Why Is Martha’s Vineyard Going Vegan? It’s All About Tick Bites.
New York Times, Aug. 12, 2025
By Pete Wells
A former restaurant critic for The Times, Pete Wells followed tick-safety protocol while reporting this article on Martha’s Vineyard by tucking his pants into his socks.
On Martha’s Vineyard, this was supposed to be the summer of the shark. Instead, it’s the time of the tick.
The Massachusetts island is throwing a months long party for the 50th birthday of “Jaws,” with tours of locations where the movie was filmed, a museum show, grinning-shark cashmere sweaters and a commemorative kale salad featuring turnips carved in the shape of sharks’ teeth.
As the season has gone on, though, great white sharks have been replaced as the Vineyard’s scariest animal. When islanders get together these days, they talk about their fears of an eight-legged creature the size of a grape seed.
On the porch of the Chilmark General Store and at sunset-watching parties on Menemsha Beach, conversations circle ineluctably to the lone star tick, which after a single bite can leave people with a life-threatening allergy to most meat and dairy.
Known as alpha-gal syndrome, the condition is changing the way many people shop, cook and eat in a place long known as a food-lover’s retreat for its thriving independent farms and restaurants. These new habits may prove to be lasting, as some islanders who initially avoided beef and cheese temporarily, out of necessity, later give them up for good out of preference.
“It’s sort of supersized vegetarianism,” said Rebecca Miller, a farm owner who has the syndrome herself.
Last year, out of 1,254 tests for the allergy, 523 came back positive, according to laboratory data from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. This was a stunningly fast rise from 2020, when only two out of nine tests were positive.
“Alpha-gal cases are skyrocketing across the island,” said Patrick Roden-Reynolds, a state-funded biologist who leads the tick safety programs on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. He has spent much of the past few summers counting ticks in yards and teaching people to cut down on the risk of bites by, for instance, wearing clothing treated with repellent.
Residents have told him that worries about alpha-gal syndrome keep them from hiking, gardening and going to the beach. A few said they were moving off the island entirely, and while ticks aren’t the only reason, they are definitely in the mix.
“There are a lot of angry people, a lot of stressed-out people and a lot of fearful people,” Mr. Roden-Reynolds said.
Over the past three decades, alpha-gal syndrome has taken hold in a wide band of the United States from Oklahoma to Long Island, changing the lives and diets of people who come down with it. Its arrival on Martha’s Vineyard has been especially dramatic in part because its spread has been so quick, and in part because people come here to unwind in nature, not to hide from it.
The acres of undeveloped woods and waving grasses that make the island so alluring to celebrities and vacationers are also deeply attractive to deer and the ticks that feed and breed on them.
A population that was already wary of deer ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, reacted quickly to the ascent of a new species. First spotted on the island in 1985 but seen in significant numbers only in the past few years, the lone star tick has become that scourge of beach communities everywhere: the uninvited guest who won’t leave.
After a walk in the woods three summers ago, Nina Levin noticed that the screen on her phone appeared to be moving. It was, in fact, covered with tiny lone star ticks. So was she.
Her walk had brought her into contact with a teeming cluster of crawling, biting arachnids known as a tick bomb. A few hours later, after she ate red meat for dinner, her stomach was in knots with what felt like food poisoning. A test confirmed that she had developed antibodies to the sugar molecule galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, familiarly known as alpha-gal and found in almost all mammals.
Her symptoms (“wildly unpleasant”) stayed away if she simply avoided red meat until a few months ago, when she was bitten by lone star ticks again. Now, she reacts to milk, cheese and other dairy products, too. This is particularly challenging for Ms. Levin because she is the owner and chef of a mobile pizza oven and a dessert trailer known for buttery pastries and soft-serve ice cream.
“I’m not a big red-meat eater,” she said. “But the dairy is, like, tragic.” This summer she is selling a new vegan cruller made with coconut oil, a recipe she came up with at least partly so she could eat one of her own pastries again.
Islanders who come down with alpha-gal syndrome discover that it is much easier to find help here than it would be in many places on the mainland. There is an alpha-gal support group, alpha-gal seminars and spontaneous alpha-gal convocations in the checkout aisle.
“I was standing at the grocery store shortly after I got it, and four out of five people standing in line had it,” said Cassie Courtney, a Chilmark resident who has lived with the syndrome for two years. “We were all looking at each other’s carts asking, ‘What are you eating?’ ”
Some restaurants, like the takeout window at Menemsha Galley, hand out a list of alpha-gal-safe menu items. Nightly specials at Mo’s Lunch, a counter-service restaurant inside the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs, are either vegan and dairy-free or can easily be modified, a direct response to the rise of alpha-gal, said Maura Martin, an owner and chef.
The rustic roadside market at North Tabor Farm, in Chilmark, now refrigerates plant-based butters, sausages and cheeses on their own shelf behind a slate sign reading “alpha gal friendly.” The farm’s prepared foods have changed, too.
“This year, the stuff we cook or create in our kitchen has been 100 percent vegetarian,” said Ms. Miller, an owner of the farm. “And a high percentage of it is vegan, too, just because there are so many people” with alpha-gal.
For people with extreme sensitivity to the alpha-gal molecule, watching what they eat is not enough. They also have to watch where they stand. One local man lost consciousness at a recent cookout after inhaling the smoke from burgers on the grill at a cookout, according to Josh Levy, a dietitian in Edgartown who now advises him.
Other patients have reported allergic reactions to brands of bottled water and white sugar that are processed using animal-bone char.
Both the troublemaking foods and the symptoms they induce — cramps, diarrhea, hives, swelling, asthma and, in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock — vary widely from one person to to the next.
“The hallmark of alpha-gal is that the reactions are consistently inconsistent,” Mr. Roden-Reynolds said.
Some patients find that their sensitivity clears up within six to 12 months. For others, it can linger, though exactly how long is one of many unknowns in the relatively young field of alpha-gal science. A number of people aren’t quite sure whether they have gotten over it or not because they’ve simply stopped eating meat and dairy.
“Some people say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened, and they’ll never go back,” even if their sensitivity vanishes, said Mr. Levy, the dietitian.
Whether temporary or not, the vegan boom has inspired some grocers to seek out more plant-based ice creams, cheeses and other products.
“They’re selling like crazy,” said Rosemarie Willett, who owns North Tisbury Farm & Market. Several times a day, customers who are loading up their grocery baskets break into impromptu conversations about life without meat and dairy.
“I feel left out at this point that I don’t have alpha-gal,” Ms. Willett said.
Press Release: Eating Disorder Workshop
Vineyard Gazette June 10th, 2016
Thirteen Island health professionals recently attended at two-day advanced eating disorders workshop led by eating disorder expert Jessica Setnick.
The workshop held May 19 and May 20 was designed to help the professionals serve Island youth who struggle with eating disorders, according to a press release.
Read the entire article at: https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2016/06/02/eating-disorder-workshop
If the Blues Hit, Reach for Greens
by Prudence Athearn Levy Vineyard Gazette April 16th, 2015 The winter was long and hard this year, but surprisingly it is now, when spring begins to show itself, that one’s mood can also be adversely affected. I find myself getting excited when the calendar turns, but then suddenly I am chilled for months. But spring is really here, and with it comes nature’s renewal of energy. Perennials are starting to poke through the soggy earth and represent renewal, awakening and hope. If you are feeling a bit sluggish from the long and unrelenting winter, or the slow start to spring, use the power of the season to help you move forward, break out of your winter eating habits, change up your nutrition and improve your mood. Targeted nutrition therapy has been proven to help uplift our moods, our hearts and our minds. Click here to read the full articleWhat Ails You? I Put On Weight This Winter
by The Martha’s Vineyard Times On behalf of those of us who partook in too much comfort food over this long — so very long — winter, we asked our panel of practitioners if they had a single tip that would help us take off a few pounds and keep them off.
Josh Levy, Vineyard Nutrition
Eat your calories, don’t drink them.
A big, fancy coffee drink has about the same amount of calories as a large bowl of clam chowder. And for that same amount of calories, you would feel satisfied for hours and load up on nutrients with a 100 percent whole-grain wrap filled with grilled chicken and vegetables, a side salad with low-calorie dressing, and a small bowl of berries. Liquid calories, including specialty coffee drinks and juices, while tasty, do not keep you full, and many are loaded with extra sugar and fat. And they are an expensive way to spend your calories. In place of high-calorie drinks, try aiming for no-calorie options like water, seltzer, herbal tea, or unsweetened iced tea or coffee. You can also try adding a squeeze of lemon, lime, or orange or adding cucumber, mint, or a packet of True Lemon to your water.
Remember, you don’t have to totally eliminate all liquid calories — just keep them small and limited to special occasions. This small change will help you lose weight and feel better.
Click here to read the full article
Winter 2015 Newsletter
By now you’ve probably heard that nuts are a great addition to a heart healthy diet. And they are! Theyare filled with fiber, protein, and heart healthy fats (which help you stay satisfied longer), good sources of vitamins, minerals, and disease fighting phytochemicals, and some, like walnuts, even boast heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
No Fear, Embrace the Egg
by Prudence Athearn Levy Vineyard Gazette February 19th, 2015Winter makes me nostalgic for my Edgartown childhood, for sledding at Sweetened Water Farm and ice skating on Jernegan Pond, for pink cheeks and frozen toes that didn’t bother us because we were having so much fun. It seems like when I was a kid there was significantly more snow, and more opportunity for ice skating on ponds, but probably every generation says that.
It is interesting how we remember things. As a nutritionist, my nostalgic thoughts often turn to food. Was food and nutrition simpler back then, I wonder. My family’s farm was certainly simpler than it is now — just an open roadside stand across the much less busy West Tisbury Road in Ed Tyra’s old lot. At that point we also still sold raw milk from our three Jersey and Guernsey cows, and fresh eggs from our 25 farmyard chickens out of the back door of our house.
– Click here to read full article
Island Coalition offers nutrition workshops for high school students
by The Martha’s Vineyard Times
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS), Island Grown Schools (IGS), and Vineyard Nutrition have teamed up to offer a series of nutrition workshops for high school students in January. The workshops, led by Josh Levy of Vineyard Nutrition, will focus on both sports nutrition and helping graduating seniors prepare for eating well at college, according to a press release.
“At IGS, we are able to bring school garden based learning to children across the Island from the time they are in preschool,” Noli Taylor, Island Grown Schools program leader said. “At the high school level, we want to empower students to take what they’ve learned in the gardens and classrooms and translate it into action, making healthy food choices for themselves and seeing themselves as active participants in the community food system.”
The sports nutrition workshops will teach athletes what and when to eat and drink to excel at their practices and games. “The athletes train very hard,” Mr. Levy said. “We know proper nutrition can help them get the most out of their workouts and do their best during their competitions.”
Workshops for graduating seniors will be held in June and will focus on how to eat healthy in college. “College is the first time these students will be able to eat whatever they want at whatever time of day or night,” said Mr. Levy. “Especially growing up on the Island, with limited access to fast food, the transition can be challenging. We want to make sure they have the tools to eat healthfully and do well in college.”
For more information contact Claire Lafave at claire@islandgrown.org.
Island Grown Workshops Help High Schoolers Eat Well
by The Vineyard Gazette
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Island Grown Schools and Vineyard Nutrition have teamed up to offer a series of nutrition workshops for high school students. The workshops, led by Josh Levy of Vineyard Nutrition, will focus on both sports nutrition and helping graduating seniors prepare for eating well at college. The sports nutrition workshops will be held this month, and will teach athletes what and when to eat and drink to excel at their practices and games. The workshops for graduating seniors will be held in June and will focus on how to eat healthy in college, where there will likely be much more access to fast foods with less nutritional value.
For more information on the workshops, please contact Claire Lafave at claire@islandgrown.org.
– See more at: http://vineyardgazette.com/news/2015/01/13/island-grown-workshops-help-high-schoolers-eat-well?k=vg5489be38f056d
The best intentions: How to make 2015 the year you keep your resolutions.
by Josh Levy MV TimesThe New Year can be an exciting new start. It gives us the chance to think about all the things we want to change. But New Year’s resolutions can also cause dread or fear, especially if you’ve tried those same resolutions before and felt that you somehow failed at them.This year, instead of trying major (and unattainable) resolutions when it comes to what you eat, let’s try a different approach. Start slow, make lasting changes, and remember there is no finish line. Look at some of the options below; choose a place to start, and start having more energy and feeling better today.
• Set small, realistic, and measurable goals. Let’s say you are not exercising, and you set a goal to exercise five days this week. You try it for a week, and exercise three times. While you made a lot of progress, your unreachable goal set you up to fail. Instead, set a small, attainable, and measurable goal, like walking twice a week for 15 minutes. Slowly increase it by one day every week until you are exercising five or six times a week.
• Aim for three meals a day. Research studies — and my work with clients — shows that people who eat three meals a day better control their weight and blood sugar. It helps you not overeat and gives you sustained energy and level blood sugar. If you normally skip breakfast, aim for breakfast twice weekly. Then slowly work your way up to eating it every day. After a few weeks, you will start to wake up hungry.
• Fill half your plate with fruits and veggies. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and are low in calories. Plus, when you have a big salad on your plate, there is less room to load up on pasta or mashed potatoes.
• Eat more whole grains. Packed with fiber, whole grains will help you feel full longer and help control your blood sugar. Slowly swap your white carbs for whole-grain varieties.
• Eat your calories, don’t drink them. A big Starbucks holiday coffee drink has about the same amount of calories and fat as a small hamburger. Liquid calories, while tasty, aren’t filling, and are loaded with extra sugar and fat. Try aiming for water, herbal tea, or unsweetened iced tea or coffee, or try adding a squeeze of lemon, lime, cucumber, or mint, or a packet of True Lemon, to your water.
• Write down what you eat. Awareness is key — you learn what opportunities there are for you to change. Recording your food keeps you accountable, and helps you remember all the extras we tend to forget, such as the handful of nuts or chips, or the extra piece of chocolate, which all add up. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Try a piece of paper, the notes section on your phone, or one of the many available apps.
• Organize your home and workspace. You can’t eat what is not there, so clean out the fridge and cabinets of holiday “extras.” Put all leftover snack foods out of sight, and leave a fruit bowl on the counter. Move the fruits and veggies out of the “rotter” (what I call the refrigerator drawers in many houses) and onto the top shelf where you can see them. Last, make healthy snacks convenient by keeping them in your desk, purse, or car.
• Eat out less. Even healthy restaurant choices have more calories than you would eat at home. If the breadbasket is tempting, ask the wait staff to remove it. Start with a small salad; choose plain or grilled chicken or fish with lots of veggies. Skip dessert, and watch what you drink. Sharing a meal is another way to eat less, and allows you to enjoy time with friends. Last, limit eating out to once or twice a week. You can buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies with all the savings.
• Exercise most days of the week. A few years ago, I worked with a client who hadn’t exercised in more than a decade and would rather clean her sock drawer than take a walk. We started slow — one minute a day — and then added a minute a week. Seven months later she was walking 30 minutes a day and loving it. Start small, do something you like, get some music, exercise with a friend, sign up for a class, or work with a trainer. This has to last forever — going big your first day and hurting yourself will set you back.
• Be wary of fad diets. Amazon.com currently has 142,624 diet books available. Some work in the short term for some people, because they make big changes and help you focus on what you are eating. However, most people can’t keep a fad diet going long-term, which is why they are called fads. If you plan to use them as a jumpstart for making changes, make sure you have a good transition plan back to regular foods.
Remember, aim for progress, not perfection. Start small, make a few changes at a time, and ask for professional help if you need it.
A helping of healthy holiday eating
by Keya Guimaraes MV TimesHealth through the holidays can seem like a cruel oxymoron when presented with the blitz of cookie exchanges, indulgent buffets, cocktail parties, and family feasts served up wholeheartedly between the short weeks of Thanksgiving and New Years Day. The Family Center and local nutritionist, Josh Levy, will offer an evening workshop on navigating this delicious, but weighty season of food and festivities to keep your entire family healthy.Josh Levy of Vineyard Nutrition knows the nutritional trials unique to Island residents. “We definitely have the usual holiday activities of kids events, parties, concerts, business and community get togethers, which offer more and more opportunities to knock you off your routine; but in addition to those, for us on the Island, add the off-Island shopping trips, day trips to Boston and Falmouth, then extra trips for family travel, and our schedules just get layered with stress.”
Appreciative of the season of indulgence, and the concerns that accompany it, the Family Center of Martha’s Vineyard is proud to host a workshop on maintaining optimal health, both nutritionally and emotionally, on Wednesday December 10. “We can still celebrate the holidays with family and friends,” Levy told The Times. Sometimes it’s about creating new traditions, sometimes it’s about making choices ahead of time, and most of the time it’s just about planning ahead.
At the workshop, Levy will provide specific tools to gracefully maneuver the maze of sugary, caffeinated, and fatty merry making that seem to throw our bodies and minds for a loop at this time of year. Levy explained, “We see the roller-coaster of managing stress and busy days by eating junk food or drinking more coffee, which in turn has more cream and sugar, which in turn leads to craving more sweets, and then all day long the blood sugar goes up and down. And that’s just the adults. For kids, there are all these high sugar treats and snacks that show up, causing the same blood sugar fluctuation, leading to crabbiness or sadness, and finally affecting sleep… which in turn affects the adults.”
Levy suggests bringing food with you. “Pack a cooler, fill it with cheese sticks, yogurt, apples, veggies, so when you get stuck in traffic you reach in and everyone’s fine, or mid-shopping you grab your snack and can keep going. If it’s a longer trip, find out if you’ll have a kitchenette in your hotel room, or if you can contribute to the shared meals by bringing some of your own healthier food. Look ahead at menus, plan ahead so you don’t make that impulse grab.”
Levy will show how replacing unhealthy habits with new traditions can be fashioned to celebrate the true essence of the season. He said, “I worked with a mother and daughter who had always done a cookie swap together. But talking to both of them, we discovered neither of them really wanted to bake twelve dozen cookies again. They both wanted to feel good, lose weight, and control a medical condition. So they created a craft project tradition to replace the baking, and still got the special time together, but in a new way. It was really wonderful to see that change.”
Living on the Vineyard does not make us exempt from stress and health problems due to poor nutrition, yet Levy says we have unique resources, “we are free from the fast-food chain industry, we have a strong community which often supports healthy attitudes and awareness, and we have the beautiful environment. Bundle up the kids, go outside for a walk, jump in the leaves, and play together. It will do them, and you, a world of good.”
Attend the free workshop and learn more about how to take care of yourself and your family over the holidays. Dinner and childcare provided. 5:30-7pm. Wednesday, December 10. Pre-registration is required. 508-687-9182.
