After completing my MSc thesis about Healthy and Sustainable Diets, I decided to apply for an internship position at The Vegetarian Resource Group for my required Masters internship, hoping to continue researching topics related to plant-based diets, vegetarianism, and sustainability. Although this internship was not concentrated on scientific research, I was lucky to work on two interesting research projects. The first one was related to sustainability, and the second one consisted of an evaluation of knowledge and dietary patterns of Latin American vegans.
I worked for approximately one month with Jeanne Yacoubou, MS, the VRG Research Director, to find out about and to compare the global methane emissions of rice and meat production. I enjoyed this project because besides reviewing scientific literature, I was having an experience with investigative reporting by contacting scientists to interview them about their most recent data.
During that month, I provided Jeanne with information. I learned that atmospheric methane has increased by more than 2.5 times since 1750, due to livestock production, rice cultivation, fossil fuels usage, and the increasing global temperatures. According to a global methane emissions’ estimate of 2017, livestock farming emissions accounted for 4 times the methane emissions produced through rice cultivation. Although in the end, my university did not approve this project (to use for my nutrition credit) it was very exciting and interestingly challenging.
After this, I had the opportunity to work with Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, the VRG Nutrition Advisor. Working with her was like getting back in contact with the warmness I had left in Mexico when I moved to the Netherlands to study.
The common topic of my projects was Latin American vegan foods high in calcium and low or moderate in oxalate content, a substance that impedes calcium absorption. First, I explored the gastronomy of Latin American countries to identify (traditional vegan) foods high in calcium. Then, I evaluated calcium information for vegans available on different internet sources. I constructed a rubric to evaluate 100 Latin American websites, 50 websites in English geared towards Latin Americans, and 30 Latin American governmental entities. Lastly, I surveyed Latin Americans to find out about their knowledge and dietary practices regarding vegan foods high in calcium.
After I finalized evaluating websites and governmental entities geared for Latin American vegans regarding calcium on the vegan diet, I realized how essential VRG activism is. Few sites had accurate information on this topic. Also, results from the application of an internet-based survey indicated an information gap regarding good vegan calcium sources, at least among most of the Latin American participants from this survey.
Working as an intern at The VRG helped me to experience a high degree of independence and freedom to write blog-postings and to apply my knowledge on research methodology. I also experienced a different writing style I had not used at the university – one more related to the arts than to the academic or scientific writing style. It is funny to compare my first blog-posting draft, to my final outputs and notice how I evolved from having a very boring style, to a very enthusiastic one. I hope not too much!
I am very grateful to The VRG, for allowing me to work with them and to develop research projects. Now I am more convinced about continuing the promotion of vegetarianism and plant-based diets to improve our lives, as well the lives of other sentient beings, and our world.
For information about The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see www.vrg.org/student/index.php
Odette Olivares Sanchez is a Mexican student about to complete her MSc in Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
See some of her projects at:
https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm
https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/best_latin_american_websites.htm
https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/information_in_Spanish.htm
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