Times are Changing!

Lately, it seems as if anywhere we travel, it has become simple to be a vegan. For example, on a recent trip to New Jersey we stopped at a Wawa (convenience store) to grab a snack. The store carries fresh fruit salad, whole pieces of fruit, and more. Even more amazing is that when we asked whether one could purchase a sub sandwich with just veggies on it, the teenage male behind the counter responded, "Oh, you mean a vegan sub!" Without our explaining, he understood this meant no cheese, mayonnaise, etc.

On another trip we found a veggie burger listed on a snack bar menu at a New York State Park lake. In fact, we've seen veggie burgers offered almost everywhere we travel.

We've seen the word vegan mentioned on sandwich boards placed in front of restaurants on both coasts of the United States. And recently, we stopped at a truck stop and dined at a fantastic all-you-can-eat salad bar. This same truck stop offers a basketball court for truck drivers to pick up a game and receive some exercise.

When schools went into session this fall in Maryland, The Sun (Baltimore's daily paper) ran a front page story titled, "Learning to think leaner." This piece described how much the school lunch program has changed in the state of Maryland due to new Federal guidelines. For example, the annual bagel supply in one Maryland County's school district is up from 85 cases to 800. In Baltimore County sales of frozen fruit bars have gone from 24,000 to 144,000 in two years and now compete with ice cream. Baltimore City School officials estimate that their orders for fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grain and multi-grain breads are up about 20 percent from two years ago. The article also stated that it's rare to find hot dogs or bologna in schools today. And the supervisor for food services in Carroll County (a farming community) is quoted as saying, "We definitely have more kids who are vegetarian today than we had even a couple of years ago. What's surprising to us is that it's the younger students, instead of just high school kids." Yes, times are certainly changing.

In the next issue of Vegetarian Journal, the first issue of 1999, our recipes will include a new feature, namely information on the amount of protein, carbohydrate, fiber, and sodium in a serving. Several readers (some of whom are planning diets to treat medical conditions) have requested this additional information. Other individuals will be able to use the added information to reduce their sodium intake and to increase dietary fiber, both positive steps. Recipes which contain more than 20% of the Daily Value for iron, calcium, or zinc in a serving will be identified as high in the specific nutrient(s). Iron, calcium, and zinc were selected for inclusion because they are commonly identified as nutrients that may be low in a vegetarian/vegan diet. As always, our recipes will be calculated based on the lower number of a range of servings (for example, 6 for a recipe serving 6-7). Calculations will not include optional ingredients or ingredients added "to taste." We hope you find these changes helpful. Please remember, however, the key to a healthy vegetarian diet is variety.