By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Take a walk down the supermarket aisle. Notice which foods say, “Healthy” on their labels. Did you know that products must meet specific standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to indicate on the label that a product is “healthy”?

While companies are not required to use the word “healthy,” they are not allowed to use it if a product does not meet FDA’s standards. The standards that are currently in use limit total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium but do not prevent a product with a lot of added sugars from being labeled “healthy.” In addition to having less than specified amounts of fat, sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol, foods labeled “healthy” must also provide at least 10% of the Daily Value (DV) for one or more of the following nutrients: vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, protein, and fiber.

The standards for use of “healthy” on a food label were developed in 1994 and are being reviewed. There are issues with the current standards. For example, currently, something like a highly sweetened breakfast cereal that has vitamin C added to it could be labeled “healthy.” Avocados, nuts, and seeds cannot be labeled “healthy” because of their total fat content.

What would you like to see as the basis for a “healthy” food? Must it be vegan? Should oils be labeled “healthy” if they are low in saturated fat? Should a food with any amount of added sugar be labeled “healthy”?

You can read a summary of FDA’s proposed criteria for allowing “healthy” on a food label  here.

The entire text of the proposed changes can be found here along with a link allowing you to submit your comments on the use of “healthy” on a food label.

Nasya from North Carolina said: I, as a 16-year-old girl who utilized vegetarianism to meet some of her established goals in life, consider teaching and educating others on the true identity of vegetarianism one of my passions. The vegetarian lifestyle has helped me significantly in so many ways, and I consider it my duty to help others in the way that this lifestyle has helped me. See her My Vegetarian Journey video at https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#nasynbellard

See other videos here: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

The deadline for The Vegetarian Resource Group’s next video contest is July 15, 2023. See: https://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

One of my favorite meals is homemade vegan pizza.  I’ve found a good crust recipe that combines whole-wheat and all-purpose flour to make a flavorful but light crust. I use a baking stone for a crispier crust. Toppings are often seasonal vegetables – asparagus and sugar snap peas in spring, roasted summer squash and eggplant in summer, broccoli and cauliflower in fall, and shredded root vegetables in winter. For years, I’ve made pizza with no cheese and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Occasionally I make a vegan cheese sauce or a cashew-based cheese that I can dollop on top. Once in a while, I buy vegan cheese shreds to top a pizza.

While I don’t use vegan cheese shreds often enough for their nutritional content to make much of a difference in my own health, I’d like to support companies whose products are on the healthier end of the spectrum. For me, that would mean looking for products that are lower in saturated fat and sodium.  I’m not that concerned about protein on my pizza since I usually add a cup or two of beans to the vegetables that top the pizza. It’s good that I’m not relying on vegan cheese shreds for protein. I did not find any that had more than a gram of protein in a quarter cup (about an ounce).

I looked at commercially available vegan Mozzarella cheese shreds. Information is from manufacturers’ websites and product packages.

Most commercial products are relatively high in saturated fat because many are based on coconut oil or palm oil. Saturated fat ranges from 0.5 grams to 6 grams of saturated fat in a 1-ounce serving of cheese shreds. The products with the lowest saturated fat are:

• Go Veggie Plant-Based Mozzarella Shreds – 0 grams of saturated fat
• Treeline Dairy-Free Mozzarella Shreds – 1 gram of saturated fat
• Daiya Cutting Board Mozzarella Style Shreds – 3 grams of saturated fat

The sodium content of commercial cheese shreds ranges from 190 milligrams to 310 milligrams in a 1-ounce serving. The products with the lowest sodium are:

• Treeline Dairy-Free Mozzarella Shreds – 190 milligrams of sodium
• Violife Just Like Mozzarella Shreds – 190 milligrams of sodium
• So Delicious Mozzarella-style Shreds – 200 milligrams of sodium

Taste is also a factor and, for pizza, meltability increases my appreciation of a product. I’ll still use commercial vegan cheese shreds only occasionally, but I look forward to experimenting with the products I’ve identified as lower in saturated fat and/or sodium.

To read more about vegan cheese see:

Vegan Cheese

The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Guide to Vegan Cheese (2017)

Cheese-Less Sauces

By Julia Comino, VRG Intern

From the veggie dog eating contest to petting Toby a pygmy goat at the Peaceful Fields Sanctuary booth, Richmond’s 2022 VegFest hosted an array of fun vegan activities.     

I arrived at Byrd Park in the late morning of September 17th, 2022, just in time to watch as the other vendors began pitching their tents, organizing their products across tabletops for display, and the various sanctuaries setting up comfortable areas for their animals to rest throughout the day’s events. I made my way through the park which was filled with excited energy, taking in the array of booths featuring vegan foods, books, clothing, and more. Finally, after finding The Vegetarian Resource Group’s designated spot, I met Elsa Spencer PhD, a long-time VRG volunteer and the person responsible for running The VRG booth at VegFest for over a decade.

Elsa and I fell into an easy, lively conversation as we unpacked box after box of VRG literature and books from her car. She told me about her years of experience running The VRG’s booth at VegFest and her long-time friendships with the VRG’s staff. Together, Elsa and I made quick work of setting up our table display hosting an array of VRG cookbooks, informational pamphlets, stickers, coloring books, and Vegan Journals. As we finished setting up our booth, many of the other vendors came up to Elsa excitedly saying hello and offering their help with pitching our tent or giving directions to areas of the festival.

However, it was not only vendors that recognizes The VRG. As festival goers began to trickle into the park, many stopped by The VRG table expressing excitement to see our booth there again this year or asking us to say hello to Charles Stahler, Debra Wasserman, and other long-time VRG staff. Soon, our booth was bustling with people looking through cookbooks, flipping through Vegan Journals, and signing up for memberships with The VRG. I was consistently going from talking to visitors to restocking the books or magazines that festival-goers purchased.

I spoke to scores of people who visited our booth throughout the day, and I was pleasantly surprised that many of the people who had questions or were interested in hearing about my experience being vegan were those who were not vegan themselves. One conversation that stuck out to me was with a man who was attending the festival with his vegan daughter. He told me how he didn’t think he could give up eating chicken or fish, but that he felt bad when he did eat meat. He asked me if I had struggled with giving up certain foods to be vegan. I explained to him that I didn’t feel like I was missing out because I was vegan as there were so many amazing vegan recipes. I told him about the array of dishes that were surprisingly already vegan and plant-based meats that I have found as a great supplement to animal-based foods. He shared that he had actually enjoyed the plant-based meats he had tried. While it did not seem like he was ready to switch to a vegan diet after our conversation, he did pick up a few Vegan Journals and pamphlets, telling me that he wanted to try to reduce his consumption of meat.

After a few hours of running the booth, I went to explore VegFest for myself. I pursued the rows of booths, stopping at the AhimsaVibe booth to look through their beautiful array of crystals and jewelry. Next, I visited with the adorable animals that peaceful Fields Sanctuary had at their booth. After giving Toby, their pygmy goat, quite a lot of petting, I moved on to check out what food the festival had to offer. From home-brewed kombucha to Southern Spud’s loaded baked potatoes to jack fruit jerky, there was something to suit anyone’s taste! First, I visited Deluca’s Gelato and ordered a scoop of vegan chocolate gelato. Despite the day being temperately cool, the rich gelato made a refreshing treat. I ate my gelato as I joined a crowd of festival-goers watching a man riding a unicycle juggling flame throwers. The impressive spectacle drew roaring applause, and after I finished my gelato, I went to buy a plate of fresh vegetable summer rolls from the Thai Top Ten booth. I ended up sitting on the grass in front of a stage enjoying a dance performed by a local dance crew.

After my lunch break, I joined Elsa back at the booth. As the day went on, I met more and more people who excitedly asked about vegan recipes and bought our cookbooks. The I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Book was a favorite of the children who visited our booth! As the day drew to a close, I helped Elsa with customers before bidding her goodbye to make my drive back.

The VegFest was an event unlike any I had been to before. With all the vendors offering vegan wares and foods, I did not have to worry about ingredients at all. No matter if someone was vegan or non-vegan, the VegFest offered plenty of options and entertainment for everyone!

For information about VRG internships, see https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

In addition to the myriad of meat and dairy alternatives that have been around for thousands of years (like tofu, tempeh, beans, etc.) and newly processed alternatives such as Beyond Burgers, there is now increasing development of alternatives based on animal cell DNA, with the technology having many variations. But how should these new products be labeled?

To get a glimpse of people’s thoughts about labeling, we commissioned a poll to find out the number of vegan and vegetarian adults in the U.S and the number that ate vegetarian and vegan meals.

We then asked additional questions about labeling the new cell cultured alternatives as vegan, vegetarian, animal free, and plant-based.

To see rest of article, go to: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/CulturedMeatYouGov2022.pdf

photo from Herbie Burger

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: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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 (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Cultivate, 220 Saint Georges Ave., Rahway, NJ 07065

Cultivate says they are “fun spirited.” They aim to offer flavorful, vegan comfort food and prepare most of their dishes in house. For sustainability, they use bamboo soup cups and virtually no plastic. They source produce locally whenever possible, and try to avoid foods which use resource intensive production. A couple of Snacks you might consider are Dahi Puri a cold dish of potato, lentils, tamarind and mint chutneys with a yogurt drizzle or Crispy Fried Oyster Shrooms – battered and served with garlic mustard sauce and hot maple dip. Main Courses abound. For the Wild Mushroom Linguine, they dry seasonal mixed, mushrooms themselves and create a broth from them which they incorporate into an herbal-scented cream sauce. There are also various dishes offering vegan chicken, sausages and burger options, Eggplant Napolean (a popular entrée) and Traditional Indian Style Smoked Red Lentils with cumin, coriander, pickled vegetables and jasmine rice to list a few. Sides to keep your entrée company are Peri Peri Fries spiced with their signature blend, Steamed Bok Choy with Cannellini Beans and Garlic and Corn Succotash. Desserts vary seasonally.

Fern’s Diner and Drinkery, 4645 Fountain Ave., Cascade, CO 80809

Located at the scenic base of Pikes Peak Highway and next to the Pike National Forest. An evolving menu with a full bar and selection of can beers. Starters such a Poutine, Beyond burgers, fried artichoke Sammy, and desserts such a golden milk apple cookie, as well as other pastries. Breakfast items are served all day! Dog friendly area with an outdoor garden.

Herbie Burger, 5660 Selmaraine Dr., Culver City, CA 90230

Enjoy vegan food made from scratch. Homemade burgers, tofu chick’n, nachos, and a variety of sides. Try the crispy oyster mushroom sandwich with sides of vegan elote and coleslaw.

Keiko’s Alkaline Bodega and Tea Shop, 904 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55408

This bodega and tea shop offers a variety of natural foods products as well as food such as fried chik’n with candied squash and greens.

La Taquiza Vegana, 2216 SE 50th Ave., Portland, OR 97215

Enjoy vegan Mexican food made modern. Vegan Mexican street food. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and fries. Location changes; so check website first.

Margo’s, 1534 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90403

Enjoy salads, pizza, sandwiches, pasta, and vegan cocktails at this vegan bar and kitchen. A daily brunch menu includes items such as Huevos rancheros, breakfast pizzas, and yogurt granola bowl. Sidewalk patio available.

The Social Vegan, 101 W. Loudon Ave., Ste. 162, Lexington, KY 40508 and 505 W. Georgia St., Tallahassee, FL 32301

Enjoy choosing from a menu of starters, entrees, classics, drinks, and frozen drinks. Try a starter of portabella pizza caps, a classic black bean burger or vegan chicken Philly, along with a frozen traditional or virgin piña colada.

It’s the spookiest night of the year… and you want to give out vegan candy to all the little ghouls and goblins that knock on your door. But what to do? Are there vegan Halloween candy options? YES! We’ve got you covered.

Go to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0GjGR852pc

How often have you wanted to make a gift in honor of a loved one or friend but weren’t sure which charities are vegan-friendly, pro-environmental, or pro-animal rights? Please remember The Vegetarian Resource Group. You can make a gift in memory of a loved one or as a living tribute to honor someone you care about on a special occasion, such as a wedding or birth. We’ll send an acknowledgment to you and to the recipient(s) you choose. Your gift will support educational programs and help promote veganism.

Make checks payable to The Vegetarian Resource Group and mail to PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, or donate at vrg.org/donate

On Sat Sept 23, VRG’s Journal Senior Editor Rissa Miller did a presentation on pairing vegan foods with fancy teas. For the talk, Rissa collaborated with vegan tea sommelier Karen Donnelly of Greenhalgh Teas. Food samplings included Curry-Coconut Granola (paired with Assam tea), White Bean Salad Stuffed Tomatoes (paired with oolong tea), Cashew Sweet Cream with Fresh Fruit (paired with green jasmine tea), and Banana Bread Muffins (paired with vanilla rooibos tea). Karen instructed guests how to alternate tasting food bites with sips of tea to bring the flavors of both more to life. Rissa discussed plant foods, their preparation, ways to incorporate more of them into your daily life, and how to get the most depth and flavor out of them, as well as nutrition unique to plants.

The talk was sold out, with folks still attempting to grab a seat at the last minute. Guests received 4 issues of VRG’s Journal (a year’s worth!), as well as handouts on going vegan and Karen’s information on how to pair teas with foods. Also, the event proceeds were donated to Speranza Animal Rescue.

More info:

Greenhalgh Teas, 371 Glen Mills Rd, Thornton, PA 19373
PA Tea Festival, https://www.teafestpa.com/home

In order to find out how many adult vegetarians and vegans there are in the United States, The Vegetarian Resource Group commissioned YouGov to ask the following question in 2022.

Which one, if any, of the following best describes your eating behavior? Please select the option that best applies.

1) I never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs

2) I never eat meat, fish, seafood, or poultry

3) I usually eat meals without meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs

4) I usually eat meals without meat, fish, seafood, or poultry

5) I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs

6) I sometimes eat meals without meat, fish, seafood, or poultry

7) None of these

We classified those that never eat meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy, or eggs as vegan. Vegetarians include vegans, plus those that never eat meat, fish seafood, or poultry

To see rest of article, go to: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/CulturedMeatYouGov2022.pdf