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