Is UT a vegetarian-friendly college?

Not according to peta2, which is an offspring of Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that is geared toward college-age people. Both Peta and peta2 are very radical, in-your-face groups, so I’m a little weary of them. But, thousands of people voted for the most vegetarian-friendly colleges in the U.S. and Canada. Here are the U.S. winners: 1. Indiana University-Bloomington, 2. Humboldt State University, 3. University of Puget Sound, 4. Yale University, 5. SUNY Purchase, 6. Oberlin College, 7. New York University, 8. University of California-Berkeley, 9. University of Pennsylvania, 10. University of Florida.

So the Longhorns didn’t make the list. But that certainly doesn’t mean we aren’t vegetarian-friendly here on campus. Although UT could definitely do more to cater to vegetarians, the list of vegetarian-friendly colleges is simply based on access to veggie-friendly food on campus.

According to the Division of Housing and Food Service, the most recent surveys show that about 6 percent of UT students living in residence halls are vegetarians. In the dining halls, menus that have no animal products are marked green. And if they aren’t marked green, but clearly aren’t animal products, beware: “We cannot guarantee that french fries, onion rings, hush puppies, and fried okra have been fried in oil that has not been used to fry animal products (fish, poultry, meat),” the DHFS Web site states.

There are vegetarian options in every dining hall on campus, but often not in the form of full vegetarian meals. DHFS says most vegetarian options around dinner time are categorized as side dishes. This is probably where UT lacks the most: complete vegetarian meals.

In 1995, DHFS created a student Vegetarian Focus Group that gives suggestions to DHFS about ways to make dining on campus more veggie friendly. Contact mjones@austin.utexas.edu to join.

DHFS has its own vegetarian food guide pyramid (I think the Mayo Clinic’s is better):

Now vegetarian-friendly options at the Union and right off campus (the Drag) is a totally different issue — something a DHFS focus group can’t really control.

A vegetarian’s pyramid

While vegetarians are often healthier than meat-eaters, veggie lovers can be missing a few healthy body ingredients that they would easily get from meat. Iron, protein and vitamin B12 are usually the main ones. So, vegetarians must ensure they are getting those nutrients in their diets. Obviously taking supplements is one way to simply get them in your body, but having a healthier, more well-planned diet is much better.

As I write this I realize that I have not followed my own advice. I am probably one of the least healthy vegetarians out there. I do not watch what I eat, get enough protein/iron or take supplements. Bad vegetarian!

On the food and nutrition page on the Mayo Clinic’s Web site, it introduces the vegetarian diet: “Adopting a healthy vegetarian diet isn’t as simple as scraping meat off your plate and eating what’s left.” This is certainly something to consider when planning vegetarian meals or choosing to become a vegetarian.

In the last post, I mentioned the Soul Food Pyramid. The Mayo Clinic has a Vegetarian Diet Pyramid:

It’s a pretty broad food pyramid, but it should be helpful to vegetarians trying to eat better (like myself) or meat-eaters easing into a vegetarian diet.