Vegetarian nutrition became a bona fide specialty back in 1992 when a small group of RDs established a practice group within the ADA (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics). It all feels like yesterday to me, but in a couple of weeks—on October 5-6—our group will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in Philadelphia with some fun and informative events. If you live anywhere near Philly, I hope you’ll consider attending.

On Friday night we’ll be screening the movie Vegucated,  followed by a Q&A with Reed Mangels, Ph.D, RD and Sharon Palmer, RD. I won’t be at this event as I’ll still be winging my way east. (And I’m especially bummed about this since the attendees will be having pizza from Blackbird Vegan Pizzeria plus treats from Silk.)

On Saturday, vegetarian sports nutrition experts Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D, RD and Matt Ruscigno, MPH, RD, will be talking about nutrition for vegetarian athletes. Following their presentations, Jack Norris, RD and I will be sharing information about vegan health and optimal vegan diets. Sadly, there appears to be no pizza at the Saturday event. However, the first 50 people to register for Saturday’s event will receive a free copy of Vegan for Life, courtesy of the wonderful people at Tofurky!

Both events will be held at the Friends Center at 15th and Cherry Streets,   and you’ll need to register through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic website. The process is a little cumbersome, but Jack has some instructions here.  And you can find more information about both events here.