Notes from the VRG Scientific Department
Vegetarian Resource Group Testimony
The Vegetarian Resource Group sent in testimony to the 2020 Dietary Guidelines
Committee, care of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, encouraging the committee to
continue to stress the benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets, to expand the
discussion about benefits of these diets, and to continue to identify these diets as
healthful eating patterns. Helpful references included in the comments are on our
blog. See: www.vrg.org/blog/2020/06/19/the-vegetaraian-resource-group-sends-in-testimony-concerning-the-2020-dietary-gudielines.
VEGAN Education
Vegetarian Resource Group Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, spoke virtually
about the VRG and vegetarian children at the Maryland Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics Annual Meeting. Because so many students lost jobs and work opportunities
this past summer due to the pandemic, we had 10 virtual interns and volunteers. We
assisted a pre-med/public health major from Johns Hopkins University and a
business/sustainability studies major from the University of North Carolina do
projects for academic credit. Another intern who is a PhD nutrition student in Texas
was able to do projects for us towards a school internship.
We were able to refer a dietitian to a source of information she needed on a vegan diet for a cancer patient. We found assistance for a person from Argentina who had technical questions on tempeh production. VRG researcher Jeanne Yacoubou added to our ingredient list (whether vegan, vegetarian, or non-vegetarian) Yellow Prussiate of Soda. See: www.vrg.org/blog/2020/07/07/yellow-prussiate-of-soda. Jeanne also researched: How Sustainable is Vegan Leather? See: www.vrg.org/blog/2020/06/18/how-sustainable-is-vegan-leather.
