Vegetarian Choices Gaining Popularity
How & Why to Get Them in Your School by Cathy Sims -6/2000-
As numerous studies reveal the importance of healthy diets and exercise in helping to prevent serious problems like heart disease and cancer, millions of people are opting for vegetarian meals. Twelve million Americans have become vegetarians, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG), a non-profit organization based in Baltimore, MD. And millions more are reducing the amount of red meat in their diet and opting for healthier alternatives like “veggie burgers.”
According to a recent survey by Kellogg’s Company, 30% of Americans polled would like to be served veggie burgers as a meal option at barbecues this summer, which is twice as many compared to those who were actually offered veggie burgers last summer.
Sales of veggie foods have increased an average of more than 37% per year for the last five years according to Robert Hall, Kellogg’s vice president of Marketing, Natural and Functional Foods Division.
The increased interest in veggie foods is not only for its health benefits. There are families that have chosen a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons; they believe animals should not be harmed for the use of humans. Others have become vegetarians because of religious beliefs or environmental issues.
Some eat veggie just for the taste. Yves Veggie Cuisine, whose slogan is “good food, for a change,” produces flavorful soy-based recipes including their veggie wiener known as the “heart-healthy” hotdog of choice for San Francisco giants fans. Gardenburger has produced a veggie burger that tastes like a hamburger, “you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference if blind-folded,” according to Lisa Elenz, manager of business development and marketing.
Many families are not vegetarians – but have children who are. In fact, some children are finicky eaters and are vegetarians by default.
The increasing popularity of being vegetarian among kids and teens is striking. One survey by Teenage Research Unlimited states that 33% of girls age 12-15 say vegetarianism is “in,” 48% of girls ages 16 to 17 state that “being veggie is hip,” and 50% of girls age 18-19 indicate they are “basically vegetarians.”
Nearly half of female college students and one-third of male college students are eating vegetarian, according to Roper CollegeTrack.
Thus, the odds are pretty good that your child may choose to be a vegetarian.
USDA allows more vegetable protein in school meals
On March 9th, 2000 , the U.S. Agriculture Department said it will let school cafeterias substitute more veggie burgers for hamburgers as a source of protein in kids’ diets, applauded by nutritionists but criticized by beef producers.
The department, citing new studies on protein content in non-meat foods, removed the previous requirement that only 30 percent of protein in school meals come from vegetable sources such as veggie burgers made partly from soybeans.
The department also changed the requirement that protein sources other than meat would have to be fortified with zinc and iron. The USDA said the two requirements were based on old data from the mid-1980s that have now been proven false.
“These changes provide menu planners with more flexibility to incorporate these products into their menus along with the traditional protein sources of meat, poultry and seafood,” the Agriculture Department said in a Federal Register notice.
The requirements were also lifted from the school breakfast program, the summer food service and other domestic food aid programs for both children and adults.
U.S. school cafeterias serve more than 35 million subsidized breakfasts and lunches each day to poor children.
The Vegetarian Resource Group welcomed the proposal, citing a recent study which found that children from eight to 17 years old are becoming vegetarians at twice the rate of adults.
“It’s a long time coming,” Suzanne Havala, a registered dietitian and adviser for the Vegetarian Resource Group, said, predicting that veggie burgers will now become a popular item on school cafeteria menus.
“Those products taste so good nowadays that lots of people are eating them,” Havala said.
The soybean industry has long sought this change, hoping to make inroads into the huge school-lunch market.
The government originally proposed the change last July and received 635 comments from the public. Only 16 respondents objected to the changes, the Agriculture Dept said.
Other changes are evolving through the courts. The Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which promotes a vegan lifestyle excluding any animal products, sued the USDA in December seeking to alter the agency’s nutrition guidelines.
The group claims the guidelines fail to recognize that minorities, including Asians and African-Americans, have higher incidences of lactose intolerance, which makes it hard to digest milk. That makes the guidelines racially biased, the lawsuit contends.
While the lawsuit is still pending in federal court, it has prompted an advisory panel on nutrition guidelines to recommend that soy milk share the same space as cow’s milk on the USDA’s food pyramid.
The physicians’ group has pushed for almost a decade to replace milk and other dairy products with vegetable foods.
Soy Milk vs Dairy Milk
Like milk, soy is a great source of protein and can easily be found with added calcium. But drinking soymilk has the following advantages:
Soymilk is cholesterol free.
It contains cancer-fighting isoflavones.
It is readily available from organic sources (containing no pesticides).
Soybeans grow abundantly and actually replenish the soil they grow in.
Cow’s milk (unless you always buy organic) contains pesticides from the feed as well as antibiotics. Those additional substances, not naturally found in milk, are added by the dairy farmers and can be harmful to humans, even in small quantities. The use of cow’s milk also has ecological disadvantages. The amount of soy that could be grown on acreage used by grazing cattle could feed more people than the cows do.
United Soybean Board
Reinventing the Meal with Soy is a program developed by the United Soybean Board to help school foodservice professionals meet nutritional standards and dietary guidelines.
Since soy enhances the taste and flavor of food, student preference for spaghetti sauce, chili, tacos and chicken nuggets that have added soy, is increasing, reducing plate waste and helping control costs.
A packet of information developed by foodservice directors and soy nutrition specialists is available that includes soy protein’s benefits, guidelines and recipes that illustrate how soy can be used effectively in school menus.
The United Soybean Board works and communicates regularly with school foodservice associations, food manufacturers and suppliers, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Soy protein processors. For more info, call 1-800-825-5769. email: info@soyfoods.com. COLLEGE CAMPUSES Go VEGGIE
Led by student demand, the quest for profits, or other reasons, more college and university food services are bringing vegetarian offerings up-front and center. Fine Host Corporation, a foodservice contract management company with over 900 accounts in the USA, has had more requests for vegetarian menus, especially on campuses. They offer veggie burgers on the grill and meatless alternatives at the stir-fry station, with most items prepared to order.
Au Naturel is the new vegetarian station in the dining area of Pomona College in Claremont, California. The school’s survey showed that 15-20% of the dining population is vegetarian, with 10% of them being vegan. The school hopes to generate $3 million annually with the new station.
Menu items range form Indian pilaf to spicy Spanish potatoes with green beans and sprouts to a pita bread stuffed with sautéed veggies, potatoes, and peanuts. Au Naturel’s slogan is “100% vegetarian, 100% goodness.”
After several semesters, sales are up 20-30%, and the vegan area’s business is strong.
“Nowadays, everyone is looking for food which is flavorful and interesting, not just vegetarians,” said Steven Davis, foodservice director, “so that makes it easy. We just try to appeal to everyone, using different ingredients.”
At California State University, San Bernardino, students request ethnic and vegetarian food. They’ve had great success with portabello mushroom veggie burgers, popular with most students, veggie and non-veggie. To spice it up, there are five different toppings offered, including tomato salsa, jalapeno/carrot/onion mix, and guacamole.
Sodexho Marriott Service, announced the opening of Sweet Potatoes, an all-you-can-eat vegetarian restaurant at the University of Albany.
“Students were eager to give their input for the restaurant,” according to Julia Filippone at the University of Albany. “In a conventional cafeteria setting, students with particular dietary requirements may be overlooked, but Sweet Potatoes will give our vegetarian students something to look forward to at mealtime.”
Slowly but surely vegetarian items are being offered on campuses. These are but a few of the programs nationwide that are incorporating veggie offerings into their menus.
About 5.5% of people say that when eating out, they always order a dish without meat, fish or fowl, according to VRG. And over half the population (57%) sometimes, often, or always order a vegetarian item.
These statistics give restaurant owners and school foodservice managers something to think about. There is an exploding demand for meatless meals.
It’s not as easy as offering one item for everybody. But if a vegetarian item tastes good, about half the population will eat it.
Good Food. For A Change, is the slogan of Yves Veggie Cuisine, based in Vancouver, Canada, offering a new generation of fresh, soy-based alternatives to meat-based favorites. They produce a line of veggie burgers, wieners and veggie pizza pepperoni slices for food service customers — schools, colleges, restaurants, concession stands, fast food chains and institutions.
Yves’ customers are able to enjoy a savory, healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner that takes only a few minutes to prepare.
Yves’ offers two kinds of veggie burgers — the award-winning Veggie Burgers with a classic, grilled flavor, and the Garden Veggie Patties for those who want a wholesome vegetable and grain flavor.
Their veggie burgers are low in fat and cholesterol free, and contain a minimum of 6.25 grams of soy protein, the ingredient that’s been getting lots of positive attention for its role in reducing the risk of heart disease.
In addition to food service,Yves Veggie Cuisine products are sold in supermarkets and natural food stores across the US and Canada. (You can check www.yvesveggie.com to find stores in your neighborhood)
Unlike most other meat substitutes, Yves Veggie Cuisine’s retail products are sold fresh not frozen, and are merchandised in refrigerated coolers located in the produce departments, deli cases or dairy sections of supermarkets and grocery stores.
Eden ~ Good Food Since 1968
In the late 1960s, Eden traveled the back roads through the rolling farmland of south central Michigan, asking farmers if they were willing to grow food without petrochemical pesticides or fertilizers. When Eden offered these farmers a fair and premium price for their future organic crops, some were willing to try.
Eden was founded on the principles of macrobiotics, which show that peace on earth can be achieved by returning to a more peaceful way of growing, handling, and enjoying food, a way that nurtures Earth’s ecosystems. This remains Eden’s dream and mission.
Over the years, Eden has nurtured relationships with organic growers and traditional food makers throughout the world. It is one of a few remaining independent pioneer natural food companies, with a dedicated network of family farms and suppliers. Eden works with more than 350 farms and orchards, organically growing grains, beans, soybeans, apples, tart cherries, tomatoes, cabbages, chilies, mustard, and more.
“Our greatest satisfaction,” says Eden President Michael Potter, “has been the creation of over 30,000 acres of organic soil. All of this soil teems with life, provides good food for us, and will continue to provide good food for future generations.”
Eden’s processing facilities, warehouses, production lines, mills, storage elevators, and even their truck trailers are certified organic.
Edensoy®, Edensoy Extra, and Edenblend® are made according to Eden’s standards as reflected in their brand statement which means: No irradiation, no preservatives, no chemical additives, no food colorings, no refined sugars, no genetically engineered ingredients – the safest, most nutritious, certified organically grown food offered. For more information about Eden Foods, please call 800 248-0320, or visit www.edenfoods.com
Visit Eden Foods June 26-27 at the Chicago National PTA Convention, booth # 729, to sample EDENSOY and learn more about Eden Foods.
Vegetarians in History
To give up meat is not only a matter of health, it is a matter of love, says Annalisa Cara. “The greatest sages and enlightened beings in history recommended not to eat meat.” Following are several famous vegetarians and their reasons according to Cara:
In the VI century b.C., the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras preached strict vegetarianism among his followers. As long as humans continue to kill animals, thought Pythagoras, they would keep on killing each other.
Socrates, says in Plato’s Republic, the ideal diet of the future will be based on bread, olives, cheese, onions, legumes, figs, berries, acorns and a little wine. Eating meat, he said, is the main cause of illnesses, and also of wars, because cattle-breeding requires much more space than agriculture.
Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian Renaissance vegetarian genius, prophesied that “one day the killing of an animal will be considered no less sinful than the killing of a man.”
In the 17th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau, the famous French philosopher observed that meat-eating animals were more violent and cruel than the herbivorous ones. He contended that the vegetarian diet could make men less aggressive and thus more peaceful.
In the 18th century, American politician and scientist Benjamin Franklin defined eating meat an unjustified crime. He became a vegetarian when he was sixteen years old, when he noticed that he was intellectually more brilliant when he didn’t eat meat.
In the 20th century, many other great men and women were vegetarian, like the musician, physician and philanthropist Albert Schweitzer, who won the Nobel peace prize in 1952, and another Nobel prize winner, Mahatma Gandhi, who said that “meat is not the right food for our species.”
Even the greatest scientist of the 20th century was a vegetarian, Albert Einstein, who said that “the vegetarian diet would have extremely beneficial effects on humanity.”
Other famous vegetarians, as featured in Vegetarian Times, (a magazine for veggie news & recipes) include: Louisa May Alcott, Bob Barker, Anthony Hopkins, Tina Turner, Barbara Streisand, Paul Newman, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, Elton John, Steve Martin, Mr. Rogers, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts.v
