Profile: Evan Luzzolino, Temple’s Vegan Superstar

Whether it’s for animal rights, the environment, or a clean diet, it is no doubt that an animal-free regime has become popular among the Temple community. Students are more excited than ever to take up an animal-free diet. As a vegetarian myself, I can assure any students who are hesitant to take on the vegetarian lifestyle that Temple University is the perfect place to start. Our campus provides a multitude of vegan options. Whether it’s in the Student Center, Morgan Dining Hall, or Chipotle, there is something for everyone on campus. Most students just don’t notice. Still skeptical if a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is for you? I spoke to to a student about their experience with a new vegan lifestyle on campus.

Evan Luzzolino, who is a student at the Tyler School of Art, is all about animal rights when it comes to his vegan lifestyle. He said, “The best advice I can give give to someone who is trying to change their diet would be to try to understand the power of your mind. Understand if you want to cut something out of your diet, like animal products, then simply don’t buy it. It’s not difficult in the grocery store to move your hand from the milk to the almond milk two feet away.”

Evan’s advice about starting a vegan diet is insightful for those conflicted in their willpower to stay away from meat. “It is tempting to indulge in your favorite animal products at first, but sooner or later cravings start to dissolve and you’ll want to devour something like a veggie burger. I started craving more healthy foods and less of the greasy meat-based foods that I used to enjoy. Even if I happen to catch the aroma of bacon and begin to have a hankering for it, I can make a trip to Fresh Grocer and snag some tofu bacon.”

“Besides missing out on occasional Chick-fil-A runs with buddies, I only found myself happier in every aspect of my life just off saying no to animal products. Sounds ridiculous, but you’ll be surprised what you start to crave after a few months.  I noticed how the vegetarian lifestyle affects the body in positive ways. As soon as I cut meat out of my diet instead of feeling sluggish, I began to feel revived and full of energy. I never imagined sticking with this diet for so long (four years), but, as each year passes, I find more reasons to stick with it.”

Companies are always coming up with new alternatives than meat. The willpower gained from saying no to meat further encourages healthy eating habits. Society puts negative connotations upon vegans and vegetarians as ‘obnoxious’ or ‘stuck up’ about what they eat.

“I  think the usual stereotypes about vegans can be true,” Luzzolino says.  

Anyone about to take on these dietary choices has to understand the commonality of this diet. Temple University has a wide community of people who aren’t going to judge when it comes to being vegetarian.

Luzzolino continues, “…People who think that vegans are annoying or preachy are just simply unprepared to analyze the morality of their choices.”

Being busy in college shouldn’t be an excuse to not make the life choices you’ve always wanted to make. With the right mindset an animal-free lifestyle is simple: clean, healthy, and happy.

–– Olivia Falcone

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