Notes from the Scientific Department

VRG’s Food Service Advisor Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, had an article about being vegetarian and diabetic published in Diabetes Self-Management magazine. Nancy was also a judge for the James Beard cookbook awards, which required evaluating recipes from 20 books. Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, was interviewed by the Baltimore Sun for a story about the role of “moderation” in diet and by Health magazine for articles about the effect of diet on sleep patterns and about sugar substitutes. In addition, Sue was interviewed by Organic Style magazine for a story about raw foods diets and by Woman’s Day magazine for a story about smart shopping strategies at the supermarket. Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was the subject of an extensive interview about vegetarian children in the Fort Worth Sun-Telegram. She was also interviewed about vegetarian babies by Child magazine and about v egetari an children by the Tuscaloosa News, an article released through the New York Times Wire Service. Prevention Magazine interviewed her for a story on healthy vegetarian diets, and the Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL) interviewed her about the eating habits of 20-somethings and trends in healthy foods.

VRG Outreach

Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, did a demonstration on vegetarian cooking at the Orange County Fair in California. The topic was how to use more vegetables on the plate. She also spoke to the Southern California Writers Association on writing about vegetarian diets.

Summerfest

Summerfest, the annual meeting of the North American Vegetarian Society, was held in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, from August 6-10, 2003. In addition to being speakers, VRG Coordinators Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman were honored as this year’s inductees into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame. VRG nutrition advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, presented sessions on vegetarian nutrition, careers in vegetarian nutrition, and the influence of interest groups on federal food and nutrition policies and programs. Nutrition education materials and samples of Vegetarian Journal were distributed at a VRG booth at the meeting.