By Julia Comino, VRG Intern

On Tuesday, June 14th, Marcy Schveibinz, a Vegetarian Resource Group volunteer and certified health and wellness coach, virtually led a class at the Christopher Place Employment Academy covering “Basic Nutrition”. Ms. Schveibinz  has been conducting weekly nutrition and vegan cooking classes for over three years . Christopher Place Employment Academy of Baltimore, a program hosted by the Catholic Charities, is a residential program that supports men who have experienced houselessness, incarceration, or addiction by providing education and recovery resources. The vegan nutrition classes Ms. Schveibinz instructs are one of the program’s efforts to build crucial life skills and knowledge in these men.

On that day, Ms. Schveibinz’s class consisted of a group of approximately a dozen  male students, all an array of different ages and dressed semi-formally yet giving off an air of casual intrigue, and myself, a VRG intern shadowing the call. Class began with introductions, which seemed almost unnecessary for Ms. Schveibinz who with the students shared a friendly familiarity. Soon, this small talk segued into a discussion of today’s course topic: “Basic Nutrition.”

Ms. Schveibinz utilized a Socratic teaching style, starting off the lesson by asking the students about what they knew about calories, and after the students shared their knowledge: that calories were what food was made up of, they were “bad,” or that they were something often limited in diets. Following this dialogue, Ms. Schveibinz informed the class the calories were simply a unit measuring the potential energy that food may provide. The lesson continued as Ms. Schveibinz discussed caloric density, the ratio of volume to calories of a food item. Soon, the lesson turned its focus on the differences in nutrition and caloric density of plant-based and animal-based products, with plant-based products tending to have lower caloric density and higher levels of vitamins. Specifically, Ms. Schveibinz’s explained that while some animal products have higher levels of protein, these products were a “package deal,” and often also contained higher levels of saturated fats.

As the class continued, Ms. Schveibinz taught about fats, oils, dietary fibers, and carbohydrates, and with each, she gave examples of plant-based sources of these nutrients. Often, when Ms. Schveibinz would ask the class to give examples of foods that had high contents of certain nutrients, the students would reply with plant-based products. At these points, Ms. Schveibinz would validate the student’s answer before explaining the nutritional value of that product. After, she would offer examples of plant-based products that contained similar nutrients with a higher nutritional value.

The students shared that the lesson on carbohydrates was most impactful. Ms. Schveibinz focused on the glycemic index, a scale that measures the carbohydrate content of a food item and its impact on blood sugar levels, fats, and sugars. She made a point to contextualize the topics by recognizing current diets and trends students may know these terms from. This allowed her to build upon students’ preexisting knowledge and even correct misinformation that diet cultures had promoted about these nutrients.

Finally, Ms. Schveibinz ended the class by discussing nutrient density, the ratio of nutrient content to calories, explaining that this measure offers great insight into the value of different food items. After the lesson, Ms. Schveibinz asked the students if they had any questions about anything they had learned that day and answered their inquiries before advertising that next week’s lesson would be a vegan cooking class, which was met with the students’ excitement. Although this class covered the basics it offered a beginning for these students to pursue further knowledge into nutrition and veganism proving that veganism is for anyone and everyone!

For information on The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

For more information on The Vegetarian Resource Group’s work with Christopher Place Classes, see:

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/02/04/cooking-vegan-chili-at-christopher-place/

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2019/06/27/vegan-cooking-class-at-christopher-place-employment-academy/

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Many experts agree that it is critically important to encourage consumers to markedly reduce or eliminate animal products in their diets and to replace them with plant foods to reduce the effects of food choices on the environment. Restaurants offer opportunities to introduce consumers to plant-based foods. Messages on menus can provide the information that may inspire consumers to try plant-based menu items and to change their eating habits.

The non-profit organization, World Resources Institute, tested different messages that could appear on restaurant menus to see which ones would be most likely to nudge diners to choose vegetarian entrées when eating out. Two of the message were especially effective and doubled the percentage of orders for vegetarian entrées.

The first of these messages talked about how small changes can have a big impact and said, “Each of us can make a positive difference for the planet. Swapping just one meat dish for a plant-based one saves greenhouse gas emissions that are equivalent to the energy used to charge your phone for two years. Your small change can make a big difference.”

The second message was about joining a movement and said, “90% of Americans are making the change to eat less meat. Join the growing movement and choose plant-based dishes that will have less impact on the climate and are kinder to the planet.”

This study provides ideas that could be suggested to restaurants. Vegan restaurants could use messages like these in their advertising. Non-vegan restaurants who want to promote vegan menu items could use them to encourage diners to choose plant-based entrées. Perhaps these, or similar messages could be a part of our conversations with friends and family members who express interest in moving to more plant-based diets.

Reference

Blondin S, Attwood S, Vennard D, Mayneris V. Environmental messages promote plant-based food choices: An online restaurant menu study. Working Paper. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 2022.

To read more about a vegan diet and the environment see:

Save Our Water the Vegetarian Way

Burrito on My Plate: The Water Footprint of a Vegan versus a Meat Burrito

VRG Materials on the Environment

To see results of our most recent poll about how many adults in the U.S. sometimes or always choose vegan or vegetarian meals when eating out see

How Many Adults in the U.S. are Vegan? How Many Adults Eat Vegetarian When Eating Out?

By Cierra Peterlin, University of Maryland Dietetic Intern

Here are some ideas for zero-waste meals and snacks featuring creative ways to use what you have in order to reduce food waste. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/vegan-zero-waste-recipe-ideas.pdf

Debra Daniels-Zeller article titled Healthy Vegan Dishes on a Budget! provides tips on how to save money when preparing vegan meals and also shares recipes for:
Spicy Black Beans
Grilled Pepper and Quinoa-Millet Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Zucchini-Corn Chowder with Tomatoes
Kidney Bean-Sweet Potato Stew
Lemon Cornbread
Lemon-Carrot Coleslaw
Tofu-Broccoli Noodle Bowl

You can read the entire article here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue3/2017_issue3_dishes_budget.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal by visiting: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Greek Zucchini Carpaccio photo by Hannah Kaminsky

Hannah Kaminsky is the author of several vegan cookbooks and wrote an article titled “From A to Zucchini” in a previous Journal. Zucchini is a relatively inexpensive vegetable and easy to find in stores. Enjoy recipes for Greek Zucchini Carpaccio; Falafel-Stuffed Zucchini, BBQ Zucchini Chips; Zucchini Pâté; and Zucchin Bread Thumbprints.

Read the entire article with recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue2/2020_issue2_a_zucchini.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Photo by Rissa Miller

Are you getting tired of avocado toast and looking for some other creative toasts? Raise a Toast by Jason Yowell includes recipes for Frico Caprese; Mushroom Medley Toasts with Herbed Cashew Cheeze (photo by Rissa Miller); Seitan “Brat” Crostini; Sweet Potato Toasts with Beet Purée; BLT Toasts; and Sweet Cream & Fruit Tartine.

Read the entire article here: Raise a Toast

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Molecular farming is a platform to produce plants that express animal proteins. A CEO of a company using this technique was interviewed by Food Navigator and talks about labeling concerns. He believes labeling is a thorny issue, the product is not actually animal-free, though cruelty-free, and that the industry should be transparent with the final consumer.

To see article, go to: Animal proteins… made by plants? ‘Molecular farming’ co Moolec Science to go public via SPAC 15-Jun-2022 By Elaine Watson

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

For short cooking video, see https://youtu.be/84T8Nph3NGU

Enjoy this Chili Fries recipe and other low-cost vegan dishes from Skyler Kilmer. See: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/10/15/vegan-at-the-dollar-tree-store/

Mocktail photos by Rissa Miller

Are you craving a creative chilled non-alcoholic beverage? Previously the Journal featured an article titled “Non-Alcholic Thirst Quenchers,” by Mikiel Peratino. Mikiel is a former assistant manager and bartender at Great Sage vegan restaurant in Maryland. Enjoy recipes for Strawberry Fauxjito; Virgin Piña Colada; Warm Golden Pumpkin; Black Rose Mule; Watermelon Cooler; S’mores Mudslide; Virgin Cucumber Basil Gimlet; and Butterfly Margarita. These drinks look absolutely gorgeous and will bring a smile to your face!

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue3/2020_issue3_thirst_quenchers.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate