Becoming vegetarian was always something I’ve thought about, I just never acted on it. As an environmental engineering major, I’m constantly looking at the impact of human actions on the environment. For me, animals and wildlife have a soft spot in my heart when it comes to how we, as a population, can alter an animal’s life. One day while I was scrolling on my phone, I came across a video on animal cruelty. This was something I had known occurred, but something about that video really struck something in me.
Additionally, I already knew eating less meat has a positive impact on the environment, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing land and water use, among other things. For the next few days I started to think about what it would mean to actually be vegetarian: What can I really eat in the dining halls to stay healthy and get my protein in? Within two days, I was pretty much set on being vegetarian, trusting I could figure out the rest later.
the dining hall
I knew the dining hall would be the biggest challenge. There are numerous dining halls on campus, but the one right next to my dorm is always the easiest to go to. Unfortunately, it has very limited options. The first few days of being vegetarian, I was honestly fine. Meat was never a staple in my meals, so I was perfectly fine with something like vegetables and pasta. However, this wasn’t sustainable for very long. I quickly realized that I need more protein and nutrients in my diet. This is still something I’m working on, but definitely getting better at.
Of course, there’s always tofu, but often the only tofu in my dining hall is just plain, diced tofu to put into salads, which isn’t very appealing to me. They also usually have a plant-based burger, which I’ve tried but quickly realized wasn’t for me. While I still haven’t perfected anything, I’m learning to grab the items with higher nutritional value whenever possible. This usually includes edamame, quinoa, yogurt, and chickpeas. Now, my meals at the dining halls are more focused on getting nutrients and I eat my protein while I’m in my dorm or somewhere else.
in the dorm
This was honestly my favorite part to research. I loved scrolling through Instagram and TikTok to find quick, high-protein snacks for in my dorm. Everyone has different preferences for what snacks they want to eat. Personally, I like to eat things like protein shakes, Greek yogurt, and any snack that had the word “protein” in it immediately went into my shopping cart. Unfortunately, my dorm is a 25-minute walk to the nearest grocery store, so getting anything cold isn’t the most practical.
One trip, I got a four-pack of Greek yogurt, one for each day, and realized that making frequent grocery runs for cold items was not realistic. Fortunately, everything else was easy because I could just order it in bulk on Amazon. Creating a small stash in my room has really made all the difference. What I eat in the dining hall is very unpredictable based on what’s being served every day, but I know what I’ll be eating in the dorm to make sure I’m still fulfilled. As long as I can always hit my protein goals and stay satisfied in my meals, I’m happy.
My decision
I definitely don’t regret my decision at all. I’ve always loved animals and already felt conflicted about eating them, so making this shift brought a sense of relief in a way. Now, I know that my choices align with my values and help contribute to environmental sustainability while reducing animal cruelty. After telling everyone that I was going to be vegetarian, most people were very surprised and didn’t understand.
But, I think what anyone needs to know if they’re thinking about going vegetarian is that it doesn’t matter what other people think, because it’s ultimately your decision.
Also while researching, there was a lot of information about becoming vegan. In the TikTok above, many of the comments are just people urging others to go vegan. The trend I found is that vegetarians get hate from meat eaters because they’re not eating meat and hate from vegans because they’re not “truly helping.” Personally, my goal is to be conscious of what I’m eating, so if there is a vegan option, I would gladly choose it. As a lot of people say, one hundred people who are “mostly vegan” are better than just one vegan. In the end, I would love to be 100% vegan so I could fully be a part of something bigger, but changing my whole diet in college is already very difficult as it is.
At the end of the day, I stand with my decision to go vegetarian and I do plan to look into veganism down the line. College is about taking steps into the person you want to become and figure out your core values, and for me, becoming vegetarian was one of those steps.