The Vegan Way

The food pyramid isn't always constructed from the four main food groups, despite what elementary school teaches.\nAlthough nutritionists traditionally recommend a specific serving for each food group, the growing trend of vegetarianism, a diet omitting meat, and veganism, a diet omitting all animal products, has demanded a new foundation for healthy living.\nProfessor Victoria Getty, who teaches nutrition classes, said although she is not a vegetarian, a vegetarian diet can be healthy and easy to maintain with a little planning.\n"If you're eating vegetarian foods, then your eating pattern is based on fruits, vegetables and legumes, which are in themselves healthy foods," Getty said. "You can have lower fat and saturated fat, and also a good amount of vitamins."\nShe said folates, vitamins C and E, antioxidants, minerals and beta carotene all are abundant in a balanced vegetarian diet.\nDecreased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer are all benefits of a vegetarian diet, she added. But a vegetarian diet can be more complicated to maintain, and because animals provide many essential nutrients, Getty said vegetarians must concentrate more on getting vitamins and minerals from supplemental sources.\nTess Hannah, head baker at Bloomingfoods, 3220 E. Third St., has been a vegetarian since she was a child and has been a vegan for a year. To improve her limited diet, she takes a supplement called acidopholis, which she said is good for the intestines. She said she also takes a multi-vitamin to ensure her body is getting a variety of vitamins and minerals.\n"I feel more empowered as far as control over my diet," she said. "I pay more attention to what I'm eating. I've been vegetarian since I was 12, but now I feel like I'm really thinking about what I'm eating, and it makes me feel better physically and mentally."\nShe said Bloomingfoods offers many items to help her, and others sharing her dietary needs, eat healthier. They have sandwiches made with blackened or baked tofu, and all the bread is vegan. There's a case containing vegetarian food, much of which happens to be vegan. She said the offerings range from steamed broccoli to hummus, to vegan macaroni and cheese, falafel, lo mein, tofu and soy milk.\nHannah said she is motivated not only by the health benefits, but also by her concern for the environment and society.\n"The advantage is you're supporting a really good cause that's basically saying that you don't support the exploitation of animals -- that's one half, that it's good for animals and the planet," she said. "It's also good for you because it's more pure, since you're not eating a bunch of additives that will clog your intestines."\nJim Besson, foods manager of Collins Center, said he agreed with Hannah that the absence of meat is only one side of the vegetarian lifestyle. He has been a vegetarian for 25 years and has helped increase the vegan and vegetarian offerings in Collins.\n"I thought I could become a better world citizen by not eating meat," he said. "In the last five years, we've realized what an advantage it is to have this option (in Collins) because it brings a lot of students who are socially conscious. Being vegetarian is just a part of the whole, just the common denominator, just one facet of their lifestyle."\nHe said Collins has been offering vegetarian options since the late 1970s, although then the only option was a vegetarian omelet. The dining hall now offers more than 50 vegan and vegetarian entrees and more than 30 vegan soups. \n"In the University, when they began closing places, they never touched Collins because they realized IU has to have an option for vegetarians and vegans, and more people are increasingly expecting that option," he said. "People may choose this school because of this option."\nHannah said she thinks Bloomington does a fair job of offering places that support her alternative lifestyle, but said she does experience discouragement because her options are limited.\n"There's not a lot of restaurants in town (that offer vegan dishes)," Hannah said. "My friends and I don't go out to eat a lot because there aren't a lot that offer a variety of vegan food.\n"But I look at the disadvantages as an opportunity," she added. "When I find I can't eat something, it makes me feel really good when I can overcome the challenge of eating vegan."\nGetty said an essential consideration of the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is combining plant food, something that is abundant at the numerous ethnic restaurants in town.\n"Animal products automatically give you high protein, but vegetarians need to get their protein by combining plant foods, and you can do that easily with some planning," she said. "A bean burrito is combining legumes and grains. Stir fries are served over rice, which combine vegetables and carbohydrates"