Bloomington High School North, Nikean, 2011, Page 141

Description:	Bon AppetiteWithouttheMeatThe school cafeteria gives studentsthe option to stick to their vegetarienbeliefs.Bacon and eggs for breakfast? A ham sandwich forlunch, maybe? And tacos for dinner? SophomoreKayleigh DeBruyne has an immediate answer ready:no thanks! A vegetarian for eight years now, meathas no place on her plate.I understand the need to eat animals to maintain the balance in the ecosystem, but I dont like participating in it,DeBruyne said.Although there are many reasons people choose to adapt tothe vegetarian lifestyle, Debruyne took the challenge becausethe idea of eating animals was unnerving to her.Its important to me to be a vegetarian because everyonedeserves to have a life and five it out, DeBruyne said. Animals still have emotions and a family and a conscience. Weshouldnt be taking away their right to five.As a bonus, DeBruyne believes Bloomington is a great townfor vegetarians, with plenty of organic and free-range food options. Even at school she uses the vegetarian lunch line everyday.Pam Combs, employed at North for 21 years on the lunchstaff instigated the addition of the vegetarian lunch line and awider range of vegetarian options in other lines for people justlike DeBruyne.Tm a vegetarian myself, and I didnt like that students didnthave a vegetarian choice, Combs said. So I added a vegetarianoption to every line.As the vegetarian lines popularity continues to increase,Sophomore Alex Landrum,a vegetarian for almost threeyears, diinks its pretty easyto refrain from eating meat.Sometimes its hard to getnutrients, Landrum said, Ijust dont feel like its right toeat animals.Photo by Raven Shermanmore vegetarian options are added to the menu. Now servingup to 200 vegetarians a day, students are very appreciative andsupportive in their reviews, sharing that their favorite choicesare pita pizza and macaroni n cheese.Our purpose was to satisfy the vegetarians, because theydidnt have any choices, Combs said. [The vegetarian line]gives them a choice for hot lunch.Dietician Marjorie DeBruyne supports this decision tobecome a vegetarian, having provided for two children whomade the decision not to eat meat.Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fats and cholesterol and high in fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals,Marjorie said.In comparison, she does acknowledge that there are negatives to the vegetarian lifestyle.Health concerns occur when meals are poorly planned,Marjorie said. Vegetarians may not choose nutrient-rich foodsin place of the animal products they are elimmating.Overall, Kayleigh is proud of her decision to five without thefives of animals on her conscience. She understands the needfor people to eat meat; she just chooses to be set apart fromthe practice. Feeling healthy from her eating decisions, she isdetermined to continue her individual lifestyle.Tt makes me feel better that Im not destroying litde babyanimals, Kayleigh said.Story by Shannon JagerQQD
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomnorth/id/7133
Collection:	Bloomington High School North

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