Enjoy dining on vegan food throughout Maryland during Vegan Restaurant Month. Some of the participating restaurants in Baltimore include The Land of Kush, Golden West, Harmony Bakery, Wild Heart Bistro, Johnny Rads, and Gangster Vegan Organics. Outside Baltimore be sure to visit Hue Café in Owings Mills, Rasa in Rockville, and Soul-Tarian Café in Hillcrest Heights. For more information, see: https://www.mdveganeats.com/

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Every five years, starting in 1980, the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have issued Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each edition of the Dietary Guidelines provides the federal governments’ recommendations for what Americans should eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. These recommendations have big effects on nutrition policy and federal programs. We’ll be taking a close look at the process for developing Dietary Guidelines and the ways that they are used in the coming weeks.

This post looks at the early days of the Dietary Guidelines to see what they’ve said about plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

The first two Dietary Guidelines did not mention vegetarian or vegan diets. The third edition (1990) recommended  choosing a diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products. This advice was expanded in 1995, when the Food Guide Pyramid, which illustrated the concept of plant foods as the foundation of healthful diets, was introduced along with the 1995 Dietary Guidelines.

Vegetarian diets were mentioned for the first time in 1995 when the text of the Dietary Guidelines said, “Vegetarian diets are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and can meet Recommended Dietary Allowances for nutrients.” This statement was also included in the 2000 Dietary Guidelines. In 1995, vegetarians were encouraged to pay special attention to sources of iron, zinc, and B vitamins; vegans were told to use vitamin B12 supplements and to ensure adequacy of vitamin D and calcium.  There was an acknowledgement that “some Americans eat vegetarian diets for reasons of culture, belief, or health” but no attempt was made to promote vegetarian diets as a healthier choice.

In 2000, for the first time, calcium sources for those avoiding dairy products, were mentioned in the Dietary Guidelines. Sources included soy-based beverages with added calcium, tofu (if made with calcium sulfate), and dark green leafy vegetables such as collards and turnip greens.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines included a section on vegetarian diets that included explanations of different types of vegetarian diets, and described how vegetarians could select nuts, seeds, and legumes (and eggs if desired) from what was called the “Meat and Beans Group.”

In 2010 the text of the Dietary Guidelines spoke positively about vegetarian diets, reporting that vegetarian eating patterns have been associated with lower rates of obesity, a reduction in blood pressure, and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. This edition of the Dietary Guidelines included vegan and lacto-ovo vegetarian versions of the USDA Food Patterns. For twelve calorie levels, ranging from 1000-3200 calories, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines provided recommended servings from each food group for lacto-ovo vegetarians and vegans. In addition, in 2010, the Dietary Guidelines recommended making half your plate fruits and vegetables and included beans and peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds in the list of “protein foods.”

“A healthy vegetarian eating pattern” was identified as “one of three “healthy eating patterns that can be adapted based on cultural and personal preferences” in 2015. The “Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern,” as described by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, includes vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy or fortified soymilk (or other plant-based dairy substitutes), legumes including soy products, and nuts and seeds. The eating pattern was developed based on foods and amounts of foods eaten by self-described vegetarians in the United States based on a large national study.

As it did in 2015, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines endorses “a healthy vegetarian dietary pattern.” There are versions of this plan for ages 1 year and older. The text of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines reminds vegetarians and others eating few animal products to consider use of a vitamin B12 supplement. This edition of the Dietary Guidelines also encourages all Americans to eat more plant foods including dried beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.

To read the Vegetarian Resource Group’s comments that were submitted to the committees developing

Dietary Guidelines see:

VRG Testimony on 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines

The Vegetarian Resource Group Sends in Testimony Concerning the 2020 Dietary Guidelines

VRG Submits Comments to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

The Vegetarian Resource Groups Comments on the Dietary Guidelines Proposal (2015)

VRG Testifies for the 2010 Dietary Guidelines

VRG’s Comments on USDA’s Dietary Guidelines 2010

VRG Presents at Dietary Guidelines Summit (1998)

To read more about Dietary Guidelines in the United States see:

The Dietary Pattern in Dietary Guidelines for Americans Could Easily Be Made Vegan and Nutritionally Adequate

2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Released; Has Both Positive and Negative Features

2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines Released

2010 Dietary Guidelines Released

To read more about Dietary Guidelines in other countries see:

Do International Dietary Guidelines Promote Vegan/Vegetarian Diets?

Mexican 2023 Dietary Guidelines Recommend that 92% of our Plate Should be Plant Foods

Spain’s Dietary Recommendations: Less Meat, More Plant Foods

Cold Stone Creamery sells Silk Chocolate Almond Milk frozen dessert. Ingredients include CHOCOLATE FLAVORED SILK [Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Cane Sugar, Organic Coconut Oil, Chocolate Flavor Base (Cane Sugar, Water, Cocoa processed with alkali), Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, contains less than 1%of Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Pea
Protein, Salt, Natural Flavor

The company’s website states “There are no animal products, by-products, or derivatives in this product. However, Cold Stone Creamery® is not a vegan environment and cross-contamination with non-vegan products could occur.”

Cold Stone Creamery also has sorbets. For example, their Pineapple Sorbet contains:
SORBET (Water, Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Mono & Diglycerides, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Pectin), PINEAPPLE.

You can find more information here: https://www.coldstonecreamery.com/nutrition/pdf/CSC_Ingedient%20Statement-Ice%20Cream_Yogurt_Sorbet.pdf
https://www.coldstonecreamery.com/silksorbet/silk/index.html

For information on other chain restaurants, see https://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php
For a list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the USA and Canada, go to https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Researchers concluded in a 2021 article published in the journal Nature Food that global food production contributes 34% of all carbon emissions fueling the climate crisis. What this means is your food choices matter.

Take pizza, for example. According to many surveys, It’s the most popular food in the world.

When given the choice between a vegan pizza or a meat pizza, both loaded with your favorite toppings, you may correctly assume that the carbon emissions associated with a vegan pizza would be significantly less than those accompanying a meat pizza. But how much less? Here, we’ll answer that question.

Greenhouse Gases from Agriculture

Producing all the food components used to make pizza takes energy. That energy source is almost always fossil fuels.

Burning fossil fuels produces carbon emissions, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas (GHG). The atmospheric buildup of huge quantities of GHGs in a short time period (since industrialization began in the 1750s) causes more heat from the sun to be trapped closer to Earth rather than reflected back into space. As a result, many countries around the world are experiencing climate crises including massive floods, wildfires, drought, and heatwaves.

Meat and dairy cheese, common components on non-vegan pizza, are the worst food offenders in terms of the amounts of the major carbon-containing greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄), released during their production. Growing feed crops that beef cattle and cows eat to produce meat and dairy adds significant amounts of nitrous oxide (N₂O) to the greenhouse gas mix, released mostly from synthetic fertilizers.

Here are some eye-popping statistics related to the world’s crops:

• 77% of the global soybean crop is fed to livestock for meat and dairy production.
• 74% of global maize production becomes animal feed.
• 70% of the world’s freshwater is used for food production.
• 78% of freshwater pollution is due to agriculture.

Each stage of food production – from the farm to your fork – generates carbon emissions from the fossil fuels burned to complete them. For crops, these stages include:

• Preparing the soil
• Planting seeds
• Applying fertilizer
• Harvesting
• Processing
• Packaging
• Transporting

For animals, all of the above applies to produce their foodstuffs. Additionally, carbon emissions are released during:

• Rearing
• Slaughtering
• Processing
• Transporting
• Packaging
• Retailing (refrigeration)

Carbon footprints of food production

The emission of greenhouse gases at each step of food production is cumulative. The sum total of all the stepwise carbon emissions from a particular food’s production is known as that food’s carbon footprint. The lower the carbon footprint of a food, the more sustainable it is. Similarly, the higher a food’s carbon footprint, the greater is the cost to planetary stability.

However, the three major agricultural greenhouse gases are not equally given off during each stage of production. More importantly, they are not equally good at trapping heat. In other words, some hold on to heat longer than others. This complicates precise determinations of the effect of carbon emissions associated with particular foods on global heating. It also makes comparisons between foods’ carbon footprints difficult.

To deal with these problems, researchers devised the notion of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂eq).

What is a carbon dioxide equivalent?

To simplify carbon footprint calculations, investigators developed a way to place all greenhouse gases on an equal footing. The reference point for this method is carbon dioxide. Its ability to cause global heating is called its global warming potential (GWP). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) arbitrarily assigned CO₂ a GWP equal to one.

Mathematically, CO₂eq is calculated by multiplying the mass of the emissions of one type of greenhouse gas (usually expressed in kilograms or tons) by its GWP. Total greenhouse gas emissions from the production of a specific food are the sum total of the CO₂eq values of all gases generated from that food during all of its production stages.

However, in reality, GWP is not a fixed value for all time. In the atmosphere, gases naturally decay, but not all at once. And some gases break down more quickly than others. As they decompose, their ability to trap heat is reduced. This means GWP for a particular gas will decrease over time. It also means that GWP is meaningful only when a specific timescale is given. By extension, the total carbon emissions calculated using a certain GWP are relative to its timescale.

Here is a table of GWPs for the three major agricultural greenhouse gases over time taken from the 6^th IPCC Report (2021).

As an example, in a 20-year time frame, methane has a GWP of 81. This means the ability of one kilogram of methane from a belching cow to trap heat is equal to the heat-trapping ability of 81 kilograms of carbon dioxide for the first 20 years after methane’s release into the atmosphere. Another way of looking at it is: if methane has a GWP of 81, then, for 20 years, one kilogram of methane yields 81 times the warming effect of one kilogram of CO₂. On a molecular level, this means that warming due to 81 molecules of CO₂ is equal to that due to a single molecule of methane for the first 20 years it’s floating in the sky.

Methane strategy to reduce carbon emissions fast

Interestingly, carbon dioxide is different from both CH₄ and N₂O because CO₂ persists in the atmosphere far longer, possibly for thousands of years. Methane, on the other hand, is comparatively short-lived, but with a much higher GWP. Its lifetime in the atmosphere is approximately 12 years. Nitrous oxide has an even greater GWP but remains in the atmosphere for 121 years.

The short lifespan of methane suggests an easy way to mitigate the intensifying effects of global heating: reducing methane emissions as much as possible right now. Since animal agriculture is a major source of both CH₄ and N₂O, one strategy to lessen their oversized contribution to the climate crisis is to end the practice of raising animals for meat and milk.

Calculating the Carbon Footprints of Vegan Vs. Meat Pizza

For vegan pizza components such as wheat flour or tomato sauce, carbon footprint calculations involve mostly CO₂ production. If synthetic fertilizer were used to grow wheat, tomatoes, or vegetables, there is nitrous oxide, another GHG with significantly more heat-trapping ability than carbon dioxide, to figure into the carbon footprint calculation.

For vegan ingredients, there is no methane to figure into the total carbon footprint (unless you count the methane produced by rotting plant food waste in a landfill). As a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide, methane is produced from ruminant animals such as dairy and beef cattle.

Values used in our calculations for the carbon emissions produced by all pizza components comes from two main sources:

1. The 2018 article (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216) by Poore and Nemecek. They analyzed the environmental impacts — including the carbon footprints — of over 38,000 farms in 119 countries producing 40 different commodity food products. Their values reflect global averages. In fact, Poore and Nemecek point out, given the extremely wide variability in farming practices, global averages of environmental impacts are the best indicators of the relative impact — such as the carbon footprint — of a specific type of food product. In this article, we used Poore and Nemecek’s carbon emissions value for wheat.
2. The 2022 article (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2120584119) by Michael Clark et al. Like Poore and Nemecek, the researchers calculated environmental impacts of foods. But they focused only on packaged food products you’d find in a grocery store. Most of the values for carbon emissions used here for pizza components have been calculated by the nonprofit Our World in Data based on this research. All CO₂eq are based on a 100-year GWP.

It is not known whether the carbon emission values presented by Our World in Data include those generated from cooking the pizza. It’s unlikely that end-of-life considerations, such as food waste or leftovers going to a landfill, figured into their determination since they vary widely. Readers should be aware that cooking and landfilling have carbon emissions associated with them, too.

However, for our cross comparison of carbon emissions seeking relative differences, it is not needed to know whether the values used include emissions from cooking. We assume all values do or all values do not. In the case where cooking was included, we assume the same cooking method (electric oven, for example) was used. We also assume emissions from disposal to be identical in both the case of a vegan vs. a meat pizza, thereby nullifying any major effect on the final results.

We stipulated that the medium-sized pizzas would be whole wheat since we had an emissions value for it and no other flour. Since we couldn’t find a value for pizza sauce, we included tomatoes and onions in our list of pizza ingredients. These are the major ingredients in pizza sauce. We included enough to make one quart of pizza sauce and assume all is used.

Half of the olive oil was used to make the crust. The remaining oil was used to fry the vegan crumbles, bacon, or ground beef. No values for spices could be found. Since they are used to make both pizzas, their absence from both lists would not affect the final results. We don’t know which type of dairy-free cheese was used. We wrote the authors and have not heard back yet.

Note: Values are approximate due to rounding.

Vegan Pizza Ingredients

Total: 5.53 kg of CO₂eq

Meat Pizza Ingredients

Total: 39.77 kg of CO₂eq

Results on Pizza Carbon Footprints

The VRG used carbon emission data compiled by Our World in Data and based on research by Poore & Nemecek (2018) and Clark et al. (2022) to estimate the carbon footprints of vegan pizza vs. meat pizza. We determined that meat pizza has a carbon footprint roughly seven times greater than vegan pizza.

This result is corroborated with that published by Stylianou et al. (2020). The investigators analyzed carbon footprints of vegetarian vs. meat pizza in several different ways. They found meat pizza’s carbon footprint to be approximately four times higher than vegetarian pizza (with dairy cheese).

Both of these results support the general conclusion of a 2023 article by Scarborough et al. published in Nature Food. As part of the Livestock Environment And People (LEAP) project involving 55,000 people in the United Kingdom, the researchers found that the carbon footprint of a meat diet is more than four times as high as that of a vegan diet.

Conclusions on Pizza Carbon Footprints

Food choices have a direct effect on the climate crisis. By analyzing the carbon emissions associated with pizza, The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) calculated that meat pizza has a carbon footprint roughly seven times higher than the carbon footprint of vegan pizza. The difference in the case of pizza is greater than that determined by other researchers.

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

photo from Stillfood Bistro

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:

Dreamboat Donuts & Scoops, 1204 6th Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76104

Dreamboat Donuts & Scoops offers more than just donuts and ice cream, but, honoring the popular adage: “Life’s short, eat dessert first”, here’s the scoop. As the name implies, they offer a boatload of Donut varieties including familiar favorites as well as: Key Lime Lemon Raspberry, Maple, Peanut Butter and if you’ve never had a Pistachio donut, here’s your chance! Fried Cake Donuts also rise to the occasion in many blueberry selections glazed with lemon or orange. All donuts contain cashews and are yeast raised, affectionately referred to as Yeast-E-Boiz! Check the website for daily availability. Their menu lists a host of vegan ice cream made from scratch in classic flavors plus Banana Pudding, Coffee, Pistachio, and one that’s sure to be Homer Simpson’s favorite–Cookie D’oh, to name a few! There’s Soft Serve too. Choose a cup or waffle cone. Even the cones come in various flavors. Customize your frozen treat by number of scoops and toppings like homemade caramel, organic chocolate sauce, cookie pieces and more. For savory items, Cozy Dawgs are their twist on Pigs in a Blanket baked in yeast dough, with or without jalapeno and or cheese. Grab n’ go includes: coconut yogurt parfait with organic berries and homemade granola, overnight oats, as well as Sweet Potato Hummus, and Soy chik’n or grilled Seitan wraps, stuffed with veggies in a flour tortilla and a few dressing choices.

Frankie & Jo’s, Marin Country Mart, 2257 Larkspur Landing Cir., Larkspur CA 94939

Their ice cream is mostly made from sprouted cashews, but also sometimes includes coconut milk. They offer a variety of unique, vegan and gluten-free flavors for their ‘everyday ice creams’, such as Chocolate Date, Frankie’s Brown Sugar, Salty Caramel Ash, Tahini Chocolate, Gingered Golden Milk, Chocolate Mint Brownie, and California Cabin. In addition to these flavors offered year-round, Frankie & Jo’s also offers a seasonal menu of ice cream flavors and an ‘every day’ Beet Strawberry Rose sorbet. Their maple-vanilla waffle cones are also vegan and gluten-free.

Soultarian, 3660 St. Barnabas Rd., Hillcrest Heights, MD 20746

Located in Prince George County, Maryland, Soultarian serves vegan burgers, wings, and even crab cakes on their menu. They also have a food truck that does pop-ups at events and catering for private events. Their menu is constantly updated with new delicious options, and they can do custom menus for events!

Stillfood Bistro, 75 Front St., Penticton, BC, V2A 1H2 Canada and 371 Alexander St., Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4H7 Canada

Stillfood aims to create artistic, unique, plant-based fare. They endeavor to source ingredients from local farms. The menu rotates for seasonality and variety. Freshly prepared baked goods are available daily and gluten-free options are on hand. Although dinner is not served, they are especially popular for Brunch. The menu expresses a particular pride in their Eggs Benny consisting of: carrot lox, avocado, Stillfood egg, Stillfood hollandaise sauce, and more. Their take on classic French Toast is Little Red Hen sourdough or alkeme gluten-free sourdough and berry compote, with whipped topping. There’s also Mushroom Toast—an organic mushroom blend with their own hummus and Chick’n & Waffles with maple hot sauce and watermelon radish to name a few. Amongst wraps, sandwiches, and burgers there’s a Croissantwich featuring smoked tofu and hummus, a Falafel dressed with their own Lemon Tahini. Salads include a Roasted Beet Salad with Kale, tzatziki, house chèvere, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette. One of their Bowls is Dan Dan, a rice noodles dish with Stillfood spicy peanut sauce, oyster mushrooms, bok choy, peppers and microgreens. Another is a Sushi Bowl—cabbage, edamame, red pepper, carrot, avocado, smoked tofu, lox and spicy mayo. A few of their desserts are Espresso Brownie, Carrot Cake, and Cinnamon Roll.

The Easy Vegan, 675 S. Broadway, Denver, CO 80209

You know a vegan pop-up and catering group is doing something right when they are invited into a food competition that has been dominated by carnivores and omnivores. But that is exactly what The Easy Vegan has done, not only participating but being a top competitor on Food Network’s Season 16 of The Great Food Truck Race. Dubbed a “rookie” team because they aren’t officially a food truck yet outside the show, there is nothing rookie about them, as trying some of their fare at a Denver market will prove. With an eclectic and varying menu selection, options have included carrot pancakes made with carrot cardamom cream, toasted pistachio, carrot caramel, carrot chip, and orange zest; a veggie omelet with tomato butter, house-made mung bean egg, and an herb salad with lemony hearts of palm; and a chocolate budino with salted caramel and biscoff crumb. Check website for weekly schedule at Farmers Markets/Street Markets and other events.

Vegan Pizza Land, 142 Pleasant St #103a, Easthampton, MA 01027

Vegan Pizza land is run out of a Woodfire airstream trailer permanently housed outside of “the Abandoned Building Brewery’s Beer Garden.” They are home to an array of Vegan pizza options such as Margherita Pizza, Marinara pizza, and Broccolini pizza. Their pizza is made with sourdough crust and is topped off with homemade cashew cheese.

Veggie Thumper, location varies in Des Moines, IA

Veggie Thumper is a food bus located in Des Moines Iowa. They have a variety of vegan meals such as their Philly cheesesteak and their bbq chick’n nachos. You can find the Veggie Thumper bus cruising around Ohio doing pop-ups at various events in the area.

The Ahimsak Eco Vegan Committee of JAINA is thrilled to announce the virtual “Ahimsa Vegan Conference 2023” (AVC) on August 26th and 27^th, 2023. This virtual conference is aimed to delve into the interconnections between Jainism and Veganism and celebrate the principles of non-violence and compassion towards all living beings.

This is a collaborative effort of the Ahimsak Eco Vegan Committee of JAINA with Arihanta Institute, Compassionate Living and The Jain Vegan Initiative.

Registration for the Ahimsa Vegan Conference 2023 is here: https://veganconf.arihantainstitute.org/

Warm Regards, Ahimsak Eco Vegan Committee

Photo from Vinh Loi Tofu

Below is a list of vegan Vietnamese restaurants throughout the USA and Canada.

All Chay, 1264 W. 500 N., Salt Lake City, UT 84116 https://www.doordash.com/store/all-chay-salt-lake-city-2669291/

Chau Veggie Express, 5052 Victoria Dr., Vancouver, BC V5P 3T8 Canada https://www.chowatchau.ca/

Chi, 1935 West 4th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7 Canada www.chiplantbased.com

D’Vegan, 9780 Walnut St., Ste. 360E, Dallas, TX 75243 www.d-vegan.com

Golden Era Vegan Restaurant, 395 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco, CA 94102 www.goldeneravegan.com

Mama Dút, 1414 SE Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214 www.mamadut.com

Merit Vegan Restaurant, 548 Lawrence Expy. #2, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 www.meritvegetarian.com

Nam Vegan Express, 8681 10th Ave., Burnaby, BC V3N 2S9 Canada www.namvegan.com

Noble Vegetarian Restaurant, 5049 College Oak Dr., Ste. A, Sacramento, CA 95841 https://noblevegan.com/

Thien Dang Vegan, 14255 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, CA 92843 www.thiendangvegetarian.com

Vegan Bowl, 8672 S. Redwood Rd., West Jordan, UT 84088 https://www.tableneeds.net/restaurants/veganbowl/veganbowl/menus

Vinh Loi Tofu, 11818 South St. #101, Cerritos, CA 90703 www.vinhloitofucerritos.com

Vinh Loi Tofu, 18625 Sherman Way, #101, Reseda, CA 91335 https://www.vinhloitofu.com/

Be sure to also check The Vegetarian Resource Group’s online guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada here: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Mihika Chechi, VRG Intern

As both a lifelong vegetarian and someone who regularly eats Indian food, I consider myself to be quite selective when it comes to which Indian restaurants I choose to go to when eating out. One of my all-time favorites in my home of Burbank, California, is India’s Tandoori. Vegetarians and vegans alike will have no problem finding a range of different, mouth-watering options here, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who’s in the area!

The restaurant itself is nestled among an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants in the heart of Burbank’s vibrant downtown. The atmosphere inside is perfectly cozy, with beautiful paintings lining the walls and Indian classical music usually playing in the background. I’ve sat down for a meal here numerous times, and each time, the staff has been friendly and welcoming!

This time, I took my order to go, and the experience was just as pleasant. I asked the staff what options there were in terms of vegan food, and they were incredibly accommodating, writing out a quick list of food options for me that were fully vegan. There were several different vegetable and curry dishes that I could choose from, as well as a variety of bread (specifically rotis, as naan sold in restaurants generally tends to not be fully vegan, as it may have been cooked using dairy products) and rice to accompany them. I ended up ordering plain rotis and chana masala (consisting of spiced garbanzo beans in a curry broth), both of which came in large enough quantities that they were all I needed for a full meal.

As a general tip for vegans visiting any Indian restaurant, if you do order roti, just be sure to let your server know you would like it to be made without any butter or ghee being added after it is baked. Generally, this will ensure that the rotis are fully vegan, but of course, always confirm that this is the case with the restaurant staff as well. And for visitors to India’s Tandoori, don’t worry if you don’t think you have a high spice tolerance – they’re always able to adjust the spice level according to your needs and preferences! In my opinion, the spice level of most dishes here tends to be on the higher side, so if you prefer less spice, just let your server know when ordering and they’ll be sure to accommodate your needs.

Everything came well-packaged and the staff had taken care to label the food as being vegan, which was an extra care for detail that I really appreciated.

The food itself was wonderful – the rotis were perfectly warm and soft to the bite, while the chana masala was bursting with flavor from a mix of different spices and ingredients. And it was all 100% vegan! The serving size was more than sufficient, and I actually ended up having enough left over to eat the next day.

All in all, for anyone in the Burbank region looking for an exquisite eating experience in a place that caters to vegetarians and vegans, I highly recommend India’s Tandoori! No matter how many times you come back, you’ll find a plethora of new, exciting choices. Personally, I look forward to trying the vegan aloo matar dish next!

For more information about India’s Tandoori, visit their website here.

To discover other vegetarian and vegan-friendly restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, visit our restaurant guide here.

Join The Vegetarian Resource Group’s Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, in a Free Zoom Presentation presented by the Vegan Society of Hawaii on Sunday, August 13, 2023 (Noon HST; 3PM PDT; and 6PM EDT). The topic is “Vegan at Every Age: A Guide to Healthy Vegan Diets from Conception to Older Adulthood.” Go to https://www.vsh.org/zoom/ to listen.

Jared Mens Backpack – Blue Vegan Leather Backpacks GUNAS NY

If you’re in the market for a vegan backpack, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a wide variety of stylish vegan backpacks available in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

The French company Arsayo offers backpacks.

Doshi, an American company, makes backpacks for men and women.

Gunas offers backpacks for men and ships internationally from America.

Canadian company Jeane & Jax offers backpacks for women.

American company Matt and Nat sells internationally a wide variety of backpacks in several colors.

Pixie Mood ships backpacks to both Canada and the USA.

Brielle Vegan Wool Backpack – Pixie Mood