{"id":17499,"date":"2021-06-07T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=17499"},"modified":"2021-05-21T11:00:49","modified_gmt":"2021-05-21T15:00:49","slug":"vrg-hosts-dialogue-on-veganism-with-university-of-maryland-students-studying-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2021\/06\/07\/vrg-hosts-dialogue-on-veganism-with-university-of-maryland-students-studying-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"VRG Hosts Dialogue on Veganism with University of Maryland Students Studying Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Julia Comino, VRG Intern<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 10th, The Vegetarian Resource Group hosted a Zoom seminar with Professor Phyllis McShane\u2019s class of University of Maryland dietetic students. These students had already earned their undergraduate nutrition degree and are currently completing a year-long internship to receive their registered dietitian certification. This conversation between these students and The VRG staff allowed a nuanced discussion of the relationship between veganism and nutrient needs, financial status, and lifestyles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Zoom began at 10:30 EST with Dr. Reed Mangels, a VRG nutrition advisor and registered dietitian, leading a presentation on the demographic of vegans in the United States and the common reasons individuals switch to plant-based diets. After this, current VRG interns discussed their insights on living as vegan or vegetarian and how financial situations or location can affect their diets. Following this discussion, Dr. Mangels opened the floor to anyone who had questions to pose to any VRG interns as a way for these prospective dietitians to learn how to connect with future vegan or vegetarian clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \nNext, past VRG intern, Whitney Blomquist, joined with her two vegan twin toddlers\nto discuss her experience with\nraising children on a\nvegan diet and remaining vegan during pregnancy. Dr. Reed Mangels explained\nthat although individuals require different nutrients throughout their life\ncycle, it is possible and healthy to follow a vegan diet at any age, including\npregnancy and childhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Following this conversation\non life cycles, The Vegetarian Resource Group\u2019s Charles Stahler conducted an\nethics conversation in which he presented dietetic students with hypothetical\nsituations they might encounter with patients. From discussing how one might\nreact to a teenager switching to a vegan diet without their parent\u2019s support to the effect a diet\nchange could have on familial relationships, this conversation allowed the\nUniversity of Maryland students to put to work the concepts on veganism they\nhad been taught. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Finally, each dietetic\nstudent was given the opportunity to virtually share a vegan dish they cooked. Dishes such as pho-meat substitutes,\nchickpea salad, and vegetable sushi were presented displaying the wide array of\nflavors that vegan diets can have. After a final Q&A, the University of\nMaryland students were presented the opportunity to do an internship rotation\nwith the VRG in the future before being dismissed, full of their newly acquired\nunderstanding of veganism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To read about past dietetic interns who did a rotation with VRG, see<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DIETETIC INTERN FROM THE COLLEGE OF ST ELIZABETH AT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP<\/a><\/blockquote>