The following study participation request is from a graduate student from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania who is composing a thesis which will look at the perception of a vegetarian/vegan and omnivore diet on health status.

Please click on the following link to access the survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/jennyklock

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

April 15, 2011 – Begun in April 2010 at approximately fifty Subway™ Chicago locations, the successful falafel test menu item will be offered "in a few weeks" at all Illinois Subway™ stores according to the Subway™ regional office in Chicago. Falafel is a Middle Eastern food made principally with garbanzo beans.

According to the regional Subway™ office in Chicago, the falafel patty itself is all-vegetable. As is customary, it may be ordered on any bread product offered at Subway™.

The all-vegetable falafel "puck," identified as such by Zaibak Brothers and Company™, the family-owned Chicago manufacturer of the falafel test item, arrives "flash frozen and 80% cooked" at Subway™ locations according to the regional Chicago Subway™ office. The cooking process is completed in a TurboChef™ oven separate from all egg and meat products. Pucks are placed on specially designed paper intended for one-time use and heated until crispy on the outside and "fluffy and moist" on the inside. Three pucks come on a six-inch sub; six on a foot-long. Now, in Chicago stores, a foot-long falafel sub is offered for $5.00.

The falafel sandwich is served with a cucumber sauce that contains dairy. Patrons may request the Fat Free Sweet Onion Sauce that is an all-vegetable sauce available at Subway™. Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and olive oil are standard at all Subway™ stores and may be selected as condiments for the falafel menu item.

The VRG is very pleased that Subway™, which now is the leader among all restaurant chains, including McDonald's™, in terms of number of store locations, offers a "non-traditional" menu item that is a favorite among many vegetarians and vegans. This is not surprising for Subway™ given its non-traditional tendencies. In fact, according to a March 2011 Wall Street Journal article, Subway™ regularly opens outlets in non-traditional locations such as an automobile showroom in California; an appliance store in Brazil; a ferry terminal in Seattle; a riverboat in Germany; and a Goodwill store in South Carolina. Currently, approximately one-fourth of Subway locations are in non-traditional locations.

Mr. Don Fertman, Subway’s™ Chief Development Officer, stated, “The non-traditional is becoming traditional.” With the falafel sandwich, Subway™ is non-traditional in a fast food/quick service chain food sense, too. With time and customer support, the "non-traditional' falafel can become "traditional" fast food/quick service chain fare.
To show support for this sandwich, and to encourage Subway™ to adopt is as part of its standard menu, purchase this item when in an Illinois Subway™ and encourage your Midwest friends and family to do so. Become a friend of Subway™ falafel on Facebook and post a favorable comment requesting that it become a permanent menu item: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144712849001&v=wall#!/group.php?gid=144712849001&v=info

For more information on quick service chains, see

http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.htm#subway_article
http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.htm
http://www.vrg.org/vote/

Come visit VRG’s booth at Ecofair!

Sunday, June 5th, 2011
12pm-3pm
Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center
5425 Mt. Gilead Road, Reisterstown, MD 21136

$5.00 General Admission
$20.00 max. Family Admission

Click here for more information about the event.

We received a request from a vegan freelance writer who is writing the quarterly newsletter for a vegan pet food company and needs to interview people with vegan pets who have had positive experiences.

If you can help, please contact Terri at: [email protected].

These reviews originally appeared in Vegetarian Journal Issue 3, 2010. To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/journal/

The Cancer Survivor's Guide: Foods That Help You Fight Back!

By Neal D. Barnard, MD, and Jennifer K. Reilly, RD

The Cancer Survivor's Guide is a part of The Cancer Project's nutrition education program. It was written for people who have been diagnosed with cancer, but it can give everyone insights into food's role in health.

The first chapters cover foods' role in cancer prevention and survival. Barnard and Reilly promote a low-fat, high-fiber, vegan diet that includes a generous variety of fruits and vegetables. Specific advice is given for people with breast or prostate cancer.

This volume provides detailed information about how to start eating a healthy vegan diet. Practical suggestions include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas; shopping suggestions; and tips for revising conventional recipes.

The second half of the book consists of more than 130 vegan recipes. A nutritional analysis is provided for each dish.

While this book would be an especially useful resource for anyone diagnosed with cancer, it could help anyone plan a healthier diet. Of course, as the authors state, all cancer treatments-including the dietary changes discussed in this book-must take into account individual needs and should be discussed with your doctor.

The Cancer Survivor's Guide (ISBN 978-1-57067-225-5) is published by Healthy Living Publications. It has 246 pages and retails for $19.95. Purchase the book online at http://astore.amazon.com/httpwwwvrgorg-20/detail/1570672253 Reviewed by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD.

Chicken Soup

By Jean Van Leeuwen

Upon seeing the title Chicken Soup, one wouldn't think this children's book could be veggie-friendly. Nevertheless, this sweet tale of comic misunderstandings is suitable for kids ages 4 through 8.

The author creatively tells the story of Mrs. Farmer, who has taken out a huge soup pot and appears to be about to cook chicken soup. A cow proceeds to pass this startling message on to all the chickens via other animals on the farm. The chickens hide; however, Little Chickie has a cold and keeps on sneezing wherever she takes cover. Each time the young chick sneezes, all of the other chickens have to find a new hiding spot on the farm.

Eventually, Mr. Farmer is able to catch the young chicken and brings her to Mrs. Farmer. This is when the readers learn that, instead of preparing chicken soup, Mrs. Farmer has made some vegetable soup for Little Chickie to help her feel better.

Chicken Soup (ISBN 978-8109-8326-7) is published by Abrams Books for Young Readers. This hardcover book retails for $16.95 and can be purchased online or in your local bookstore. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

The 30-Minute Vegan

By Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray

This husband-and-wife team share their passion for vegan cooking in a new, quick-and-easy cookbook. The recipe section starts off with smoothies and other beverages and then moves on to breakfast/brunch dishes, including Onion-Zucchini Corn Cakes prepared with spelt flour, flaxseeds, rice milk, zucchini, and onions. Next, you'll find snack ideas, such as Crispy Kale (baked kale with olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt) and Savory Toasted Pepitas (consisting of pumpkin seeds, soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, and vinegar).

Lunch recipes include several wraps and sandwiches. You will also find a wide variety of soups and great tasting salads, such as Coleslaw with Shaved Fennel and a Tuna-Free Tempeh Salad. Among the supper dishes are Tofu Saag (an Indian dish usually prepared with cheese) and Chipotle Chile-Rubbed Southwest Tempeh. The desserts section brings tasty options like Chocolate-Sesame Bonbons and Luscious Live Pie.

Nutritional analyses are not provided; however, most recipes do not appear to be high in fat. Plenty of tips and resources are offered throughout this book.

The 30-Minute Vegan (ISBN 978-0-7382-1327-9) is published by Lifelong Books. This book retails for $18.95 and can be purchased online at http://astore.amazon.com/httpwwwvrgorg-20/detail/B002FQOHY2. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

This recipe is from No Cholesterol Passover Recipes by Debra Wasserman. This small paperback book contains 100 vegan Passover recipes including eggless blintzes, dairyless carrot cream soup, festive macaroons, apple latkes, sweet and sour cabbage, knishes, vegetarian chopped “liver,” no oil lemon dressing, eggless matzo meal pancakes, and much more.

Chopped “Liver” Spread (makes 1 cup)

3 Tbsp oil
½ lb mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 c chopped walnuts
Pepper and salt to taste
1 Tbsp water

Saute mushrooms and onion for 8 minutes. Pour into blender or food processor, adding walnuts, seasonings and water. Blend until smooth. Serve on matzo as a spread.

No Cholesterol Passover Recipes is available for purchase through our bookstore here.

For additional Jewish recipes, see our Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook.

The following vegan camps are being offered at Sthitaprajna Vegan Retreat, Karnataka, India:

Vegans’ Year-End Camp:
From Saturday, Dec 24, 2011 to Monday, Jan 2, 2012 (9 nights, 10 days)

Vegans’ New Year Camp:
From Saturday, Jan 14, 2012 to Monday, Jan 23, 2012 (9 nights, 10 days)

‘Vegans in Rains’ Camp:
From Saturday, Aug.4, 2012 to Monday, Aug.13, 2012 (9 nights, 10 days)

Main Features: Yoga & Pranayama Classes, Discourses on Yogic/Vegan Living, Meditation, Music & Dance Programs/classes, Excursions, Trekking, Beach Visits, Village Visits, Bird watching, Healthy Plant Foods, Relaxing and Rejuvenating Atmosphere, and many more.

For more information, visit: http://www.indianvegansociety.com/vegan_centre

Are you raising a vegetarian or vegan child? If so, The Vegetarian Resource Group invites you to be a part of a network of vegetarian parents interested in exchanging ideas on various topics such as creating tasty snacks for toddlers, the challenges of non-vegetarian family/friend gatherings, how to talk with your child about vegetarianism, helping kids handle peer pressure, even shopping resources for leather/wool alternatives!

The list has was founded in 2000, and currently has 1665 members.

For more information and to join, click here.

This was sent to us from the Organizers of National Food Day.

Dear Friend,

I’m excited to tell you about a major new campaign that we are launching later today with some of the most prominent voices for change in the food policy world. That venture is Food Day!

We’re launching what we hope will become an annual event that is both a celebration of real, healthy food—and a powerful, grassroots movement for change.

We’ve modeled Food Day on Earth Day. It is led by honorary co-chairs Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Rosa Delauro (D-CT), and is backed by an impressive advisory board including author Michael Pollan, physicians David Satcher and Michael Roizen, professors Walter Willett, Kelly Brownell, and Marion Nestle, and prominent chefs such as Alice Waters, Dan Barber, and Nora Pouillon. Food Day also has the support of a wide range of national and local organizations focused on hunger, sustainable agriculture, animal welfare, and public health.

But the most important ingredient in Food Day is you! We envision thousands of events on October 24, 2011, from coast to coast, ranging
from small events in homes and classrooms, to large rallies in public parks, and hearings in city councils and state legislatures. A Food Day event could be as simple as a vegetable-recognition contest in a kindergarten, a potluck dinner with friends featuring locally sourced ingredients, a spirited debate on a college campus, or celebrating the harvest from an urban garden you start this spring.

Food Day is all about solving local communities’ food problems. Nationally, we’ve identified five key priorities:

• Reducing diet-related disease by promoting healthy foods

• Supporting sustainable farms and cutting subsidies to agribusiness

• Expanding access to food and alleviating hunger

• Reforming factory farms to protect animals and the environment

• Curbing junk-food marketing to kids

Can we count on you to participate in a Food Day event near you, or better yet, will you organize a Food Day event in your community? If none of the topics above appeals to you, is there another food issue confronting your community that needs attention? A growing network of partner organizations, advisors, and Food Day organizing staff is standing by to help you put a Food Day event on the calendar. (In weeks we’ll have a web-based map that lets you schedule or RSVP to Food Day events with just a few clicks of a mouse!)

Please email me at [email protected], or call us at 202-777-8392. Food Day is just a little more than six months out. That’s more than enough time to plan, but let’s get started together, today!

Sincerely,

Michael F. Jacobson
Executive Director, CSPI and Founder, Food Day

P.S. You can keep up with Food Day and other exciting things by ‘liking’ Food Day on Facebook, or following us at our new Twitter handle. And please share this message with your friends and family.

Thank you to The Vegetarian Site for their support.

Check out their Easter Chocolates

And here are some VRG recipes from Nancy Berkoff for

SPRINGTIME CHOCOLATE EGGS
FAST CRISPED RICE EGGS
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2010issue1/2010_issue1_matzo.php

Nancy Berkoff is author of Vegans Know How to Party,
Over 465 Vegan Recipes Including Desserts, Appetizers, and Main Dishes
available at:
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1