photo from ChagaRoot

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: www.vrg.org/restaurant

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:

Anna’s Vegan Café, 3500 Stockton Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95820

A cozy, quiet eatery in the heart of Oak Park offering a wide variety of Pan-Asian fare. The entire menu is vegan, and some items are gluten-free. Some customer favorites include Eggplant Basil, Vegetables Chow Mein, Mixed Vegetables with Tofu, Lucky Lemongrass Tofu, Curry Delight Clay Pot, Chow Mein Wonder, and Mongolian Wonder. The food was consistently reported as being perfectly seasoned, fresh, and flavorful, served in jumbo-sized portions. There are lunch specials available on select weekdays. Please note that there is a small dining space with high chairs if needed, with parking available at the back and the side of the building. In addition, they are handicap-accessible.

ChagaRoot, 3318 E Flamingo Rd., Ste. D, Las Vegas, NV 89121

ChagaRoot uses their locally grown mushrooms to create burgers, tacos, bowls, and smoothies. The lion’s mane “chicken” sandwich can be cooked in 3 styles (battered, grilled, or sautéed) and is tossed in beet sriracha aioli and topped with sauce, pickles, and shredded lettuce. The Chagasmash burger includes cheese and mushroom-seasoned fries. Oyster mushroom tacos are served soft style with a variety of add-ons including cashew mac n cheese, coleslaw, street corn, and chili cheese fries. The signature Chagaroot bowl includes brown rice topped with sautéed mushrooms, aioli, Caesar dressing, pico de gallo, and Moroccan-style cauliflower. Several smoothie flavors are available including Vanilla Freshcap, ShroomShred chocolate, and BuffBerry button; mycoprotein and tinctures can be added to smoothies.

Freshroll, 439 Nathan Ellis Hwy., Mashpee, MA 02649

Inspired by the vibrant street food culture of Cambodia, Freshroll is a celebration of plant-based flavors that capture the essence of those bustling food stalls. From fresh spring rolls to sizzling bowls of noodle soups and many kinds of street food, Freshroll creates a plant-based spin on classic irresistible flavors. There is also a food truck that offers many of their interesting options, including refreshing smoothies and sweet boba drinks, bringing the tastes of Asia to every corner. Each dish is crafted with care and inspired by memories of childhood street food vendors, only now, it’s plant-powered and with new modern takes.

Opolis, 113 N. Crawford Ave., Norman, OK 73069

Opolis is a favorite for those who enjoy independent live music, offering a diverse lineup of bands that keeps the atmosphere buzzing. Weekly trivia nights draw in friendly competition, making it a fantastic place for friends to test their knowledge while enjoying a selection of drinks from the bar. However, the space also hosts a wide variety of other events like educational talks and makers nights, fostering creativity and community engagement. The vegan food options are new takes on classic comfort foods, catering to everyone from casual diners to dedicated plant-based eaters. On Sundays, the special brunch menu invites patrons to savor delicious dishes in a relaxed setting, making it an ideal spot for weekend gatherings with family and friends.

Raw Roots, 38 King St. E., Unit 2, Stoney Creek, ON L8G 1K1 Canada

Raw Roots is an eco-conscious restaurant dedicated to promoting wellness through nourishing, plant-based cuisine. With a menu rooted in organic, whole foods, it primarily focuses on providing fresh juices, smoothies, and smoothie bowls. However, seasonal ingredients play a central role in their offerings, with a menu that shifts to include fall soups, pumpkin pie, and more. Committed to both health and sustainability, Raw Roots ensures that every dish is served in 100% compostable containers, aligning with their mission to reduce environmental impact. Beyond the restaurant, Raw Roots extends its reach through a food truck that can be booked for a variety of events, from birthdays to weddings. The restaurant also runs a program designed to help students thrive through proper nutrition. Through its entirely vegan mission, Raw Roots is all about cultivating wellness through food and community.

Sauce: Vegan Ristorante, 2641 Myrtle St., Erie, PA 16508

Sauce aims to bring new meaning to an immersive dining experience. As evidenced by the guidelines set forth for joining this intimate dinner, the focus is on the food and being completely present to appreciate and enjoy the gourmet offerings—which change on a weekly basis. Examples from previous menus include The Lust Burger—a flame-grilled vegan burger with vegan cheddar cheese, served on a butter and garlic toasted pretzel bun with all the burger fixings—and a mushroom risotto topped with vegan chicken. Dessert offerings have included a strawberry brownie, served with a whipped peanut butter buttercream, and chocolate raspberry cake. Intrigued? That is exactly the point—and check out Sauce’s website to learn more, including how to reserve your own seat at this unique vegan meal.

Vegan Stops, 12563 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92840

A family business that got its start in Orange County (California) farmer’s markets and maintains a strong presence there, Vegan Stops aims to prove that vegan food can taste great AND be healthy. With a menu that includes many gluten-free options, you can select from a variety of familiar Mediterranean dishes, from the bulgur and tomato pilaf to veggie-forward dishes including an eggplant casserole; roasted cauliflower (drizzled with a tahini sauce); and fava beans sautéed with a cilantro garlic mix. Their pumpkin squash stew is a hearty mix of pumpkin, chickpea, cilantro, tomato, and onion. They also offer falafel wraps and several hummus options, from a traditional baba ghanoush to a beet and pumpkin hummus to a habanero hummus—which you can enjoy with their white or whole wheat pita bread or baked pita chips. And based on customer feedback, Vegan Stops not only offers healthy, delicious food, but also an open, friendly welcome from its employees.

Read our review of Outstanding Foods vegan cheese ball snacks that come in several flavors. These are yummy! See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_veggie_bits.php

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

Through December 31, 2024, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegan Journal) for $15 each. Offer is valid in the USA only!

This is a terrific way to share the vegan message, as well as support VRG outreach. Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the name and address of each gift recipient in the comments field. Go to: www.vrg.org/donate

In the latest issue of Vegan Journal, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD discusses all the positive updates being made to the WIC program that will help vegans. Read her Nutrition Hotline column here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_nutrition_hotline.php

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

photo by Rissa Miller

Chef Nancy Berkoff has you covered! See: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2023issue1/2023_issue1_cooking_tips.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC) or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

Here’s a sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach:

• The Vegetarian Resource Group Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was interviewed for an article for Contemporary Pediatrics about nutritional benefits and/or drawbacks of veganism and vegetarianism in adolescents. The aim of this article is to provide general practice pediatricians with guidance and nutritional information that they can share with their patients who may want to pursue either of these diets. Reed was also interviewed in The New York Times about nutrition for new vegetarians or those transitioning to a vegetarian diet.
• The Dental Hygienist’s Guide to Nutritional Care textbook asked to reprint VRG’s My Vegan Plate. One of our VRG interns separately said, “This visual was also a resource my supervisor, the registered dietitian I worked with during my peer nutrition coach internship, recommended for vegan clients.”
• Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, spoke for the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group Spotlight session at the annual FNCE meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The session was based on two systematic reviews of topics in vegetarian nutrition, namely, Vegetarian Nutrition for Disease Management and Vegetarian Nutrition for Disease Prevention, that were conducted for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Library. The session is titled Exploring the Rewards and Challenges of Vegetarian Diets: A Fresh Look at the Academy’s Position.
• Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman coordinated a booth at the Animal Vegan Summit in Alexandria, Virginia, while Elsa Spencer, PhD, staffed a VRG booth at Charlottesville VegFest in Virginia, Phil Becker staffed a booth at World VegFest in San Francisco, California, and Heather Francis coordinated VRG’s booth at the Boston Veg Food Fest in Massachusetts.
• VRG sent 600 of VRG’s I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Books plus El arco iris vegetariano coloring books to PG County Maryland WIC. A nutritionist from a county health department in New Jersey asked to reprint our My Vegan Plate. We sent 400 Vegan Journals for grab bags for the Columbia, South Carolina VegFest and also Sarasota, Florida VegFest, and we sent a box of brochures for tabling at a Black Family Wellness Expo in AL. We also shipped a box of Vegan Journals to be distributed at Texas VegFest in Austin, Texas.
• VRG continues to host interns/volunteers throughout the year.

This is just a small sampling of what we are doing at VRG every day. Thank you so much! We couldn’t do this without your support.

You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST.

Photo by Julia Kuzenkov on Unsplash

Want to try making banana peels into edible food?

Try this recipe: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/don-t-waste-banana-peels-turn-them-into-tasty-vegan-pulled-pork?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

And here’s a banana peel taco recipe: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/vegan-zero-waste-recipe-ideas.pdf

Nothing beats a simple graphic to get the vegan message out! The Vegetarian Resource Group created My Vegan Plate to display on outreach tables at various events. If you live in the United States, you can request copies of this handout to distribute by emailing us at [email protected]

You can view the handout here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf

This same handout can also be read in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/images/miplatovegano.jpg

We also have a version you can print out for kids to color on: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlateCP.pdf

Donations towards this outreach are always appreciated: www.vrg.org/donate

Photo by Kaboompics.com

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

There have been many studies of vegetarian diets and the risk of having cardiovascular disease and of dying from cardiovascular disease. The term cardiovascular disease refers to conditions that affect the heart or blood vessels. These conditions can lead to events like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. For the past couple of years, I’ve worked with a group of investigators to systematically examine and compare relevant research on vegetarian (including vegan) diets and cardiovascular disease (1).

We did something called an umbrella review which provides an overall assessment of the information available on a specific topic. An umbrella review is an evaluation of systematic reviews.  A systematic review summarizes the results of studies that have been done on a specific topic. There have been a number of systematic reviews on vegetarian diets and different aspects of cardiovascular disease. We critically examined systematic reviews that focused on the topic of vegetarian diets and cardiovascular disease. We evaluated systematic reviews that had been published since 2018.

Consistent with findings from other studies, we found that people eating vegetarian diets had a lower risk of having cardiovascular disease and of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to people not eating vegetarian diets. When we looked specifically at systematic reviews that included vegans, we found that vegans had lower blood pressure, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower total cholesterol, lower triglycerides, and lower C-reactive protein (an indicator of inflammation). These studies were all studies of free-living vegetarians and vegans – people who had chosen to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

We also looked at studies where adults who were at risk for cardiovascular disease were assigned to either a vegan diet or a nonvegetarian diet. We found that, in these studies, there was a greater reduction in  total and LDL cholesterol, and fasting glucose (blood sugar) in people following a vegan diet than was seen in the comparison group of people who were following a nonvegetarian diet.

Based on the results of our work, we concluded that clinicians (medical doctors and dietitians, for example) may consider recommending vegetarian/vegan diets to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease and to reduce the risk of having or dying from cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

1. Landry, MJ, Senkus KE, Mangels AR, et al. Vegetarian dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk factors and disease prevention: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. Am J Prev Cardiol. 2024;20:100868. You can read the article here.

To read more about cardiovascular disease and vegan/vegetarian diets see:

Heart Healthy Diets: The Vegetarian Way

Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Healthier Vegetarian Diets Are Associated with a Reduced Risk of Major Cardiovascular Events

Vegan Diet Improves Cardiovascular Health: Results of a Twins Study

This past September, I began my role as a VRG intern, which gave me many opportunities to engage with diverse kinds of information about veganism. Since I have been vegan for over 5 years, I already knew quite a bit about different aspects of veganism when starting my internship; however, this experience still provided me with new perspectives. Going into it, I wanted to improve my communication skills while also getting to learn more, and the things I did helped me with these goals.

One of the tasks I did was review other VRG interns’ data collection for nutrition information about different kinds of plant-based milk, while also compiling data myself for coconut milk. Through this, I was able to learn about how the diversity of options available for each type of plant-based milk varies greatly and about the overall nutritional differences between them. I also considered how various factors may impact a company’s decisions to label their products as “vegan” or indicate their plant-based nature in another way.

In addition, I contributed to the VRG’s restaurant guide and wrote blog postings. One of my articles was a review of a local Mexican food spot, in which I included my own thoughts on their dishes as well as what the rest of my family thought. Working on the restaurant guides showed me how the extent of variety in vegan food available across the U.S. is beyond what I had ever considered.

I value veganism for ethical reasons and for its environmental benefits, especially because I would like to pursue environmental science in the future, which is why I am grateful for the opportunity to be a VRG intern.

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