Veggie options?

d themselves as vegans in 2008. and another 7.2 million people or 3.2 percent were on a vegetarian-based diet, eating no meat or fish. Some of those people have found their way to Belmont University.

To cater to the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle, Belmont’s dining service, Sodexo, has formed a section to their catering called “Balance Body, Mind and Soul.” The catering is well-balanced, carbohydrate friendly and provides vegetarian and vegan options. Soy milk and some vegetarian-friendly dishes are prepared in the cafeteria.

“The nutrition criteria are based on the recommendations of many of the largest health organizations in North America,” according to the Belmont Sodexo dining Web site.

“Guidelines put out by the American Heart Association, American Institute for Cancer Research, National Research Council, National Cancer Institute, Canadian Scientific Review Committee, American Dietetic Association and Dietary Guidelines Consortium [were] reviewed.”

There is a difference between vegetarians and vegans. Vegetarians are more lenient in what they eat. They don’t eat shellfish or meat but they may drink milk and eat eggs.

Ovo-lacto-vegetarians make up the majority of the vegetarian population. Vegans take a harder look at what they eat. They don’t eat meat, shellfish, milk or eggs. Honey and yeast may also be on the avoidance list of some vegans. Clothing made from animals isn’t worn, and other products made from animals are avoided.
Imania Freeman, a sophomore at Belmont, has been a vegetarian since October 2006, when she was a sophomore in high school. After doing research on fast food, she thought meat was really bad for her. Also, she didn’t like the idea of animals being mistreated.

“It is possible that the lack of meat eaten can make a difference in an animal’s life. There might be one less animal slaughtered today,” Freeman said.
Despite her reasons, she says being a vegetarian is difficult, especially when she goes out to restaurants.

“Although many restaurants have things like veggie burgers or black bean burgers, there are still restaurants that still do not have veggie alternatives, Freeman said. “So basically all I can eat is salad, which stinks because I do not like salad.”

Julie Kenny, a senior, was a vegetarian for five years of her high school and early college career. She “relapsed” during Thanksgiving one year and began eating meat again for a few years. It was after she watched the movie “Food, Inc.” a documentary by Robert Kenner examining food production in America, that she returned to the lifestyle.

“I saw how horribly the animals are treated that I walked out of there swearing to not eat meat ever again,” Kenny said. “I’ve always had a vague idea about the cruelty animals endure before they become dinner, but seeing actual video of how they are treated and the inhumane conditions they live in broke my heart.”

Aside from vegetarians’ beliefs on cruelty to animals, there are some health benefits with going on a vegetarian diet. Heart disease and blood pressure can be reduced with a vegetarian diet. Because vegans don’t drink milk, soy is a healthy alternative as well as eating dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli.

“Research has also shown that a plant-based diet can improve the health of people with type 2 diabetes,” said webmd.com, a medical Web site that answers everyday questions about health and reports new medical research.

With benefits come concerns. Kenny worries about getting enough protein because she’s not eating meat. Also, the thought of weight gain is a concern for her.
“I think I have gained weight since vowing off of meat again and wonder if it’s because I substitute things like pasta that will fill me up rather than some lean protein like chicken,” Kenny said.

Her main drive for staying vegetarian is the thought of preventing another animal slaughtered. “I feel better just knowing that I didn’t hurt any animals or contribute to their pain in any way,” Kenny said.

Sophomore Colin Bodayle was raised vegan by his parents. After drinking milk when he was 14 years old, he became vegetarian. He didn’t have any problems with being a vegan, as far as having cravings and such, because he was used to the lifestyle.

“It has moral benefits to someone who has a problem with the killing of animals; it also has dietary benefits, even if one doesn’t particularly try to be a ‘healthy’ vegan or vegetarian,” Bodayle said.

He had some suggestions for the cafeteria. While the caf has soy milk and some vegetarian dishes, the cafeteria workers make the sandwiches using the same gloves they handle meat products with. In order to be a vegetarian, there shouldn’t be any contact of meat with what sandwich they want to eat.

“There are options for vegetarians, but there seems to be very little effort to accommodate it. The possibility of making one’s own sandwiches in the caf would be ideal,” Bodayle said.

With the rise of vegetarians in America, Belmont may begin to see an increase in the population of student vegetarians increase. With Belmont’s Balance Body, Mind and Soul program, the university tries to accommodate all students.

“[The program’s] messages and offerings were developed with college students in mind,” Belmont’s Sodexo Web site says.