A different diet
College students adopt various diets for budgetary, health and ethical reasons. From eating Ramen noodles and mac and cheese to being fast-food regulars, the rationales for eating a certain way are numerous.
Chloe Hanson, a junior majoring in creative writing, said she’s been a vegan for about four years. She became a vegetarian when she was eight years old and said during high school she realized she wasn’t being healthy by eating bread and ice cream all the time.
A vegan, as defined by the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, is a strict vegetarian who consumes no food that comes from an animal or from dairy products.
Now that she has been following the diet for several years, she said her body’s clock has evened itself out.
“I also don’t get distracted and I can focus more in class,” she said.
For Chae Martinsen, adopting a vegan diet held more meaning than solely abandoning dairy and meat products.
In second grade, Martinsen, who was raised in Layton before moving to Las Vegas, said she came to the realization that eating animals she loved was wrong.
“I thought, ‘How can I love them and still eat them?'” she said.
After becoming vegetarian in the second grade, Martinsen said she never wavered from the meatless diet, and, nine years ago, she cut out dairy as well and became vegan.
“I realized that the meat and dairy industry just thrive off each other, and I didn’t want to support any of the cruel acts that go on in slaughterhouses, dairy farms and chicken coops,” she said.
Hanson said even though she is concerned with the ethical and environmental benefits of veganism, “not every vegan is a crazy, in-your-face PETA activist.”
“My family thinks it is weird,” she said. “They think it is more of a statement or an image- driven lifestyle choice.”
Rachelle Wong, a biology major, said veganism for her was a health-based decision, not an ethical one.
“I was feeling very sluggish and tired all the time,” she said, “Once I stopped eating bacon cheeseburgers and other crap, I felt so much healthier.”
Wong said she took meat and dairy out of her diet gradually as she learned which foods she could add to her diet to compensate for the lack of protein.
“It turns out there are a ton of very healthy vegan foods that have a ton of protein and way less calories,” she said. “I have oatmeal almost every morning with vegan peanut butter. I feel loads better than when I was downing bacon, eggs and muffins.”
She said she had to add tofu, quinoa, lentils and leafy vegetables to her diet for extra protein. “If you’re really having a hard time, you can take vitamins,” she said.
According to peta.org, most major health food chains have many vegan-friendly options from cake and waffle mixes to egg and cheese replacements.
“It’s a common misconception that veganism is a boring, tasteless diet,” Wong said. “Once you figure out different recipes and how to cook them, it really is delicious.”
She said in the past week she has made meals that even her meat-eating roommates enjoyed.
“They made fun of me a bit at first because I went from eating meat at almost every meal to cutting it out completely – along with dairy. It was a big change,” Wong said.
Hanson’s roommates also think her vegan diet is weird, she said.
“They keep trying to persuade me to let it go – ‘We’re having ice-cream, don’t you want some?'” she said. “And I’m always cooking and making a big mess.”
Wong said initially her diet was just about health, but after making the dietary change, she learned a lot more about the ethical aspects as well.
“I found out I am saving around 100 animals a year – not too shabby,” she said.
She said the hardest part wasn’t the willpower to avoid familiar foods, it was finding where to shop and how to do so without breaking the bank.
“I didn’t feel like there were very many options on campus,” Wong said. “Even the salads come with cheese and dairy dressings.”
However, Hanson said she hasn’t had a problem finding vegan food on campus.
“I used to eat at the Marketplace, and the Mexican place has salads, and the Asian spot has noodles and vegetables.”
She said she will probably raise her children with a vegan diet, even though it’s really strict.
“It’s not a lifestyle choice I would recommend for everyone,” Hanson said. “You have to research it or you’ll be miserable.”
– natashabodily@gmail.com