Notes from the VRG Scientific Department

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, co-authored an article about vegetarian pregnancy for the newsletter of Women’s Health and Reproductive Nutrition, a dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association. She also co-authored an article for the American Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage about employing vegetarian diets in prevention and treatment of chronic disease. In addition, Reed was interviewed for a story on vegetarianism in Mundo Hispanico. VRG Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, was interviewed for stories in Experience Life and Body + Soul magazines. In addition, Sue’s new book, Get the Trans Fat Out: 601 Simple Ways to Cut the Trans Fat Out of Any Diet, was published by Crown in October 2006.

VRG Outreach

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, spoke about vegan health at the Valley Vegans meeting in Northampton, MA, and presented to members of the New York State Dietetic Association about grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, and nuts at their annual meeting in Rye Brook, NY. VRG Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, spoke to members of Pullen Church in Raleigh, NC, about vegetarian diets. In addition, Sue recently became the director of the doctoral program in health leadership in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The executive program is the nation’s first online public health leadership doctoral program.

VRG’s Food Service Advisor Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE, worked with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank when it sponsored a citywide day of hunger-awareness events for World Food Day (previously known as World Hunger Day). Nancy was on the loading docks of the Food Bank as they gave away more than 15,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to community feeding programs. She also coordinated an activity at a local inner-city elementary school and helped a second-grade class of 20 students who attend a school that has a healthy eating program to assemble snack boxes. The snack boxes included healthy granola (made with popcorn, whole wheat pretzels, sunflower seeds, raisins, and bran flakes), juice boxes, fresh apples, and fruit preserve sandwiches. Each child assembled four boxes, one for themselves and three to go to school programs unable to offer any meals or snacks to their participants. Furthermore, the Food Bank has asked Nancy to design recipes that participants in its nutrition education program can use. The recipes must contain a maximum of four ingredients, preferably be vegetarian, be simple to prepare with a minimum of equipment, preferably be low in fat and salt, and utilize ingredients available from the Food Bank.