Click here to see a new math worksheet (middle/high school level) on water usage. Great for student presentations or integration into curricula. Thanks to VRG volunteer Ellen Tattenbaum for writing these questions!

Water Usage Math Worksheet

These questions were written based on the data in:

• Chapagain A, Hoekstra A (2004) Water Footprints of Nations
  Volume One: Main Report. Value of Water Research Report Series No.16. Delft (The
  Netherlands): UNESCO – IHE Institute for Water Education.
• Aldaya M, Hoekstra A. (2009) The Water Needed to
  Have Italians Eat Pasta and Pizza. Value of Water Research Report Series No.36. Delft
  (The Netherlands): UNESCO – IHE Institute for Water Education.

As quoted in VRG’s brochure Save Our Water: The Vegetarian Way.

Answers to the questions below are at the bottom of the page.

1) How many liters of water are needed to produce each of the following?

a) A pot of coffee that contains 6 cups?

b) A sandwich consisting of 2 slices of bread with cheese?

c) An omelet made with 2 eggs and 1 tomato?

d) A 50 g serving of potato chips?

2) The number of liters of water needed to produce a glass of milk is how much more than the number of liters needed to produce a cup of coffee?

3) To the nearest tenth, the number of liters of water needed to produce a glass of apple juice is how many times the number of liters needed to produce an apple?

4) The number of liters of water needed to produce a cheese pizza is how many times the number of liters needed to produce a tomato pizza?

5) The number of liters of water needed to produce a slice of bread is what fraction of the number of liters needed to produce a slice of bread with cheese?

6) To the nearest tenth of a percent, the number of liters of water needed to produce a potato is what percent of the number of liters needed to produce a bag of potato chips?

7) The number of liters of water needed to produce a slice of bread is what percent greater than the number of liters needed to produce a potato?

8) The number of liters of water needed to produce a 3 egg omelet is how much greater than the number of liters needed to produce 2 slices of bread?

9) The number of liters of water needed to produce a cheese pizza with 300 g of hamburger meat on it is how many times the number of liters needed to produce a tomato pizza?

10) The number of liters of water needed to produce a tomato pizza is what fraction of the number of liters needed to produce a hamburger?

11) To the nearest whole percent, the number of liters of water needed to produce a sandwich with two slices of bread with 20 g of cheese is what percent of the number of liters needed to produce a hamburger with 20 g of cheese?

12) The number of liters of water needed to produce a hamburger is what percent greater than the number of liters needed to produce a cheese pizza?

Answers:

1a. Answer: 6 x 140 = 840
2b. Answer: 40 + 90 = 130
3c. Answer 2 x 135 + 13 = 283
4d. Answer: (50/200) x 185 = 46.25
2. Answer: 200 – 140 = 60
3. Answer: 190/70 = 2.7 to the nearest tenth
4. Answer: 1200/300 = 4
5. (Answer 40/90 = 4/9
6. Answer: 25/185 = 13.5%, to the nearest tenth of a percent
7. Answer: (40 – 25) /25= 60%
8. Answer: (3 x 135) – (2 x 40) = 325
9. Answer: (1200 + (2 x 2400))/300 = 20
10. Answer: 300/2400 = 1/8
11. Answer: (2 x 90)/(2400 + (2 x (90-40)) = 7% to the nearest whole percent
12. Answer: (2400 – 1200)/1200 = 100%

VEGAN DINNER
Sunday, November 7, 2010, 6 PM
MY THAI CAFE
CHINATOWN, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

The Vegetarian Resource Group will hold a vegan dinner during the American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo. Dietitians, VRG members, and the public are invited. Come and meet the dietitians from the ADA Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. Please reserve early. Hope to see you there.

MENU
Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu
Thai Mango Salad
Yellow Curry with brown rice
Wide Rice Noodles with Chinese Broccoli and Gluten
Fresh Fruit Cocktail
Jasmine tea

This vegan restaurant also sells unique vegan Bubble Tea and vegan cakes. You may want to order takeout after the meal to sample these treats.

COST: $25 before October 1, 2010. $28 after October 1.
Children 12 and under are $12. Includes tax and tip. PAYMENT MUST BE
MADE IN ADVANCE. Menu subject to change. Please reserve
early. Refunds will be made only if we have a replacement for your seat.

Call (410) 366-8343 between 9 AM and 5 PM Eastern Time Monday to Friday; fax (410) 366-8804; click on the donation button at www.vrg.org and write “ADA Dinner” in the notes section; or send a check to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

NAMES:
NUMBER ATTENDING: x $25/person before 10/1/10= $ Enclosed
NAMES ATTENDING:
ADDRESS:
STATE/ZIP
E-MAIL:
PHONE:
DONATION:
TOTAL ENCLOSED:

Julia Driggers, R.D., shares a recipe for vegan oatmeal nut chocoloate chip cookies:

Oatmeal Nut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes About 5 Dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
½ cup All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
3 cups Quick or Old Fashion Oats (uncooked)
½ cup Walnut Pieces
1 cup Vegan Chocolate Chips or Carob Chips
2 sticks Earth Balance Vegan Margarine (Soft)
1 cup Vegan Brown Sugar (packed firm)
½ cup Vegan Granulated Sugar
2 equivalents of Egg Replacer
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add in oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Mix well. In separate large bowl, beat together margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Add in egg replacer and vanilla. Mix well. Combine flour mixture to margarine mixture and mix. Grease cookie sheet. With a table spoon drop cookie batter onto pan. Bake 10-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool.

Share these with your friends and make them smile!

Nutritional Information Per Serving (Serving Size 2 Cookies)

Garden of Life Vitamin D3 Derived from Lanolin;
a Provitamin D3 Made from Genetically Modified Yeast Is Available

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

In November 2009, a VRG member asked us to confirm with the vitamin company, Garden of Life, what the company told him about their vitamin D3, sold as Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin D3:

A preliminary look at the Garden of Life website in November 2009 yielded confusion because the term “vegetarian,” (not “vegan”), was used to characterize their Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin D3. They told a customer that the vitamin D in the Vitamin Code products was from a single cell plant (yeast) rich in vitamin D3. Given that the usual commercial source of vitamin D3 is sheep’s lanolin, the VRG had questions for Garden of Life about its production methods and wanted to determine whether the product was “vegan.”

By the end of January 2010, as we continued to call and email Garden of Life, requesting more detail on their production methods and detection methods, we were informed by Barbara, a Product Support Supervisor at Garden of Life, that the yeast are “fed” lanolin as their starting material. Barbara stated: “The D3 that we use has been synthesized from animal cholesterol, primarily lanolin. For a more detailed explanation, please visit our website www.gardenoflife.com/d3.”

The company said there is no known plant source of Vitamin D3. Wondering whether Garden of Life was correct about there not being a non-animal derived vitamin D3, I further examined the question. After searching patent websites and speaking with several doctors and scientists at biotech companies, vitamin companies and universities, we discovered that there is a patented process, discovered in the late 1980s-early 1990s by Amoco BioProducts Corporation in Illinois to produce a mutant yeast-derived provitamin D3. The patented process is considered “semisynthetic” because petrochemical materials are used in conjunction with the fermentation of genetically engineered yeast to produce the provitamin D3.

Then, during the manufacturing process, the yeast-derived provitamin D3 is exposed to light and transformed to “High Density 25-hydroxy
vitamin D3” used in poultry feed and as an injectable vitamin supplement in Europe. Currently, Roche holds the US patent while DSM holds the European version.

According to the scientists whom we interviewed, one of whom was directly involved in the genetic engineering of the yeast at Amoco which led to the patent and another who is a technical director at DSM, 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 made through the patented process is currently used in poultry feed in the United States because it “ameliorates the effects” of leg bone deformation while maintaining weight gain during the rearing process. It is produced in high yield, too. One source stated that its widespread use in the livestock industry suggests that it is economically feasible to produce it semisynthetically and saw no reason why it couldn’t be used in humans, too. He suggested that since lanolin was an abundant enough source of a vitamin D3 supplement, manufacturers lack an incentive to make it any other way for human use. Nevertheless, the patent application proposes that the semisynthetic process to make provitamin D3 could be “useful in a number of contexts, e.g., in topical pharmaceutical formulations (for the treatment of skin disorders or the like), in oral vitamin compositions, and as livestock feed additives.”

Several scientists told The VRG that 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 made through the patented process is used in injectable form throughout Europe to treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases in people. The VRG has not currently identified European doctors or clinics using this non-animal derived 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 in humans.

American vegan consumers who wish to see the semisynthetic, non-animal-derived 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 available in the U.S. for humans are encouraged to inquire of their healthcare providers and supplement manufacturers about the likelihood of its future use in humans as an injectable, or as an oral supplement like that in poultry.

VRG is in the process of compiling a set of Teen FAQs, written by our wonderful interns and volunteers.

Today we are featuring two FAQs relating to 4-H written by VRG volunteer Corey Bivins:

I am thinking of joining 4-H. I am vegan. What kinds of activities could I do?

When you join 4-H you join a community club and enroll in projects and participate in group activities and meetings. The club elects officers, conducts educational programs, practices community service and fulfills county club expectations. If you aren’t interested in a particular club, there are single project clubs. The only difference between a community club and a single project club is the focus. Single project clubs focus on one specific project, such as Photography. Jessica, a former vegetarian 4-H'er, belonged to a club that focused only on rabbits. She also said there was a nature drawing club, a double-dutch jump rope club and a public speaking club within her community […]

Here are a few project ideas:

• You could choose to do an agronomy project where you explore the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, soil science and weather. You could set a goal of growing your own sunflowers and give a speech on the different diseases of sunflowers.
• You could choose to do a cake decorating project where you learn the about cake molds, borders, tiered cakes and special icings. You could set a goal to make a vegan icing to decorate cakes with and enter your final project in a fair.
• You could choose to do a geology project where you study rocks, minerals and fossils. You could set a goal to take field trips to collect specimens and exhibit your collection at a fair.
• You could choose to do a sewing project where you develop skills to design and sew your own clothes. You could set a goal to make an entire outfit without using any animal by-products, such as leather, wool or silk.
• You could choose to do a foods and nutrition project where you could learn to make many tasty vegan recipes which may involve modifying recipes that have eggs, dairy or meat. Displaying these at a fair and sharing these delicious recipes with other members, leaders and judges will help spread the word that vegan dishes – including baked goods – can be delicious as well as healthy.

Click here to read the entire FAQ.

I am a vegetarian thinking of joining 4-H. What are some ways that I can fit in?

4-H is all about the projects, be they animals, photography, sewing, cooking, vegetable growing, furniture refinishing, etc., then documenting and showing off to the judges what you’ve learned and/or done throughout the year. As a vegetarian, you may need to develop techniques to handle certain situations where you are faced with the fact that it’s not a vegetarian world. These techniques could include planning ahead (carry a vegetarian snack), conflict resolution skills (let people know how their actions make you feel), avoidance (not attending certain activities) and a positive mental attitude (create a way of making something undesirable more enjoyable).
Sometimes people bring a snack to 4-H meetings. You could eat beforehand or bring your own snack, either for yourself or to share, like hummus and crudités, cookies or popcorn.

When you plan to go to a 4-H activity where lunch or dinner will be served, you could suggest ahead of time that there be at least one vegetarian dish on the menu or offer to bring a vegetarian dish, such as vegetarian chili, couscous and roasted vegetables or vegan quiche. Some 4-H groups offer a vegetarian option. For example, the Purdue University extension held a clinic for judges and leaders and offered a vegetarian lunch consisting of a Veggie Wrap (chopped broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers, and red onion with Italian dressing) with a spinach salad.

Click here to read the entire FAQ.

Reed Mangels is scheduled to be on the radio program, Backstage Gourmet, 1-2pm PST, Monday 22, 2010. Tune in here!

About Backstage Gourmet: “Great green cuisine meets great global music on the Backstage Gourmet Radio with PJ Grimes, every Monday, 1-2 p.m. Pacific Time, on HealthyLife.Net. The upbeat, educational, thought-and-action-inspiring program features guest interviews, delectable vegetarian/vegan/raw recipes, green lifestyle ideas, tips, advice, and resources, as well as groovin’ music from around the world.”

A reader writes:

I read a book recently that asserts that the rennet used in curdling milk for cheese production comes the stomachs of calves, lambs, kids or pigs. I have not been able to verify the use of pigs for rennet. I found one source (only one, and I do not whether it is reliable) that says that since cheese consumption has outstripped the availability of stomachs of ruminant animals (calves, lambs and kids), the enzyme pepsin is now used as well to much the same effect. Is is true that pepsin is obtained from pigs?

Jeanne Yacoubou, MS, VRG Research Director, responds:

No source whom I have contacted, (and I have spoken with many major enzyme manufacturers in the world), has ever claimed that pepsin, by itself, is used to make cheese. Although animal rennet market supply does fluctuate, and this is one reason why animal rennet is not commonly used today to make cheese, the largest source of the enzyme used in cheese making in the United States today is microbial.

Sometimes, cheesemakers, especially those in Europe and Japan seeking a "natural" non-GMO product, use a combination of enzymes, (proteases and lipases), to make their product. But in these cases, the enzymes are generally derived from calves, lambs and kids (i.e., baby goats), not pigs.

The following questions were posed by a reader of this previous blog post on flax seed nutrient absorption.

Hi Reed-
Thank you for answering my question. I have been a vegan for six years and have a degree in analytical chemistry. I read your 2007 article carefully several times. Do you feel that attempting to optimize the la to ala ratio is a valid measure?

Since vegan diets contain little or no DHA or EPA, people on vegan diets get these fatty acids by making them from alpha-linolenic acid. The rate of production of EPA and DHA from alpha-linolenic acid is very low. The reader’s question is whether or not changing the ratio of linoleic acid (LA) to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) will result in a higher production of EPA and DHA. The same enzyme acts on both LA and ALA, so the thinking behind adjusting their ratio is that if there is less LA and more ALA for the enzyme to deal with, more ALA might be converted to DHA and EPA. Studies where the ratio of LA:ALA has been adjusted have had inconsistent results. There does not seem to be any disadvantage, however, to striving for a lower ratio of LA:ALA and a lower ratio might result in more EPA and DHA production. Some experts recommend a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 for vegetarians. Several dietary changes can help to achieve a lower LA:ALA ratio:

• Use cooking oils that are rich in monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats by themselves do not affect the LA:ALA ratio and, if substituted for oils high in LA, will result in a lower ratio. Oils that are high in monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, high-oleic sunflower oil, and high oleic-safflower oil.
• Consume adequate amounts of ALA. See http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue1/vj2007issue1.pdf for information on food sources of ALA.
• Avoid using cooking oils high in LA as your main cooking oil. Cooking oils that are high in LA include safflower oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil.

Do you recommend taking a dha supplement?

Vegan DHA supplements derived from DHA from microalgae have been shown to raise blood levels of DHA and EPA. We don’t know whether or not higher blood DHA and EPA levels will offer additional protection to vegetarians since they already have a low risk of heart disease. Higher blood levels of these fatty acids appear to reduce the risk of death from heart disease. The question of whether or not to take a DHA supplement should be an individual decision based on risk factors and family history.

Are nutrients also difficult to obtain from whole chia and sesame seeds?

I am not certain about whole chia seeds although I suspect that the same concerns that are seen with flax seeds would be present for whole chia seeds (not well digested). Hulled sesame seeds appear to be a better source of calcium than unhulled sesame seeds. The calcium in the hull of the sesame seed is in the form of calcium oxalate which is poorly absorbed. You can read more about this at
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj96jul/vj967hot.htm.

Julia Driggers, R.D., shares a recipe for vegan lasagna:

Vegan Lasagna

Serves: 4 (in 9×5 Loaf Pan)

Ingredients:

6 oz Vegan Lasagna Noodles, Whole Wheat

Sauce:
1 cup Tomato Sauce
½ cup Tomato Paste
1 TBS Fresh Parsley
½ TBS Garlic
¼ Tsp Salt

Filling:
8oz Silken Soft Tofu
3 TBS Vegan Cream Cheese
½ TBS Garlic
½ Tsp Black Pepper
¼ Tsp Salt
1 cup Fresh/Frozen Broccoli Florets

Toping:
¾ cup Stewed Tomatoes (canned)
½ cup Frozen Spinach or 1 cup Fresh Spinach

Directions:

In large sauce pan, over low heat, simmer tomato sauce, tomato paste, fresh parsley, garlic, and salt for 30- 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

While cooking sauce, in large mixing bowl mix tofu, cream cheese, garlic, pepper, and salt with washed hands or large spoon.

In a separate sauce pan bring water to a boil. Place lasagna noodles in pan. For fresh noodles boil for 2 minutes. For dry noodles boil as directed.

Once sauce is heated and noodles are cooked, place thin layer of sauce on bottom of 9X5 loaf pan. Place one layer of noodles in pan. Next layer the filling; ½ tomato sauce, 1/3; tofu spread, and layer with a ¼ cup of broccoli. Place 2nd layer of lasagna noodles and repeat filling step. Place 3rd layer of noodles. Spread remainder of tofu spread, ½ cup stewed tomatoes, and ½ cup chopped spinach evenly.

Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let stand for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!

Nutrition Now’s Calcium Soft Chews Assorted Fruit Variety Is Free of All Animal Products

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

VRG Research Director

A reader recently asked us to look into the sources of calcium and vitamin D in Nutrition Now’s Calcium Soft Chews listed in a VRG article on vitamin D (Vegetarian Journal 2009 Issue 2). She had been told by the company some information that she wanted us to confirm as true or not.

We spoke to Holly, a customer service representative at Nutrition Now, and Kirshing, a Process Control Analyst. Holly told us that the Calcium Soft Chews contained calcium carbonate derived from mineral deposits. The vitamin D₂ in this product is yeast-derived.

Calcium Soft Chews comes in two flavors: Assorted Fruit and Chocolate. The company's own "vegetarian approved" label is only on the Assorted Fruit variety. The chocolate flavor Calcium Soft Chews does not carry this label because, according to Kirshing, "the product contains dairy." Nutrition Now does not use a "vegan approved" label, but the Assorted Fruit Calcium Soft Chews appears to be free of all animal products.

Nutrition Now manufactures a children's version of Calcium Soft Chews, also available in Assorted Fruit and Chocolate flavors, and known as Rhino Calcium Soft Chews. The company’s "vegetarian approved" label appears only on the assorted fruit variety. The chocolate flavor contains dairy but is otherwise free of all animal products.

Readers may note that some Nutrition Now vitamin products contain gelatin. Those that do, (and only those that do), are sprayed with coconut oil and beeswax to prevent sticking. Nutrition Now also makes similar products for both children and adults with pectin (instead of gelatin) and no beeswax spray. These product packages also carry the "vegetarian approved" label.

Readers should also be aware that some Nutrition Now products contain vitamin D₃ from lanolin found in sheep's wool. The vitamin D₃ is listed as such. Tricalcium phosphate may be used as the calcium source in some products. This is a mineral form of calcium, too. See www.nutritionnow.com for more information.