by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Selenium is an essential mineral that we need in very small amounts – the RDA is 55 micrograms daily for an adult. To put that in perspective, a microgram is a millionth of a gram. Even though we only require a small amount of selenium, we must meet our needs for it from food and/or supplements in order to stay healthy. Selenium is needed for our thyroid gland to function properly, for DNA production, for reproduction, and for helping to protect our bodies from damage caused by free radicals. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for selenium is:

Birth to 6 months: 15 micrograms/day (this is the Adequate Intake rather than the RDA)

7-12 months: 20 micrograms/day (this is the Adequate Intake rather than the RDA)

1-3 years: 20 micrograms/day

4-8 years: 30 micrograms/ day

9-13 years: 40 micrograms/day

14 years and older: 55 micrograms

Pregnancy: 60 micrograms/day

Lactation: 70 micrograms/day

Many whole plant foods can supply us with selenium although the selenium content of foods vary widely, depending, in plant foods, on the amount of selenium in the soil where the plants were grown. In the United States, the effect of variations in soil selenium levels is less than in other countries because we typically eat food grown in different areas, including areas where the soil is rich in selenium. Studies in the United States report both lower selenium intakes (1, 2) and little difference in selenium intake or in selenium status between vegetarian and nonvegetarians (3,4). Experimental diets designed to represent typical vegan diets in the United States were found to provide more than the RDA for selenium (5, 6).

The National Institutes of Health identifies people who eat only local foods grown in soils that are low in selenium as more likely than others to have trouble getting enough selenium (7). If you are vegan and eat only local foods that are grown in soils that are low in selenium, you may need to take a supplement that provides additional selenium.

10 Good Sources of Selenium for Vegans

1. Brazil nuts 319 micrograms of selenium in 2 Tablespoons
2. Whole wheat pasta, cooked, 25 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
3. Tofu, firm 22 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
4. English muffin, whole grain, 17 micrograms of selenium in 1 muffin
5. Whole wheat bread, 9 micrograms of selenium in 1 slice
6. Portabella mushrooms, diced, 8 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
7. Vegetarian baked beans, 6.5 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
8. Soybeans, cooked, 6.3 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
9. Oatmeal, cooked, 6 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup
10. Brown rice, cooked, 5.6 micrograms of selenium in ½ cup

Note that the amounts of selenium in foods listed above are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient database and may under- or overestimate the actual selenium content of a specific food item (8).

Some Interesting Facts About Selenium

1. In China, there are wide differences in soil selenium content in different areas. Because of this variability, the selenium content of corn, rice, and soybeans can vary 1000-fold from one area of China to another (8).
2. Animals can conserve selenium when food selenium is low and excrete selenium when their intake is high. Thus, the selenium content of animal products does not vary as much as does the selenium content of plant foods.
3. Routinely getting too much selenium (more than 400 micrograms daily in adults) from all sources – food, beverages, and supplements – can result over time in health issues including nausea, diarrhea, garlic breath, rashes, and nervous system problems.

References

1. Jin Y, Kanaya AM, Kandula NR, et al. Vegetarian diets are associated with selected cardiometabolic risk factors among middle-older aged South Asians in the United States. J Nutr. 2018;148:1954-1960.
2. Lynch HM, Wharton CM, Johnston CS. Cardiorespiratory fitness and peak torque differences between vegetarian and omnivore endurance athletes: A cross-sectional study. Nutrients. 2016;8:726.
3. Shultz TD, Leklem JE. Selenium status of vegetarians, nonvegetarians, and hormone-dependent cancer subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1983;37:114-118.
4. Tesar R, Notelovitz M, Shim E, et al. Axial and peripheral bone density and nutrient intakes of postmenopausal vegetarian and omnivorous women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;56:699-704.
5. Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Lanou AJ. Effects of a low-fat vegan diet and a Step II diet on macro- and micronutrient intakes in overweight postmenopausal women. Nutrition. 2004;20(9):738-746.
6. Hess JM, Comeau ME. Application of dairy-free vegetarian and vegan USDA food pattern models for non-pregnant, non-lactating healthy adults. J Food Sci. 2022;87:4703-4713.
7. Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH. Selenium Fact Sheet for Consumers. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-Consumer/. 2021.
8. Stoffaneller R, Morse NL. A review of dietary selenium intake and selenium status in Europe and the Middle East. Nutrients. 2015;7:1494-1537.

To read more about selenium see:

Selenium Fact Sheet for Consumers (from National Institutes of Health; contains nonvegan sources of selenium)

The contents of this website and our other publications, including The 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.

belt from Doshi

Avesu is a German company that sells a wide variety of belts in different colors. Check their site to see which countries they deliver to.

https://www.avesuveganshoes.com/vegan-accessories/misc-belts-com.html

Corkor is a Portuguese company that sells women’s and men’s belts made out of cork. They deliver worldwide.

https://www.corkor.com/collections/womens-cork-belts

https://www.corkor.com/collections/mens-cork-belts

Couch offers belts for men and women in America.

https://www.couchguitarstraps.com/belts-bags/vegan-belts

Doshi is an American company that sells both men’s and women’s belts.

https://doshi.shop/collections/belts

https://doshi.shop/collections/womens-belts-vegan

Ethical Wares is a company in Wales, UK. They sell a variety of belts and deliver worldwide.

https://www.ethicalwares.com/accessories/belts/

Freerangers is a British company offering belts in several colors.

https://www.freerangers.co.uk/belts

Kat Mendenhall is an American company selling belts in various colors. You also get to choose the type of non-leather grain you want your belt to be made out of.

https://katmendenhall.com/product-category/belts/

MooShoes is an American company selling a variety of belts.

https://www.mooshoes.com/collections/belts

Nae is a Portuguese company that ships belts worldwide.

https://www.nae-vegan.com/en/accessories/belts_619-468.html

Nomadic State of Mind is an American company that sells belts made out of rope.

https://shop.nomadicstateofmind.com/category-s/165.htm

Terraluv & Nice Shoes is a Canadian company that sells a wide variety of belts.

https://terraluv.com/product-category/accessories/belts/

Truth Belts is a Canadian company that specializes in belts for men and women.

https://truthbelts.com/

Vegan Chic is an American company that sells belts for men and women.

https://www.veganchic.com/vegan+belts/search.aspx

Veganline is a British company that sells belts in different colors and with different buckles and ships to various countries.

https://veganline.com/belts

Vegan Scene is an American company that sells belts for women and men in various colors.

https://veganscene.com/collections/belts

Vegetarian Shoes is a British company selling a variety of vegan belts.

https://www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk/accessories/belts/10043_0c.html

The Vegetarian Site is an American company selling a wide variety of belts.

https://store.thevegetariansite.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=96

Restaurants throughout Maryland will be participating in MD Vegan Restaurant Month August 2^nd-31^st, 2024. For a list of participating restaurants and more information, see:

https://www.mdveganeats.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mdveganeats/?hl=en

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

You may have seen the headlines that proclaimed, “Beyond Bad: Fake Meat And Other ‘Ultra Processed’ Vegan Food Linked To Heart Disease, Early Death” and “Vegan Fake Meats are Linked to Increase in Heart Deaths.” Other headlines were more measured – “When Plant Foods are Ultra-processed, the Health Benefits Disappear” but the accompanying article Identified “meat substitutes, including imitation burgers and sausages” as examples of ultra-processed plant foods.

In reality, the study that these headlines were based on wasn’t able to determine how much risk was associated with vegan meats. Let’s step back and take a look at the study.

What is the study?

The study (1) was from the United Kingdom and included more than 118,000 adults age 40-69 years old at the start of the study who recorded what they ate for two different days between 2009 and 2012. The subjects were followed for a median of 9 years to track health issues and deaths. Foods that the subjects reported eating were classified as either plant-sourced or non-plant/animal-sourced. These food groups were then divided into ultra-processed foods and non-ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed animal-sourced foods included sausages, chicken nuggets, battered fish, ice cream, and mayonnaise. Packaged bread, crackers, pastries, cookies, margarine, salty snacks, sugary breakfast cereals, fruit juice, soft drinks, canned soup, tofu, tempeh, and veggie burgers were included in the category of ultra-processed plant-sourced foods. Note that many foods classified as ultra-processed plant-sourced foods are not necessarily vegan foods.

What did this study find?

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, whether plant-sourced or animal-sourced, was associated with a greater risk of heart disease and of dying from heart disease. A 10% higher consumption of ultra-processed plant-sourced foods was associated with a 6% increase in the risk of developing heart disease and an 18% higher risk of dying from heart disease. In contrast, a 10% higher consumption of non-ultra-processed plant-sourced foods was associated with an 8% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 20% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

It is important to note that the foods in the ultra-processed plant-sourced food category were primarily commercial baked goods including breads, pastries, cakes, cookies, and frozen pizza and that these represented, on average, almost a quarter of the study subjects’ calories. Snack foods and candy supplied about 7% of the calories in the subjects’ diets and soft drinks and fruit juice supplied 2% of calories. The entire category of “meat alternatives” which includes veggie sausages and burgers, tofu, tempeh, and TVP supplied 0.2% of total calories. In other words, the vegan fake meats that were condemned in some headlines were a very minor part of the diets of the subjects of this study.

Are there practical implications?

One key message is to question headlines and to look for multiple reliable sources of information. Additionally, the results of this study point to the benefits of eating mostly less processed plant foods including dried beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts and seeds. Tofu, tempeh, and vegan meats can supply a variety of nutrients and the results of this study do not support avoiding these foods.

Reference:

1. Rauber F, da Costa Louzada ML, Chang K, et al. Implications of food ultra-processing on cardiovascular risk considering plant origin foods: an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. In press, 2024.

To read more about vegan processed food see:

Vegan Processed Foods – Embrace Them? Shun Them?

Ultra-Processed or Smartly Processed?

You can read other commentary on this study at:

Vegan Health – Vegan Meats and Poor Health Outcomes

CNN – Plant-based Ultraprocessed Foods Linked To Heart Disease, Early Death, Study Says

Scientific American – Are Plant-Based Ultraprocessed Foods Linked to Heart Disease?

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In his book Regenesis, vegan author George Monbiot promotes precision fermentation (PF) as the high-tech solution to humanity’s need to discover a reliable and ample food source in a climate emergency.

Monbiot applauds Solein, protein-rich microbial biomass grown by bacteria able to use atmospheric hydrogen and carbon dioxide as their food. Remarkably, no photosynthesis–the photochemical process by which green plants make food–is required to produce it.

In this way, Solein is different from conventional plant and animal foods and PF recombinant animal proteins that are all dependent on the sun–either directly or indirectly–for their existence. Invented by the company Solar Foods, Solein is already an ingredient in food products on the market in Singapore. The company plans to expand globally.

Strictly speaking, PF, as defined as a transgenic method to produce animal proteins via microbes, is not used to produce the protein-rich microbial biomass called Solein. Solein is, however, produced in a bioreactor (fermentation tank) like recombinant (transgenic) animal proteins are.

As we noted in part 1 of this series on PF, bioreactors are energy-intensive. Their electricity requirements are on the same order of magnitude as those needed to produce meat and dairy proteins. This means manufacturing recombinant animal proteins by precision fermentation may take considerable energy, comparable to what it takes to produce meat and dairy proteins in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Monbiot uses Solar Foods’ energy usage data and a 2019 study to calculate 16.7 kWh of electricity needed to yield 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of protein. This value seems low considering that it’s even less than the theoretical minimum energy cost to manufacture protein: 17.8 kWh/kg of protein.

Using the 16.7 kWh/kg value, Monbiot further estimates that the protein needs of the global population could be met with only 11% of the world’s current electricity consumption.

In his book Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future, social scientist and farmer Chris Smaje questions Monbiot’s estimates based on a 2021 PNAS Study (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) and his own calculations published on his blog. Smaje arrives at approximately 65.3 kWh/kg of protein using solar (photovoltaic) energy under optimal conditions.

This value does not include energy conversion inefficiencies which could, if Solar Foods were to use fossil fuel energy which they say they do not, make the final value 2-3 times higher. Nor does it include the energy to construct the bioreactors made of steel or the solar panels made with silicon, both energy-intensive materials.

In his book, Smaje calculates that meeting global protein needs today with Solein would require at least 43% of the world’s electricity consumption, 89% of the world’s low-carbon electricity (nuclear, hydropower, wind, and solar), or 924% of its solar energy supply.

How much protein can a hectare of land really produce?

The PNAS study cited above states that, under ideal conditions, a single hectare (~2.5 acres) of protein-rich microbial biomass production powered by solar energy could potentially yield 15 tons of protein annually. By contrast, the same study reports that an equivalent area of land cultivated with soybeans would produce only 1.1 tons of protein.

In terms of the energy needed to grow soybeans, Smaje estimates, using the PNAS study, relevant studies on soybean production, and recent USDA data, that it takes approximately 1.0 kWh of electricity to yield 1 kg protein from conventionally produced soybeans.

This is less than the energy required to power Solein manufacture. By extension, it’s also less than the energy needed to make transgenic animal proteins via precision fermentation or to produce conventional meat and dairy proteins.

Food calories from Solein

Although PF and microbial biomass companies talk about the value of their manufactured proteins, measuring the food calories of their products may be a better way to judge their potential to feed the global population if land can no longer yield sufficient crops in a climate crisis.

Based on data from the previously cited PNAS study, Smaje calculated in his book that to meet all of the global population’s calorie needs by Solein, it would require more than three times the world’s current electricity supply, more than eight times its current low-carbon electricity supply, or more than 91 times its current solar energy supply.

Aligned with this view of the unsustainability of microbial foods (in terms of energy requirements) is the opinion expressed in a 2023 article written by a food tech industry insider who stated that “…leading scientists and technologists…[say]–often in hushed tones, and sometimes only off the record–that the economics of food-grade precision fermentation is nowhere near competing with commodity dairy or eggs. This problem…will not be solved by simply upscaling to larger tank volumes. At best, scaling up production to immense tank volumes will reduce costs by 35% to 40% instead of the many fold reduction needed.”

Bioreactor contamination

Besides the high-energy requirements of bioreactors, the tanks are prone to contamination. This has proven to be a major stumbling block in scaleup efforts of similar technologies, such as lab-grown (cultured) meat. Precision fermentation will may face similar contamination problems until the industry undergoes major improvements in the near future. As a source of manufactured food ingredients, PF may also face other technological roadblocks as the cultivated meat industry is currently discovering.

Conclusions on microbial foods

Fermentation-enabled alternative proteins (FEAPs), also known as microbial or manufactured foods, are marketed as being an environmentally friendly and sustainable food source that will feed the human population when traditional agriculture cannot do so in a climate crisis.

Although generally there may be less land use with FEAPs, most require plant-based carbon feedstocks for the microbial growth media in which they are made. In a climate crisis, it will be difficult to produce–to feed eight billion humans–the needed quantities of corn or cane sugar to put in the media.

While growing cane sugar is especially environmentally destructive, both corn and sugar crops, when conventionally grown, require large amounts of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The heavy carbon footprints of these fossil fuel-based commodities are not included in the industry-funded life cycle assessments of FEAPs that we have seen. Although organic foodstuffs bear a comparatively lighter carbon footprint, they are not yet cost-competitive.

Given the limitations of today’s fermentation technologies, there may not yet be a way to avoid the extremely high energy requirements for manufacturing microbial foods. If that energy is produced by burning fossil fuels, the carbon footprints would be huge.

There are complex discussions when trying to meet the daily caloric needs of eight billion humans, while addressing the issues of economics, politics, ethics, nutrition, and environment. It will be interesting to watch as companies and scientists develop and debate the different approaches and opinions. Think about the development of home computers and the internet. In their early stages, who predicted which companies would end up becoming dominant, and how different problems would be solved?

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including 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.

Share this handy poster with family and friends. You can also print it out and post it on your refrigerator. See: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/VeganDietsinaNutshellPoster.pdf

photo from Gardein

Below is a list of some of the vegan chicken-style products available today.

Alpha Foods offers Original Chik’n Nuggets Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n. Chick’n Strips, Crispy Chick’n Patties, and Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n Patties. For more details, see: https://www.eatalphafoods.com/products#NUGGETS

Better Chew offers Fried Chicken Nuggets. See: https://eatbetterchew.com/

Beyond Chicken offers Beyond Chicken Tenders, Nuggets, Fillets, and more. For details, see: https://www.beyondmeat.com/en-US/products/beyond-chicken-tenders

Daring Foods produces Plant-Based Chicken Pieces in several varieties including Original, Breaded, Cajun, and Lemon & Herb. For information, see: https://www.daring.com/

Gardein offers Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders, Chick’n Fillets, and Chick’n Nuggets. They also offer Crispy Chik’n Sliders, Chick’n Patties, Golden Chick’n Nuggets, Nashville Hot Chick’n Tenders, Spicy Gochujang Style Chick’n Wings, and Chipotle Georgia Style Chick’n Wings, Chick’n Strips, Teriyaki Chick’n Strips, Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, Mandarin Orange Crispy Chick’n, Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Wings, Chipotle Lime Flavored Chick’n Tenders, and Lightly Seasoned Chick’n Scallopini. For details on all these products, see: https://www.gardein.com/chickn-and-turky

Impossible Foods sells Chicken Nuggets, Tenders, and Patties. See: https://impossiblefoods.com/products/chicken

Jack & Annie’s offers Nuggets made from Jackfruit. See: https://www.jackandannies.com/our-products/nuggets/

Lily’s Vegan Pantry offers Ginger Chicken, Chicken Bites, Gong Bao Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Smoked Drumsticks, Chicken Nuggets, Whole or Half Chicken, and Chicken Legs. See: https://www.lilysveganpantry.com/Vegan_Chicken_s/1516.htm

Morning Star Farms offers MorningStar Farms® Veggie BBQ Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Chik’n Nuggets; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Buffalo Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Original Chik Patties®; MorningStar Farms® Veggie Zesty Ranch Chik’n Nuggets; and MorningStar Farms® Veggie Sweet Mustard Chik’n Nuggets. For details on these products, see: https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/chikn.html

Skinny Butcher offers Crazy Crispy Chick’n Tenders and Nuggets. See: https://skinnybutcher.com/

Tofurky sells Chick’n in several flavors including Lightly Seasoned, Thai Basil, Sesame Garlic, and Barbecue. For more information, see: https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/chickn/

VFC Foods offers Chick’n Fillets, Popcorn Chick’n, and Chick’n Bites. See: https://vfcfoods.com/en-us/

By Nadely Requena, VRG Intern

As a returning intern with The Vegetarian Resource Group, I’ve previously had the opportunity to embark on many adventures with the organization. This time, I was able to attend the Animal and Vegan Advocacy (AVA) Summit for their 4-day in-person event at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center just outside of Washington, D.C. on May 2024.

The summit encouraged anyone working in animal rights, animal welfare, alternative proteins, food system change, and related movements to attend. It was a gathering full of panel discussions, informative workshops, and thought-provoking keynote speeches. It was organized by AVA International.

As someone about to enter their final year at the University of Texas at Austin studying Journalism and Latin American Studies, I was particularly interested in the panels related to diversity, inclusion, and collective liberation. Adding on, my headspace during the summit was particularly clouded as I was overcoming some personal challenges and panels related to mental health caught my attention heavily.

The first day of the conference was dedicated to mostly chatting and getting situated with each other before jumping into the official events the following three days. From what I surveyed, past and first-time attendees of the summit enjoyed this day layout.

I, for instance, excitedly attended the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and other people of color) meetup. It was meant to provide a space for those of us from these backgrounds passionate about animal rights and veganism to share our experiences, challenges, and victories in advocacy while building a supportive community. It was here where I met many of the people I would go on to further interact with during the summit.

I can’t stress enough how important these diversity and inclusion spaces are, as someone who’s always been looked at weird for my vegan and environmental advocacy due to my Mexican (Indigenous) background. Many of the common sentiments felt among those in the BIPOC space is that we have to fight harder to make our particular voices heard as opposed to our white counterparts.

I also attended the Latin American Advocacy meetup later that day, organized by Fundación Veg. To my surprise, it really was a gathering of Latin America as it seemed there was someone from every country and that warmed my heart tremendously to speak completely in Spanish and mix in my Portuguese every other sentence. Later that night, I went to the Latin American dinner.

The next day, Friday, was the official first day of events for the summit. I attended many including: “How to Empower Youth in the Vegan Movement” led by four incredibly young activists (one being the 2024 winner of VRG’s scholarship), “Animal Advocacy in Universities and Training the Future Leaders,” “Crustacean and Insect Advocacy,” and “Mexican-American activism”. There truly wasn’t a shortage of interesting lectures, as even another VRG intern found themselves splitting their time between panels happening at the same time so they wouldn’t completely miss one!

The following day I attended three talks: “Integrative Activism for Collective Liberation: the Indispensable Role of Fostering BIPOC Allyship Towards Animal Liberation,” “Advocacy at the Edge: Transformative Strategies in Animal Rights Law and Investigation,” and “Empowering Voices: the Role of DEI in Revolutionizing Animal Advocacy”.

The last one, in particular, was one of my favorite. It was led by Dr. Nelva Lee from MiTio and Naijha Wright-Brown from Black Veg Society. It was all about the importance of having a diverse workforce, improving employee communication, and retention rates. As said in the presentation, “If you want to grow your company or organization, diversity, equity, and inclusion are important and cannot be overlooked.”

The talk resonated heavily coming from Texas where many of the DEI initiatives are being revoked by the Texas legislature since the passing of Senate Bill 17 in 2023. Yet, Lee and Brown spoke heavily on how to appreciate culture, different perspectives, and challenge biases with a mixture of open communication and open listening. As they said, “You can be invited to the party, but not to dance” as a metaphor for people of color continuously not feeling welcomed in their workspaces. It’s in that cross-pollination where productivity occurs.

That night, I got together with other vegan, animal, and environmental activists from Austin and can proudly say that I have made some new friends not only on the east coast, but also in my home away from home, Austin.

On the last day, Sunday, of the conference, I was quite thrilled to hear Braille Ringer, a wellness educator, and Leah Garces from Mercy for Animals, speak on “Personal Transformation for Collective Liberation”. This workshop discussed the importance of “honoring your sacred no and embodying your inherent worth” relating to advocacy work where it’s not uncommon to become burnt out. They spoke about why cultivating spaciousness is important, about the external system and factors that breathe exhaustion, and how crucial it is to divest from animal infrastructure that is making us sick.

A good quote from the session: “You are not so important that you shouldn’t take a break, and too important to not take care of yourself.” It’s a very weird feeling to fight for compassion, but to not be fighting for that for ourselves. The session ended with the following from Ringer: “I am whole, worthy, and divine. I have nothing to prove.”

The summit was, without a doubt, filled with many amazing lectures and exhibits. This summit was crucial to me understanding how I want to view the rest of my career. For a while, I’ve hoped to become a correspondent based in Latin America. That remains unchanged.

My favorite quote from this conference, which I will use time after time: “We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

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

Chickpea Lasagna

In a previous issue of Vegan Journal Leslie Gray Streeter shared the following creative lasagna recipe. The entire article can be read here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue1/2021_issue1_sheet_pan.php

Chickpea Lasagna
(Serves 6)

One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano, to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
One 25-ounce jar vegan marinara sauce, divided
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups chopped portobello mushrooms
One 10-ounce package no-bake lasagna noodles
1/4 cup nutritional yeast, plus 1 Tablespoon to serve
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Fresh basil, chopped, to serve

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl mix the chickpeas, oregano, and garlic powder. Mash into a paste using a fork or potato masher. If needed, add a little water to make smooth.

Cover the bottom of the sheet pan with edges at least 9 x 13-inch with 3/4-1 cup of marinara sauce, then cover the sauce with 6-8 lasagna noodles, depending on the size of your pan. Spoon more sauce onto the noodles, followed by the chickpea-mash, spinach, and portobellos. Cover with 6-8 more noodles.

Finally, mix the remaining sauce with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and olive oil to give the mixture a cheesy consistency, and entirely coat the noodles with it.

Cover tightly with foil, as the lasagna may be taller than pan edges, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until the edges are crispy. Serve warm topped with chopped fresh basil and sprinkle with reserved nutritional yeast.

Subscribe to Vegan Journal in the USA at https://www.vrg.org/member/

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