By Ivy Grob

I began to call the University of Florida campus home in August of 2014. A recent high school graduate and only a vegetarian at the time, I was nervous and excited to move four hours away to Gainesville, Florida and to be on my own for the very first time. As I made the commute to my new town, I was faced with many uncertainties about living on campus in a dorm. Would I get along with my new roommate even though we’ve never met? Would I be successful in a large college atmosphere? Surprisingly, my diet was the last thing on my mind. I was so excited to be independent and to finally be able to go grocery shopping by myself that I decided not to buy a meal plan, plus after having to pay for my dorm out of my own pocket I decided I could not afford the upfront cost. But I had access to my own car and a communal kitchen, so I knew I would survive.

And I did survive, but I was definitely unprepared. I soon realized that I did not appreciate having meals cooked for me every night by my mother until they were gone. Nearly every day, I resorted to eating prepackaged microwave Indian and Chinese food, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, canned soup, and I attended as many events as I could that offered free cheese pizza. I lost weight because I was eating less portions and more sporadically than at home, but I felt unhealthy and knew I needed a change. After discussions in my sustainability class and further research on my own about environmental issues and animal rights, I decided to take the next step into veganism. I knew it would not be easy at first, so I weaned myself off dairy gradually by finishing the products I still had around and then just not buying them anymore. I learned to cook better meals for myself, to make my own versions of the prepackaged junk food I once loved, and to understand the importance of reading labels at the grocery store. Veganism became an integral part of my being, and even though it made me stand out slightly from the rest of my peer group, I knew I would never go back.

Looking back on my first year of college, part of me wishes I would have gotten at least a partial meal plan as incentive to get out of my dorm and make new friends, but another part of me wonders if this would have made my transition into veganism difficult. The meal plan definitely seems like a get-out-of-jail card for cooking during stressful times of the semester like finals week. So what would the meal plan truly be like? If you are a vegan or vegetarian high school senior that is considering the meal plan for your freshman year, you deserve to know.

The University of Florida was voted to be the #1 most vegan friendly large college campus in the country by Peta2.com in 2014. This was calculated by popular vote, not by the people who actually work for Peta. If you know anything about UF, you know how competitive we are against other schools for titles. You should not to discredit this completely because there is a separate vegan section in the dining halls called the “Vegan Station,” so at least you won’t have to worry about proper labeling. Since I didn’t have access to the meal plan to investigate the Vegan Station myself, I asked a few friends that had the meal plan last year about the options.

Jess Kessler, a rising sophomore who is a Wildlife Ecology and Conservation major says, “The vegan food is usually pretty good there. The downside is there are usually very few options and the same ingredients are used for everything. My favorite vegan option was a spinach tofu wrap.” She also states the dining halls did not feature any vegan desserts.

Stephen Paolini, a Sustainability Studies major, says about the options, “Undercooked tofu topped by the entire spice drawer and thrown into cold vegetables and served with ungodly slow and inattentive service that often turned into 30 minute waits [at the] hybrid “vegan/vegetarian station”

If you want to use the dining hall as a back-up, there are a number of other restaurant options across campus where you can either substitute your meal plan or use the flex bucks that come with the purchase of a meal plan. Here is a comprehensive list with the vegan and vegetarian options at each location, but notice that many of restaurants use the same oil in all the cooking they do. The main options I see that go beyond French fries and plain rice are Moe’s Southwest Grill, Subway, and Crouton’s Hand-Crafted Salads. For desserts or drinks to take to class there is Jamba Juice and Starbucks; both can be easily manipulated to vegan. I actually found The P.O.D. Markets to be very convenient and useful because they are located all over campus. They have typical over-priced snack foods but also hummus and pretzel cups, Clif bars, and other basic meal necessities if you can’t make it to a grocery store.

See: http://www.bsd.ufl.edu/dining/files/GDS_20150216_Vegan_Guide.pdf

With any dietary choices, health should always be a forerunner on how you come to a decision. Some people can eat out for every single meal and not gain a single pound. But the freshman fifteen does exist, so eating the highly processed foods at these places everyday might start to show.

Ultimately, UF is filled with vegan friendly options, but I can easily see them becoming repetitive and boring. From a financial perspective, I’ve found reassurance in my decision to not spend the money on a meal plan. I might have lost some social opportunities, but I gained important cooking skills and learned how to properly grocery shop. If you happen to be part of a program or scholarship where the meal plan is included or the cost is not a problem for you or your family, you won’t have to give up veganism your freshman year. But if you are transitioning from vegetarianism like I was, I would consider all the options you have before making the commitment. Freshman year is filled with so many ups and downs, your vegan diet should not have to be one of the low points.

By Myrial Holbrook

If you’ve ever been vegan or vegetarian, you’ve probably endured the following interrogation:

“Don’t you miss meat?”

“But what do you eat?”

“Do you get enough protein?”

“Aren’t you worried about an iron deficiency?”

I’ve been a vegetarian since the age of six, so I’ve come to realize that these concerns, though certainly repeated ad nauseam, really are crucial in the crafting of not only an ideal vegan or vegetarian diet, but also any balanced diet. We can all easily fall into unhealthy snacking habits, justifying unhealthy choices through exercise. No one can attain dietary perfection, but making health-conscious snack choices can be a great start for anyone. And guess what? It’s not hard to do.

From ballet to field hockey to basketball to yoga to track, I’ve endured the physical exertion and enjoyed the rewards of physical activity. Drawing from my experience, I will be sharing my favorite vegan snacks. These are the foods that help provide me with the burst of energy before workouts and the recovery essentials after exercise.

Now for the tasty part: the snacks themselves. Before workouts, I usually eat a small, whole-wheat bagel with natural peanut butter and apple slices, which definitely fills me up and leaves me ready to play. Other options include granola bars packed with protein and dried fruit. I try to stay away from most store-bought bars with processed sugars disguised as “organic cane syrup” or “brown rice syrup” or “agave nectar.” For this reason, I usually make my own granola bars by baking a mix of oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts or nut butters, and dried fruit. For some added flavor, I keep it simple with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. This kind of granola bar is perfect for a pre-game or pre-workout snack. Here are some other pre-exercise snacks that I love:

·Banana or apple slices and peanut butter

·Oatmeal with blueberries and walnuts

·Dried, unsweetened fruit and unsalted nuts

·Slice of whole wheat toast with almond butter or sliced avocado and lemon juice

·Baked sweet potato with vegan spread and paprika

·Homemade granola and unsweetened almond, coconut, or soymilk

·Whole wheat pita with roasted red pepper hummus

·Quinoa hot cereal with apples and cinnamon

In addition to snacking before exercising, hydration is also crucial. I often sip unsweetened green tea before early-morning workouts. Before varsity field hockey or basketball games, I usually drink coconut water. If I’m ever struggling with muscle cramps, headaches, and soreness, however, drinking pure water almost always proves the best hydration option to relieve these ailments, for me, at least.

After a tiring game or a long run, I replenish with lots of water, followed by a restorative smoothie or snack. In my smoothies, I tend to blend whatever I have handy at home, which is usually bananas, berries, nut butter, and soymilk. My post-workout snack usually includes chopped veggies and a homemade dip. Here’s a list of my favorite post-workout snacks:

·Protein smoothie with soymilk, banana, peanut butter, and berries

·Green smoothie with kale, lemon, coconut water, apple, and ginger

·Quinoa crackers with guacamole and salsa

·Soy yogurt with chia seeds and berries

·Cooked lentils or chickpeas

·Whole grain tortilla with beans, brown rice, squash, and zucchini

·Hummus and red bell pepper, cucumber, carrots, or cauliflower

·Steamed edamame with a little salt

·Banana “nicecream” (to make, freeze ripe bananas in round slices for several hours, blend the slices in a food processor until smooth, then add your favorite nut butter, nut, fruit, or dark chocolate)

Myria Holbrook is a Vegetarian Resource Group intern and plays numerous sports in high school.

By Lilly Donofrio

I started my vegetarian journey 2 years ago as a freshman in high school. Coming from a carnivorous family and living in a town famous for its redneck inhabitants and hunting opportunities, it was a shock to everyone. I went cold turkey immediately, eliminating all sources of meat from my diet overnight, and kept it a secret for an entire week. On my first week anniversary, my mom announced that she wanted to go out to dinner, and the venue was my pick. I told her that I wanted to try out this new restaurant downtown that specialized in vegan food. She was hesitant but being the open minded woman that she is, she easily consented. She chose the vegan pad Thai and I watched her fall in love while wolfing down my warm kale salad. Over a gorgeous cashew ice cream with a raspberry drizzle, I announced that I had decided to become a vegetarian. She worried about how to cook for me and how to give me the proper nutrition, but supported me, and still does to this day as a vegan.

Balance is hard to find. I struggle with it regularly. Being a dual enrolling Junior in high school with two jobs and a full time social schedule, balance is important. I have found that the key to staying on top of your nutrition is planning ahead and taking the time to set up meals and snack for the week. Putz around the grocery store looking for your favorite veggie meats, hummus, nuts, and beans. Every Sunday, I set aside an hour or two to prep my foods and jot down what I need from the grocery store. I try to stay away from processed foods, but I always keep a couple cans of lentils, garbanzo, black, and red beans for convenience.

THE FREEZER SECTION IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. There are tons of frozen vegan foods that rock. Buy and test out your favorites. Some essentials I keep in the house: box of mixed greens; frozen wheat grass shots; vegan protein powder; hemp and chia seeds; hummus; avocados; almond/cashew milk; clementines; celery stalks; peanut butter; cocoa powder; vegan cereals. Granola is a HUGE deal. I experiment with different spices and sweeteners every week. Granola is easy to grab and keeps me full. These foods are easy to whip up and keep me feeling good all day. When I’m feeling fancy, I look up vegan blogs and recipes and test my cooking skills.

Grab a friend and tell him/her about the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. Get people interested! In the beginning, I was alone in my diet, but now I have successfully converted my best friend, my boyfriend, and my mom. Their support has furthered my love for vegetarianism.

I often cook dinner for my family, which gives me an opportunity to switch up the ingredients to cater to my vegan diet. If another member of my family is in charge of dinner, I take my portion of their veggies and provide my own hearty additions.

Going out with friends has never been drama with me. I can always find a menu option that is easily tweakable. You have to be brave and ask the servers questions about ingredients, which was a major problem of mine in the beginning. There are tons of vegan/vegetarian restaurants out there now-a-days and non-vegetarian places adding veggie friendly dishes.

I love this crazy wonderful lifestyle and it’s requirements are super easy to adopt. Being mindful and planning ahead is the key to doing it correctly and it provides a delicious variety of healthy foods.

Lily is doing a long-distance internship with The Vegetarian Resource Group.

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

The Vegetarian Resource Group has an online guide to veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada on their website. To view the full guide, see: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Below are some recent vegan restaurant additions.

Apura Juicery & Coffeehouse
22191 Powerline Rd.
Boca Raton, FL 33433
Apura’s name comes from the Greek philosophy of eating unprocessed foods for a sharp mind and healthy body. This plant-based café successfully does this through their use of organic fruits and vegetables while pressing their juice and raw ingredients in their homemade cuisine. Their motto “made with intention” is evident in every product, hand crafted and fresh for each customer. They offer a wide variety of juices like Pear Mojito, cold brewed coffees with unique flavors like Banana Walnut, and plant-based food like their Spinach and Vegan Goat Cheese Salad. Dine in or choose from a variety of take out options!

The Blissful Juice
715 N Fern Creek Ave. Ste D
Orlando, FL 32803
This eclectic café and juice bar offers a raw twist on vegan favorites like falafel, veggie wraps, pasta, and soups. The juices and smoothies are made from organic and local fruits and vegetables. They seek to inspire others to be more conscious about where their food comes from and how it is grown. They implement these same ideals when making their raw vegan cuisine. The Blissful Juice also serves desserts like chocolate chip cookies and truffles.

DF Mavens
113 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10016
Located near the corner of 2nd Ave and St. Marks Place, DF Mavens features a wide variety of dairy free ice creams. Their specialty flavors are either soy, coconut, or almond based. Choices include Key Lime Creme, Shot of Java, or the more classic Madagascar Vanilla Bean. Many gluten free items available. Also on the menu are various juices, sweets, and baked goods. Enjoy any of the grab-and-go items, or sit back and relax with hot soup.

Green Elephant Juicery
150 East Beaver Creek Blvd.
Avon, CO 81620
and
616 West Lionshead Circle
Vail, Co 81657
This organic juice bar offers cold pressed juices, smoothies, and vegan organic food including Kale Avocado Salad, Quinoa Bowl, Collard Enchilada Wrap, soups, and oatmeal.

Khan’s Desserts
733 Porter Rd.
Nashville, TN 37206
Khan’s Desserts is a bakery that offers a breakfast and lunch menu, as well as a juice bar. Their products do not contain any animal products, artificial flavors and coloring or bleached flour. On the dessert menu, you will find several yummy treats like cakes, cookies, and brownies. One item on the menu that you should try is the cactus burrito. It is prepared with black beans, poblano peppers, cactus, avocado, mixed greens, salsa, cashew cheese, and seitan chorizo on a whole wheat wrap.

Porter House
1321 Dundas St. West
Toronto, ON M6J 1X8 Canada
Located in Little Portugal. Porter House features a wide variety of vegan beer, wine, and pub food. Be sure to try a plate of the Beer Battered Potato Dumplings (with beer gravy). Or go for some of the main dishes like the Quinoa Polenta or the BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich. Note that the kitchen closes at 11 pm, but drinks are available until 2 am. Outdoor seating available.

By Karen Leibowitz, VRG Intern

When choosing a university to attend, among the several factors to consider – residence life, level of class intensity, location, etc. – food is at the top of several people’s list. As a vegan, it was crucial for me to find a school where plenty of vegan options were available. Fortunately, James Madison University (JMU), located in central Virginia, is one school you can count on having vegan (and lots of vegetarian) options available.

JMU has won 3rd and 4th place in the Princeton Review for best campus food. Their East Campus Dining Hall has ranked 5th best college dining location in the country. Needless to say, the vegan food available is extremely tasty but also very healthy. The vegan options do not consist of many processed foods like mock meats and cheeses, but rather whole foods as much as possible. Stir-fry stations offer a variety of
ingredients to choose from: brown rice, onions, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, locally-made tofu. Burritos, veggie burgers, and hummus bagel sandwiches can be found almost anywhere on campus. Both buffet-style dining locations have elaborate salad bars, which include locally-grown lettuce, and a separate vegan/vegetarian station with menu items that vary everyday. Some of the vegan menu items include Moroccan vegetable stew, cauliflower curry soup, pot pie, sushi, and sloppy Joe’s. Vegan oatmeal cookies are a big hit, even among non-vegans, and one of the dining halls whips up a batch of vegan brownies every now and then. My favorite meal to order is the Falafel Fanatic salad which is a spinach and romaine salad with freshly made falafel, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, topped with a large dollop of red pepper hummus, with everything piled on top of a whole wheat pita.

The food staff are very accommodating to vegan diets as well. Earlier in the spring, one of the soups featured was Cuban Black Bean soup. I asked the chefs if the soup was vegan. They were very friendly and helpful in finding out who cooked it and where the recipe was archived. It turned out the recipe called for sour cream, but they offered to make a small batch without sour cream just for me!

While vegan options at JMU are not as fancy as some of the pacific Northwestern universities, for an East coast school, you will be pleasantly-surprised at the sizable amount of delicious options available. In addition to the many vegan items on campus, the city of Harrisonburg has many vegan-friendly restaurants and a very vegan-friendly food co-op in walking distance.

For information on dining options at other colleges, visit: http://www.vrg.org/blog/category/college/
For more information on college dining options, visit: www.vrg.org/journal/vj97jan/971coll.htm

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Cafe Rio opened in 1997 in six Utah locations. Currently, there are fifty-seven locations in ten states: Arizona, California, Montana, Wyoming. Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah in the West and in Maryland and Virginia on the East Coast. A list of locations may be found at http://www.caferio.com/locations.

The VRG spoke with Aubrie in the Support Center at Cafe Rio. She told us that neither the black beans, the pinto beans nor the rice contain any animal flavors or broths. None of their bread products were made with L-cysteine as a dough conditioner. The guacamole does not contain gelatin. A soybean-based shortening is used in the kitchen where vegetarian and vegan menu items are prepared separately from meat products.

Aubrie told us that Cafe Rio’s purchasing director is a vegetarian and so is aware of many of the ingredient concerns of vegetarians and vegans. She has developed lists (previously available online) of all menu items that are vegetarian or vegan and is currently updating them. In mid-March 2013, Aubrie said that “the [updated] vegan and vegetarian information should be available on our website shortly.”

The update was needed because of a recent ingredient change. Aubrie informed The VRG that

…there was a change made recently with the margarine that is used in our California, Maryland, and Virginia locations. Previously the margarine was dairy-free, but with the change made the new margarine does contain dairy…If you are looking for vegan or animal-free products in the California, Maryland, and Virginia markets here is a list of items that are safe:

• black beans
• pinto beans
• flour tortillas
• corn tortillas
• corn chips
• corn strips for salads
• tostada shells
• guacamole
• Pico de Gallo sauce
• Salsa Fresca
• romaine lettuce

To clarify the margarine change, we asked Aubrie if Cafe Rio restaurants in other states use margarine containing dairy. She replied by stating that “all of our other markets do not use dairy-free margarine and we do not anticipate that any changes will be made in the near future.”

On its website, Cafe Rio states that all of its food is “fresh and made daily. There aren’t any microwaves or freezers in any of our locations. Nothing is premade. We don’t have mechanized processed food.” Readers interested in learning more about Cafe Rio may visit its website: http://www.caferio.com/

The contents of this article, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian 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 employees or company statements. Information does change and mistakes are always possible. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Further research or confirmation may be warranted.

For the latest news on fast food and quick service chains, visit The VRG at http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

To purchase our Guide to Food Ingredients, please visit our website: http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=8

These vegan restaurants were recently added to our online restaurant guide. To find restaurants in your area, visit: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php.

Desert Roots Kitchen
414 S. Mill Ave., Ste. 111, Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 382-0228
Vegan. Desert Roots Kitchen offers an ever-changing vegan menu of global cuisine. Using as many local ingredients as possible, the restaurant caters to all allergens including gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free. They are a great place for a quiet lunch. Outdoor patio seating is available. Desert Roots is located in the Mill Avenue Shops Courtyard in downtown Tempe. Open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Limited service, take-out, catering, smoothies, soymilk, VISA/MC/AMEX/DISC, $.

Dulce Vegan Bakery & Café
1994 Hosea L. Williams Dr., NE, Atlanta, GA 30317
(404) 624-7417
Vegan/bakery/café. Dulce Vegan offers completely vegan desserts that are allergy-friendly and free of processed sugars. This bakery/café also serves vegan sandwiches, soups, salads, breakfast items, coffee and tea. Try the ‘chicken’ salad sandwich made with tempeh, almonds and cranberries followed by a slice of moist coconut cake. These cruelty-free treats will not disappoint! Dulce is located in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta. Open Tuesday through Saturday for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner. Open Sunday for breakfast and lunch. Closed Monday. Counter service, take-out, catering, espresso/cappuccino, VISA/MC/DISC, $.

Feel Good Guru
917 Queen St., W., Toronto, ON M6J 1G5
(647) 748-5800
Vegan/organic/raw foods/juice bar. Feel Good Guru is an all-vegan eatery offering organic and local raw foods. Try menu items like Raw Karma Pizza, the Earth Burger, Feel Good Falafel, or the Make Kale Not War Salad. They are primarily a take-out restaurant with just four seats, however, there is a huge park across the street where they encourage people to dine al fresco on the restaurant’s handmade picnic blankets. Feel Good is eco-conscious and even uses bikes for delivery (Queen West area). Open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Closed Monday. Counter service, take-out, delivery, catering, fresh juices, smoothies, soymilk, VISA/MC, $-$$.

Radical Eats
3903 Fulton St., Houston, TX 77009
(713) 697-8719
Vegan/Mexican. Radical Eats is a completely vegan restaurant serving Mexican cuisine with a side of punk rock! Try their famous vegan tamales or the all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet. They use local ingredients, support area farmers, and even have their own community garden. Visit their website to view their calendar of events and home delivery options, or let them cater your next event! Radical Eats is located in the Northside Village area of Houston. The restaurant is closed between lunch and dinner, so please call ahead for hours. Open Tuesday through Saturday for three meals. Open Sunday for brunch. Closed Monday. Limited service, take-out, delivery, catering, VISA/MC/DISC, $-$$.

Please help us keep our restaurant guide current and accurate. Restaurants continually change locations, new ones open, and others close. To let us know about any restaurants we should add, delete, or if our existing entry should be changed, please complete the form here:
http://www.vrg.org/travel/restupdate.php

If you would like to volunteer with maintaining and updating The Vegetarian Resource Group restaurant guide, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you!>

By Shelby Jackson, VRG Intern

When I was a freshman at Dartmouth, only one dining hall had somewhat consistent vegan options; the others had salad and occasional veggie chili. The one small dining hall that proved to be the most vegan-friendly had inconvenient hours, was closed on weekends, and was mainly a lunchtime destination. College students’ schedules are often ridiculously busy and socializing at meal times becomes just as important as the actual food. This is especially true when you are in the process of making friends at a new school. My first year, I was restricted to one dining location where nobody wanted to eat. On Fridays I had to stock up on premade meals only offered one weekday at the one vegan-friendly dining hall, and this meant I had to eat those meals alone in my room lest I felt awkward bringing them into other dining halls. Though I could eat a salad at dinner and be accompanied by friends, it was just not feasible to do everyday. At that time I was dedicated to running, and required plenty of whole grains to keep me feeling satisfied. I was very upset about the dining options and the fact that I, all too often, had to eat alone.

If you are experiencing difficulties obtaining proper vegan foods at your college, the first step is to arrange a meeting with someone in dining services by either walking into their office or sending an email to set up an appointment. According to Eitan Fischer, a vegan and rising senior at Yale, developing personal relationships with individual dining hall managers is crucial. Victor Galli, a recent Penn graduate, also stresses the importance of developing an ongoing relationship with dining services, one characterized by a “spirit of collaboration.” When meeting with your dining services administrator for the first time, be aware that kindness is advantageous, and that it will help you if this individual is on your side. Depending on how veg-friendly your college already is, you may need to define veganism, and suggest the implementation of a labeling system to make vegan options more accessible. Some college dining services have a particular symbol they label each vegan entrée with, others use color-coded serving utensils, and some include entirely vegan dining stations.

Eitan recommends offering to make constructive suggestions for improving the options, and to request meetings with high-up dining hall administrators. You may be up against administrators who are reluctant to change, and who believe vegetarian options will not be well received. If you find your dining hall administrators to be impervious, you will need to cast a wide net. Join forces with your school’s animal rights or vegetarian club; you may even find the environmental club is interested. Eitan suggests gathering petitions, getting the newspaper to cover the issue, and, depending on the way your institution works, getting the student government to pass a resolution in support.

The Penn Vegan Society sought a relationship with dining services through which each could be a resource to the other. According to Victor, this sort of engagement made dinging services more responsive and eager to help. Victor states, “You must discuss the business elements of implementing vegan options in order to get dining services to really listen.” When going into a meeting, it is important to reinforce common objective values: “You want to help the dining service make money by providing more and better plant-based options for students.”

Penn’s Vegan Society provided Penn dining services with market research and product recommendations. To support his hypothesis that omnivores who eat mostly plant-based foods, “consume the overwhelming majority of vegan products on campus,” Victor provided the article, ‘Flexitarians’ Driving Global Move Away from Meat Consumption: Study. By providing his dining services with research-backed evidence, Victor successfully illustrated the growing demand for vegan food. Victor also cited the VRG’s press release, How Many Adults Are Vegan in the U.S.?, to show Penn dining services that there are more self-described vegans than there are vegetarians, and to perhaps point their attention to the benefits of providing a variety of vegan options rather than just vegetarian. Another article presented by Victor, 5 Interesting Facts About Plant-Based Food Choices, based on the VRG’s Sugar, Vegan Deli Slices, Whole Grains, Meat Genes – What Will Vegans and Vegetarians Eat? VRG Asks in a New National Harris Poll, showcased rising trends among those eating vegan dishes, including the desire to eat more leafy greens as opposed to processed vegan meats, as well as the desire to have more dishes based on grains and beans. When Victor meets with Penn’s dining services, he provides a printed “Market Research Summary,” highlighting the main points of the research he is drawing from.

To access marketing information, see:
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/market.htm#market
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

Due to the work done by Penn’s Vegan Society, Penn is in the process of offering a vegan station in each of its dining halls.

In convincing Dartmouth dining services to provide better options, I found it effective to point out the implications the lack of options had on my Dartmouth experience, and how I felt as if my nutritional requirements were not being properly met. To my surprise, those working in Dartmouth’s dining services were exceedingly kind and dedicated to doing whatever possible to bring about greater student satisfaction. Luckily for me, Dartmouth had major dining renovations – including an entirely vegetarian station, “The Herbivore,” – already in the works. Like Victor, I provided product and recipe recommendations packaged in a 15-page vegan food guide. When “The Herbivore” was first launched, it was far from perfect, and would oftentimes fail to offer vegan entreés. With my continued involvement with the dining services administrators, the options have improved significantly: textured vegetable protein Sloppy Joes, vegan ribs, vegetable Pad Thai, and textured vegetable protein tacos, to name a few. Another recent improvement has been the permanent addition of faux chicken and beef at the sandwich bar. The vegan dining options, according to dining services workers, become so popular that they had to increase supply orders to satisfy growing demands.

DAWG, the Dartmouth Animal Welfare Group, hosted a conversation dinner with the assistant director of Dartmouth’s dining services. This was an extremely productive event: multiple perspectives were able to be voiced, the dining director met a good number of vegetarians interested in dining improvements, and we became better educated about the constraints faced by dining services to provide certain options. Though Dartmouth’s vegan options have improved tremendously throughout my three years as an undergraduate, I plan to continue my involvement with its progression during my senior year, as there are definite improvements that have still not been made. Advocating for better vegan options is a process, one that hinges on continuous, appropriately-placed efforts.

Vegan options in college are more important than you might think. As a freshman, I tried to make do with the meager offerings, but soon realized Dartmouth’s lack of vegan options was more detrimental than I initially understood. There were students I met who used to be vegan, or wanted to be, but felt as if they could not do it healthily at Dartmouth. Dartmouth’s lack of options conveyed veganism as unsatisfying and difficult to maintain. Furthermore, college gives way to freedom and exploration; many find it a convenient time to experiment with vegetarianism. Ensuring great tasting vegan options are available at college is more important than satisfying the requirements of current vegans; it is about offering appealing foods that will invite others to enjoy more sustainable, compassionate food choices, and hopefully, offering the kinds of foods that cast an accurate representation of veganism, so those interested will feel more inclined to adopt the diet. The process of getting your dining hall to implement proper vegan options may seem daunting, but with persistence, you will savor the results. The fruits of your efforts will do more than please your own taste buds. You will help guarantee that other vegans – as well as future vegans – enjoy their time at college; you will increase the amount of plant-based foods consumed in your dining hall; and you will be opening the door, extending a warm welcome to the many potential vegetarians accepted to your college, year after year.

By Charles Stahler

Food companies, marketers, researchers, students, and media for years have been asking The Vegetarian Resource Group about the number of vegetarians and vegans. But now that our audience is being taken much more seriously, we are being asked more in-depth questions.

Should items containing sugar whitened with bone char be labeled vegetarian? Will vegetarians eat veggie burgers cooked on a grill where meat was cooked? What about
growing meat in a test tube? To help answer some of these questions, we wanted to find out what vegetarians and vegans are thinking. We did an informal survey of our
Vegetarian Journal subscribers, booth attendees, and on-line visitors. But we also wanted to run a more scientific random poll, which can be extrapolated to the United States adult population.

First we commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a national telephone poll of a representative sample of 2,030 respondents. This gave us the number of vegetarians with a sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points. We then asked the vegetarians, vegans, and those interested in vegetarian meals:

If you’re looking to buy a vegetarian product, you would purchase:
(Select all that apply.)

1. Your favorite veggie burger cooked on the same grill where meat is cooked, if the grill is cleaned first.
2. A vegetarian vegan deli slice sandwich in Subway.
3. Your favorite dessert containing sugar, if the source of sugar isn’t specified.
4. A vegetarian dish containing leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, or collards.
5. A vegetarian dish containing whole foods such as lentils, chickpeas, or rice.
6. A meat alternative grown from animal cell DNA obtained ten years ago, which does not currently involve the raising of animals.
7. Your favorite dessert containing sugar whitened through a bone char filter, if bone char is not in the sugar.
8. None of the above

No answer

NUMBERS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD COMPANIES, RESTAURANTS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND FOOD SERVICES
(The questions were asked of those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week.)

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING LEAFY GREENS SUCH AS BROCCOLI, KALE, OR COLLARDS
74% Total
77% Vegans
72% All Vegetarians including vegans
70% Vegetarians not including vegans
75% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Of note is that about three fourths of all audiences are looking for healthy greens, as your favorite dietitian and mom suggested. For restaurants, foodservices, and companies, that are only thinking meat analogs, producing items with green vegetables should seriously be taken into consideration. On the other hand since one quarter of those eating vegetarian meals may not go out of their way to purchase green vegetables, it should not be assumed that a vegetarian or someone eating vegetarian meals (or a meat eater) is automatically eating a healthy diet as suggested by health authorities. When evaluating a vegetarian (or meat eating) client’s diet, a dietitian or other medical professional should specifically ask what is being consumed.

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN DISH CONTAINING WHOLE FOODS SUCH AS LENTILS, CHICKPEAS, OR RICE
67% Total
80% Vegans
65% All Vegetarians including vegans
61% Vegetarians not including vegans
68% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

This may be of concern long term that about 40% of vegetarians are not seeking whole foods. Dietitians, public health professionals, and educators may need to keep an eye on this. Vegans do appear to be looking for healthier meals.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE VEGGIE BURGER COOKED ON THE SAME GRILL WHERE MEAT IS COOKED, IF THE GRILL IS CLEANED FIRST
56% Total
53% Vegans
57% All Vegetarians including vegans
58% Vegetarians not including vegans
56% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

About half will purchase a veggie burger cooked on the same grill where meat is cooked, if the grill is cleaned first, and about half won’t. We don’t know what percentage of the non-purchasers will eat a veggie burger if the burger is cooked separately. Since people have different views, we believe this points towards labeling and disclosure so customers can make their own decisions. Even in small establishments, it may be possible to meet the needs of some vegetarians by working together. Various options include a microwave or separate pan on the grill. Education of food service staff may work to attract and keep new customers.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR, IF THE SOURCE OF THE SUGAR ISN’T SPECIFIED
47% Total
25% Vegans
37% All Vegetarians including vegans
40% Vegetarians not including vegans
49% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Some vegetarians or vegans won’t eat products with white sugar because of concern of the sugar being processed through bone char. See http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php

And some individuals don’t want to consume added sugar at all, or only certain types of sugar for health or political reasons. Just over half of the people eating one or more vegetarian meals once a week are not choosing to buy a dessert if the source of sugar isn’t specified. This is a very strong case for labeling. Manufacturers, restaurants, and foodservices should label the source of their sugar so that consumers can make their own choices. This information should also be easy to find on product and restaurant websites. It makes sense that vegans would be most concerned about the sugar, but it is fascinating there was also a high level of concern among all those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week. If a manufacturer or restaurant has a doubt about any ingredient being suitable, they certainly should label and disclose.

WOULD PURCHASE A VEGETARIAN VEGAN DELI SLICE SANDWICH IN SUBWAY
47% Total
54% Vegans
54% All Vegetarians including vegans
54% Vegetarians not including vegans
47% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans

Most chains and restaurants have added vegetarian burgers. About a half of those eating vegetarian meals and thus at least one quarter of the whole population would also buy vegan deli slices. It makes sense for restaurants and food services offering veggie burgers to take this next step and add and promote another convenient sandwich product.

WOULD PURCHASE YOUR FAVORITE DESSERT CONTAINING SUGAR WHITENED THROUGH A BONE CHAR FILTER, IF BONE CHAR IS NOT IN THE SUGAR
21% Total
3% Vegans
21% All Vegetarians including vegans
26% Vegetarians not including vegans
21% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including
vegetarians/vegans.

We were surprised that 80% of the people who eat vegetarian meals, but are not vegetarian, wouldn’t purchase the sugar processed through bone char. Since they already eat meat, why would they care? Possibly many of these people didn’t want a product with sugar, and bone char wasn’t the issue. Or maybe the words “bone char” just sounded bad to them, and they don’t care that it’s an animal product. But it was striking that twice as many people would eat sugar if they didn’t know the source as people who would eat the sugar processed through bone char if they knew this happened. There’s no question that to meet the needs of consumers, companies should be labeling the sources of their ingredients so customers can make their own decisions. This question appears to be the only place where there was a truly large difference between vegans and vegetarians. But this issue still seems like it matters to many vegetarians and those eating vegetarian meals, who are not vegan.

WOULD PURCHASE A MEAT ALTERNATIVE GROWN FROM ANIMAL CELL DNA OBTAINED TEN YEARS AGO, WHICH DOES NOT CURRENTLY INVOLVE THE RAISING OF ANIMALS
11% Total
2% Vegans
4% All Vegetarians including vegans
5% Vegetarians not including vegans
12% All those that eat one or more vegetarian meals per week, not including vegetarians/vegans.

Some advocacy groups, individuals, researchers, and businesses see meat grown in a factory as the answer to numerous environmental and animal welfare issues. As of
now, almost every vegetarian-interested consumer segment seems not to be ready for this product. It is to be expected that vegans wouldn’t want to eat the product, but it’s fascinating how many of the non-vegetarians are not ready for this development. These types of products should be labeled and disclosed so consumers will be able to make their own decisions in the marketplace.

METHODOLOGY

Harris Interactive conducted a survey within the United States by telephone on behalf of The Vegetarian Resource Group between March 15-18, 2012 and March 22-25, 2012, among a nationwide cross section of 2,030 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race, education, region, number of adults in household, and number of telephone lines were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the U.S. population.

For those that ate one or more vegetarian meals per week, we asked follow-up questions.

For the vegetarians, in theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 10 percentage points. For those that ate one or more vegetarian meals per week, the sampling error would be approximately three percentage points. From our first question, we determined that forty seven percent or 982 respondents ate one or more vegetarian meals per week and asked the follow-up questions of these individuals.

Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys, including refusals to be interviewed (i.e., non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors.

The data above are from the Harris Interactive telephone poll. The interpretation and analysis above are those of The Vegetarian Resource Group, and not directly a result of the poll. The thoughts are based on these numbers and other polls, as well as our other experience and research in the vegetarian movement. These results and our conclusions can drastically change, especially as there are more vegetarians and vegetarians are more knowledgeable.

For more information on Vegetarian Resource Group polls, see
http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/faq.htm#poll

According to an article on the website for NutraIngredients- USA, a British firm, ESB Developments, has isolated what is apparently the first plant-sourced vitamin D3 from lichen. The vitamin D3 is collected from wild-harvested lichen and processed into sprays, softgels, and other products, under the product label Vitashine. Matt Broughton, a director at ESB, would like to eventually grow the lichen in large vats and harvest the vitamin D3. Additionally, he hopes to develop a powder form of the vitamin D3 that could be added to more foods. ESB recently agreed to supply its vegan vitamin D3 to Global Health Trax (GHT) for use in supplements in the US and Canada.

Vitashine is registered with The Vegan Society. According to The Vegan Society’s website this means that the product has "been checked by Vegan Society staff to ensure that they meet our criteria."

Two different forms of vitamin D are used in supplements and fortified foods. Vitamin D2, also called ergocalciferol, is manufactured through the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance called ergosterol that comes from yeast. Vitamin D2 is vegan. Vitamin D3, also called cholecalciferol, is typically made by the ultraviolet irradiation of a substance derived from sheep’s wool.

There is a question as to whether or not vitamin D2 is as effective as vitamin D3 in preventing vitamin D deficiency although several recent studies indicate that both forms of vitamin D are equally effective. You can read more about one of these studies in Vegetarian Journal. For those vegetarians and vegans who would prefer to use vitamin D3, news of this vegan source of vitamin D3 will be welcome.

Vegan vitamin D3 can be ordered from GHT and from several vegan websites including Vegan Essentials and The Vegan Store.

Vitamin D is also produced following sunlight exposure. Sources of vitamin D2 for vegans include vitamin D2-fortified plant milks, mushroom powder, mushrooms that have been exposed to ultraviolet light, and supplements.