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Today—March 9—is Vitamin D Day—according to the Milk Mustache “Got Milk” Campaign. They are reminding Americans that many don’t get enough vitamin D and that shortages are linked to risk for a variety of diseases.

It’s true. There is a growing body of research showing that vitamin D helps to protect against bone loss and a host of other ailments, perhaps including cancer and depression. But the industry’s spokesperson, a registered dietitian, isn’t quite telling the whole story when she says that foods, not supplements, are the best source of vitamin D.

Whether or not that […]

Making the change to a vegan diet, or even a more plant-based diet is easier than you might think. Sometimes, though, people have misconceptions about the way that vegans eat, and it makes this lifestyle look much more difficult than it really is. If any of these reasons for giving up meat and other animal foods apply to you—well, then maybe you really could be vegan!

I could never be a vegan because I just can’t eat low fat.

Some vegans eat low-fat, but definitely not all. I don’t eat a low fat diet and I don’t […]

Yesterday’s headlines about diet and birth defects caused some completely unsubstantiated claims about vegan diets. The news stories were based on research published in the journal Pediatrics, showing that there is a greater risk of birth defects in babies born to women with low blood levels of vitamin B12.

Some journalists saw this as an opportunity to discredit vegan diets—despite the fact that the words “vegan” and “vegetarian” never appeared in the Pediatrics article! The subjects in this study were women living in Ireland at a time when fortified foods were not widely available in that country. There was […]

Japanese researchers have just published a food guide for vegetarians living in Japan and also for those in the United States who wish to follow a more traditional Japanese eating pattern.

This meal planning tool differs from western vegetarian food guides in some important ways. With both health and traditional Asian eating patterns in mind, it places vegetables—not grains—at the center of the diet and the base of the pyramid.

Despite the fact that dairy foods are a relatively new habit to Japanese culture, the guide is aimed at lacto-ovo vegetarians and (surprisingly) specifies 3 servings of […]

One of the newest “nutrition education” groups to hit the web is The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition (NRFC). Funded by twelve commodity groups, including the National Pork Board and the National Cattlemen’s Association, the group’s focus is on encouraging people to eat more nutrient-rich foods.

Not surprising, the foods being touted through its education materials and recipes are those produced by its members. (The members do include a number of commodity groups devoted to plant foods. But it’s an odd assortment, suggesting that groups are included based only on their willingness to pay a membership fee.)

When it comes to going vegetarian or vegan, the whole idea of perfectionism—of never eating dairy again and never eating meat—is among the biggest obstacles for people. I saw this first hand for the first time many years ago when I was teaching a class on vegetarian cooking. One student told me that she loved the idea of going vegetarian but she just couldn’t contemplate it, because she couldn’t give up her favorite food—a Reuben Sandwich.

I asked her how often she had a Reuben, and she said “Oh—maybe 4 or 5 times a year.” I suggested that […]

Beans and rice are cheap, but, for many of us, vegan diets aren’t. Tofu, veggie burgers and soymilk are important staples in some veggie households, and they are often—or usually—much more expensive than their animal-derived counterparts.

But with a little bit of planning, you can cut costs in your veggie kitchen. Here are a few ideas:

Get back to basics: Whatever happened to beans and rice, anyway? They are still the best foods on earth—always good for you, good for the environment, easy on the pocketbook.

Take the condiment approach with meat substitutes: Progressive dietitians have long advised that meat should be treated […]