Issue date: 4/13/09 Section: News

Photo illustration by Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern News

Students interested in vegetarianism should educate themselves before making a promise to no longer include meat in their diets.

Sarah Allen, nutrition coordinator for the Health Education Resource Center, said people who want to become vegetarians should not do it on their own until they are mature enough.

"What a lot of kids do is that they stop eating meat," she said. "They don't replace it with anything and they eat a lot of cheese pizza and pretzels. They don't do it in a healthy way at all."

Allen said there are different levels of vegetarianism.

"There are some people who say they are vegetarians who still eat poultry and some vegetarians who still eat fish," she said. "Those don't really have names."

People who do not eat any animal products are known as vegans. Allen said vegans eat any plant-based products.

"They also substitute meat for things like tofu and beans. They are very, very strict," she said.

Allen said people come up with many reasons for becoming vegetarian.

"Some people do it because they are concerned about the animals," she said. "Others do it for health reasons, because red meat has been linked to cardiovascular disease and stroke."

Allen said others who are interested in vegetarianism decide to try it to lose weight.

"I think they see people who are vegetarians to be thin," she said. "Vegetarians do tend to eat less calories. If they do it in a healthy way, it could be a way to lose weight, but it is not recommended.

"If one goes on a vegetarian diet, that means once they lose the weight, they are going to go off of it, and they are really not really learning anything in the process. The goal of weight loss is to create new habits that you are going to keep."

Allen said there could also be some side effects when one becomes a vegetarian.

"One theory is that your body likes to maintain homeostasis," she said. "So if you are usually 130 pounds then you start losing weight, your body can actually cause you to have cravings to try to get you back up to that 130 pounds."

Another major concern is the B-12 vitamin found in meat.

"In the past, it was not a problem because B-12 used to be found in feces," she said. "So if you have dirty food or dirty water, you had B-12."

Because of America's strict forms of sanitation, B-12 could be a problem for vegetarians in the United States.

"So it is recommended sometimes they take a multi-vitamin," she said. "Protein and iron can be a problem, but you can get it from beans, soy and hemp."

Allen also said someone who starts out as a vegetarian could have gastrointestinal problems.

"If someone is used to eating meat and then decides to become a vegetarian, they can get a lot of gas, and you can also get a little bit of constipation, and this can go any way," she said. "If you have been a vegetarian for a while and decide to start eating meat, the same thing can happen too."

Allen said overall, students who want to become vegetarians should educate themselves.

"You need to look into how you should be changing your diet," she said. "Look into recipes that include all the vitamins and minerals you need, and you can go talk to your doctor if you are concerned. Education is what they need to do."


Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.

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