chia seeds Image by azerbaijan_stockers on Freepik

Not sure what to use as an egg replacer in a recipe? Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, has you covered. In one of her Vegan Cooking Tips columns in Vegan Journal she states, “Eggs add moisture, texture, color, and taste to many foods; act as a binding agent and give a “rise” to baking products. There are many ingredients that provide the same properties without having to use animal products.”

Learn about various egg replacers here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue3/2023_issue3_cooking_tips.php

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

Image by vector4stock on Freepik

By Sundari Maharajh, VRG Intern

A common obstacle to kids and teens looking to become vegan is the fact of their parents now having to adjust their routines to accommodate the change. For example, a parent might have to cook an entire separate dinner for just one kid, which can be frustrating and time consuming for the parent. This creates a struggle on both sides that could discourage a child from making the switch to veganism.

VRG intern Anayeli Camacho echoes this experience, sharing, “When I transitioned to vegan, I was the only one in my family and knew no one that was vegan. I made the decision after seeing videos and posts on Pinterest, then researching the treatment animals endured during mass production farming. To make a decision so grand like that takes discipline and strength.” Anayeli’s words resonate deeply with me and many other young vegans. It takes immense discipline and strength of conviction to go against the grain of your upbringing and social circles.

Oftentimes our social worlds are so deeply intertwined with food traditions, and gatherings often revolve around non-vegan dishes. As Anayeli points out, “Most gatherings have food, and our day to day [lives] hear different peoples’ versions of what nutritious food is. With those temptations and influences, it’s difficult to stay strong to our mission to create a more plant-forward world.”

I’ve certainly faced these challenges myself, such as not being invited to eat with your friends because the restaurant does not have veggie options. It can be isolating and frustrating to eat differently than everyone around you, especially when it comes to school lunches. In my experience, the options for vegan students in school cafeterias have been limited at best. However, Anayeli reminds me that most of us “didn’t make that decision because it would be easy. We made the decision to change our food choices and lifestyle because we know how important it is for the animals, planet, and ourselves.” Holding onto that deeper purpose and moral belief system is what has kept me going, even on the most difficult days. We have to remind ourselves why we wanted to become vegan in the first place.

The good news is that there are ways to make the transition to veganism easier. When people think of vegan food, a common misconception is that you need to buy specialty ingredients like tofu and soybean-based meat alternatives to eat vegan. The truth is many household foods are already vegan; however, we do not mentally categorize them as such. Simple swaps like replacing a meat-based sandwich with a peanut butter and jelly, or swapping ranch for hummus, can create a familiar, tasty vegan meal. While the journey is certainly not without its challenges, I’m excited by the growing availability of vegan resources and options for young people. While the transition might be hard now, it will get easier as you establish yourself in this world as a vegan. Continue researching about the meat industry, become involved in volunteering, read books, watch documentaries, and immerse yourself in this information. As Anayeli so eloquently states, “Reminding yourself of why you were motivated to become vegan in the first place is the key to continuing.”

For more information, see

Teen FAQs

Vegan Nutrition for Teenagers

Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood

Recent topics brought up include:

– Update on Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives under the WIC Program

– One of The Vegetarian Resource Group’s high school interns shared some of her vegan recipes she created that should appeal to young kids

– Information on the 5 Vegetarian Resource Group Scholarship Winners doing amazing things before graduating from High School

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

Greens with New Potatoes and Kidney Beans

Debra Daniel-Zeller’s piece “Warm Weather Salads Fit to Be Meals” includes recipes for Shiitake Mushroom, Quinoa and Greens with Toasted Cashews; Greens with New Potatoes and Kidney Beans; Spinach and Bean Salad with Mustard Croutons; Lime-Infused Black Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad; 3-Bean Salad with Sweet Onions and Arugula; Soba Noodles with Marinated Tofu and Baby Kale; and Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Cashew Dressing. Her article can be found here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue3/2015_issue3_salads_meals.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

photo from Oleum

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:

Compatible Delights, 5400 Woodway Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76133

A completely plant-based restaurant on the south side of Fort Worth, featuring a rotating menu of Southern comfort classics and fresh/uncooked vegan options such as salads. Some customer favorites include Street Tacos (with cilantro lime), Chopped BBQ Sandwich (consists of jackfruit on a toasted bun with a side of MacNcheez), and Smoked BBQ Mac Bowl (consists of MacNcheez smothered with smoked BBQ jackfruit, grilled onions, pickles, diced tomatoes, and BBQ sauce). For the latest menu, check Instagram.

Grandma’s Kitchen, Arnot Mall Food Court, 3300 Chambers Rd., Horseheads, NY 14845

The menu at Grandma’s Kitchen is built around locally sourced dishes made from scratch. Adding a personal touch, many selections are vegan versions of family recipes. One of their Hot Plates, Shepherd’s Pie, combines grilled Impossible hamburger mixed with tomato and grilled chopped onions covered in green beans, topped with house made mashed potatoes and melted cheddar cheese. Hot Sandwiches include: Impossible Hamburger Sloppy Joe and barbecued Pulled Pork with their creamy coleslaw and pickles. Both feature house made sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Cold Sandwich options are Egg Salad made with mustard and fresh dill or Grilled Daring Chicken Salad mixed with Dijon mustard, celery, and red grapes. Both include vegan mayo and come with lettuce, tomato, and onion. They offer a Kids’ Menu featuring Impossible Hot Dogs or Macaroni and Cheese. Two kinds of Bread baked from scratch, a few Sides, as well as Salads and Soups are also available. Grandma’s Kitchen serves Brunch on the weekend from 10am until supplies run out. Choices include Quiche of the Day made with Cheddar and a house made buttery crust, made from scratch Cinnamon Roll with cream cheese frosting, Tofu Scramble with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and light curry seasoning, Homefries and Breakfast Sausage. Consider leaving room for Dessert. There are lots of choices! Pies, Brownies, Dessert Bars, Cheesecake Bars, Cookies, and Cupcakes vary daily.

Oleum, 210 S. Central Ave., Baltimore, MD 21202

Oleum is located in the old Stratford University and there’s free parking. They strive to create globally inspired cuisine with seasonal, local ingredients. They do their best to honor special requests. Some of their Small Plates are: sweet & savory, crisp, panko Fried Eggplant drizzled with coconut nectar and maldon sea salt flakes, crispy, house blended, Falafel with fresh herbs and lime tahini sauce, and Batata Harra–pan fried spiced, Lebanese potatoes, with cilantro, sumac, Aleppo pepper, and house garlic sauce to name a few. Mains include several pasta dishes like Penne a la Vodka which sports organic san Marzano tomatoes, fresh parsley, and cashew cream. Al dente Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni combines a creamy blend of roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, soy cream, mozzarella, and fresh basil. There’s also semolina Trofie Pesto Pasta with a creamy house sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, basil, and chili flakes as well as other pasta dishes. There are lots of Pizza possibilities. If you’re hungry and creative, Build Your Own (BYO) Neapolitan style pizza, beginning with 12″ hand stretched house dough, a base of house marinara and house cheez. Next, choose any two toppings and then build from there with options like Blue Cheez, garlic roasted chickpeas, mushrooms, spicy Italian sausage, Tempeh bacon, black olives & more. If you prefer a chef-designed pizza, Verano offers cashew white cream sauce, sundried tomatoes, roasted artichoke hearts and spicy greens in lemon, EVOO and grated parmes’n. The spicy Gabriel hosts house pine nut pesto, sausage, peppers, and more. Mushroom fans may face a tough decision between Fungus Amungus and The Forager. Both feature double fermented crusts, but the former is marinara based with an exotic blend of mushrooms, garlic, parsley, and  house cheez while the latter has an herby white sauce, Violife feta, and morel mushrooms. Children might enjoy the 6-inch Kids Cheez Pizza with house marinara and mixed mozzarella. À La Carte Sides include Muhammara–a dip of fire roasted red peppers, walnuts, garlic, tomato, pomegranate molasses, sumac, Aleppo pepper, panko & parsley, a few Hummus variations, and more. There are also a couple of Salads and a Soup. You may want to leave room for Desserts like spiced Oleum Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing and pecans, Tiramisu featuring tofu mascarpone, dark rum, espresso, and cacao, a made to order Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie and a two layer German Chocolate Cake layered with coconut pecan caramel and cacao buttercream.

Pizza Verdura Sincera, 377 Moreland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

Pizza Verdura Sincera offers pizza pies made with plant-based cheeses and vegan meats. Traditional pies include a margherita prepared with vegan mozzarella and the Greco topped with spinach, mushrooms, and Kalamata olives. Specialty pizzas include the Messicano topped with chipotle sausage, peppers, onions, and roasted corn. Desserts include tiramisu and a raspberry passionfruit torte.

Runaway Cow, 608 W. 31st St., Chicago, IL 60616

Runaway Cow offers plant-based ice cream made from oat milk. The menu features soft-serve cones, malt milkshakes, and ice cream cakes. The soft-serve ice cream is available in chocolate, vanilla, and twist as well as rotating seasonal flavors. Snowstorm flavors on the menu are blended with vegan cookies and candies such as Biscoff, peanut butter crunch, cake batter, and cookie dough. Sundaes include classics such as banana split as well as specialty flavors like German chocolate with caramel and coconut, turtle with fudge and caramel, and Elvis with banana slices and peanut butter.

The House of Mental Eatery (H.O.M.E), 1523 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Little Rock, AR 72202

Identifies as a black-owned, women-owned, and indigenous-owned business. Serves a variety of vegan dishes like the “Loaded Nachos,” which has corn tortilla chips smothered in cashew-based cheese with a variety of toppings. As well as the “Chili Dawg & House Fries,” which contains a vegan hot dog with plant based chili and cashew based cheese with a side of fries.

Tiny Vegan, 104 S. Sheppard St., Richmond, VA 23221

Serves vegan breakfast dishes like the “Bagel Sandwich,” which has a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, lentil sausage, tofu scramble, and baby spinach. They also offer sandwiches such as the “Turkey Sub,” which has house-made seitan turkey, micro sprouts, sliced tomato, bacon, garlic hummus, and pickled jalapeño sauce on a toasted sub roll.

photo from CDC.gov

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

There seems to be a persistent rumor that vegan children are on the short side. That may have prompted a question on VRG’s Parent and Kids Facebook Group – “Totally random but I was curious if anyone is ever concerned about their children not growing to their full height potential due to being vegan?”

There are a number of factors that affect a child’s height including genetics, the child’s health and access to adequate health care, nutrition, and environmental factors. Factors during pregnancy such as the mother’s nutrition, cigarette smoking, and exposure to environmental contaminants can affect a child’s growth. The many factors that influence height make it difficult to isolate the effect of a single factor, such as the child’s vegan diet. Nonetheless, several studies have compared the heights of vegan children to growth standards or to the heights of nonvegan children.

It’s helpful to have a basic understanding of how a child’s height is assessed. In the United States, growth charts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are used to assess growth of children less than 2 years of age. Older children are monitored with growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

After accurately measuring a child’s height, that measurement is plotted on a growth chart which shows at which percentile the child’s height falls. If a child’s height is at the 50th percentile, that means that 50% of children of that age are taller and 50% are shorter.

A wide range of growth percentiles are considered “normal.” A child at the 10th percentile or the 95th percentile for height is still considered to be within the healthy range. Health care providers will want to evaluate child if the child is below the 2^nd percentile (for age 0-2 years) or below the 5^th percentile (for age 2 years and older) for length/height (1).

Of course, when any child is evaluated, factors such as the size of the parents and whether or not the child was born prematurely or if there are health issues are taken into consideration.

Recently a number of studies of vegan children have been published. These studies have all been conducted in European countries. No recent studies have examined the height of vegan children in the United States.

 Germany: A study of older children and adolescents (5.5-19.1 years old) compared 115 vegans to 149 vegetarians and 137 nonvegetarians. The three groups had a similar mean age. There was no significant difference in height (as measured in centimeters) between the three groups (2).

Czechoslovakia: 222 children ranging in age from 0.5 years to 18.5 years. There were 78 vegans, 92 vegetarians, and 52 nonvegetarians. There was no significant difference between the groups in height percentile (3).

Finland: 40 children with a median age of 3.5 years were studied. There were 6 vegans, 10 vegetarians, and 24 nonvegetarians. All of the vegan children had been vegan from birth. There was no significant difference in height scores between the groups (4).

Germany: This study included 139 vegan children, 127 vegetarian children, and 164 nonvegetarian children ages 1 to 3 years. There was no significant difference in height-for-age scores between the groups, suggesting that the children, including the vegan children, were growing normally. A small percentage (3.6%) of the vegan children were classified as stunted (very low height). Three (2.4%) of the vegetarian children and none of the nonvegetarian children were classified as stunted. The five vegan children who were classified as stunted tended to have parents who were shorter than average, to have been exclusively breastfed longer than the recommended 6 months, and to have had an inadequate calorie intake, possibly because of prolonged exclusive breastfeeding (5).

Poland: A study examined 52 vegan children, 63 vegetarian children, and 72 nonvegetarian children age 5-10 years. The three groups had a similar mean age. The vegans had a significantly lower height score which translated to the vegan group averaging 1.25 inches shorter than the nonvegetarians (6).

Multi-country: A meta-analysis which combined the results of 2 studies of vegan and nonvegan children that used z-scores to evaluate height found no significant difference in height. When a meta-analysis was conducted using 4 studies where the actual height of vegan and nonvegan children was measured, the vegan children were shorter but the study authors state that “the difference was driven by a structural imbalance in age between the groups in one included study.” (7) In other words, if you measure the height of one group of children and compare it to the height of another group of children, the younger group is likely to be shorter. Thus, the results of this meta-analysis of actual heights are highly questionable.

A total of four recent studies of vegan children have found no significant difference in height compared to nonvegan children. One study found that the vegan children were, on average, somewhat shorter. These results suggest that it’s likely that healthy vegan children, whose diets are nutritionally adequate, will have similar heights to their nonvegan peers. A recent review article, reaches similar conclusions, saying that, with the exception of a small percentage of children, vegan children have normal growth (8).

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Use and Interpretation of the WHO and CDC Growth Charts for Children from Birth to 20 Years in the United States. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/growthcharts/resources/growthchart-508.pdf. May 2013.
2. Alexy U, Fischer M, Weder S, et al. Nutrient intake and status of German children and adolescents consuming vegetarian, vegan or omnivore diets: Results of the VeChi Youth Study. Nutrients. 2021;13(5):1707.
3. Světnička M, Heniková M, Selinger E, et al. Prevalence of iodine deficiency among vegan compared to vegetarian and omnivore children in the Czech Republic: cross-sectional study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2023;77(11):1061-1070.
4. Hovinen T, Korkalo L, Freese R, et al. Vegan diet in young children remodels metabolism and challenges the statuses of essential nutrients. EMBO Mol Med. 2021;13(2):e13492.
5. Weder S, Hoffmann M, Becker K, Alexy U, Keller M. Energy, macronutrient intake, and anthropometrics of vegetarian, vegan, and omnivorous children (1–3 years) in Germany (VeChi Diet Study). Nutrients. 2019;11(4):832.
6. Desmond MA, Sobiecki JG, Jaworski M, et al. Growth, body composition, and cardiovascular and nutritional risk of 5- to 10-y-old children consuming vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113(6):1565-1577.
7. Koller A, Rohrmann S, Wakolbinger M, et al. Health aspects of vegan diets among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analyses. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. Published online October 9, 2023.
8. Sutter DO, Bender N. Nutrient status and growth in vegan children. Nutr Res. 2021;91:13-25.

To read more about nutrition for vegan children see:

Feeding Vegan Kids

Vegan Nutrition in Pregnancy and Childhood

Vegan Journal is published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

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

Orange Dream Ice Cream Bars photo by Hannah Kaminsky

The Vegetarian Resource Group previously published a vegan recipe piece written by Vegan Journal Senior Editor Hannah Kaminsky called “Keep Your Cool! Refreshing No-Bake Desserts.” Recipes include Peaches and Cream Icebox Cake, Orange Dream Ice Cream Bars, Raspberry White Chocolate Macaroons, Root Beer Float Pie, and Bananas Foster Crème Brûlée.

You can find the entire piece here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2019issue3/2019_issue3_keep_cool.php

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only by visiting https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Akua Oppong, VRG Intern

The AVA Summit was an enriching and inspiring experience. I had an amazing time and enjoyed the chance to be intellectually stimulated. The summit was filled with engaging panels and discussion events that provided insight into various topics including research, advocacy, and alternative proteins. It was enlightening to be around so many passionate vegans and activists interested in promoting veganism. I had the opportunity to meet and connect with many people, engage in meaningful conversations, and learn new things.

Nadely, another VRG intern, and I had the pleasure of interviewing Nancy an outstanding high school student who recently won a scholarship through The Vegetarian Resource Group and will be attending Stanford University. At a young age, she has already done remarkable advocacy work promoting plant-based foods at her high school and beyond. She also presented her work at the AVA Summit.

The panel on alternative proteins at AVA was insightful. They taught about how processed foods are classified using NOVA classifications. Ultra-processed foods are at the highest part of the classification and are described as “foods that are derived from foods or parts of foods” (Demaio, 2023). The discussion on how nutrition is measured in studies, particularly through nutritional epidemiology and RCTs, was interesting to me considering both my public health and nutrition background, as it seems to combine both fields. The presenters stated that the process level of food does not necessarily impact its nutritional value. For example, the speaker mentioned that a USDA study found that a healthy diet could include up to 91% processed foods, illustrating that processed items like whole grain bread can be nutritionally dense.

I also got to meet someone who was speaking at several events at the summit who was from Ghana. He told me about the animal welfare work that he does in that country.

The interactive session on research and advocacy was another informative session. The speaker explained how to conduct credible research, and encouraged honesty within vegan advocacy, emphasizing that results shouldn’t be exaggerated as that could actually hurt the movement. After was an interactive section where researchers were indicated in the room and people who weren’t researchers were told to partner up with one. People who weren’t researchers came up with their own research questions and the researcher that we partnered up with was to help us figure out how to conduct research to answer the research question. The research questions that I came up with that align with what I am interested in researching are: How does nutrition among African immigrants in the United States vary from Africans in their home countries? How might their environment and the food that they have available affect their eating patterns? How does traditional plant-based/vegan eating in African cultures look historically and present-day? The person who I was partnered with, a researcher from Britain, suggested that a qualitative study be conducted in which I interview African people to understand their typical eating habits and how they differ in the United States and in their home countries. Her suggestion was similar to what I was thinking about, and qualitative research is something that I learned about in school and am particularly interested in, especially because of how much more immersive and engaging it is in terms of communicating with and learning about a specific community.

The last session that I attended, “Personal Transformation for Personal Liberation,” was very moving and calming. The session included a portion during which the leaders gave advice about how to set boundaries and honor your personal space and time. Towards the end of the session, one of the leaders expressed how we should remember all that we experienced and the people we connected with at the conference–the community and humanity. She said that we should take that with us and think about it whenever we feel isolated. I left with mantras to maintain a positive mindset, such as not letting negative things drain my energy and affirming my identity and purpose each morning.

Overall, the AVA Summit was a profound experience. I am excited to dive deeper into what I learned and stay in touch with the inspiring people I met. I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended and look forward to applying the knowledge and connections gained in meaningful ways.

Source:

Demaio, D. S. (2023, January 30). What are Ultra-Processed Foods? Antidote. https://sandrodemaio.substack.com/p/what-are-ultra-processed-foods

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

To support VRG internships, donate at www.vrg.org

Summer Pad Thai photo from Sawatdee Thai Restaurant

Where: Sawatdee Thai Restaurant, Minneapolis, Minnesota

When: Sunday, October 6, 2024, 6 PM

Come meet dietitians from the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group as well as VRG members. The public is invited. You must preregister. You can pay at www.vrg.org/donate and write in the names of attendees and that this is for the Networking dinner.

BUFFET

Appetizers: Vegetarian Spring Rolls and Fried Tofu

Main Dishes:

Red Curry with Tofu

Summer Pad Thai

Combination Vegetable Dish with broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, napa, water chestnuts, tomatoes, and mock duck.

Plus: Brown Rice and White Rice and Coffee or tea and water

Dessert: Mango and Sticky Rice

Cost: $30 for VRG and Vegetarian Nutrition Practice Group members before September 15, 2024. $35 for others. $20 for two to ten year olds. Other drinks can be purchased from the restaurant separately.

PLEASE PAY at www.vrg.org/donate and write in the Comments: Networking Dinner with the Attendee names.  Or call (410) 366-8343. Or mail payment to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. We look forward to seeing you there.