Cheesy Mac Pie photo by Hannah Kaminsky

The latest issue of Vegan Journal features “Pies to Savor,” by Senior Editor Hannah Kaminsky. Recipes include: Wholesome Whole Wheat Crust; Taco Pie; Cheesy Mac Pie; Primavera Pot Pie; Spaaghetti Squash and Meatball Pie; and Holiday Quiche. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_pies_to_savor.php

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by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Vegans get vitamin B12, an essential vitamin, from foods fortified with vitamin B12 and/or from supplements containing vitamin B12. You can read more about vitamin B12 on VRG’s website. Many non-vegans also rely on fortified foods as a source of vitamin B12 since the vitamin B12 in fortified foods is easier for some people to absorb than vitamin B12 in meat.

One food group that is commonly included on lists of foods fortified with vitamin B12 is plant milks. While many plant milks do have vitamin B12 added, not all popular brands do. In 2018 we reported on plant milks that did not provide vitamin B12. Six years later we asked again, “Which plant milks do not provide vitamin B12?” Here’s what we found.

Based on website information and product labels collected in Fall 2024, the following original and unsweetened milks are not fortified with vitamin B12:

• Almond Breeze Unsweetened, Original, and Extra Creamy almond milk; Original Almondmilk and Oatmilk Blend; Unsweetened Original Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend; Shelf Stable Original Almondmilk Coconutmilk Blend
• Bettergoods Unsweetened Original and Original almond milk
• Califia Farms Unsweetened and Go Coconuts coconut milk; Original, Extra Creamy, Zero Sugar, and Original Protein oatmilk; Unsweetened (aseptic and refrigerated), Extra Creamy, and Organic Unsweetened almond milk; Toasted Coconut Almondmilk
• Chobani Original, Extra Creamy, and Zero Sugar Unsweetened oatmilk
• Dream Original Classic ricemilk
• Edensoy Original and Unsweetened soymilk
• Elmhurst 1925 Milked Oats and Unsweetened Milked Oats oatmilk; Unsweetened Milked Almonds almond milk; Unsweetened Milked Walnuts walnut milk; Unsweetened Milked Hazelnuts hazelnut milk; Milked Coconut and Cashews blend; Unsweetened and Sweetened Milked Cashews cashew milk
• Forager Project oatmilk; cashew milk
• Good & Gather Unsweetened coconut milk
• Hazelicious Unsweetened and Lightly Sweetened hazelnut milk
• Malk Original (aseptic and refrigerated) oat milk; Unsweetened almond milk; cashew milk
• Mariani Original and Unsweetened walnut milk
• Moola Original and Simple oatmilk; Simple and Unsweetened almond milk
• Nature’s Promise Original soymilk; Original and Original Unsweetened almond milk
• New Barn Organics Unsweetened almond milk
• O Organics Original Unsweetened almond milk
• Oatly Chilled Super Basic oatmilk
• Open Nature Original and Original Unsweetened almond milk
• Pacific Foods Unsweetened soymilk; Original and Unsweetened coconut milk; Original and Unsweetened almond milk; Original and Unsweetened hemp milk; Original cashew milk
• Pearl Original and Unsweetened soymilk
• Real Coco Unsweetened coconut milk
• Silk Original, Unsweet, Organic Original, Organic Unsweet, and Unsweet Extra Creamy almond milk; Unsweet Almond Coconut Blend; Unsweet cashew milk
• Simple Truth Original and Unsweetened soymilk; Shelf-stable Unsweetened Plain almond milk
• Simply Nature Original soymilk
• Tache Unsweetened Original pistachio milk
• Three Trees Original almond milk; pistachio milk; Oatmilk with Seeds
• Thrive Market almond milk
• Trader Joe’s Unsweetened soymilk, shelf-stable oatmilk; Unsweetened Almond, Cashew & Macadamia Nut blend
• Vita Coco Original coconut milk
• Vitasoy Original and Less Sugar soymilk drink
• Wegmans Original, Original Unsweetened, and Organic Original Unsweetened almond milk
• West Life Unsweetened Plain and Plain soymilk
• Willa’s Organic Unsweetened Original oatmilk
• Yeo’s soymilk drink

If your favorite unsweetened or original flavor milk is on the list, don’t despair! You could try another similar product that does provide vitamin B12, find other foods fortified with vitamin B12, or take a supplement supplying vitamin B12.

This is not an exhaustive list so be sure to check the label of your favorite product to determine whether it supplies vitamin B12.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of VRG interns Aashay Mody, Ren Patel, and Neha Vivek and VRG volunteer Mae Y. Soon who collected information for this article.

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.

Be sure to follow The Vegetarian Resource Group on Instagram: @vegetarianresourcegroup

photo from Freepik

Phosphorous is an essential part of the diet, both because of its important role in the structure of bones and teeth and because of its involvement in turning foods we eat into energy. Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, discusses phosphorous in the latest issue of Vegan Journal and lists 12 good sources for vegans. Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_thinking_phosphorous.php

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Tofurky Mango Chipotle Sausage

Pioneering meatless makers at Tofurky have continued to innovate with the addition of two new delicious sausage varieties: Mango Chipotle and Chorizo. Read our Vegan Journal review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_veggie_bits.php

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photo from Freepik

by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Inflammation is a popular topic these days. While acute inflammation is a natural response to illness, infection, or injury, chronic systemic inflammation is linked to health risks. Chronic, systemic inflammation is inflammation that persists for weeks, months, or years and that affects the whole body. In contrast, acute inflammation goes away quickly and affects the part of the body that is injured or infected.

Chronic inflammation is a factor in a number of diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers have developed lists of foods that are associated with higher concentrations of substances in the blood that indicate inflammation. They also have identified foods that are associated with lower blood concentrations of markers for inflammation (1). Dietary patterns that contain more foods associated with higher blood concentrations of indicators of inflammation have been associated with many diseases including heart disease (2), some cancers (3, 4), liver disease (4), type 2 diabetes (5), and severe Covid-19 (6).

Many websites associated with medical and academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins Medicine and Harvard Medical School provide details of anti-inflammatory diets. Typically, these sites recommend eating more whole, unprocessed foods without added sugar such as vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and limited amounts of olive oil.

Foods to avoid or limit on an anti-inflammatory diet include white breads and pasta, refined cereals, soda, juice, sweets, cheese, ice cream, commercial baked goods, deep fried foods, red meat, and processed and cured meats.

Clearly a vegan diet emphasizing whole foods and with few or no highly processed foods can be an anti-inflammatory diet. Studies have found that a vegan diet results in lower blood concentrations of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation (7, 8).

References

1. Tabung FK, Smith-Warner SA, Chavarro JE, et al. Development and validation of an empirical dietary inflammatory index. J Nutr. 2016;146:1560-1570.
2. Li J, Lee DH, Hu J, et al. Dietary inflammatory potential and risk of cardiovascular disease among men and women in the U.S. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020;76:2181-2193.
3. Romanos-Nanclares A, Tabung FK, Sinnott JA, et al. Inflammatory and insulinemic dietary patterns and risk of endometrial cancer among US women. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023;115:311-321.
4. Zhang X, Zhao L, Christopher CN, et al. Association of dietary insulinemic and inflammatory potential with risk of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality in postmenopausal women: a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2023;118:530-537.
5. Jin Q, Shi N, Aroke D, et al. Insulinemic and inflammatory dietary patterns show enhanced predictive potential for type 2 diabetes risk in postmenopausal women. Diabetes Care. 2021;44:707-714.
6. Yue Y, Ma W, Accorsi EK, et al. Long-term diet and risk of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022;116:1672-1681.

Roasted Eggplant Red Pepper Spread photo by Rissa Miller

Chef Kathleen Byrd, wrote an article titled “Heavy Lifting: Sweet and Savory Dips, Gravy, and Sauces for Winter” in a previous issue of Vegan Journal. Enjoy recipes for Lentil Walnut Paté, Cranberry Onion Jam, Roasted Garlic Dip, Roasted Carrot Sriracha Hummus, Buffalo Chickpea Dip, Roasted Eggplant Red Pepper Spread, Golden Sage Gravy, Mexican Chocolate Sauce, and Coconut Caramel Sauce.

Read the entire article here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2020issue4/2020_issue4_sweet_savory.php

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Runny yolks, long held as the holy grail for egg lovers, have been out of easy reach for vegan alternatives. Yo Egg is breaking ground on that front. Learn about this product in our Vegan Journal review here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_veggie_bits.php

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Food is Love, written by Palak Patel, serves up vegan Indian dishes that you’ll absolutely enjoy. Read our review in Vegan Journal: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2024issue4/2024_issue4_book_reviews.php

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soup image by KamranAydi

Tomorrow is the first day of winter. You can warm up with these vegan soups created by Chef Nancy Berkoff: Vegetable Stock; Mushroom Broth; Black and White Bean Soup; Spinach and Pasta Soup; Holiday Chowder; and Latke Soup. Find the recipes here: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2015issue4/2015_issue4_holiday_soups.php

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