By Chelsea Chilewa, VRG Intern

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of commercials and media informing us on what products to buy. With TikTok shops being the new craze and Amazon storefronts’ popularity, your favorite social media personalities have the ability to sell you anything, whether they have an agenda to push certain products or not. Depending on their values, they may not prioritize what is best for us and our home planet. In this article, I delve into the perspectives of VRG (Vegetarian Resource Group) volunteers who share their opinions on veganism, sustainability, and the products they love.

Mae – A Passionate Home Cook

Mae shares her tips on simplifying vegetarian cooking and her approach to vegan household products.

Mae: “I try to make my own household products and toiletries whenever possible, from ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, plant-based oils, and essential oils. As for specific brands, I like CleanCult’s line of household cleaners and hand soap.”

Not all Cleancult household products are 100% vegan. Some dryer products contain wool, but they do offer vegan and cruelty free products. Read those labels! Cleancult product containers are meant to be reusable and last forever, so investing in their product is saving waste.

Question: Sustainability is often associated with veganism. Can you share your thoughts on how vegan products align with your eco-friendly values and contribute to reducing your environmental footprint?

Mae: “The products you buy are a reflection of who you are, and ideally, your day-to-day actions would further substantiate your identity. With that said, I hope that abstaining from most animal products contributes to a larger movement of individuals doing the same, leading to an overall reduction in demand for such items.”

Embracing Vegan Beauty

Meet Amy

Amy discusses her favorite vegan skincare and beauty products and their effectiveness compared to non-vegan alternatives. She also shares her approach to vegan household products.

Amy: “Mad Hippie is a great vegan brand with high-quality products. I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to skincare and beauty, but I always wear sunscreen and must have lip gloss at all times. I actually started using vegan skincare/cosmetic products before changing my diet, so it’s been a long time since I used any non-vegan products. However, I don’t think there’s a difference in terms of effectiveness.”

Question: How do you ensure that the products you use are truly vegan? Are there specific certifications or labels you look for when shopping?

Amy: “I definitely read the ingredients, and look at labels to make sure I’m not missing anything. This has gotten to be second nature for me, and I appreciate food allergy labeling that allows me to quickly figure out if eggs or milk are included in a product. Plus, the reports from The VRG have been helpful for me to learn about hidden animal ingredients in products.”

If you are a consumer who suffers from allergies, check your makeup to see if they contain your allergen. Check out Zestfull article, Food allergens in cosmetics, written by Keila Alleyne.

https://www.thezestfull.com/food-allergens-in-beauty-products-guide/

Jazz

Meet Jazz

Jazz, a VRG intern, shares his favorite vegetarian products and brands that he incorporates into his daily life.

Jazz: When I’m feeling lazy, I’ll just put an Impossible chicken patty in the oven and eat that.”

MorningStar Farms is a meatless American food brand. Incogmeato® is their plant based protein line that cooks and tastes like meat. This is another possible option for the days I need a quick and easy meal.

In this collection of perspectives, we’ve heard from VRG volunteers with different backgrounds and experiences. Their insights shed light on the world of veganism, sustainable living, and the products they like. Whether you’re a seasoned vegan or just exploring plant-based options, I hope their stories can provide valuable inspiration.

The contents of this 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.

Mac and Cheez-Stuffed Peppers

Chef John Beck offers recipes for stuffed veggies and fruit in a previous issue of Vegan Journal. Enjoy Deviled Potatoes; White Bean-Stuffed Tomato Cups; Mac and Cheez-Stuffed Peppers; Stuffed Eggplant Rolls; and Apples with Cinnamon-Roasted Nuts.

Find the article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2021issue4/2021_issue4_get_stuffed.php

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

photo from Plum Bistro Restaurant

Below is a list of some of the restaurants, caterers, and groups offering vegan meals/potlucks for Thanksgiving (both before and on that day) alphabetically by state. If you’re looking for some new recipes to prepare for Thanksgiving, visit: http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vegan_thanksgiving.php

We wish you a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

ARIZONA

Vegan Thanksliving Community Potluck, Mesa, AZ

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/10th-annual-vegan-thanksliving-community-potluck-tickets-717549478807

thanksLIVING Celebration Dinner at Loving Hut, Phoenix AZ

https://www.meetup.com/vegphx/events/296197319/

Green The American Vegetarian, Tempe, AZ

https://thanksliving.square.site/ (take-out)

CALIFORNIA

Raven’s Restaurant at The Standford Inn, Mendocino, CA

https://stanfordinn.com/ravens-holiday-menus/

Native Foods, Palm Springs and San Diego, CA

https://nativefoods.com/plant-based-thanksgiving/

The Gentle Barn Pre-Thanksgiving Meal, Santa Clarita, CA

https://www.gentlebarn.org/thanksgiving

COLORADO

Native Foods, Glendale and Lonetree, CO

https://nativefoods.com/plant-based-thanksgiving/

FLORIDA

ThankVegan 2023 Potluck, Tampa, FL

https://www.meetup.com/animaladvocacyoftampabay/events/296603741/

ILLINOIS

Native Foods, Chicago, IL (loop)

https://nativefoods.com/plant-based-thanksgiving/

The Chicago Diner, Chicago, IL (take-out)

https://chicago-diner-webstore.myshopify.com/

MARYLAND

Land of Kush, Baltimore, MD

https://www.facebook.com/TheLandofKush/

NuVegan, Baltimore, MD

http://www.ilovenuvegan.com/

One World Café, Baltimore, MD

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063530110691

Thanksgiving at Popular Spring Animal Sanctuary, Poolesville, MD

https://www.animalsanctuary.org/events/annual-events/

MASSACHUSETTS

Vegan Thanksliving Potluck, Bay Path Barn – Boylston, MA.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vegfest-vegan-thanksliving-potluck-tickets-730428269617

MISSOURI

The Gentle Barn Pre-Thanksgiving Meal, Dittmer, MO

https://www.gentlebarn.org/thanksgiving

Vegan Kingdom KC, Independence, MO

https://www.facebook.com/VeganKingdomKC?mibextid=ZbWKwL

St. Louis Animal Rights Team Annual Turkey Free Thanksliving, St. Louis, MO

https://www.start4animals.org/current-events

NEW YORK

Modern Love, Brooklyn, NY

https://www.modernlovebrooklyn.com/

Blossom, New York, NY

https://resy.com/cities/ny/venues/blossom-on-columbus/events/thanksgiving-2023-2023-11-23?date=2023-10-01&seats=2

Red Bamboo, New York, NY

https://www.redbamboo-nyc.com/

Sestina, New York, NY

https://www.matthewkenneycuisine.com/sestina

NORTH CAROLINA

Triangle Vegetarian Society Thanksgiving Dinner in Durham, NC

https://www.trianglevegsociety.org/thanksgiving/

OHIO

Sunrise Sanctuary Thanksgiving for the Turkeys, Marysville, OH

https://www.sunrisesanctuary.org/visit

OREGON

Compassionate Thanksgiving – Northwest VEG

https://nwveg.org/upcoming-events/2022/11/20/lpqfhc9r6ev4i8hmolabup9wer1cih-2jx84

PENNSYLVANIA

Animal Advocates of Central PA, Emigsville, PA

https://www.animaladvocatesscpa.com/vegansgiving/

Vegan Thanksgiving Potluck, Lancaster, PA

https://www.meetup.com/lancaster-vegan-meetup/events/290543538/?oc=evam

Eden Café, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, PA

https://www.facebook.com/edenavegancafe

TENNESSE

The Gentle Barn Pre-Thanksgiving Meal, Christiana, TN

https://www.gentlebarn.org/thanksgiving

VIRGINIA

A Soulful Vegan Thanksgiving with Chef Vel, Norfolk, VA

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-soulfull-vegan-thanksgiving-tickets-725348505907

WASHINGTON

Plum Bistro, Seattle, WA

https://plumbistro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/plum-thanksgiving-in-house-menu.pdf

Pasado’s Safe Haven, Sultan, WA

https://www.pasadosafehaven.org/events/thanksgiving-for-the-turkeys-2023/

WASHINGTON, DC

NuVegan, Washington, DC

http://www.ilovenuvegan.com/

Sticky Fingers, Washington, DC

https://stickyfingersdiner.com/collections/thanksgiving

Veg Society of DC, various restaurant dinners in greater Washington, DC area

www.vsdc.org

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

When you think of school lunch, do entrées like Thai Chili Tofu, Chana Masala, Vegan Tostadas and Tamales, and a Tofu Katsu Bowl come to mind? These are just some of the vegan entrées that were served in California’s 25 largest school districts in October 2022.

The non-profit Friends of the Earth developed a progress report on school lunch entrée offerings that were served in the largest districts in California and compared these to what was served in 2019 (1). The report uses the term “plant-based entrée” which they define as “the main course of the meal utilizing beans, peas, lentils and/or soy products as the main protein component. A plant-based meal contains no animal products or byproducts (e.g., no milk, yogurt, cheese, or meat products).” In other words, in this report, “plant-based” means “vegan.”

Here are some of the report’s findings:

• In October 2022, 68% of California’s largest school districts served plant-based entrée offerings daily or weekly, compared to 44% in 2019. Fourteen out of 25 middle and high schools offered a plant-based entrée every day compared to 9 out of 25 in 2019. The number of elementary schools offering plant-based entrées weekly has more than tripled. Despite these positive trends, plant-based entrées are only 8% of all entrées offered.
• Eighty different vegan entrées were offered in October 2022 compared to 61 in October 2019. This suggests that progress is being made in terms of the variety of offerings.
• School menus frequently offer more than one entrée per day. Nearly one in five entrées offered in 2020 included processed meat, an increase since 2019; 57% of all entrées contained cheese.

The report was not able to include information on how often vegan entrées are selected by students; it looked at how often these entrées were offered.

The report spotlights the second-largest high school district in California, Sweetwater Union, which offers vegan options daily in all school cafeterias. Offerings include falafel wraps, hummus-based entrées, and vegan burritos. Hot vegan entrées are offered three out of five school days each week.

Friends of the Earth offers a hypothetical scenario – if all school districts in California replaced a beef burger with a black bean burger one day a month, it would save 220 million pounds of CO2, which would be equivalent to eliminating 22,000 cars from the road for one year (2).

The report includes many recommendations for policy changes to promote healthy, climate-friendly school meals. This makes it a valuable tool for those working to improve school meals.

References

1. Stewart N, Hamerschlag K, et al. Plant-based trends in California’s school lunches. https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Plant-Based-Trends-in-California-School-Lunches_Final.pdf. 2023.
2. Kraus-Polk J, Hamerschlag K, et al. The state of school lunch in California: Opportunities for improving the health and environmental profile of school food. https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SchoolFoodReport_No-Execsummary.pdf. 2021.

To read more about school meals see the section on VRG’s website about School Food Service.

By Priscila Camargo Reis, VRG intern from Brazil

Contributor: Odette Olivares, VRG volunteer from Mexico

I am a Brazilian and became a vegetarian 24 years ago (in 1999). At that time, I was the only vegetarian I knew and it took 5 years to meet other vegetarian and vegan people. In my first undergraduate degree (2004-2009), in Biology, we never discussed the link between food and the environment. Another classmate and I were the only ones who talked about this and we used to be criticized and mocked by teachers and colleagues. Some of them, many years later, became vegetarian and recognized we were right.

In my MSc in Environmental Education (2009-2012) food was not included in sustainability issues either. Claudio Tarouco (PhD) and I were the first ones to talk about this, inside that research program.

It is interesting to point out that since the 1960’s decade, Josué de Castro – a brilliant Brazilian researcher who was a physician, a nutritionist, a social scientist, a politician and worldwide recognized – had talked intensively about the urgency of changing our food system, due to sustainability, health, and fighting against hunger. But he was silenced by the Military Dictatorship and only recently I heard about him in college.

Nowadays, vegetarianism (veganism included) has spread out and increased very fast. There are options in many places.

Currently, about 10 years after obtaining my Masters, I am in my second Undergraduate degree, studying Dietetics and Human Nutrition. Now, we have classes exclusively about the topic of sustainable food systems and there are vegetarian diets subjects. Although again, only one other classmate and I are vegetarians/vegans, but there are other vegans and vegetarians in other classes. There are vegetarian teachers as well. But, at least in my class, students and some teachers still seem to be prejudiced about vegans. But in all the 3 Universities I’ve studied (including the current one), despite having no vegan options in the school refectory, there was a non-vegan vegetarian meal option.

In my course, we are taught as dietitian professionals to respect the food choices of every patient. And vegetarianism is not seen as a wrong diet. Even so, there are still students and teachers who turn up their nose at veganism (and treat it as a faddish diet). Also there are other universities engaged in vegetarian diets and sustainable food system research, besides mine.

In Brazil, there is a campaign called “Meatless Monday,” when people are encouraged to not consume meat during the day. It is promoted by the Brazilian Vegetarian Society, and a few public schools, in São Paulo, have joined the program since 2017. And there is a lot of non-academic training on agroforestry systems and organic farming.

Odette Olivares, a Mexican dietitian, who is also a Vegetarian Resource Group volunteer and holds a Masters degree in MSC in Nutrition and Health from the Netherlands, had similar experiences as me. She states that 15 years ago, during her Undergraduate studies, the main idea was that a vegetarian diet was not appropriate, and especially a vegan diet was considered very dangerous to health. There were many myths about such diets as being unhealthy and not sustainable. Vegan diets for children were considered a very irresponsible thing to do as a nutritionist. They considered heme-iron as the best type of iron, ignoring that now a high consumption of heme-iron is also related to cardiometabolic diseases. Meat was considered a very nutritious food and almost essential to have a healthy diet.

Despite an already scientifically proven connection between nutrition and ecological sustainability, it was not discussed in her classes, which had 2 vegetarians maximum.

Nowadays, she asserts, the academic focus has changed and they are concentrated more in sustainability.

Odette concluded her MSc in the Netherlands 3 years ago where there were teachers promoting plant-based diets. Most students knew the benefits of vegetarianism and veganism. The teachers of Environmental Sciences were very aware of the connection between plant-based diets and planetary health. Her friends in Environmental Sciences told her it was very rare to find students who frequently consume meat, and they were judged a bit by others.

In her university, the school cafeteria offered plant-based, flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan options on daily menus. Nutrition and sustainability, vegetarianism, and vegan diets are highly stressed in most of the school programs.

Now, all the 3 universities she has studied or worked in (both in Mexico and Netherlands) are taking actions to stress the link and the importance of nutrition, sustainability, and planetary health. Currently, she works as a teacher in a Mexican University where there are inside efforts and partnership between outside institutions to advance the topics related to “Optimum Nutrition and Sustainability”. In her classes, she teaches how having a vegetarian or a vegan diet is totally possible, healthy, and urgent.

However, Odette has been facing resistance from students about the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets. She observes that these barriers are derived from the association between eating disorders and restrictive diets. As some nutrition students have experienced those diseases, they associate vegetarian and vegan diets with their personal issues.

We both agree that the discussions and perceptions regarding veganism, vegetarianism, plant based diets and their links between Earth health and better human health tremendously increased in the last two decades and people, professionals, teachers, and students are more concerned about that.

Nonetheless, in our personal experiences, it seems climate change is perceived as a real threat in Europe, in contrast to what we see in our countries of Mexico and Brazil. I lived in the Uk for a couple months and even though I saw climate deniers there, I also saw people in small towns reuniting in climate hubs and organized groups in London protesting many times for climate policies and supporting vegetarianism as one of the steps of sustainability. But as far as I know (and I may be wrong) I don’t see this happening in Brazil. However, there are vegetarian activists and researchers in Brazil claiming the same (but not on the streets) and the Brazilian Fridays for Future groups can be acting in different ways that I am not noticing. Though vegetarianism is becoming more common in Brazil, it is still unusual for most Brazilian environmentalists to go vegetarian.

Odette didn’t meet climate deniers in the Netherlands, and she believes that one of the reasons is that they are aware of the importance of the sea level and the survival of their country. Cancún, Mexico, on the other hand, has a culture that emphasizes party activities oriented to tourist enjoyment, so is not oriented to thinking about environmental issues. In other regions in Mexico, however, Odette has observed much more interest in Climate Change topics, especially in cities with large student populations such as Xalapa, Veracruz.

In Brazil, the social inequality, the fact that big ruralists and religious people have much power in the Political and Economic System, and the influence mainly of Asian and North American meat markets (and grains-, soy-, and other agricultural products), but also the exports to Europe (the Netherlands included) contribute to delay in real action towards sustainability life. However, the current government (president Lula) is more committed to sustainable agriculture, despite that their program includes livestock.

The “Dietary Guide for the Brazilian population” (2014), from the Ministry of Health, proposes that natural or minimally processed foods, predominantly of vegetable origin, should be the basis of the diet, and states they are the basis for a nutritionally balanced, culturally appropriate diet, which promotes a socially and environmentally sustainable food system. However, that official document mistakenly still claims animal based food provides most of the vitamins and minerals, and plant sources, individually, are not totally adequate and don’t provide all the nutrients we need.

Odette believes a meat based diet will change in the future thanks to the New Well Eating Plate¹, which now recommends consuming only 8% of our total energy derived from animal products, while the remaining 92% should be derived from plant sources.

This and all the changes we have noticed are very good news for animals, Earth, and humanity. And we need to keep talking about it and sharing more research focused on that topic, to decrease global meat consumption.

¹  In Spanish “El plato del bien comer” is a dietary guide from the Mexican Government rules for health promotion and education in food matters, which establishes criteria for nutritional guidance in Mexico.

Kamik Treklite M Hiking Boots-REI Co-op

Enjoy the outdoors: you may want to go hiking in the USA, Canada, and/or Europe. Below is a list of online stores offering vegan hiking boots and shoes.

Avesu Vegan Shoes out of Germany sells Lowa hiking boots and shoes. See: https://www.avesuveganshoes.com/brands/lowa-com.html

Eco Vegan Shoes out of the Netherlands offers vegan hiking shoes and boots. See: https://www.eco-vegan-shoes.com/vegan-hiking-boots-walking-shoes

Ethical Wares out of Wales in the United Kingdom offers a wide variety of hiking boots See: https://www.ethicalwares.com/footwear/walking-boots-and-shoes/

Merrell in the USA offers some vegan hiking shoes. Search under “vegan hiking shoe.” See: https://www.merrell.com

REI offers several vegan hiking shoes and boots. Search under “vegan hiking shoe or boot.” https://www.rei.com/

Thesus headquartered in Toronto, Canada and will ship hiking shoes for women to Americans. Search under the word vegan boot. See: https://thesusoutdoors.com/

Treksta USA offers hiking shoes and boots for men and women. See: https://trekstausa.com/product-category/vegan

Will’s Vegan Store in London, England offers hiking boots for men and women. See: https://wills-vegan-store.com/

Vegan Women’s WVSport Insulated Waterproof Alpine Trail Hiking Boots Will’s Vegan Store

Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, or an anytime snack! This simple recipe by Leslie Gray Street will come together in a snap and please any crowd. Toss together chopped vegetables like mushrooms, Brussels sprouts and red onion, with shredded hash brown, and flavor with smooth cashew cream and salsa. Everything goes on one sheet pan and after 25 minutes in the oven, your meal is ready to garnish and enjoy! Easy enough for a late night snack. Tasty enough to serve to brunch guests.

Go to this VRG video at https://youtu.be/MgFyjYKAUd0

More videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvSyCToa_i9fA4D5CLCAFWw
https://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php

Salads are popular during summer months; however, you can prepare a delicious warm winter salad as well. A previous Journal article by Debra Daniels-Zeller serves up recipes for Spicy Black Bean, Corn, and Couscous Salad; Buckwheat and Rice Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette; Hot Italian Bean and Pasta Salad with Broccoli; Curried Lentil Salad; Sesame Noodles with Wilted Greens; Whole Grain and Cabbage Salad with Lemon-Peanut Dressing; and Smoky Potato-Squash Salad.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000nov/2000_nov_winter_salads.php

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

Very Fine Shoes Black Leather Vegan Dance Shoes

Black and pink vegan ballet shoes for children and women from Cynthia King Dance Studio can be purchased on this website: https://cynthiakingdance.com/veganballetslippers

Move Dance offers pink ballet shoes for children and women: https://us.movedancewear.com/search.php?search_query=vegan

Find vegan dance shoes for women and men on the following website by searching under the word vegan, as well as make your own custom shoes: https://www.veryfineshoes.com/

Dance Vegan offers a wide variety of dance shoes for men and women: https://www.dancevegan.com/

Ethical Wares out of Wales, United Kingdom, offers vegan dance shoes for men and women. See: https://www.ethicalwares.com/footwear/dance-shoes/

Enjoy vegan sweet potato recipes created by Debra Daniels-Zeller in her previous Journal article titled “Sweet and Savory Sweet Potatoes.” Feast on Butterscotch-Sweet Potato Bread; Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Peas; Savory Baked Sweet Potato Fries; Creamy Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Soup; Warm Lentil, Garlic, and Sweet Potato Salad; and Sweet Potato-Apricot Pudding. Debra also lists 10 ideas of leftover sweet potatoes.

Read the article here: Sweet and Savory Sweet Potatoes

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