Recently in Bel Air more teens are choosing to become vegetarian because of health, animal rights, environmental, and social issues. I have been vegan for over a year, and vegetarian longer. A vegetarian is someone who consumes no meat, including fish and chicken. A vegan is someone who doesn’t eat meat, or any product that comes from an animal. This includes dairy, eggs, honey, or even using products tested on animals.
“Well what do you even eat?” This is the immediate reaction when anyone discovers I’m a vegan. Obviously, food is an extremely important part of the vegetarian lifestyle. Just like an omnivore, vegetarians have plenty of options to keep things interesting instead of eating salads every day. Personally, I don’t even like salads. Some of us use meat substitutes and pre-made meals, others have parents who cook for them, and many cook for themselves. I can’t even tell you how horrendous my culinary abilities were before I became a vegan. I didn’t even know how to boil pasta. Now, I can make a variety of complicated and often foreign meals, like “Orange Chicken Cauliflower”, “Walnut Lentil Meat Loaf”, “Chana Marsala”, and countless more. Cooking with meat is considerably more difficult than a vegetarian dish, with vegetables and grains you never have to cook something through so it’s no longer raw. All three of the students interviewed said that vegetable quesadillas are their favorite go to meal, because they’re delicious, quick and easy. Other foods they enjoyed were black bean burgers, calzones, and tofu.
Teenagers who chose the vegetarian lifestyle do so for any number of reasons. It varies from religion and tradition, health, animal rights, environmental, social, or just to try something new. The most common among young people tends to be animal rights, or a combination of this other issues. The EPA shows that animal agriculture is the single largest source of methane emissions in the U.S. Producing one calorie from animal protein requires 11 times as much fossil fuel input as does producing a calorie from plant protein. If you’re concerned about the environment, going veg is the best way to reduce climate change. Also, concerning your health, vegetarians and vegans are shown to live 6 to 10 years longer than meat-eaters. Not getting enough protein is a misconception; most Americans consume 110 grams of protein a day when the recommended amount is 30.
Madison Krchnavy, a junior and member of the Drama Company explains, “I would like non-vegetarians to know, first and foremost, that vegetarians are not all snobs, although some definitely come off that way. All vegetarians choose their diet for different reasons, not everyone is a heavy left winged environmentalist elitist.” While Krchnavy sticks to eating veggies for health reasons, others said it was for animal rights.
Most people who have never tried to be a vegetarian find the lifestyle intimidating and confusing. But most vegetarians live an average life with few obstacles. Vegetarian diets are often viewed as complicated and time consuming, but most teens express how it’s just as easy if not easier than a diet with meat.
Junior and cross country runner Emma Roberts corroborates, “Vegetarianism can be really healthy and easy if you know how and understand the lifestyle. I feel so much better about myself when I’m not eating meat, I feel like I’m really making a difference.” Roberts is an example of athletes who can balance the veg diet with a busy sports schedule. “It is super easy as long as your friends and family are supportive and you make sure you always have plenty and vegetarian snacks if you are on the go.”
Krchnavy explains, “Every restaurant out there has a vegetarian option, you just have to look for it.” Even in other settings, teens can rest assured that they’ll always have something they can eat when out with friends.
For the more laid back student, Junior and award winning artist Amy Nowaskey tells the Bellarion, “I don’t have much of a busy schedule, but being a vegetarian is very easy! Most quick meals are vegetarian, so if you are in a hurry it is no problem.”
If you’re curious in the vegetarian lifestyle and want to make the switch, it may be just the step to take to create a better you. I will always say the best decision I ever made was to become a vegan.
“If you’re even thinking about cutting meat out of your diet, definitely go for it,” says Krchnavy, “Just one person can make a huge difference just by choosing a plant based diet, and honestly, I know I always feel much better about myself after a vegetarian meal than one that includes meat.”
Transitioning to no longer eating meat is not as daunting as one may think. Roberts supports this, “I had a pretty easy transition to a vegetarian lifestyle. Eating at home is easy when you have a lot of vegetarian options around the house and your family understands and accepts the lifestyle.”
Despite all this new information, the most important question you’re asking is, “How do you live without bacon?!” Trust me, you won’t miss it.
More and more teens have adopted the vegetarian lifestyle at Bel Air High, more information can be found on how to be a teen and live veg at www.peta2.com or by contacting grace.catherine.brett@gmail.