Vegan Menu Planning In Five Easy Steps Amy Richards, PhD, RDN, LDN
Objectives Modify existing menus to be vegan and meet macro/micro nutrient requirements Develop vegan menu options that will increase customer satisfaction scores Modify existing recipes and find new recipes to fit the specific type of vegan diet needed Teach others the basics of menu planning for vegans Access reliable sources of information on vegan menu planning
But first a little bit about the Vegetarian Dietetic Practice Group
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Lenna Frances Cooper 1901 - Graduated in Nursing Became protégé of vegetarian physician Dr. John Harvey Kellogg Dr. & Mrs. Kellogg inspired her to study foods and food chemistry at Drexel Institute Earned Bachelor's and Master's from Columbia University Earned Master of Health Education (MHE) Appointed Chief Dietitian of the Battle Creek Sanitarium Dean of the School of Home Economics Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VNDPG)
Battle Creek Sanitarium, MI Dr. John Harvey Kellogg Medical Director Leading Medical Center Based on the health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church Spa-like wellness institute; grand hotel health resort Served only vegetarian meals & utilized Vegetarian Medical Nutrition Therapy Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VNDPG)
The New Cookery Cooper's First Book (1913) - All vegetarian cookbook. Recipes from the Battle Creek Sanitarium Leading proponent of health care through diet and pioneer in field of vegetarian nutrition and dietetics Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VNDPG)
Nutrition and dietetics career First proposed formation of and co-founded - American Dietetic Association (now the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) Academy's First Vice President Academy's Fourteenth President (1937-1938) World War I - U.S. Army's First Supervising Dietitian (1918-1919) First President - Michigan Dietetic Association (1929) Staff Member - U.S. Surgeon General Created Department of Dietetics - National Institutes of Health Senior Author of Nursing Textbook - Nutrition in Health and Disease" Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VNDPG)
Recognition Lenna Frances Cooper Memorial Lecture Award o Presented Annually at FNCE o Presented to Dedicated Academy Member, Notable and Inspiring Speaker o Role Model, Made Significant Contributions to Profession of Nutrition & Dietetics Few Academy members are aware of Lenna's career, background, and history as pioneer in vegetarian nutrition and dietetics We Thank Lenna Frances Cooper o Vision and Leadership in Co-Founding the Academy o Pioneering Work in the Field of Vegetarian Nutrition & Dietetics Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VNDPG)
Join VN DPG! As the leading authority on evidence-based vegetarian nutrition, VN DPG s vision is to optimize global health and well-being by: o Creating and disseminating vegetarian nutrition education materials o Supporting cutting edge research o Advocating for influential public policy 11
Member website: vndpg.org 12
Consumer website: vegetariannutrition.net 13
VN DPG Member Benefits Vegetarian Nutrition Update Newsletter o Vegetarian Nutrition Update is a quarterly newsletter published by VN DPG and distributed free to all VN members State Coordinators Program o Promote VN DPG by exhibiting at affiliate meetings and community events o Coordinate networking events for VN DPG members o Connect with Academy student members Webinars o Continuing education on plant-based nutrition-related topics Research Grant o VN DPG offers a $10,000 research grant for innovative vegetarian research to RDNs, NDTRs and dietetics students who are members of the Academy. 14
VN DPG community Join our Yahoo EML for discussions on current topics related to plant-based nutrition. 15
and now back to our presentation.
Vegan menus this is for a very small portion of the population---or is it?
Image used with permission from the Humane Research Council. http://spot.humaneresearch.org/content/infographic-former-and-currentvegetariansvegans Published in December 2014. Accessed on March 11, 2015
37% of the US population eats vegetarian when eating out always or sometimes Source: The Vegetarian Resource Group. http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/polls/2016_adults_veg.htm. Accessed on April 7, 2018
The future is our youth Overall, about 3% of US population are strict vegan or vegetarian Another 6% are mostly vegan/vegetarian. 5% of those 50 and older are vegan, vegetarian or mostly vegan/vegetarian 12% of 18-49 year-olds are vegan/vegetarians or mostly vegan/vegetarian. http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/12/01/public-views-about-americans-eating-habits 2016 Pew Research Center Survey. Accessed on 3/11/2017
Helping patients in urban areas find vegan options
Helping patients in rural areas find vegan options
Moving beyond salads Let them eat salad! Vegetarians and vegans love salad. As long as we have a salad offered, we are covered. What more could they want? What else is there? I talked to the chef and there isn t anything on the menu that you can eat.
Vegans influence where others eat Thinking that a few disappointed vegan customers won t affect the bottom line or customer satisfaction ratings may be incorrect
Basing menu decisions on what we are used to seeing or patterns of our own generation and those older than us...may mean that we underestimate how many potential customers are vegan or might want to choose vegan items.
The really nice thing about finding yummy vegan options is that they can be eaten by and enjoyed by omnivores and vegetarians so there is the potential to increase customer satisfaction across groups with each added vegan menu item.
All vegans are and and. Busting the stereotypes What constitutes a vegan diet understanding your customer s eating pattern Vegans don t eat. Or maybe they do. Why this can be confusing.
You probably have a mixture of the following: meat and potato vegans organic, natural, unprocessed vegans pragmatic vs. dogmatic vegans
Five Easy Steps to Vegan Menu Planning
Step 1. Find out what your customers want Step 2. Create vegan menu extensions for existing menus or start from scratch Step 3. Modify existing recipes and find new recipes Step 4. Complete menu analysis to ensure adequate nutrients Step 5. Provide taste tests, measure acceptance, determine profitability, and modify as needed.
Find out what your customers want Learn what the popular vegan items are with various age groups at fast food and sit down restaurants and try something similar at your facility. Survey students/employees/customers/patients to determine preferences. Determine preferences for protein sources, carbohydrate choices, and healthy fat options. Find out what foods are avoided. Get specific menu and recipe suggestions from customers.
Cost of vegan menu ingredients Cheap or expensive it depends upon what you choose to provide Fresh, frozen, or canned veggies and fruit Made from scratch or premade foods Exotic ingredients or common staple items Do you grow your own herbs and fresh vegetables Real looking meat substitutes may be quite popular but will cost more than legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds
School lunch Add daily vegan entrée options that will be popular with nonvegetarians to increase choices for all students. Add items that will provide adequate protein such as: Bean burrito Peanut butter sandwich* Stir fry with tofu Veggie burger Rice and beans Hummus with pita chips
Survey K-12 students and hand out samples Include students (and school staff) in determining what vegan choices are offered. Lunchroom or classroom surveys Classroom visits by foodservice director Taste tests in the cafeteria or the classroom Solicit recipes from parents/caregivers
Examples of what schools are doing
Vegan hospital menus Provide at least two vegan entrees choices at each meal not counting salads. Use menu options that will be popular with vegans and non-vegans to give more options all.
Planning vegan hospital menus Survey patients, families, and employees Try new items on a limited basis in the cafeteria Use cash register sales and plate waste studies Provide free samples and get their feedback Get recipes from employees Tasting panels Employee contests and incorporate winning recipes
Coffee shop, kiosk, & vending machine ideas Hummus and pita chips or veggies Peanut butter and crackers Instant oatmeal and soy milk Apple slices or banana and peanut butter Celery with peanut butter Roasted almonds, roasted peanuts, roasted soy nuts Dried fruit Power bars Soy milk smoothies
Examples of what hospitals are doing
Menu planning with your patients If they are transitioning to a vegan diet find out what kinds of foods they enjoy and incorporate similar vegan versions If it works for them to transition gradually, have them experiment with various foods until they find some new favorite vegan foods to incorporate on a regular basis. If they are following an unhealthy vegan diet help them fill in the gaps with foods that fit with their lifestyle and taste preferences.
Examples of inexpensive and simple menu items: Vegetarian chili, orange slices, and a small cinnamon roll Peanut butter and banana sandwich Oatmeal with walnuts, raisins, and soy milk Pasta* with marinara and steamed mixed veggies with legumes Beans and rice, carrot sticks, and apple sauce Burrito or taco with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, olives
Meeting nutrient needs in vegan menus Educate your patients specifically regarding meeting protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and riboflavin needs. Ensure your patients are drinking a milk substitute such as fortified soy milk with calcium and vitamin D or getting these nutrients another way.
Resources Vegetarian Nutrition Resource List. Food and Nutrition Center. National Agricultural Library. US Department of Agriculture. www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/vegetarian.pdf Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Vegetarian Nutrition Practice Group http://vndpg.org Choosemyplate.gov www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eatingtips/tips-for-vegetarian.html Vegetarian Resource Group www.vrg.org Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nutrition Care Manual
Friends looking out for one another