouts.

CHARLOTTESVILLE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL

Thank you to Jane Wilson, RD who did a VRG booth at the Charlottesville (Virginia) Vegetarian Festival! Jane reported: It was wonderful to be doing something to represent and educate with materials that are so well done by the VRG. As a registered dietitian and vegetarian for 15 years/ vegan for 5 years, the VRG has been an outstanding resource for me and one that I recommend for my clients and others interested in eating a more plant based diet. Just like me, others never seem to get enough recipe ideas. The VRG staff have over the years done an outstanding job of publishing something for every need in their quarterly journal and many publications.

What I remember most about my tabling experience is the 8 year old young man that came to the booth and purchased a twenty-five cent button that read “Eating Meat Is Obsolete.” He freely volunteered that he had been vegan all of his life. When he said it, I could feel coming from him a gentleness and a love for his way of eating. Need I say more?

Thanks Jane for your work towards a healthier and more humane world!

VEGTOBERFEST

Kudos to Mark Rifkin, MS, RD and Dorothy Kenny for volunteering and Debra Wasserman for filling in for an injured staff member at our Vegetarian Resource Group booth at Vegtoberfest in Baltimore. Besides the normal questions, Mark talked to a freshman college student who was interested in becoming a vegetarian dietitian. Thanks to Mark for inspiring and helping so many others!

If you would like handouts for your outreach booths, please drop Mary a note at [email protected].

To support VRG outreach, please make a donation at
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565
Or
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

Just a quick reminder that you still have two weeks left to buy non-leather shoes and clothing, cruelty free personal care products, books, videos, food, and more from TheVegetarianSite and have a portion of your purchase price donated to The VRG! Thanks to TheVegetarianSite, and thank you!

The Veg childrens book review site, VegBooks, is celebrating their 500th book review by holding a contest. If you submit an original book review between now and Monday, October 24th, you will be elligible to win three childrens books, and The Vegetarian Family Cookbook! Click here for details about the contest.

For more information about vegan and vegetarian parenting, or parenting vegans and vegetarians, consider joining our VRGParents list to connect with hundreds of likeminded parents around the globe.

In the summer of 2011, VRG Intern Rita Pruzansky investigated the vegan options available at her local supermarket chains. This is what she found.

Vegan Foods at Publix

Below is a table of the food items at Publix Super Markets that are labeled vegan on the front of the package or in the ingredients list. Many of these products are also labeled as “certified vegan.” This list was made based on the products available in May and July 2011 at a Publix in Coral Springs, Florida. Product availability and their locations within the store may vary. The information about these products was obtained from a regular Publix market, but products may differ at Publix Greenwise markets. There may be a Greenwise section or aisle within the store, containing vegetarian, vegan, organic, and other health foods. Greenwise items may also be mixed in with products in other aisles. Since Greenwise is not entirely vegetarian, keep in mind that meat items may be located in the same area as vegetarian items, and read the package carefully before purchasing.

Vegan Foods at Target

The chart below shows the vegan-labeled products at Target that were available in May 2011 at a Target in Coral Springs, Florida. All products were listed as vegan on the package. This information was obtained from a Target with a fresh foods section. Like Publix, product availability and location of products within the store may vary. Variety of vegan products will depend on which type of Target you visit. Some Targets do not have a fresh food section, and others, “SuperTargets” may have a full grocery store and a more extensive variety.

By Rita Pruzansky, VRG Intern and Psychology Student

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

VRG Research Director

For over twelve years, Moshe’s Foods® has offered its all-plant-based, fully prepared sandwiches, burritos, soups, and salads at an ever-growing number of 7-Eleven® convenience stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The vegan items may also be purchased at many Northeast region oriental markets and natural foods stores. A partial listing of locations appears on the website: www.moshesfoods.com.

Complete ingredient and nutritional information accompanying photos of Moshe’s prepared foods may be located on the company website. Only all-plant-based cuisine is made at Moshe’s Philadelphia plant ensuring no cross-contamination with meat products, eggs, or dairy. Moshe’s Foods® are not certified Kosher or Halal. All of the vegan items are created with only a few very simple ingredients including fresh vegetables, organic tofu, and whole wheat breads.

To date, Moshe has developed approximately sixty food items that may be found at locations carrying Moshe’s Foods®. These include Seitan Steak; Moroccan Roll Burrito; Grilled Vegetable Pita; Tofu Edamame Salad; and Quinoa and Corn Soup. Available items vary weekly depending on sales, location, and customer preference. Moshe told The VRG that his prepared foods may be heated in a microwave or eaten as is if preferred. Soups are served hot.

Moshe also stated that although he has no plans to expand to all of the 7-Eleven® stores in the entire Northeast area, he would consider enlarging his radius from Philadelphia if the demand was great enough in other areas. The VRG encourages interested readers to state their preference for vegan convenience foods like Moshe’s to the managers of their local stores and to demonstrate their future loyalty now by regularly purchasing vegan items if possible.

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 judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food processing methods and food ingredients and to purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

For updates on ingredients and other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free newsletter at http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog
Visit us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/VegResourceGrp and friend us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup

To support VRG outreach, join or donate at
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

Q: As a new vegan, I don’t know if I can still eat out in Tex-Mex restaurants.  What kinds of questions should I be asking to make sure there are no animal products in my food?

A:There are some questions that vegetarians and vegans have to ask when eating at Mexican food restaurants. They are crucial. The first one would be asking if lard is used for cooking or is used in the beans or to fry corn or flour for chalupa or nacho shells, because a lot of the time they will not say it is unless you ask. The second one is asking if chicken broth or beef stock is used in any of the foods like sauces for example, because sometimes it will not be listed. The third one is asking if the meat or dairy products are cooked on the same surface as the vegetarian meals. Sometimes only certain dishes are, so this is an important question. The fourth and final one for vegans is making sure there are no dairy products, like cream or sour cream for example, stuck secretly into the meal or served with it, because these ingredients are sometimes overlooked.

Written by Brittany Estes-Garcia while volunteering with The VRG.

For information about vegan & vegetarian options at fast food and quick service chains, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.htm

For information about vegan, vegetarian, and veg-friendly restaurants in the U.S. & Canada, visi:
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant

If you would like to volunteer for The Vegetarian Resource group, please email [email protected].

Join The Vegetarian Resource Group as we come together to celebrate World Vegetarian Day & World Food Day on Sunday October 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 p.m. at Mr. Chan’s Szechuan Restaurant in Pikesville. Address: 1000 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore MD 21208-4206

The menu includes: tea, choice of veggie hot & sour soup or veggie wonton soup, veggie egg roll, white and brown rice, and 5 main dishes served family style: crispy orange seitan, tempeh with kale, garlic szechuan green beans, yuba with eggplant and basil, grilled tofu with black bean sauce and broccoli.

$20 per person. Reserve your spot today by calling (410) 366-8343 or by mailing a check to PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

PLEASE RSVP BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14.

*Refund made only if your seat is replaced*

*Menu subject to change*

For more information email Mary at [email protected]

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

VRG Research Director

In September 2011 a VRG member asked us if the CarbonFree® Domino® Granulated Sugar, and sister brands, Florida Crystals® Organic Sugar and Florida Crystals® Natural Cane Sugar, meant that these brands had not
been filtered through cow bone char. She wondered if “CarbonFree®” implied that cow bone char, which is composed of carbon, had not been used during the sugar refining process to whiten the product.

Domino® Sugar has a FAQ page on its website, http://www.dominosugar.com/carbonfree/faq.html, which explains that its use of the CarbonFree® label relates to the products’ “carbon neutral footprint.” Domino® Sugar asked CarbonFund.org, a non-profit organization that certifies qualifying products as CarbonFree®, to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine “the products’ carbon footprint and greenhouse gas reductions” that existed because of company practices.

CarbonFund.org determined through a field-to-store analysis performed by The Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Management, that Domino® Sugar’s production and supply of renewable energy from “leftover sugar cane fiber and recycled urban wood waste” to power their sugar operations as well as some residential communities offset the carbon footprints of some of their products. Consequently, Domino® Granulated Sugar, and sister brands, Florida Crystals® Organic Sugar and Florida Crystals® Natural Cane Sugar became certified as CarbonFree®.

On its FAQ page, Domino® Sugar stated that the CarbonFree® label does not mean their products are “carbon free.” In fact, sugar itself, because it is a biomolecule, contains carbon. In terms of processing, only certified USDA organic sugar and sugar derived exclusively from sugar beets have not been processed through decolorizing filters, which, in most cases today, are composed of cow bone char.

For more information about sugar processing, interested readers may view our articles at
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php and
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj97mar/973sugar.htm

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 judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For more information on food processing methods and food ingredients and to purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website at
http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

For updates on ingredients and other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free enewsletter at
http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

There are many ways to stay connected to The Vegetarian Resource Group!
Get our blog delivered right to your inbox:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheVRGBlog Visit us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/VegResourceGrp and friend us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/thevegetarianresourcegroup

To support Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

By Megan Salazar, VRG Dietetic Intern

I was delighted to attend the annual Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), which was held this year in San Diego, CA. During part of the conference, I helped out at VRG’s booth in the Expo area. Since I am doing my internship long distance in Denver, CO, it was wonderful to meet Reed Mangels, Dr. William Conway and Catherine Conway, all of whom were working the booth throughout the course of the conference and are valuable VRG contributors.

It was wonderful to see so many people come up to the booth, despite it being in between a fish vendor and a fast food marketer. Most visitors took the Vegetarian Journal initially, but were really captured by all of the materials and books that were on the table as well. These included educational pamphlets, Vegetarian My Plate flyers, coloring books/pages, and an assortment of the books.

What was even more encouraging were the Registered Dietitians or other nutrition professionals that came by just to comment that they always pointed their patients, clients, and friends in the direction of the VRG website for more information on becoming a vegetarian. They know that the information is invaluable in regards to beginning a vegetarian diet, or even improving upon a current lifestyle.

I also attended the session of the conference that highlighted the new Evidence Analysis Library on vegetarianism, entitled “Vegetarians in the Library: What’s the Evidence?” The presenters detailed the new section of the Evidence Analysis Library on the ADA website. Their presentation included much of the research and surveys that the VRG has done in the past, further highlighting the importance of this organization.

In the evening, the VRG also hosted a delightful vegan dinner at Royal India in downtown San Diego that I was privileged to attend as well. Not only was the food excellent, but the connection with other vegetarian dietitians and supporters of the VRG was unique. This conference was only a small part of my internship with the VRG, but it will probably make the biggest impact on not only my knowledge of the organization, but also the evidence behind the vegetarian diet as well.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach,
please donate at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565
or
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

A reader asked about L-Cysteine not being listed on labels. VRG Researcher Jeanne Yacoubou replied: L-cysteine can in certain situations be in products without it being listed on a label. This is the case, for example, in some prepackaged kits, such as pizza. The premade dough may have L-cysteine but it doesn’t have to be labeled since it’s not part of the finished product. This, and other similar products, could be other likely places for unlabeled L-cysteine.

L-cysteine may also serve as a reaction flavor which is used to make other flavors. Only the latter are in the final product and so only they need to be labeled.

For more information on food ingredients and to purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php

For updates on ingredients and other information of interest to vegetarians and vegans, please subscribe to our free enewsletter on our homepage: www.vrg.org or at; http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/

To support VRG research, you can donate at https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565

The contents of 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.