Students turn to vegetarianism

By Sachiko Miyakawa

Published on Mon., November 24th, 2008

While his family enjoys a traditional roast turkey this Thanksgiving, Ben Jefferies plans to cook a tofu turkey. He will mash the tofu into a turkey shape, add stuffing and then roast it.

Jesse Gray, Lawrence, begins to prepare tofu for the Nice Cafe at the Casbah Market, 803 Massachusetts St. Gray said that people can get plenty of protein from legumes such as beans and lentils.

Photo by Julianne Kueffer

Jefferies, Tonganoxie junior, became a vegetarian his freshman year because of concerns about animal welfare. He said he was also troubled by the environmental problems created through meat production, which consumes more energy and resources than growing vegetables. He eats beans and grain for protein instead of meat, fish, eggs or dairy products.

“At first, you feel like you’re sacrificing,” Jefferies said. “After six months, meat and dairy products don’t taste good anymore.”

Jefferies is among vegetarian students who choose not to eat meat because of environmental concerns. According to a 2008 poll published in the Vegetarian Times, 3.2 percent of U.S. adults follow a vegetarian-based diet.

Among the vegetarians surveyed in the 2008 poll, 42 percent were aged 18 to 34. The same poll indicated improving health was the most popular reason to eat a vegetarian diet, while 47 percent of the vegetarians cited environmental concerns.

Vegetarianism as a way to protect the environment started in the 1960s, said Karl Brooks, associate professor of history and environmental studies. He said some people thought following a non-meat diet meant they consumed fewer resources because many studies showed raising beef used more resources than growing the same quantity of vegetables.

Brooks said the increasing awareness of resource depletion and climate change had spurred a growth in the number of people experimenting with vegetarian diets in the past 10 years, especially among young people in larger cities and college towns.

Alyson Fuller, sophomore, Ottawa, is drying pieces of lettuce with a towel in the back of the Casbah Market at the Nice Cafe, which has Jamaican inspired food.

Photo by Julianne Kueffer

Sheryl Kidwell, associate director of KU Dining Services, said the dining centers had offered vegetarian selections for more than 15 years and had been adding to the number of vegetarian items since then. She said 10 percent to 15 percent of customers ate these menu options, and the demand for the menus had increased during the past five years. She said not all people who ate vegetarian items were strict vegetarians, though.

Ezra Huscher, Salina senior, decided not to eat meat his freshman year because of concern about the environment. He said because most of his friends and roommates were vegetarians, he usually didn’t find any trouble being a vegetarian. However, he said his eating habits sometimes confused others when they invited him to their homes and served meat. Although he tries to refuse politely, some people still don’t understand why he practices vegetarianism, Huscher said.

“It’s not challenging for me, but it’s just being polite for others,” he said.

Ann Chapman, coordinator of nutritional services for Wellness Resource Center, has counseled several vegetarian students in the past. She said vegetarian diets tended to lack vitamin B-12, calcium, protein and iron. She said she was concerned some vegetarians consumed too many dairy products, such as cheese, non-skim milk and ice cream.

“A vegetarian’s diet can be healthy if it’s carefully planned,” Chapman said.

— Edited by Adam Mowder

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