Veganism a way for students to protest animal cruelty

Alexa Alarcon

Once someone decideds to become vegetarian or vegan, it is their responsibility to stay healthy with their new diet.Ambar Alar, a MCC psychology major, had an epiphany once she viewed documentaries about the production and processing of animal products.

“I was so shocked to see how poorly thousands of animals were being raised and how brutally they were killed and used for humans’ selfish pleasures,” Alar said.

Alar struggled throughout her transition to a new diet.

“I got sick more often when I started being vegetarian but then I figured out what was it and I began taking more care of what I consumed. I made sure I took in a lot of vitamin C and more protein,” Alar said.

Christine Davis, a psychology and fine arts major at MCC, had some problems starting a vegan diet.

Davis had trouble maintaining the proper nutritional values.

“Finding whole protein in something other than meat wasn’t easy. You have to match up other things like nuts and fruits and eating a really wide variety of foods to get the protein that you need,” Davis said.

Davis, however, was unable to remain vegan after joining the U.S. Military. After Davis returned from service, she felt differently about the nutritional values that being vegan offered.

Davis discontinued her vegan diet because she did not feel that a large amount of soy was good for consumption.

Courtney Morentin, Whole Foods Market employee, initially became a vegetarian because she did not like the taste of meat.

Morentin has been pescetarian, a vegetarian who eats fish, for four years. Since working at Whole Foods, she has learned more about healthy eating habits.

“I never really experienced any downfalls after making my change to being pescetarian, but working here puts me at an advantage since it’s easy to find new supplements to take in like multi-vitamins and all natural supplements,” Morentin said.

Another valley business that caters to vegans is the restaurant Green on Scottsdale road.

Sandy Olsen, a Green employee, described the restaurant’s philosophy as producing healthy food that appeals to everyone.

Green incorporates a lot of different fruits, vegetables, nuts, and soy in it’s menu options.

“We try to avoid vegan preaching…we just want to give people a good place to feel welcome,” Olsen said.

Olsen said through reading and informing herself, she found out how beneficial a vegan diet is for her health, the environment, and animals.

Some vegetarians choose to express their beliefs and share them publicly, like Los Angeles photographer Melissa Shwartz.

“I believe we are all on this earth for our own reasons, and not to use each other. I believe in treating others as I would like to be treated,” Shwartz said.

Shwartz has been strict vegan for the past four years and vegetarian on and off since she was 5-years-old.

“I think the benefits of being vegan are pretty large, like less chance of heart disease, liver disease, certain cancers, kidney disease, diabetes, and arthritis. I also feel good about myself for boycotting animal abuse,” Shwartz said.

Matthew Ollinger, MCC business major, argued that a vegetarian or vegan diet would not be healthy enough.

“I can’t imagine how it’s considered healthy to eat only plants and vegetables. The lack of nutrients probably makes vegans very sick and that isn’t something I would enjoy to take on,” Ollinger said.

Ollinger respects the decisions of those who choose to go vegan. Yet, he does not put any limitation on what he can eat.

Olsen often encounters with meat-eaters who try to dispute her on the pros and cons of vegetarianism.

She normally attempts to avoid any conflicts. Though, her response is that it takes the body a long time to digest processed foods like meats and dairy.

“People that take lots of foods that contain lots of cholesterol, trans-fats, too much animal products, they are only killing themselves slowly,” Olsen said.

Shwartz said that altering one’s diet is an action that should be well thought out. “Being vegetarian or vegan is a life choice that has made me feel so much better as far as health and happiness goes. Yet, it is a decision that should be taken seriously,” Shwartz said.

  • Mesa Legend Staff

    These are archived stories from Mesa Legend editions before Fall 2018. See article for corresponding author.

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