Noura Oudeh may not be a doctor, but she knows healthy food and drinks at her Paterson juice, smoothies and dessert shop.Karim SHamsi-Basha

It’s no secret that choosing to maintain a vegan or vegetarian diet is a health-friendly choice. Other than the weight loss that often follows such dietary restrictions — vegetarians typically eat eggs and dairy while vegans don’t; neither consumes meat — benefits include lowering blood pressure, improving kidney function, reducing arthritis pain, and lowering the risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

But there’s often a stigma attached to vegan and/or vegetarian food: It lacks flavor, it’s unsatisfying, it’s not as good as “the real thing,” usually meaning a dish with meat. Yet New Jersey touts so many restaurants that put those stereotypes to shame.

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