photo from VeGreen

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:

Banu Vegan, 2534 S. Roxboro St., Durham, NC 27707

This restaurant uses fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers’ markets. Thursday special includes “Spanish chikn/Spanish mushrooms with black beans, rainbow rice, avocado, kale salad, and pineapple cake.” Menu also includes burgers and burritos (served with chips and Sofrito salsa), sandwiches and subs (e.g., “Skrimp Po Boy,” which is vegan shrimp made of tapioca starch, seasoned with onions, peppers, lettuce, tomato, and topped with house Cajun sauce), also served with chips and salsa.  Additionally, you’ll find appetizers, salads, desserts, as well as a separate Sunday Brunch Menu.

Dead Bird Brewing, 1726 N. 5th St., Milwaukee, WI 53212

This is a brewery but also offering all vegan appetizers and pizza. Appetizers include Togarashi carrot taco (roasted carrots tossed in an orange sesame togarashi sauce, topped with cilantro cabbage slaw, red onions, and crispy fried wonton strips) and Backyard BBQ (vegan beef or Cedar Teeth Chick’Un, sweet BBQ sauce, cabbage slaw, raw red onions, and jalapenos). Pizza options include “SHMO (house red sauce, vegan mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage, white onions, and fresh mushrooms”).

El Hongo Magico, XMarket, 804 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613

El Hongo Mágico (The Magic Mushroom) Taqueria specializes in tacos and other Mexican favorites made with culinary mushrooms for their “magic and versatility.”  It is located uptown in the all-vegan food hall XMarket, which frequently hosts special events such as comedy and karaoke.

Make Waves, 3^rd Street Market Hall, 275 W. Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 100, Milwaukee, WI 53203

Wave bowls include Citrus Surf (mango base, granola, pitaya orange base, candied orange, lemon and pineapple slices, toasted coconut, almond slices, pineapple honee, and maple granola); various Boba drinks and smoothies; flatbread wraps and toast include Veggie Pesto (basil hummus, chickpea croutons, arugula, cucumber, sundried tomato, feta, and lemon vinaigrette served on toasted flatbread) and Breakfast Flatbread (carrot bacon, sprouts, roasted red pepper, cheddar cheese, avocado, Just Egg, and chipotle aioli served on toasted flatbread).

Roughage Eatery, 126 Sherbrook St., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2B4, Canada

Roughage Eatery is a vegan comfort food haven. Their menu boasts an amazing Mac & Cheeze, topped with house-made Bacun, broccoli, and cashew parm. They also offer a one-of-a-kind Apple Brie Sandwich and a classic NoBSLT, a creative spin on the American BLT. On Saturdays, they serve breakfast, and when the weather gets cold, you can warm up with their delicious soups. Please note that they are searching for a new location.

Veganarie – Resto Vegane, 19H Rue Du Centre Commercial, Pierrefonds, QC, H8Y 2N9 Canada

Plant-based vegan Greek inspired restaurant serving your favorite Greek, American, and Canadian comfort food classics such as fries, falafel pitas, gyro pitas, veggie burgers, and more.

VeGreen Noodle, 2660 Mall of Georgia Blvd., Ste. 100a, Buford, GA 30519

This ambitious restaurant offers over 50+ dishes that are all 100% plant-based. When it comes to starters, the choices are tough to make. You can try the Salt Pepper Calamari, kale chips, mini Soup Buns, and the list goes on. As the name suggests, they offer noodles in a variety of flavors, but they also provide stir-fry noodles, fried rice, vegan sushi rolls, and entrées that we all know and love. Don’t forget to give their smoothies or teas a try.

Wild in the Treats, 183 First Ave., Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716

This is a gluten-free vegan bakery. Menu items include granola bars, scones, chocolate whiskey ganache, brownies, jelly bars, biscotti, muffins, turnovers, large cakes, cheesecakes, bundts, and even applesauce molasses dog treats.

You generally have to start taking withdrawals from your IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA, or retirement plan account when you reach age 72 (73 if you reach age 72 after Dec. 31, 2022).  Roth IRA’s are under different rules.

Your withdrawals will be included in your taxable income except for any part that was taxed before (your basis) or that can be received tax-free (such as qualified distributions from designated Roth accounts).

Required beginning date for your first RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) is April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach age 72 (73 if you reach age 72 after Dec. 31, 2022).

For each year after your required beginning date, you must withdraw your RMD by December 31. (You can make your first withdrawal by December 31 instead of waiting until April 1 of the following year. This would allow the distributions to be included in your income in separate tax years.)

Generally, you can distribute up to $100,000 each year directly from a Traditional IRA to qualified charities, such as The Vegetarian Resource Group. This qualified charitable distribution (QCD) can count toward your RMD and won’t be included in your taxable income. You can start QCD at 70½. Note that the QCD can’t be paid to the IRA owner first, but must be paid directly to the charity. You’ll have to assess your situation and benefit of starting QCD at 70½ or waiting until 72, 73, or older.

This is not specific or personal tax or legal advice, for which you should speak to your financial advisor. Here is IRS information: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/reminder-to-ira-owners-age-70-and-a-half-or-over-qualified-charitable-distributions-are-great-options-for-making-tax-free-gifts-to-charity

Two pediatric dietitians and a pediatrician have developed a course for parents and caregivers who are raising kids on vegan, vegetarian, and predominantly plant-based diets. The course includes 8 hours of interactive videos, practical resources such as recipes and a food guide, and handouts. Topics covered include fundamentals of nutrition for children, answers to feeding questions, current research on plant-rich diets for kids, and meal and snack ideas. You can learn more about the course, including cost information at https://plantbasedjuniors.com/learning-center/plant-based-nutrition-for-kids-your-a-to-z-guide/.

The Vegetarian Resource Group continues to be very busy on a daily basis. Below are some examples of successes and activities. Your support is greatly appreciated! You can donate to VRG at vrg.org/donate

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

• Over 1,400 registered dietitians visited The Vegetarian Resource Group virtual booth at the national Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo. Many requested information for themselves or to use with clients.
• The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research asked to reproduce VRG’s My Vegan Plate (vrg.org/ nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf) in print and electronic content for use with patients and health care providers.
• Thanks to Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, The Vegetarian Resource Group sent in official Testimony for the following:

– To the FDA on the Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives (2023)

– To the USDA on WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) proposed changes (2023)

– To the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) concerning “healthy” on food labels (2023)

– To the FDA Regarding Food Allergen Labeling Requirements (2023)

– To USDA, EPA, FDA requesting Information for; Identifying Ambiguities, Gaps, Inefficiencies, and Uncertainties in the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology (2023)

• VRG Foodservice Advisor, Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, presented on tips for serving vegan options in long-term care facilities at Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities.
• VRG sent 600 I Love Animals and Broccoli Coloring Books plus El arco iris vegetariano coloring books to PG County Maryland WIC. A nutritionist from a county health department in New Jersey asked to reprint our My Vegan Plate. We sent 400 Vegan Journals for grab bags for the Columbia, South Carolina VegFest and alsoSarasota, Floridia VegFest, and we shipped a box of brochures for tabling at a Black Family Wellness Expo in Alabama. We also shipped 4 boxes of Vegan Journals and VRG handouts to the Vegan Society of Hawaii to be shared at the Climate Fair on the lawn of the Hawaii State Capitol and at the Windward Coast Emergency Preparedness Fair.
• VRG had a booth at the Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary 2^nd Annual Fall Fest in Colorado; Portland, Maine VegFest; Richmond, Virginia VegFest; and San Francisco, California World VegFest.

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

You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

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

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans categorizes potassium as “a dietary component of public health concern for the general US population because low intakes are associated with health concerns (1).” On average, people in the United States consume less potassium than is recommended (2). While the Dietary Guidelines call for eating more fruits and vegetables to get potassium, they also suggest that dairy products and fortified soy beverages can help to meet potassium needs. A cup of cow’s milk provides about 370 milligrams of potassium and a cup of soymilk supplies between 200 and 500 milligrams of potassium. Milk is not required, in my opinion, to meet potassium needs. There are many fruit and vegetable sources of potassium, some of which have more potassium in a serving than is found in a cup of cow’s milk or soymilk.

Potassium is an essential mineral. It is involved in kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and the nervous system, among others. Higher intakes of potassium are associated with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of hypertension and stroke (3). Potassium may also play a role in reducing the risk of kidney stones, type 2 diabetes, and low bone density (4).

The expert committee that develops dietary recommendations for Americans concluded that there was not enough data to develop Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for potassium. Instead, they established Adequate Intakes (AIs) based on the highest median intakes of potassium in healthy children and adults. The Adequate Intake (AI) for potassium is:

Birth to 6 months: 400 milligrams/day

7-12 months: 860 milligrams/day

1-3 years: 2000 milligrams/day

4-13 years: 2300 milligrams per day

14-18 years: 3000 milligrams/day (male); 2300 milligrams/day (female)

19 years and older: 3400 milligrams/day (male); 2600 milligrams/day (female)

Pregnancy: 2600 milligrams/day (14-18 years); 2900 milligrams/day (19 years and older);

Lactation: 2500 milligrams/day (14-18 years); 2800 milligrams/day (19 years and older)

Many whole plant foods supply us with potassium.

20 Good Sources of Potassium for Vegans

1. Beet greens, 1300 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
2. Plantains, 930 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
3. Lima beans, 908 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
4. Acorn squash, 896 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
5. Soybeans, 882 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
6. Spinach, 840 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
7. Swiss chard, 792 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
8. Pinto beans, 746 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
9. Kidney beans, 722 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
10. Split peas, 710 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
11. Navy beans, 708 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
12. Black-eyed peas, 686 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
13. Lentils, 660 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
14. Sweet potato, 572 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
15. Chickpeas, 520 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
16. Beets, 518 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
17. Potato, 506 milligrams of potassium in 1 cup cooked
18. Avocado, 488 milligrams of potassium in half
19. Banana, 422 milligrams of potassium in 1 medium
20. Dried apricots, 378 milligrams of potassium in ¼ cup

Food labels are required to include information about the potassium content of foods so if you’re curious about a specific food, check its Nutrition Facts Label.

To read more about potassium see:

Potassium Fact Sheet for Consumers (from National Institutes of Health; contains vegan and nonvegan sources of potassium)

The New Sodium and Potassium Recommendations and What They Mean for You

References

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. DietaryGuidelines.gov. 2020.
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. What We Eat in America, 2017-March 2020. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/1720/Table_1_NIN_GEN_1720.pdf. 2022.
3. O’Donnell M, Yusuf S, Vogt L, et al. Potassium intake: the Cinderella electrolyte. Eur Heart J. 2023;ehad628. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad628
4. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium fact sheet for health professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/. 2022.

Thank you to Heather Francis for coordinating a Vegetarian Resource Group booth at the Maine VegFest.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) recently introduced the Universal Meals program which features free vegan recipes that don’t contain gluten, alcohol, wheat, sesame, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, or peanuts. Recipes are available for home use (4-6 servings) and for institutional use (50 servings). This program would be great to share with a school or college, employee cafeteria, long-term care facility, or other place serving quantity meals. PCRM will supply free marketing materials to promote the program. The smaller versions of recipes would be appreciated by friends, whether vegan or not, who have food allergies, or who follow a gluten-free diet.

A nutritional analysis is included for each recipe. Many recipes include instructions for modifying them so that they are oil-free. Recipes include Better-Than-Takeout Sweet and Sour Cauliflower, Spaghetti Squash Primavera, Vegan Crab Cakes, Sunflower Sour Cream, and Zucchini Cornbread Muffins.

You can read more about this program and access the recipes at https://www.pcrm.org/universalmeals.

Through December 31, 2023, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegan Journal) for $15 each. Offer is valid in the USA only!

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

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

If you’re a vegan for the environment, should water footprints or carbon footprints of food matter more to you?

You’re probably aware that almost all large studies and meta-analyses compiling results of several studies conclude that vegan diets have the smallest water footprint and carbon footprint of all diets. The reason is that it takes much more water and fossil fuels to produce meat and dairy compared to plant foods. Additionally, the methane and nitrous oxide generated from animal agriculture supercharge climate breakdown.

However, there are a few vegan foods – such as almonds, olive oil, and coffee – that have astronomical water footprints. And rice’s carbon footprint is much higher than those of other grains (and almost as high as that of chicken eggs) because of the methane produced from growing rice. Although in these cases, the water usage and carbon emissions are small compared to those produced by meat and dairy production, they are still significantly more than those of other plant foods.

So, what’s a vegan to do?

Water vs. Carbon Footprints of Foods

If you’re trying to live more sustainably as a vegetarian or vegan, it’s important to consider both the water and the carbon footprints of food. In cases where a particular vegan food has an extremely high water footprint or carbon footprint, you may choose other options whose footprint is not as high. Fortunately, as a vegan, you have plenty of other options.

However, even if you decide to stop eating certain vegan foods because of their heavy water or carbon footprints, you don’t need to count up those footprints of every food on your plate at every meal. Almost all studies show that vegans’ personal food footprints are already the lowest of all. Vegetarians have smaller food footprints than meat eaters do, although not as low as vegans have in most cases.

Whatever you choose to do in the name of living lightly on the Earth, remember that there’s more to sustainable food than just water and carbon footprints as we discuss below.

Water, Carbon, and Environmental Footprints of Food

It would be helpful to everyone striving to adopt a sustainable diet if there were tables of information listing the environmental footprints of foods. This metric, in theory, would contain not only water usage and carbon emissions associated with foods. It would also include, for example, the effects of a food’s production in relation to:

• land use (including deforestation)
• eutrophication potential
• acidification potential
• fossil resource use
• aquifer depletion
• air pollution
• biodiversity

As you may imagine, calculating the environmental footprints of foods is much more complicated than figuring out water or carbon footprints. As of this writing, the best source for the environmental footprints of foods is Michael Clark et al. It’s by no means complete, but it’s a good start.

Based on our reading of the scientific literature, foods with either a high water or carbon footprint have a heavier environmental footprint compared to foods that have neither. However, no comprehensive study that we’re aware of  has been done to substantiate this point, although the Clark et al. work supports it as we describe in our recent article.

Although research into the water and carbon footprints of foods is more advanced, there are many variables that influence final results. Soil condition and type, farming method, and climate are some of the major reasons why water and carbon footprints will vary from source to source and over time. So, think of any numerical value you see as an approximation, highly dependent on a host of factors that will be different from place to place and season to season.

Due in part to these differences, there are a few case studies which calculate certain plant foods as having greater blue (surface or groundwater) water footprints than some animal foods or carbon emissions comparable to those of meat or dairy. Generally, meta-analyses considering dozens or more of these studies show plant-based diets have smaller water and carbon footprints than animal-based diets. Conclusions from meta-analyses are more credible than small case studies done in a particular area.

To date, the best resource for finding out the water footprints of food is Mekonnen & Hoekstra. Note, however, that this work was published in 2011 and based on even earlier data. Because of climate breakdown, (extended drought and erratic rainfall patterns in many countries that have become common in the last few years), these data do not reflect the growing reliance on blue water for irrigation. So, for example, the blue water footprints of certain crops, such as avocado, have become significantly higher than what Mekonnen & Hoekstra reported.

For the carbon footprints of food, Poore & Nemecek is the most reliable source so far. Our World in Data has compiled a graphical interpretation of their work that is useful.

The Vegetarian Resource Group has already provided detailed information on the water and carbon footprints of many foods from these sources in several of our earlier publications, such as our water pollution brochure, vegan burrito infographic, and carbon footprints of vegan pizza article.

Do Personal Carbon Footprints Matter?

A 2023 study analyzing personal income and investment data from 1990 to 2019 in the United States showed that:

• 40% of total U.S. carbon emissions were associated with the top 10% of households.
• The top 1% in the U.S. were responsible for 15-17% of national carbon emissions.
• Of the top 1%, their investments accounted for 38-43% of their carbon emissions.

Although this study did not describe the carbon intensive lifestyles of the most affluent Americans, frequent air travel and car use are the major sources of carbon emissions for this group followed by home energy use. (Although the #1 way to reduce your personal carbon footprint is to have no or fewer children.) Comparatively speaking, diet is not a major source of the wealthy’s personal carbon footprint.

Remember that the notion of a personal carbon footprint was created by the fossil fuel industry as a marketing tactic to shift the focus away from their products as causing climate breakdown and placing responsibility on to individual people. However, although you didn’t cause the problem as an individual through your food choices, this doesn’t mean you should disregard the effect of your food on the environment and eat whatever you want. It’s always best to limit your consumption of unsustainable foods if possible – for health, environmental, and ethical reasons.

Personal vs. Global Carbon and Water Footprints

One person’s dietary choice is not going to solve the crisis of rapidly dwindling freshwater reserves all over the world or the planetary climate crisis. However, one person’s food preferences can have the following effects, which, when multiplied by millions of people, could lead to system change. In turn, a habitable planet with abundant resources for future generations could result.

As Nielsen, et al. describe in their 2021 article, you can influence those around you and society as a(n):

• Consumer, through your purchases of vegan or vegetarian products
• Investor, choosing a bank, lending agency, or stocks that aren’t associated with animal agriculture or fossil fuels
• Role model for friends, family, and co-workers, through your dietary choice
• Employee or student, requesting vegan options in the cafeteria or at company parties, reducing food waste by donating it to local shelters, and divesting from fossil fuels
• Citizen, contacting your government representatives to act on climate via increased funding for vegan or vegetarian initiatives in public schools and elimination of subsidies for animal agriculture; voting for candidates who support these positions or running for office yourself

So, as an individual, you have at least these five ways to make your diet’s environmental footprint matter. When you do, the ripple effects of your choice will be felt by many others.

Support The Vegetarian Resource Group Research by joining at https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Recent topics brought up include:

– A parent posted, “Totally random but I was curious if anyone is ever concerned about their children not growing to their full height potential due to being vegan?” Other parents said their children are taller than them and an appropriate height.

– Did you know: There are times when people’s protein needs are higher. For example, in pregnancy, the recommendation for protein is 25 grams higher than it is when someone is not pregnant. That’s an increase of about 50%. Gave a link to: https://www.vrg.org/blog/2023/10/31/higher-protein-plant-milks/

– Posted winners of The Vegetarian Resource Group’s 2023 Video Contest.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids around the world. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.