Ruby is a Vegetarian Resource Group 2021 video contest winner. She said: “I have been a vegetarian my entire life. I became a vegan this year. I care about animals and believe every life has value. The meat and dairy industry aren’t good for our planet. I wish more people would think about this. I also enjoy vegan food because it’s healthy.”

See her video here: https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#rubysturm

Deadline for the Next VRG video contest is July 15, 2022.

See: https://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

To support Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships, donate at vrg.org/donate

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tracks how much food is available each year, on average, for each person in the United States. These reports provide a fascinating snapshot of what Americans are likely to be eating. To determine how much food is available, the USDA tracks domestic production, initial inventories, and imports of a particular food and then subtracts exports and end-of-year inventories. An estimation of food availability per person is calculated by dividing the total amount of available product by the U.S. population. These estimates cannot tell us how much of a food an individual person eats but they can provide an estimate of the amount of food available for the average person.

     A recent report looks at the years 1970 to 2019. Over those 50 years, the total amount of fruits available, including fresh, canned, frozen, and dried fruit and fruit juice, decreased slightly from 238 pounds per capita to 236 pounds per capita. The amount of available fresh fruit increased and processed fruit (canned, frozen, dried, juice) decreased.

     If we only consider fresh fruits, the fruits with the largest increases in availability included

• Avocadoes 0.4 lbs/capita now 7.4 lbs/capita
• Bananas 17.4 lbs/capita now 27.4 lbs/capita
• Pineapples 0.7 lbs/capita now 7.3 lbs/capita

     Other fresh fruits with greater availability over the past 50 years include

• Lemons 2 lbs/capita now 4.7 lbs/capita
• Blueberries 0.2 lbs/capita now 2.1 lbs/capita
• Grapes 2.7 lbs/capita now 7.7 lbs/capita
• Mangoes 0.1 lbs/capita now 3.1 lbs/capita
• Strawberries 1.6 lbs/capita now 5.3 lbs/capita

     And with lower availability:

• Grapefruit 8 lbs/capita now 1.5 lbs/capita
• Oranges 15.6 lbs/capita now 9.1 lbs/capita
• Peaches 5.5 lbs/capita now 2.0 lbs/capita

Resources: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/

To read about vegetable availability in the United States, see: https://www.vrg.org/blog/?s=17+pounds+of+carrots

Vellabox offers monthly subscription boxes with one or two plant-based, small-batch candles, all made in the USA. The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers a review of these candles here: Veggie Bits

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Salty, sweet, and very addicting! Puffworks snacks come in several flavors. Note that one variety contains honey and is not vegan. Read the review here: Veggie Bits

For more information see: https://puffworks.com/

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Sophisticated and refreshing, Chef Morgan’s Greek Bowls are sure to please a crowd any time of year. Try her recipe for Greek Marinated Tofu on top of couscous and veggies, all smothered in lemon tahini dressing for lunch, dinner, snacks, or even a meal on the go. See this Vegetarian Resource Group video at: https://youtu.be/Q53AiF75M5k

More videos at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Do you love pickles? The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers a review of Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo that comes in several varieties. Read the review here: Veggie Bits

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Rissa was asked the following:

Why do people decide to go vegetarian or vegan?

If someone wants to change their eating habits, but they aren’t sure how to do that, where do they begin?

What’s the biggest misconception about vegetarians, vegans or a vegetarian or vegan diet?

How can people who are not vegetarian or vegan keep those who are in mind when planning an event or providing a meal?

As a vegetarian, how do you respond to people who don’t take your food choices seriously?

To watch the video and see the cooking demo, go to 6:30 here: https://youtu.be/z58AU8P0YMs

To see other videos, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw

The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers the column Vegan Action that features Elsa Spencer, PhD. Elsa is a teacher and activist. Read the column here: Vegan Action: Elsa Spencer

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers a review of The Natural Gourmet’s Vitam-R, which is a deeply savory, distinctive spread made from yeast enzymes formed on molasses. Vitam-R contains 17 amino acids and vitamin B12. Read the review here: Veggie Bits

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member

Are you looking for some creative ways to prepare dishes featuring radishes? The latest issue of Vegetarian Journal offers the column Vegan Cooking Tips focusing on radishes, by Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD. Read the piece here: Quick and Easy Ideas for Radishes

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal in the USA, see: vrg.org/member