Vegetarianism and vegan diets have become a hot topic in the news lately. Many claim the diets reap incredible health and environmental benefits, while many believe animal products are an essential part of a healthy diet. And some simply categorize vegetarians and vegans alike as simply annoying. We talked to Zehra Khan ‘18 on the controversies of vegetarianism, Khan says that many tell her “[Your diet] is just complicated!”. Vegetarians are often subjected to an increased amount of scrutiny over their diet, feeling though people label or identify them by their diet. Other vegetarians at Blake echo Khan’s statement, Sadie Abernathy ‘19 stating “people think that you do it just for your personality.”  Contrary, Christoffer Hovard ‘18 a non vegetarian, believes that if vegetarians and vegans are trying to start a revolution of diets he, “can’t see the logic”.

One of the most common misconception about vegetarianism and veganism is getting the sufficient amount of energy especially when a burst of protein in meat and other animal products is available. Some of the students, like Khan, at school lunches sometimes find it hard to get the, “sufficient amount of protein” because there is little diversity of proteins that don’t include meat. Even at Blake, vegetarians do still struggle to find options. Hazel DeHarpporte’19 says “Blake has some options… I mean there’s a salad bar, but sometimes there’s not really anything besides the salad bar.” On the other hand, Hovard considers himself someone at lunch can, “eat everything”. Vegetarians who may not have typical options sometimes need to resort to non conventional sources of protein, both Khan and DeHarpporte stating that without the protein they need, they can feel lethargic or tired. DeHarpporte says of her protein intake, “I eat a lot of beans. And peanut butter. But not together.” So whether it be the joy eating a hearty bowl of mac and cheese, a T-bone steak, or beans and peanut butter (separately we hope), any diet or eating habit you choose should keep your stomach satisfied and keep your body feeling its best.