By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

The VRG recently received an email from someone who asked us if glucono delta lactone (GDL) was derived from lactose in cow’s milk. (The “lactone” part of this ingredient’s name made him suspicious.) Glucono delta lactone is an ingredient in many foods, functioning as a substitute for enzymes in cheese processing or tofu manufacturing; or as a leavening acid in bakery products.

We asked the quality control or research and development departments of several companies that manufacture glucono delta lactone about their starting materials as well as about the production process. We spoke with Archer Daniels Midland, Purac America, PMP Fermentation Products, Inc., and Wintersun Chemical. All four companies reported that their glucono delta lactone is (or, was, in the case of ADM and Purac which no longer produce it), entirely plant-based. It is prepared by microbial (bacteria or yeast) fermentation of a carbohydrate source. Additional processing or chemical reactions are not involved in manufacturing glucono delta lactone.

Corn is (and always has been) the major commercial source. Rice may be used as well. Ener-G Foods used rice by a method involving bacterial fermentation in order to produce leavened breads that are yeast-free.

10/15/2015 UPDATE: Ener-G Foods now uses corn and no longer uses rice.

Interested readers may subscribe to our free email newsletter for updates on glucono delta lactone and many other common food ingredients. You can purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients to learn about the commercial sources of over two hundred food ingredients at http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php.

VRG is participating in the California State Employees Charitable Campaign. If you are a California state employee, please support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach.

Please also remember VRG in other workplace fund drives, matching gifts, etc.! Federal government employees can support The Vegetarian Resource Group through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Look for us under Health & Medical Research Charities of America.

I'm getting braces in a couple of weeks. My orthodontist gave me a booklet about what to eat when my mouth hurts and there's not much I can eat (I'm vegan). What do you suggest?

• Soy yogurt
• Mashed potatoes (make these easily by microwaving a potato, removing the peel, mashing it with a fork, adding unsweetened soymilk until it's a consistency you can eat, and flavoring it with soy margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Try this same idea with a sweet potato.
• Applesauce
• Canned peaches or pears
• Smoothie made with soymilk, silken tofu, soft fruit (like berries), and frozen bananas. You can add maple syrup or another sweetener or peanut butter to taste. See what flavor you can invent!
• Soups – try Amy's canned soups or homemade lentil, vegetable, or other soup. Many non-veg soup recipes can be adjusted to use vegetable broth or stock in place of animal broth, soymilk in place of cow's milk, and beans or tofu cubes in place of meat.
• Soft pasta or couscous
• Scrambled tofu
• Hummus or other bean dips (eat with a spoon instead of dipping crackers or raw veggies until your mouth feels better)
• Refried beans
• Vegetarian baked beans
• Oatmeal or other hot cereal
• Juice pops (freeze juice in small cups with a popsicle stick holder)
• Frozen desserts
• Pudding – look for a simple pudding recipe where you can substitute soy or rice milk for cow's milk; instant pudding mix does not seem to work with soymilk
• Fruit or vegetable juice
• Ramen noodles (look for a brand without animal-ingredients). Add small cubes of tofu and/or frozen mixed vegetables to the cooking water.

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Click here for more Teen FAQs.

Click here to see this entire lesson plan.

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
© The Vegetarian Resource Group

Purpose: To evaluate surface water quality of samples collected from a recreational use area and those from areas used for farming or animal-based agriculture. Samples will be compared over the period of one day, one week, or one year, as time and resources permit. Possible parameters to be examined:

• pH
• temperature
• turbidity
• nitrate concentration
• phosphate concentration
• fecal contamination
• antibiotic contamination
• dissolved oxygen (DO)
• biological oxygen demand (BOD)

Objectives: As a result of this investigation, students will be able to:

• identify multiple measures of water quality;
• collect environmental water samples and assess their composition and quality;
• display and interpret data in tabular and graphical forms;
• apply computational, analytical, and scientific reasoning skills to make comparisons and contrasts concerning water quality;
• propose ways to mitigate human-influenced negative effects on water quality.

Lesson Background:

Teachers may look at the United Nations’ 2006 report titled Livestock’s Long Shadow available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm. Chapter IV deals with water pollution due to animal agriculture. Both national and global issues are discussed. The major conclusion of this Report is that livestock production is a leading source of environmental damage including climate change; water and air pollution; land degradation; and loss of biodiversity. The Report suggests that a human diet that is plant-based would prevent much of the environmental damage caused by animal agriculture, including the feedcrop production associated with it.

Click here to see this entire lesson plan.

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

This article originally appeared in Vegetarian Journal Issue 2 2009.

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately. Researchers are looking at whether it plays a role in a multitude of diseases ranging from multiple sclerosis to depression to cancer. Vitamin D has long been known to be important for bone health and is being added to foods like orange juice and to many brands of calcium supplements. Vitamin D has always been looked on as an unusual vitamin because, unlike any other nutrient, our bodies can actually make a substantial amount of vitamin D. Add in the fact that it acts more like a hormone than a vitamin, and you can see why there’s a lot to know about vitamin D.

We’ve recently heard from several readers who have had their blood checked for vitamin D and were surprised to learn that they were considered vitamin D deficient. They wrote asking us about vegan sources of vitamin D, the role of sunlight exposure, and what kind of supplements to use. We realized that it’s a good time to answer some questions about vitamin D.

What Does Vitamin D Do?

Vitamin D is best known for its role in bone health – it helps our body absorb calcium. When vitamin D is deficient, we absorb very little calcium. That’s the main reason that calcium supplements often also contain vitamin D. If calcium is not absorbed due to a vitamin D deficiency, the result is weaker bones that are more likely to fracture.

More recent studies also suggest that older people with lower blood levels of vitamin D are more likely to lose their balance and fall, possibly because of vitamin D’s role in promoting muscle function.¹ Higher blood levels of vitamin D have been associated with a lower risk of colon and breast cancer in some age groups.²

In addition, lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and depression have also been reported in people with higher blood levels of vitamin D.^2,3

Where Do We Get Vitamin D?

Vitamin D comes from two places – we take it into our bodies in foods and supplements, and our bodies produce it after sunlight exposure. Vitamin D is found naturally in only a few foods like fatty fish (for example, cod liver oil) and egg yolks. Because there are so few natural dietary sources, vitamin D is added to foods such as fortified soymilk, fortified juice, fortified breakfast cereals, cow’s milk, and margarine. (Vegan spreads like Earth Balance do not have vitamin D added.) Typically, soymilk is fortified with vitamin D2, the vegan form of vitamin D, while cereals, juice, and margarine are fortified with vitamin D3 derived from sheep’s wool. If the label on a fortified food doesn’t say what form of vitamin D is used to fortify the food, you can contact the company.

Recently, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists reported that mushrooms that had been exposed to ultraviolet B light for 5 minutes had very high levels of vitamin D, close to 3,500 International Units (IU) in a 1-cup serving.⁴ These vitamin D-containing mushrooms are expected to be commercially available in the next few years and will be a plantbased source of vitamin D.

Besides vitamin D from food and supplements, our bodies are able to make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to ultraviolet B rays from sunlight under certain conditions. It doesn’t take much sun to stimulate vitamin D production, just 5 to 30 minutes on arms and legs twice a week. However, this sunlight exposure only works at certain times of day and in certain seasons above certain latitudes (or below certain latitudes if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere). Vitamin D production is highest when the sun’s rays are most intense – between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the summer months. In locations above 42 degrees north latitude (Chicago, Boston, and Portland, Oregon, for instance), vitamin D production does not occur from late October through early March. Even as far south as Atlanta (about 35 degrees north latitude), vitamin D production doesn’t occur from November to February.²

Factors like sunscreen use, darker skin pigmentation, clothing, pollution, and aging can reduce the amount of vitamin D we produce. Because of this and because of concerns about sun exposure leading to skin cancer, many people feel safer relying primarily on foods or supplements for vitamin D.

How Much Vitamin D Do We Need?

The current recommendation for vitamin D is 200 IU per day for children and adults up to 50 years old, 400 IU for 51-70 year olds, and 600 IU for those age 71 years and older.5 These recommendations are more than 10 years old. Because of more recent research on the role of vitamin D, experts are suggesting intakes of 800 IU or more per day for the average adult and 400 IU for children, with higher intakes recommended to treat deficiency.^2,6

Can We Get Too Much Vitamin D from Food or from Supplements? Will Our Bodies Make Too Much Vitamin D?

It is possible to get too much vitamin D, especially by overdoing supplements. Excess vitamin D can cause the body to absorb too much calcium and can lead to kidney damage. The highest safe level of vitamin D for people to take is controversial, with some researchers using up to 10,000 IU per day without seeing problems.² A conservative recommendation is to stay below 2,000 IU per day.⁷ If you have had kidney stones, check with your health care provider before going above 1,000 IU per day.⁷

Don’t worry about producing too much vitamin D following sun exposure because your skin stops producing it once you’ve had enough. It’s still a good idea to limit sun exposure, however, because of the link between sun exposure and skin cancer.

Is Vitamin D a Special Concern for Vegans?

A vegan diet can be planned to provide adequate amounts of vitamin D through use of fortified foods like fortified soymilk. Any person, whether vegan or not, who does not include good sources of vitamin D in his or her diet or take vitamin D supplements can be at risk for not getting adequate vitamin D, especially if sunlight exposure is limited. Some studies have found that vegans have lower vitamin D intakes than do lactoovo vegetarians or meat-eaters.⁸ This may be because cow’s milk (a source of vitamin D) is a more common part of the daily menu for non-vegans than vitamin D fortified foods are for vegans.

What Happens If Someone Doesn’t Get Enough Vitamin D?

A vitamin D deficiency leads to nutritional rickets, a condition that causes weak and deformed bones in babies and children. Symptoms can include a delay in learning to walk, low height-for-age, and bowing of the legs and arms. Rickets rarely occurs in the U.S., but a recent outbreak of cases has raised concerns that children are not getting enough vitamin D.

In adults, not getting enough vitamin D can increase risk of osteoporosis and other diseases.

What’s The Difference Between Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3?

Two different forms of vitamin D are used in supplements and fortified foods. Vitamin D2, also called ergocalciferol, is manufactured through the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance called ergosterol that comes from yeast. Vitamin D2 is vegan.

Vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol, is made by the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance derived from sheep’s wool. Some research suggests that vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 are absorbed equally well,⁹ although other studies suggest that vitamin D3 is better absorbed.¹⁰ If you are treated for a vitamin D deficiency, you may find that your health care provider recommends taking a higher dose of vitamin D2 than of vitamin D3 to compensate for possible differences in absorption.² This is an area of active research that we will continue to follow.

What About Vitamin D For Breast-fed Babies?

Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. Human milk, however, contains little vitamin D. If a nursing mother is vitamin D-deficient, her breast milk will be even lower in vitamin D than usual. To prevent vitamin D deficiency in breast-fed babies, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that breast-fed babies be given a 400 IU/day vitamin D supplement beginning within the first few days after birth.⁶

Another possible way to prevent vitamin D deficiency in a breast-fed infant is for the mother to take a vitamin D supplement daily containing up to 4,000 IU of vitamin D.¹¹ High-dose vitamin D supplements, used by the lactating mother, have been shown to markedly increase breast milk vitamin D content.^11,12 While there is some possibility that a baby will be able to make adequate vitamin D following sunlight exposure, there are many factors that interfere with vitamin D production (skin pigmentation, pollution, season, amount of clothing, location, and sunscreen). This is why supplemental vitamin D is recommended.

Vitamin D Sources for Vegans

These products are examples of foods and supplements that contain vitamin D. Because product formulations change, check labels to get the most recent information. Vitamin D on a label is expressed as a percent of the Daily Value for vitamin D. The Daily Value is 400 IU, so a product that contains 25 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin D would contain 100 IU of vitamin D.

References:

1. Dawson-Hughes B. 2008. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and functional
   outcomes in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr 88:537S-40S.
2. Holick MF. 2007. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med 357:266-81.
3. Peterlik M, Cross HS. 2005. Vitamin D and calcium deficits predispose
   for multiple chronic diseases. Eur J Clin Invest 35:290-304.
4. Calvo MS, Garthoff LH, Feeney MJ, et al. “Light exposed mushrooms:
   From development to market of naturally enhanced plant sources of
   vitamin D.” Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian
   Nutrition. Loma Linda, CA; March, 2008.
5. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference
   Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride.
   Washington: National Academy Press, 1997.
6. Wagner CL, Greer FR, and the Section on Breastfeeding and
   Committee on Nutrition. 2008. Prevention of rickets and vitamin D
   deficiency in infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatrics 122:1142-52.
7. Liebman B. Are you Deficient? Nutrition Action Healthletter Nov.
   2006; 23:1, 3-7.
8. Davey GK, Spencer EA, Appleby PN, et al. 2003. EPIC-Oxford:
   lifestyle characteristics and nutrient intakes in a cohort of 33,883 meat-eaters and 31,546 non meat-eaters in the UK. Public Health Nutr
   6:259-68.
9. Holick MF, Biancuzzo RM, Chen TC, et al. 2008. Vitamin D2 is as
   effective as vitamin D3 in maintaining circulating concentrations of
   25-hydroxyvitamin D. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93:677-81.
10. Armas LAG, Hollis BW, Heaney RP. 2004. Vitamin D2 is much less
    effective than vitamin D3 in humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab
    89:5387-91.
11. Kovacs CS. 2008. Vitamin D in pregnancy and lactation: maternal,
    fetal, and neonatal outcomes from human and animal studies. Am
    J Clin Nutr 88(suppl):520S-8S.
12. Basile LA, Taylor SN, Wagner CL, et al. 2006. The effect of highdose
    vitamin D supplementation on serum vitamin D levels and milk
    calcium concentration in lactating women and their infants. Breastfeed
    Med 1(1):27-35.

Today we are featuring an entry from our Guide to Food Ingredients, which is available online as well as in print.

Carmine
Commercial source: animal (insect).
Used in: confections, juices, "New Age"beverages, pharmaceuticals, dairy products, baked goods, yogurt, ice cream, fruit fillings, puddings.
Definition: A food coloring derived from the dried bodies of female beetles.
Non-Vegetarian

Your support allows us to continue this ingredient research and make updates as new information arises. Please consider making a donation.

Franck is from France and taking time off from his professional
career so he can learn about vegetarianism in America, as well as improve
his English. His goal is to use his skills and the knowledge learned from
volunteering to promote veganism in France.

Well, this was my first exhibition with The Vegetarian Resource Group. I
was quite anxious about my capacity to be understood by all these people.
The familial atmosphere and the sunny weather sure helped.

Our booth was located just next to one selling vegan pastries…What a
coincidence. And it’d been (extremely) difficult to resist all the day.

A lot of people stopped by our booth. Many were already vegetarian or
vegan. Some who weren’t vegetarian at all used to have a friend or a
relative that was. Or they thought with reason that they could lose weight
and get healthier that way. With Ann-Marie, we tried to comfort them and to
emphasize that they should aim for a few vegetarian meals a week first, and
of course check the vrg.org site to find information and recipes.

There were many people that were interested in what we were doing and even
upon arrival in the morning, the Baltimore HampdenFest coordinator said how
excited everyone was that VRG was setting up for today. There were many
festival-goers that stopped, veg*n and not, that wanted more information
and support, and we were able to provide that. Most of them were
Baltimoreans who wanted to get involved with VRG in one way or another.

Most of the question were about recipes and the activities of VRG. The
books, brochures and especially the guide to the vegetarian restaurants
were incredibly successful. More than 40 people subscribed to our email
list.

Unfortunately, but this was predictable, we had no questions about ethics
nor environment and only a very few about nutritional facts (protein myth,
B12).

It was overall a great day and we look forward to the next HampdenFest!

If you would like to volunteer to help with vegetarian outreach, please
e-mail Jack at [email protected].

Julia Driggers, RD, shares a recipe for Breakfast Tofu Links.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

14 oz Extra Firm Tofu
¼ Cup Canola Oil
¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 TBSP Maple Syrup
1 TBSP Agave Nectar
1 ½ TBSP Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Cold Water

Directions

Cut Tofu into thin, 2 inch strips. Set aside. In shallow Tupperware or 9 X 9 baking pan add Canola oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, agave nectar, soy sauce, and cold water. Mix together to make an evenly mixed marinade. Place pre-cut tofu into long thin rectangular cubes. Cover tofu with marinade. Place Tupperware top or plastic wrap over container and put in refrigerator for 1 to 2 hrs (okay to set overnight!). Preheat oven to 375 degrees and pre-grease a baking sheet. Once tofu is marinated, place tofu strips on greased baking sheet. Place in oven for 15-17 min. When tofu golden, remove baking sheet from oven, and turn tofu to other side. Replace pan back in oven for additional 15-17 min. When golden, remove sheet and let tofu cool for 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy your tofu links beside pancakes, waffles, tofu scramble, or eat alone! It’s a savory breakfast treat!

Nutritional Information

Calories: 208 kcal
Fat: 15 gm
Protein: 11gm
Fiber: 2gm
Sodium: 267 gm
Sugars: 7gm
Calcium: 45 % DV
Iron: 10% DV

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

The VRG recently received an email from a London reader asking about
L-cysteine in Domino’s pizza. He reported to us that Domino’s UK told
him that the L-cysteine used in the United Kingdom “is made
synthetically” and wondered if this were true for the United States.

We contacted Domino’s Quality Assurance Department and posed the
question as we did in 2007 when we were told that Domino’s L-cysteine
in its Hand-Tossed Crust, Breadsticks, the Cheesy Bread and the Cinna
Stix is “not animal-derived.” This time the same individual told us
that “We still use L-Cysteine in our Hand Tossed dough, Bread for
Sandwiches and Pasta, Breadsticks, and Cinna Stix.” Upon further
questioning, our contact informed us that “the source is non-animal.”

Although The VRG has attempted by phone and email to get more detail
on “non-animal” and “synthetic,” Domino’s has not supplied us with any
further information at this time.

Readers may wish to note that Domino’s Brooklyn Crust also contains
L-cysteine. Its Deep Dish Crust contains dairy-derived ingredients (as
do the Hand Tossed and Brooklyn crusts). The Crunchy Thin Crust
appears to be all vegetable-based. The pizza sauce at Domino’s,
according to the ingredient listings on Domino’s website, is
plant-derived as well.

The below is excerpted from the article Donating Stock To The VRG by Roger Lowe.

The purpose of this article is to encourage you to consider creative ways to donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group or other nonprofits for outreach projects. It is not intended to be used for financial, tax, or legal advice. Each person’s financial and tax situation is unique, and the information in this article may not apply to your situation. Please note that there are numerous proposed tax laws that may change, or may have changed as of the printing of this article.

Before donating stock to The VRG or any other nonprofit, you may want to consult with a financial or tax professional to discuss how such actions may affect your tax liabilities.

Donating Stock May Increase The Size of Your Gift

Many people who think they have little in the way of disposable income may have considerable stock holdings that they’ve acquired through inheritance or regular contributions to a mutual fund. Perhaps they have accumulated stock through an employee stock ownership plan, or through stock options that some companies offer employees in lieu of larger salaries.

These stockholders may not have large salaries or substantial amounts of cash on hand. Perhaps they are very committed to The VRG and its mission, and would like to make a donation, but a large cash gift, for whatever reason, is unfeasible.

For example, let’s consider the Smiths, an imaginary family of four, whose annual household income is $50,000. The Smiths are very committed vegetarians and live frugally. Their $50,000 income must cover a mortgage, child care, health insurance, contributions to a 401(k) plan, and savings for future expenses. The Smiths donate $1,000 to The VRG every year for promotion of vegetarian options in restaurants and other food service venues. They would love to be able to make a larger gift of $10,000, but their other obligations make that seem impossible.

However, ten years ago Mrs. Smith inherited 1,000 shares of stock in Yummy Veggie Dinners Inc. The shares are in the Smiths’ brokerage account. Since her inheritance, these shares have increased in value from $2,000 to $10,000, an impressive $8,000 gain.

While she would like to make a substantial gift to The VRG, it has never occurred to Mrs. Smith to donate stock. Yet by doing so, she can make that $10,000 gift she could not otherwise afford.

Even though the Smiths could never manage a cash gift of this magnitude, once they consider their stock holdings, their giving capacity increases significantly. They are now able to help The VRG, while leaving their 401(k) and savings plans untouched.

Substantial Tax Savings

Consider the Smiths’ case. If they sell their 1,000 shares of stock and donate the proceeds, they would have to first pay tax on the $8,000 profit. With a capital gains rate of 10% (for example), the Smiths would owe $800, leaving them with only $9,200 to donate to The VRG, instead of the $10,000 they’d planned.

The Smiths would be much happier if they could give the entire $10,000 to The VRG. Donating the stock directly allows them to do this.

Another tax advantage comes with the Smiths’ itemized deductions. If they sell the stock, pay the 10% capital gains tax, and donate the remaining $9,200, they can deduct that $9,200, yielding an income tax savings of $1,380 (assuming a 15% tax bracket). However, by donating the stock directly to The VRG, the full $10,000 can be deducted, for an income tax savings of $1,500. Both the Smiths and The VRG benefit from this arrangement.

When Not To Donate Stock

Generally, you should NOT donate stock if it has decreased in value since you bought or inherited it. If you do this, you can only deduct its current value, not its original value. Usually it makes better tax sense to sell the stock, use the loss against other capital gains, and then donate the money.

If you have owned a stock for less than a year, the rules are different. For example, your deduction may be limited to your purchase price, and profit is treated as ordinary income, likely at a different tax rate than capital gains. If you’ve recently acquired the stock, you should consult with a tax and/or legal specialist to discuss your options.

How To Donate Stock

Generally, you should NOT donate stock if it has decreased in value since you bought or inherited it. If you do this, you can only deduct its current value, not its original value. Usually it makes better tax sense to sell the stock, use the loss against other capital gains, and then donate the money.

If you have owned a stock for less than a year, the rules are different. For example, your deduction may be limited to your purchase price, and profit is treated as ordinary income, likely at a different tax rate than capital gains. If you’ve recently acquired the stock, you should consult with a tax and/or legal specialist to discuss your options.