"Chicken Nuggets are Made from Chickens?"

“Eliminating meat from my diet has actually made me become a faster runner.” Grace is a freshman at Endicott and runs cross country for the school. She has been a vegetarian for two years, and she explains how it wasn’t as hard of an adjustment as many people might think. “I mean, I think it’s different for everyone, but I enjoy eating salad and soup everyday.” There aren’t many options in the dining hall for vegetarians, but Grace likes the salad bar and doesn’t get tired of the food that she eats everyday. In her refrigerator, Grace always keeps fruit such as bananas and apples, and yogurt. Chickpeas are a good source of protein, which Grace is sure to include in her salad every day. Dried fruit is an essential in her dorm room, and she is always sure to have protein bars. “Protein is important in a diet, but you don’t need a lot, so to make up for the meat and fish that I don’t eat, I make sure I get other sources such as protein bars or fruit.” You can tell the difference between Grace’s side of the dorm refrigerator compared to her roommate’s. Becoming a vegetarian didn’t change Grace’s lifestyle very much, but she has noticed her diet is overall healthier, she doesn’t have those unhealthy snacks that other college student have, such as cookies or Pop Tarts. “I’m an athlete so I have to be healthy, but that’s not the only reason why I eat healthy, I enjoy eating this food, it makes me feel better, and I found it helps my performance.”

Grace

“I was in McDonalds with my mom ordering chicken nuggets when I was about seven years old, and I asked why they were called chicken nuggets. When my mom told me they were made from chickens, I freaked out.” Three years later, Ash made it official, she was a vegetarian. Since then, she hasn’t eaten any sources of meat, fish, or gelatin. There is a section in the dining hall at Endicott that is “especially for you”; this is where Ash likes to go for lunch and dinner. She makes her own meals by adding vegetarian chili and cheese, and putting it on bread, and calling it her meal for the day. Similarly to Grace, Ash enjoys eating this kind of food, she doesn’t find it too difficult, but admits the dining hall should have more a variety for vegetarians. When I asked her about shopping for her refrigerator in her dorm, her roommate chimed in about how she always eats raisins. She laughs and says, “raisins are good, I also have an obsession with apples, I will always have apples in my refrigerator.” Ash eats whole grains pasta often to make up for the protein she doesn’t receive from meat, and when she is running to class, she will take a protein bar with her, just like Grace.

Ash

Rachelle is a freshman at Endicott as well, and she does not eat meat, but she does eat fish. She does not check to see if there is gelatin in certain foods like Ash does. “I stopped eating meat when I was thirteen. I don’t know, I am just a strong supporter of treating animals well, and I’m just doing my part by eliminating meat out of my diet.” Rachelle thinks that it can be hard to find a meal that she likes in the dining hall, and her refrigerator always has fruit. She says that when she is home from college, its actually harder, because when she goes to her friend’s house and they have burgers for dinner, she has to refuse, because she doesn’t eat meat. “I hate being rude, but I’m not going to eat a burger just to avoid awkwardness. When I look at a burger, all I see is a cow.”  

Rachelle

All three girls share similar diets that are not like most college students’. It seems to be a pattern that since they don’t eat meat, it is important to get protein through other sources such as pasta, rice, or protein bars for snacks. Being a vegetarian for these three proved to be caused by the desire to live a healthier lifestyle, as well as their concern for animals. It takes a lot of determination to stick to a vegetarian diet that most people cannot even begin to imagine themselves on. Grace, Ash, and Rachelle are three college students at Endicott College who demonstrate healthy diets, and overcome certain obstacles to stay true to what they believe in, even on a college campus surrounded by temptations.