Vegan Journal editor Hannah Kaminsky tells you how to use soymilk, almond milk, or oat milk to best prepare your latte. See: https://youtube.com/shorts/UrwjvN7ec2U?feature=share

More information on plant milks is at  https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue3/VJ_issue3_2025.pdf

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

To subscribe in the USA only, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/

photo from Freepik

National Rhubarb Day is celebrated on January 23rd in the United States. Here are two recipes from Chef Nancy Berkoff’s Vegan Microwave Book.

Rhubarb Sauce

(Makes 2 cups)

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh or frozen, thawed rhubarb

1/2 cup vegan sugar

2 Tablespoons apple juice concentrate

1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients in a microwave-safe 1-quart bowl. Cover and microwave on High for 4 minutes or until rhubarb is very tender. Remove and stir sauce until smooth. Serve with hot cereal, pancakes, waffles, and hot muffins.

Stewed Fresh Rhubarb

(Serves 5)

4 cups sliced rhubarb

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup vegan sugar

1 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen, thawed

In a 2-quart bowl or casserole, combine the rhubarb, juice, and sugar. Cover and microwave on High for 10 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Stir in strawberries. Let stand at last 10 minutes before serving.

Note: More sweetener may be needed, depending on rhubarb’s tartness. Serve this with sweetened cooked or cold cereal or with cooked fruit.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a document that is produced every 5 years and serves as a statement of current federal policy on the role of dietary factors in health promotion and disease prevention. It is used as the foundation for federal nutrition education materials, by schools, the food industry, and many others. It influences everything from school meals to the rations used by military personnel, to foods delivered to older Americans through programs like Meals on Wheels. In the past, every 5 years, a Scientific Advisory Committee, consisting of scientists appointed by the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), reviewed the most current science related to diet and and created an extensive scientific report. This report was used to inform the Dietary Guidelines which are written by the staff of the USDA and DHHS.

The same process was initially used for the most recent edition of the Dietary Guidelines. After years of work, the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee was published. More than 31,000 comments were submitted about this report from individuals, food industries, researchers and organizations. The Vegetarian Resource Group submitted comments which commended the Committee for their attempts to promote more plant sources of protein as well as their commitment to having guidance be relevant to people with different needs. We also called for more attention to be paid to vegan diets, such as including a vegan meal plan in the Dietary Guidelines.

Much of this work and effort was apparently side-lined when the current administration issued a 10-page document, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, on January 4, 2026. A different scientific advisory committee was chosen through “a federal contracting process based on demonstrated expertise.” This group has been criticized for their ties to the meat and dairy industry. They did not apparently address the many comments that groups like VRG submitted about the 2025 Scientific Report. They rejected many of the recommendations of the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in their own “Scientific Foundation “report including: .

• Modifying the dietary pattern to emphasize dietary intakes of beans, peas, and lentils while reducing intakes of red and processed meat.
• Reorganizing the order of the Protein Foods Subgroups to list Beans, Peas, and Lentils first, followed by Nuts, Seeds, and Soy Products, then Seafood, and finally Meats, Poultry, and Eggs.
• Including more nutrient-dense plant-based meal and dietary recommendation options.
• Replacing saturated with unsaturated fat primarily from plant sources.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 call for an increased emphasis on protein with protein foods prioritized at every meal and an increased protein goal of 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram body weight per day. We note that the RDA for protein is still 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram per day, calling into question the basis for this higher goal.

Americans are told to “Consume a variety of protein foods from animal sources including eggs, poultry, seafood, and red meat, as well as a variety of plant-sourced protein foods.” Note that animal source protein sources are listed first. The graphic accompanying the Dietary Guidelines shows a few nuts in the “Protein, Dairy, & Healthy Fats Group” but does not show any beans, lentils, or tofu.

Full-fat dairy products are recommended as is beef tallow. Vegetarians and vegans are told to “consume a variety of whole foods, especially protein-rich foods, such as dairy, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, or tempeh.” Again, animal-based protein sources are prioritized and are apparently recommended for vegans. I’ll talk more about vegan diets in the latest edition of Dietary Guidelines in another post.

Despite the Guidelines stating that they prioritize whole foods, the number of recommended servings of grains has a been reduced – more about that in a future post.

Yes, it is good that the Dietary Guidelines emphasize use of whole foods over highly processed junk foods, but this is nothing new. Nutrition scientists have been saying this for decades. What’s new is the undue emphasis on animal-based foods – it sounds like we’re heading back to the 1950s and the basic four food groups – milk, meat, fruits and vegetables, and grains.

To read more about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans see:

The Vegetarian Resource Group Submitted Testimony Concerning the Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

VRG Testimony on 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines

The Dietary Pattern in Dietary Guidelines for Americans Could Easily Be Made Vegan and Nutritionally Adequate

What Have the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Said About Vegan and Vegetarian Diets?

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released

VRG’s testimony about the 2020 Dietary Guidelines and the Scientific Report Underlying the 2020 Dietary Guidelines

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

Hannah Kaminsky explains in this video. https://youtube.com/shorts/WeMCqn1H23s

For more information on plant milks, go to https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2025issue3/VJ_issue3_2025.pdf

Subscribe to Vegan Journal at https://www.vrg.org/member/

photo from Lady and the Shallot

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: www.vrg.org/restaurant

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide:

Cinnaholic 3349 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY 14618 and 4921 Freret St., New Orleans, LA 70115

Cinnaholic offers over 30 flavors of gourmet cinnamon rolls — and they are all vegan! Some include Almond, Blackberry, Butterscotch, Caramel, Cream Soda, Key Lime, Root Beer, & Pomegranate. Toppings range from Cookie Dough Chunks to Shredded Coconut and everything in between. They offer other sweet treats including cookies.

Flame On Vegan, 1244 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103

Flame on Vegan is a plant-based restaurant serving a variety of grilled foods. Oyster mushroom-based chicken meals include a Crispy Veken (Chicken) sandwich and a BBQ Pulled Poork Sandwich both served with coleslaw on a bun, Flame Tenders and fries, and a Chicken Po’ Boy Grinder. Other menu items include Flamin Hot Dogs and Flame on Beefless Burgers with fries and Birria Tacos served with sautéed oyster mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheese.

Lady and the Shallot, 100 Campus Town Cir., Ste. #103, Ewing, NJ 08618

The motto at Lady and the Shallot is “Whole Foods Bold Flavors Kind Eating.” Brekkie lovers, their All-Day Breakfast menu celebrates with “award winning” roasted garlic, tofu Ricotta Toast, Avocado Toast, or roasted Sweet Beet hummus Toast featuring extra-virgin orange oil and greens. There’s also a Tofu scramble or Just Egg patty based Breakfast Sandwich on a Baguette or Wrap with caper aioli and more. Sweet Chipotle Maple Chicken Stack features Daring Chicken, Van’s waffles, greens, and potatoes. Two more “Award Winners” are Souped up Chili with crushed nachos, smashed avocado, and garlic aioli and Three Bean Chili with lemon caper aioli and onion. Their Small Plates host Sweet Pea Pate Crostini with garlic confit and greens, or Spicy Kimchi and Cucumber Salad with carrot, pickled ginger, toasted sesame, and “creamy” chili crisp. One of their Air-Frites items is Truffle Frites with truffle butter, greens, and garlic aioli. Whether you prefer your Cauliflower as a Taco or a Stuffed Sweet Potato, it comes turmeric-roasted with smashed avocado, pickled cabbage, cilantro, lime, “creamy” chimichurri, and chili crisp. Ready to Bowl? Choose your base of greens, black rice, or red quinoa. The next layer might be in-house marinated Jerk Tofu with cabbage, pineapple salsa, cilantro, lime, and “creamy” chimichurri. Or, if you’re feeling colorful, you might eat a Rainbow of smashed avocado, sweet roasted corn, cabbage, tomato, roasted chickpeas, and lemon aioli. You might Wrap up with Curried Smashed Bean with pickled cabbage, greens, and lemon caper aioli. There’s also Chocolate Pizza showcasing avocado chocolate mousse, fresh fruit, and powdered sugar.

Saigon Vegan Bistro, 1905 El Cajon Blvd. Ste. B, San Diego, CA 92104

SaigonVegan Bistro hopes to offer “… a unique culinary journey celebrating both sustainability and taste” where diners “…experience a blend of Saigon’s rich culinary traditions and modern, cruelty-free ingredients.” Appetizers include a Papaya Salad of cabbage, bell peppers, onions, tofu, peanuts, mint, and sweet and sour vinaigrette, as well as the popular Tofu-based rice paper Summer Rolls or “Shrimp” Spring Rolls–both with rice noodles, mint, basil, and homemade peanut sauce. A couple of their Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwiches are the popular Saigon Garlic (Butter) Chicken Banh Mi Combo on a baguette with cucumbers, cilantro, and jalapeños or Saigon Bacon Banh Mi Combo with tofu slices on a baguette with pate, cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, and house made sriracha aioli. All Banh Mi come with Hue Soup or Sweet Potato fries. A couple of their many Rice Bowls are Saigon Rice Bowl featuring marinated lemongrass beef slices, pickles, and sweet savory sauce or “crispy” Pepper Shrimp Bowl. Both come with broccoli, carrots, and white rice. Some Noodle Dishes are BBQ Beef Noodles bowl of Vermicelli, marinated lemongrass beef slices, pickled cabbage, mint, peanuts, chopped crispy rolls, and house made sweet savory sauce, or Pho flavored, Saigon Wok (rice) Noodles with tofu, vegan chicken or beef, basil, jalapeños, bean sprouts, and limes. Drinks include Pea Flower lemonade, Iced Passion fruit Tea, Cane Cola, Vietnamese or Vietnamese Jelly Coffee, and more.

Thanh Tinh Chay, 4591 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92115

According to their website, they serve over 200 dishes! Indeed, you’ll have to see their menu to learn just how vast and varied their offerings are! Their website also states that the food is made with “no preservatives,” with “NON-GMO ingredients” and “…without MSG…” Breakfast, served all day, might begin with French Toast Waffle or Mini Pancake accompanied by your choice of protein in pate such as vegan salmon, squid, shrimp, pork belly, and more for savory; or try a Fruity version. All come with Vietnamese vegan sausage and bacon. They offer various styles and combos of Dim Sum, Crispy Rolls, Spring Rolls, Mooshu Wrap, Dumplings of all sorts, peanut coconut Satays, Soups, Stews, Salads, and Chestnut, Bamboo, Kimchi, Fermented Bean Burritos with all manner of filling choices, Stir-Fry, Sushi Rolls, Burgers–Chinese and otherwise, Banh Mi Sandwiches, Noodles, Fried or Steamed Rice Dishes like Caramelized Fish Sauce, Orange Sauce with Cashew, filled Steamed Buns and Curry dishes to note a fraction. There are a myriad of vegan meat/sea food substitutes– some of the more unusual being vegan squid and abalone. Other ingredients often appearing in dishes are Wood Ear Mushrooms, Lotus, Bamboo and Jackfruit. Desserts may include Coconut or Caramel Flan, Cheesecake, Crème Brulee, Pandan, and Chocolate Pudding or Ice cream.

Vegan Junkie Burgers, Ft. Lauderdale FL; location varies

Vegan Junkie Burgers states that their “…food is made in house from scratch…with…locally-sourced ingredients that are 100% soy-free. No Lab Meats!” Though the menu changes seasonally, here are some possibilities from this food truck. Beginning with Burgers, to name a few, there’s P.B.Q. Plant Based Queen showcasing house Jerk patty, grilled onions, melted “provolone cheese,” plantain sticks, guava sauce, True Made Foods Barbecue sauce, garlic, and cilantro, Cuban Frita with house Choreezo patty, grilled onion, crushed plantain chips, pink sauce, and aioli and Bakon Cheeze featuring a house patty, melted “cheddar” cheeze, coconut bakon, and Chipotle Ranch. Ready for a melt down? They have Patti Melt, Toona Melt and Pepper Stk Cheeze. With a butternut based sauce and “locally sourced” pasta, Mac and Cheeze fans, can have it as a Side, or Plate, a Chili version or STK “Steak” Topped. A Salad option is Toona Caesar Salad of Sunflower Toona, kale, cucumber, roasted chickpeas, Seed Parm, and Caesar dressing. They offer lots of Sides and Add Ons including Tostone and Fire Roasted Smoky Lentil Chili Cheeze Fries. To sweeten the deal, Dessert is Signature VJ Date Caramel 3 Leches Cake.

Due to the generosity of anonymous donors, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award one $10,000 and several $5,000 college scholarships to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism in their schools and/or communities. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in SPRING 2026

We will accept applications emailed or postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2026. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Applications

For information on applying, visit: https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar or call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

This contest is sponsored by The Vegetarian Resource Group/Vegan Journal, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

On December 15, 2025 the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025. This act had been previously approved by the U.S. Senate.  As of this writing (early January 2026), this act is awaiting the President’s signature to be enacted into law.

According to the Congressional Research Service’s summary of the bill, a parent or legal guardian may provide a written statement documenting that their child’s disability restricts their diet; the school must then provide a substitute for dairy milk. This statement can also come from a licensed physician. In the past, a physician’s statement was required. Additionally, the bill states that schools are permitted (although not required) to offer all children “nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meet the nutritional standards established by the Secretary (which shall, among other requirements to be determined by the Secretary, include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow’s milk).” In the past, a request from a parent, legal guardian, or physician was required for a school to provide a plant milk to a child without a disability.

It is not yet clear how this act will be implemented, should it be signed into law. For example, we don’t know how many schools will offer all children “nondairy beverages that are nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk” especially since these products are often more expensive and the act does not provide additional funds to cover the costs of offering plant milks to all children.

This act also allows full fat (whole) and reduced fat (2 percent) dairy milk to be served in schools and says that dairy milk’s saturated fat content will not count towards the saturated fat limits for school meals. Saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart disease; previously, school meals could not include whole or reduced fat milk due to their saturated fat content.

For more information about school meals see:

What are Some of the Brands of Plant Milk that Can Be Used in the National School Lunch Program?

USDA Issues Revisions to Child Nutrition Programs

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch