Aiming to improve my studies as a dietitian student, learn more about plant-based diets, and be helpful again to vegetarian activism, I applied for an internship position at The Vegetarian Resource Group. I also wanted to be updated on the latest sustainability research and improve my English and my writing skills even more, especially posting on blogs. I was very glad and proud to be selected.

I’ve read many articles about vegan nutrition, sustainability, how to do interviews, asking for ingredient information from companies, organizing my own work schedule, checking information (as responsible journalists do), and how to write reviews, for instance. At the beginning the amount of reading made me anxious, but I handled it quite easily.

I worked on six projects in about three months. The first one was delightful and easy to do: a review of a vegan restaurant. The second one consisted of a piece about tips for teenagers who became vegetarian and how to deal with their parents. I collected personal answers from other interns and volunteers about their own life history and their points of view about some issues. They were very collaborative. That project contributed to my network and allowed me to meet such interesting people. I liked having an experience with investigative reporting and writing in a journaling style.

I asked to cancel the third project, because I failed in creating a new Brazilian recipe. I am a creative person, but this skill didn’t match with my cooking ability. I felt relief to move on to other projects.

The next project I worked on gave me the gratifying opportunity to work with Odette Sanchez, a Mexican Dietitian who did her MSc in Nutrition and Health in The Netherlands. We’ve written an article comparing academic training in Brazil, Mexico, and The Netherlands in regards to vegetarianism and sustainability. It was interesting to see how similar our experiences were and how things changed (for the better) in the last two decades.

After that I faced two challenging projects that I wanted so much to be involved in: A meal plan based on Brazilian food; and a review of a new scientific paper which researched food systems and environmental impacts.

The meal plan was very fun at the beginning, but then I had to improve my patience skills, as it took much more time than I expected. This taught me lessons about scheduling and perspectives as well as team work. I worked more than one month with Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, the VRG Nutrition Advisor. She was always very polite, patient, respectful, and diplomatic. I enjoyed using my creativity in this project. It made me remember how rich and diverse Brazilian food is, but it also me to think about my own diet, which can be much healthier than it’s been. Another good thing this project brought regarded the cultural differences: how it is necessary, sometimes, to explain how our culture works, how important it is to respect other cultures, and to not impose our patterns on others. So it is important to be open-minded and learn about different eating habits, but at the same time to be flexible about our own culture. In other words, balance between being proud and respectful for your culture, and being open to hear other points of view. The meal plan showed how we can balance health and traditional habits, too.

I continued working with Reed to write a scientific review. It was very challenging to understand everything and even more challenging to sum it up. Reed was great in helping me to reduce my text to fit in the word limit (it is still a very hard task for me). It was great to read the most recent data about sustainability and diets. And it was clear how more plant-based a meal is, the less is the impact on the planet and on human health. Such research is very important to show the benefits of vegetarianism/veganism and the urgent importance to reduce global meat intake. They help to create public policies for food businesses. In the end, I was very excited and proud of myself for being able to conclude this duty.

Working as an intern at The VRG helped me to learn more about other scientific methods, blog writing, and to enrich my vocabulary. I learned different ways to name some food (like breads) and differences in American and British English, new names of ingredients, vegetables, greens, and meals, and to broaden cultural differences in eating habits. Of course it was an experience which improved my CV, as well.

During the internship I experienced collab work, and how editing teams work. Sometimes I’ve got a little bit frustrated for a second, because I wanted to add more things in my text, but the last version was already published. That contributed to making me grow up dealing with frustration, and being more simple and pragmatic, and accepting others’ opinions. Of course I have much more to work on. The internship gave me the opportunity to develop a more clear and self-confident communication. At the same time I was gentle and diplomatic. I could say my points of view, and also be more flexible and comprehensive. I accepted the impermanence better, too, balancing some unexpected situations (in personal life) and was more compassionate about my flaws, my results, my efforts, and about how I see the contribution of the work I did. In this internship I also had the opportunity to increase my network.

But what I would like to highlight is how I’ve changed my mind about activism. The VRG internship made me realize that education and information are also an activist practice and a very important one. It can help people get in contact with scientific data, learn from other like minded people’s experiences, and help them to overcome challenges. It informs the reasons for being vegetarian, and spreads information about plant-based nutritious meals and where to find food in your area. It was the actions, life examples, protests, and especially the information that helped veganism spread out and increase so much in the last decades. Blogs, videos, documentary films, conversations, research, meal recipes, books, meal plans… Which means education… All of that was extremely important to the movement. I see, now, that dietitians can have a great importance in the activism scene. My supervisor Charles contributed to remind me of that. I appreciate it!

The midway assessment was a very important part of the process! Charles and Reed were, all the time, very helpful, good teachers/tutors (including about grammar and cultural issues), present during my projects, comprehensive, and patient. It was very easy to communicate with them. Thank you very much!

I am grateful to The VRG, for allowing me to work with them. It was a process with freedom and discipline. I am glad for coming back to be helpful to the vegetarian scene and for having the opportunity to do something that I love: to write. Now, I am more convinced about continuing my studies and the promotion of vegetarian diets. Thank you, The Vegetarian Resource Group!

Priscila Reis is a Brazilian Biologist, who holds an MSc in Environmental Education and is currently a Dietitian student.

See some of her projects at:

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/09/07/master-veggie-in-santos-brazil/

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/09/21/when-a-teenager-becomes-a-vegetarian-tips-to-deal-with-their-parents/

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/11/09/how-does-academic-training-in-brazil-mexico-and-the-netherlands-compare-regarding-vegetarianism-and-sustainability/

https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/11/20/vegan-brazilian-meal-plan/

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

To support VRG education and work with interns, join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Kimchi Tofu and Stir-Fry photo by Rissa Miller

James Craig Thieman shares the following Skillet recipes in a previous issue of Vegan Journal:

Deconstructed Blackened “Fishy” Taco

Skillet Chili Mac

Italian-Style Eggplant on Zoodles

Kimchi Tofu Stir-Fry Veggies

Jackfruit BBQ and Slaw

Sweet Taters and Greens

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_skillet_suppers.php

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

Thank you to more generous donors, in 2024 The Vegetarian Resource Group will be awarding $30,000 in college scholarships! Deadline is FEBRUARY 20, 2024.

We will accept applications postmarked on or before FEBRUARY 20, 2024. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegetarian (vegan) diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to www.vrg.org/donate

Applications

Please click here to download a PDF of the application. However, applicants are not required to use an application form. A neatly typed document containing the information below will also be accepted as a valid application.

Please send application and attachments to [email protected] (Scholarship application and your name in subject line) or mail to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

If emailing, please put your essay in a separate attachment with your first name and last initial. A PDF or Word document is preferred, but if you send a Google document, make sure permission is given so readers can access it. For more information call (410) 366-8343 or email [email protected].

photo by Zel Allen

Winter is the perfect time to serve a vegan stew. Zel Allen serves up several international stews in a previous edition of Vegetarian Journal. Enjoy:

Burgoo (a regional stew from Kentucky)
Harira (the national soup/stew of Morocco)
Neapolitan Cannellini Ragu (Italian stew) along with homemade Parmesan
South African Potjiekos
African Pumpkin Stew
Rajastani Ragout (Indian inspired stew)
Savory Indonesian Stew
Guisada Mexicana

The entire article can be read here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2017issue4/2017_issue4_travel_world.php

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

We don’t know about you, but we enjoy soup any day, but especially on a cold winter evening. A previous VRG Journal article titled “Hot, Hearty Soups for Cold Winter Days,” provides numerous vegan recipes you’re certain to enjoy.

• Italian-Style Vegetable Soup
• Curly Kale, Corn, and Tomato Stew
• African Peanut Soup
• Garbanzo Bean Soup with Tomatoes, Spinach, and Corn
• Easy Lima Bean Soup
• Potato-Green Pea Chowder
• Lentil-Potato Soup with Indian Seasonings
• Beans and Franks Soup
• Black Bean-Yellow Corn Soup with Fresh Jalapeños
• Peppery Split Pea-Vegetable Soup
• Rustic Cream of Potato Soup
• Chili with Corn and Black Beans

The entire article can be read here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue1/2005_issue1_soups.php

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

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In a recent article, we calculated the carbon footprint of meat pizza to be approximately seven times greater than the carbon footprint of vegan pizza. In other words, there are significantly more carbon emissions from the production of meat and dairy ingredients on a pizza compared to those generated by growing vegetable toppings. Carbon emissions accelerate the climate and ecological crises.

Here, we turn the focus on the amount of water pollution resulting from the production of all the ingredients in the two types of pizza. We quantify water pollution using a eutrophication metric by asking: How do the eutrophication footprints of vegan vs. meat pizza compare? To answer this question, we begin with the concepts of cultural eutrophication and eutrophication potential. Understanding these notions will make it easier to see how eutrophication is about much more than water pollution.

What is cultural eutrophication?

Distinct from natural eutrophication which refers to the normal aging of waterways, cultural eutrophication is the process by which water bodies receive excessive amounts of nutrients, especially nitrogen or phosphorus, from human activities.

As a source of eutrophication, nitrogen usually exists in the following forms:

• Nitrate ion (NO₃^– )
• Ammonia (NH₃)
• Ammonium ion (NH₄⁺)

Phosphorus exists as a phosphate ion (PO₄³⁻ ) in aquatic ecosystems.

The nutrient influx leads to exponential algal and large plant growth called an algal bloom. As the algae and plants die, bacteria decompose them, using up the dissolved oxygen in the water. Lacking oxygen, fish and other aquatic organisms die. In extreme cases, a dead zone (devoid of all life) results from eutrophication. Harmful algal blooms caused by cyanobacteria (cyanoHAB) produce dangerous toxins.

What causes cultural eutrophication?

The major human activities which cause cultural eutrophication include:

• Runoff of synthetic (chemical) fertilizers applied to crops
• Runoff of manure or human sewage applied to crops
• Aquaculture (farmed fish, shrimp, prawns, etc.)
• Human wastewater from treatment plants released into natural waterways
• Industrial waste piped directly into water bodies

As we noted in our pizza carbon footprints article, 78% of freshwater pollution is due to agriculture. The first three ways in the list above are the mechanisms by which agriculture pollutes freshwater.

What is a eutrophication potential?

Eutrophication potential (EP) is a way to quantify how much eutrophication could result from a certain activity or input. To standardize the environmental impacts from various sources on freshwater systems, every effect is expressed in a metric called phosphate (PO₄) equivalents, (kg PO_4eq).

As an example: If one kilogram of ammonia has an EP of 0.35 kg PO_4eq, this means the eutrophication potential of that quantity of ammonia is the same as the EP of 0.35 kg of phosphate.

On the other hand, nitrogen equivalents (kg N_eq) are typically chosen to quantify marine eutrophication. Through the use of conversion factors, it is possible to convert kg PO_4eq into kg N_eq and vice versa.

Both phosphate and nitrogen equivalents are ways to compare the eutrophication potentials of different pollution sources similar to how the concept of carbon dioxide equivalents allows us to compare in a direct manner the global warming potentials (GWP) of various greenhouse gases. In this way, eutrophication footprints are analogous to carbon footprints.

How does cultural eutrophication relate to the climate crisis?

Increased cultural eutrophication of lakes and ponds leads to greater release of greenhouse gases (GHG), especially methane (CH₄). In fact, eutrophic shallow lakes emit nearly 50% more methane than non-eutrophic lakes. According to simulated modeling studies, eutrophication will increase CH₄ emissions from freshwater bodies by up to 90% over the next century.

Excessive nitrogen inputs specifically transform freshwater bodies from being nitrous oxide (N₂O) sinks to becoming net N2O emitters. Nitrous oxide is a GHG significantly more potent than methane at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Researchers concluded that the contribution of aquatic greenhouse gas emissions is more than 30% that from fossil fuel emissions (all sources). That percentage will increase with the growing human population demand for more food unless agricultural runoff is significantly reduced. Eliminating animal agriculture, including all the heavily fertilized feed crops as well as its manure, will reduce the eutrophic contribution of GHGs significantly.

The climate Crisis also leads to more eutrophying emissions. Here are some of the ways global heating and extreme climate events affect eutrophication:

• Greater release of nutrients from lake bottom sediments
• Increased nutrient losses from land as agricultural runoff
• Accelerated methane production by the speedy decomposition of aquatic plants and animals

Eutrophication potentials of food ingredients

The chemical fertilizer used to grow foods and the manure produced by animals are two of the major ways agriculture contributes to eutrophication. When the fertilizers and manure run off into water bodies, the potential for eutrophication increases dramatically.

Here’s a select sampling of the EPs of one kilogram of select foods based on the 2018 work by Poore & Nemecek and the 2021 work by Clark et al as calculated by Our World in Data.

It should come as no surprise that the eutrophication potentials (EP) of meat and dairy foods are considerably higher than those of plant foods. All other things being equal, animals produce manure while plants don’t. Manure is fuel for eutrophication.

Eutrophication potentials of vegan pizza vs. meat pizza

Borrowing and modifying the tables from our pizza carbon footprints article, here are the eutrophication potentials of pizza ingredients:

Note: Values are approximate due to rounding.

Vegan Pizza Ingredients

Total: 23.86 g PO_4eq 

Meat Pizza Ingredients

Total: 166.19 g PO_4eq

Conclusions on Pizza’s Eutrophication Potential

Based on our calculations, the eutrophication potential of meat pizza is nearly seven times greater than the eutrophication potential of vegan pizza. This means that producing the ingredients for meat pizza is seven times more polluting of freshwater than producing the ingredients for vegan pizza. Because of the connections between eutrophication and the climate crisis, meat pizza contributes seven times more to the climate crisis via eutrophication compared to vegan pizza.

Readers who wish to limit their contribution to water pollution and the climate crisis would do better by choosing a vegan pizza over a meat pizza.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join The Vegetarian Resource Group at https://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

photo from Wild Pie

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:

Cisu Vegan House, 2649 Annapolis Rd., Ste. B, Hanover, MD, 21076

From their signature Kung Pao Tofu to their other hard-to-beat items like Thai Green Curry, Combo Fried Rice, and even Soymilk Boba Tea, this restaurant serves up plenty of Asian-inspired dishes. The flavors and friendly atmosphere are bound to keep you coming back for more!

Fye Vegan Chick, 601 W. 4th St., North Little Rock, AR 72114

Much of the time, you can find the Fye Vegan Chic food truck settled in The Lot, home to different food trucks in the area. You could choose to sit outside or inside The Lot’s dining area. This food truck serves burgers and tacos, and sweet treats like banana cream pudding and peach cobbler. Really, this food is comfort food that could be shared with good company or maybe even kept to yourself.

Lil’ Vegerie, 800 S. Pacific Coast Hwy., Unit 6A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Besides being vegan, Lil’Vegerie is also gluten- and soy-free. Here are a few of their large selection of Bowls. Mushroom Carne Asada has cilantro-marinated portobellos, black beans, Pico, Guac, chipotle, and cashew crema. Goddess offers roasted butternut squash, broccoli, cauliflower, beet hummus, quinoa, maple tahini sauce, and pumpkin seeds. Coconut Pumpkin Curry showcases slow-cooked veggies and wild rice, while BBQ Jackfruit features lemon garlic broccoli, barbecue jackfruit, roasted carrots, sautéed kale, and potato hash. Kid Potato Bowls are all based on potato hash, with either, chickpea tuna, barbecue jackfruit, or rice and beans. One of their several Salad options is Harvest, offering broccoli, coconut bacon strips, strawberries, pear, candied walnuts, homemade vegan goat cheese, and dijon vinaigrette. Cream of Potato Soup is garnished with avocado and ancho. Ready for Dessert Cups? There’s sea-salted Dark Chocolate Ganache and Blueberry Cheesecake with lavender and pistachio.

Padmanadi, #110 8835 MacLeod Tr. SW, Calgary, AB Canada T2H 0M2

The food at Padmanadi is a blend of Indonesian, Chinese, Thai, and Indian cuisines and is all-vegan. The menu contains a variety of options including rice and noodle dishes, mockmeats, and wheat-free selections. Try such dishes as Chili Tofu, Spicy Coconut Eggplant, BBQ ‘Pork,’ or Ginger ‘Beef.’ Padmanadi is closed between lunch/brunch and dinner, so please call ahead for hours. Reservations are strongly recommended.

The Green Kitchen, 3182 W. 25th St., 3182 W. 25th St, OH 44109

The Green Kitchen is a plant-based eatery offering vegan comfort food and a full bar. Comfort classics on the menu include mac’n’cheese, Nashville hot chicken with cornbread, sausage rolls, Caesar salads, and cauliflower wings. The brunch menu includes chicken waffles, french toast, and biscuits and gravy.

Tue Tam, 11360 Bellaire Blvd., Ste. 90, Houston, TX 77072

Located inside the Universal Shopping Center but has a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. Breakfast and dinner are full service. Lunch is an all-you-can eat buffet. Various Vietnamese soups, noodle dishes, spring rolls, and more are served.

Wild Pie, 13500 Beach Blvd., Ste. 36, Jacksonville, FL 32224

Have a case of the Nibbles? Wild Pie has you covered with choices like Hot Un-Honey Monkey Bread with Mozzarella, caramelized onions, peppers, house made hot un-honey, and ranch. Their house made Beef & Pork Spicy Impossible Meatballs feature Spicy Tomato Sauce, Fresh Basil, and Parmesan. Of the many Pizza options, there’s no phony baloney here, but there is Phoney Pepperoni with house made red sauce, Beyond pepperoni, and parmesan. The Founders Favorite, Power to the Pesto offers house made creamy garlic sauce, yukon gold potato, mixed wild mushroom, mozzarella, basil pesto, feta, and chili flakes. Saucy Sausage & Peppers sports house made red sauce, Beyond Italian sausage, mozzarella, ricotta, peppers, and caramelized onions. Kale Me Maybe serves up their creamy garlic sauce, baby kale, marinated artichokes, caramelized onions, mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, red onion, and fresh parsley. Their Featured Seasonal Pie – Taco ‘Bout It has creamy garlic sauce, cilantro pesto, fire-roasted poblanos, corn, cheeses, and more. All Wild Pies are available in 11” & 14.” Gluten-Free Crusts are $4 Extra. There are plenty of Salad choices including Wild Coast with Romaine, kale, black beans, avocado, watermelon radish, pickled red onions, cherry tomato, feta, corn nuts, and creamy cilantro vinaigrette. If all this talk of pies has you craving Sweets, their salted twist on a classic is the Fresh Baked Salted Chocolate Chip Cookie. There’s also Dark Chocolate Brownie with ganache and rainbow sprinkles. If you’d prefer something cool and creamy, you might try Vanilla, Chocolate, or Swirl Oat Milk Soft served with your choice of toppings.

Debra Daniels-Zeller wrote a terrific recipe article featuring citrus fruit that’s worth revisiting during the winter. The author explains the different types of citrus fruit available this time of year, offers 10 ways to use citrus, and also provides numerous recipes including:

Blood Orange Salad Dressing
Chipotle-Citrus Tofu Marinade
Raw Kale and Avocado Salad with Lemon Dressing
Tangerine Dream Cake
Broiled Grapefruit
Zesty Lemon-Mustard Dip
Parsley Rice with Carrots, Lime, and Pistachios
Orange Oats and Cranberries
Grapefruit, Apple, and Avocado Salad with Satsuma Vinaigrette

Read the entire article here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue4/2013_issue4_citrus_magic.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only, visit: https://www.vrg.org/member/

Hello VRG. It’s been really great at culinary school so far. Everyone in my class is professional and kind. I am the youngest student in our class of eleven. One of my classmates already owns her own restaurant. I’m learning a ton about running a restaurant and vegan cooking methods. The plant based program I’m in started with a class on restaurant operations where we all learned food safety and got certified to become food safety managers. The certificate looks really cool and is kind of a big deal. We also learned how to cost out recipes, design a theme for a menu and make a menu. Now we have been in the kitchen for almost 6 weeks and I get to practice cooking and learn new techniques every day. It’s a lot of fun. Up until now I’ve been taught how to sauté, make soup, make the perfect rice every time, cook grains and lentils properly, fry, make stock, make sauces, make risotto, and make really good veggie burgers. Not everyone in my class is fully vegan but they all eat mostly vegan now because they are learning how to make good vegan food instead of not so good vegan food. “It makes people not miss the meat because they are getting something better” – Chef John Percarpio, my chef teacher. I think I got the quote right he says it a lot in class. A really great outing my classmates and I took together was to The Vegan Holiday Market in Boulder, Colorado. I treated myself to a special vegan hot sauce.

I honestly think that so many more people would eat vegan if they could get past the mindset that all vegans are rude or the what do vegans even eat mindset. If only they knew that we can eat a whole lot better and healthier than them with only the knowledge of how to cook properly. My first chef, Chef Jesper, likes to remind us all the time during classes how we eat better than the traditional classes he teaches. It’s really cool how into the plant-based eating and lifestyle my Chefs are even though for most of their lives they haven’t been vegan or vegetarian and even thought same way other people do before they tried it.

Honestly I wouldn’t have been able to be in the apartment I’m in with my new roommate friends if it wasn’t for the VRG scholarship. It’s definitely helping me through school which has been exhausting. We have to get up at 4:45am! My grades have been As and A-s so far and I’m proud of that. Next week I am applying for jobs though since I feel I have a good grasp on the flow of my courses and living away from home. I even got to drive to the meet the pigs at the sanctuary run by the man I met at the Denver VRG networking dinner. I’m attaching photos of some of the best things I’ve made in class. My favorite was the burger bar! The picture of the sushi is from a volunteer gig I got with the school being the assistant chef for the Escoffier Home cook classes they offer to the public. I get to learn what they learn, eat all the food and all I have to do besides help during class is all the dishes after. I’ll continue this volunteer gig in the new year.

Thank you again for trusting me with this scholarship.

Gratefully, Coda Blue Spier

To apply for The VRG College Scholarship. go to https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support VRG scholarships and internships, donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Chef Nancy Berkoff serves up several vegan tempeh recipes in a previous Journal article published by The Vegetarian Resource Group. Try making Breakfast Tempeh, Tempeh Sausage, Tempeh Noodle Soup, Grilled Tempeh Salad with Peas and Pineapple, Tempeh in a Roll, and Tempeh on Toast.

The complete article with recipes can be read here:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2016issue1/2016_issue1_cooking_tempeh.php

To subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA only visit:
https://www.vrg.org/member/