Becoming a vegetarian at NIU is easier, and even healthier, than some may think.

Vegetarians do not eat any flesh foods, including meat, fish and shellfish, while vegans do not eat flesh foods or any food made from animals, including dairy products.

Associate philosophy professor Mylan Engel Jr. said he has encountered hundreds of NIU students who were vegetarians or vegans.

“Many of these students became vegetarians after taking a class in which they learn how inhumanely animals are treated in factory farms and modern slaughterhouses,” Engel said.

Adrian Seeley, president of NIU’s Vegetarian Education Group, said a vegetarian diet is not difficult to follow at NIU.

“I think being a vegetarian can be easy for anyone, once they know what and where they can eat,” Seeley said. “More places are offering veggie options. Even Burger King now has a veggie burger.”

Engel said it is much easier now to be a vegetarian or vegan at NIU than 10 years ago.

“Now most, if not all, of the residence halls provide soy milk in the dining halls and some sort of vegetarian option,” Engel said. “Of course, more students would probably choose vegetarian and vegan options if more such options were available.”

Andrew Hildner, a grad student in theater scene design, is a vegetarian and said it is not hard to find meals in this area.

“It’s a bit more of a challenge to be a vegan and find vegan food around DeKalb, but it’s not difficult at all to find food for vegetarians,” Hildner said.

Seeley also said non-vegetarians can choose to not eat as much meat to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“Even if one is not a vegetarian, they can still drastically improve their own health, the health of the environment and reduce their impact on the number of animals bred to be slaughtered for food,” Seeley said. “If everyone in the U.S. that ate meat cut in half their consumption, they would greatly reduce their chances of a heart attack, stroke and cancer.”

Engel said there are many benefits to becoming a vegetarian and one is a healthy weight.

“It is much easier to maintain a healthy body weight on an appropriately planned vegan diet, centered around grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes,” Engel said, “a good thing to keep in mind with swimsuit season around the corner.”