People who decide to eat less meat are becoming increasingly common in the United States, as well as on the Tufts campus. A 2007 poll by Harris Interactive found that the number of teen vegetarians had tripled since 1997. Those who decide to become vegetarians do so for a variety of reasons, ranging from ethical to environmental.
For freshman Noa Naftali, it is a clear-cut ethical issue. "I became grossed out by the way animals are treated to produce commercial meat," Naftali said. "I am not even a big animal person, but I do believe that there is a clear line between right and wrong when it comes to raising animals for meat. And I do believe that it is totally natural for humans to eat meat; we have been eating meat since forever. But in the past, we raised animals on farms, where they lived normal animal lives before being given the boot. The way we do a lot of it now is just so vulgar and reductive."
Naftali has been a vegetarian since her junior year of high school and is one of many Jumbos who came here already following a vegetarian lifestyle. Senior Courtney Morrissey has been a vegetarian since eighth grade and cited her love of animals as the reason she stopped eating meat. However, she has been encouraged to continue with the pattern based on the environmental impact of raising meat in this country.
"It wasn't until after I'd been a vegetarian for a few years that I started reading more about it and felt even more strongly about it," Morrissey said. "I think the environmental factor is huge. People try to negate it by saying that organic, free-range, grass-fed beef exists, but people typically don't buy it."
Environmental issues can greatly influence people to become vegetarians. For senior David Gainsboro, who became a vegetarian 11 months ago, it was the driving motivation to make the switch.
"It was really the energy issues," Gainsboro said. "The problem is that in our country, we're not even feeding our cows grass — we feed our cows corn. Corn is grown with incredible amounts of pesticides and oil-based products, so you're basically just putting oil into these animals."
He had been previously unaffected by arguments that it should be an ethical choice. "The moral dilemma just doesn't play a role for me," Gainsboro said.
Alice Lichtenstein, director and senior scientist of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts, and the Stanley N. Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition, said that college is not at all a bad time to become a vegetarian. She added that as long as all nutritional needs are met, a vegetarian lifestyle isn't any different than any other form of dietary pattern.
"[College] is not an inappropriate time to do it," Lichtenstein said. "You still have to consume your fruits and vegetables. You could be a vegetarian and eat french fries and diet sodas, but that's not the recommendation."
Lichtenstein listed many different kinds of vegetarians and vegetarian lifestyles. Pescetarians eat fish but no other meat or poultry, ovo-lacto-vegetarians eat milk and egg products but no meat, and vegans do not eat animal products at all. In addition to the above groups, many people follow guidelines that make the most sense for them. The term "flexitarian" has been coined for people who occasionally eat meat. Flexitarianism is still considered by many to be part of the vegetarian hierarchy.
"I do eat local meat," Gainsboro said. "For Thanksgiving, I got a locally-raised turkey, and I cooked it very carefully, and I ate it. I was there with a vegetarian and vegan, and they ate it too."
Though being a vegetarian is a personal choice, it can affect how others perceive this choice. Some are welcoming and accommodating of the different diet choices, and some are not.
"I participate in a dinner rotation with my friends, and I have never had an issue with vegetarian options," Morrissey said. "They like to be creative in cooking, and will let me know ahead of time what the meat/vegetable ratio of the meal will be. Other, less-dear people are often not so understanding. I've been quizzed on every ‘would you eat meat if ...' scenario and certainly made fun of, but I think it's mostly defensive behavior. A lot of people think I am out to convert them, or that I'll throw red paint on them. But I'm just open to have a discussion about it — I think personal choice is the most important thing," Morrissey said.
Gainsboro has had similar experiences. "My friends call me a vagina-tarian," he said. "Some of them have taken offense to me having become a vegetarian and take it as a personal affront to [them being omnivores]. I don't mean it as an insult, I just think it would be good if everyone just reflected on the implications of eating meat. I don't like to proselytize. If people ask, I'll tell them why I'm a vegetarian, but I don't broadcast it at all. One of my friends has redoubled his consumption of meat as a result of my meat decrease," Gainsboro said.
Despite these less-than-enthusiastic reactions, being a vegetarian is in some ways becoming mainstream.
"I think being a vegetarian now is a lot easier than it used to be because there are always vegetarian options when you go out, or eat in the dining halls, or go to the supermarket," Lichtenstein said.
However, the options in the dining hall may not provide enough options for vegetarians to fight off dietary deficiencies commonly associated with their eating habits.
"The dining halls do have some vegetarian options, but they are limited," Naftali said. "Suffice it to say that I have been on a steady diet of veggie burgers this year. However, mid-fall semester, I found out that I had become quite, quite anemic. So that's been tough — trying to remain a vegetarian and be healthy," Naftali said.
"The options at Dewick and Carmichael are pretty bad, which is frustrating," Gainsboro said. "But if you can make your own food I think it's really easy, and it's cheap. I mean generally it's cheaper being a vegetarian than buying meat."
