Vegetarianism on college campuses popular
Benjamin Franklin, Benji from Good Charlotte, Henry Ford, Jerry
Seinfeld and CSU freshmen Colleen Craig and Betsy Stirn all have
something in common. They’re vegetarians.
“I stopped eating meat for ethical reasons,” said Craig, who has
been a vegetarian for eight years. “I can’t justify eating animals.
I’ve always been an animal lover and I just didn’t like the idea of
eating them.”
Marcey Wlodarczach, a dietician at Hartshorn Health Center, said
there are four types of vegetarians, ranging from people who say
they are vegetarians but still eat poultry, fish and animal
products, to vegans, who avoid all meat and anything derived from
animals, such as milk and cheese.
“A lot of people think (vegetarianism) is healthier or it’s like
a diet, because a lot of the fat in our diet is from meat
products,” Wlodarczach said.
She added that while some added health benefits, such as reduced
risk for heart disease and cancer, do go along with vegetarianism,
those results could be achieved by eating more fruits, vegetables
and whole grains in general.
“People shouldn’t feel like they have to have meat at every
meal,” said Wlodarczach, who suggests eating high-protein products
such as beans, legumes and soy as meat-substitutes.
At CSU, Housing and Food Services has made an effort to provide
healthy vegetarian options in the dining halls. Three years ago,
Braiden Hall and Durrell Center both added Side-Street
Vegan/Vegetarian Bars, which consist of nutritious options such as
beans, rice and various special entrees that are prepared without
dairy or meat products.
Ron Pantier, associate director for Residential Dining Services,
feels it is important to cater to CSU vegetarians.
“We do have some students living in our residence halls who have
requested that vegetarian meals be made available,” he said.
“Certainly, it goes along with providing healthy options in
addition to providing a vegetarian option.”
Stirn, a vegetarian who eats fish, thinks CSU has done a good
job providing food for non-meat-eating students.
“You do have to be a little creative as far as food goes,” said
Stirn, an applied human sciences open option student.
Craig, a vocal performance major, said she wishes there were a
few more choices in the dining halls.
“I’d like to see stir-fry tofu or tempeh,” she said.
Vegetarianism seems to be a rising trend, with restaurants like
Burger King now serving veggie burgers, but Wlodarczach said the
lifestyle has always been fairly popular.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily growing so much, but on a
college campus, I definitely think there is a higher population of
vegetarians because of the conception that it’s healthy,” she
said,
There are several restaurants in Fort Collins that cater to
vegetarians. Stirn and Craig recommend The Rainbow Caf�, Yum
Yum Restaurant, and Avagadro’s Number.
“There’s a pretty good selection for vegetarians in Fort
Collins,” Craig said.
*For a box, you might want to put some statistics from the
American Dietetics Association Web site:
-Over 30 million Americans have explored a vegetarian eating
pattern
-1/3 of teenagers think being a vegetarian is “cool”
-Health and taste are the top two reasons people lead vegetarian
lifestyles
*Or, you could list a typical day’s food intake for Betsi
Stirn:
-Breakfast: protein and juice shake or fruit with cottage cheese
and yogurt
-Snack: something with carbs, like peanut butter on crackers
-Lunch: salad with some kind of beans or fish
-Dinner: variety of things, such as beans, salad and/or tofu
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