Vegetarians and vegans often are scoffed at for their choice of a seemingly healthier lifestyle, but these herbivores may have something going for them.

“I race road bikes,” graduate philosophy student Bill McCarthy said. “A big concern of mine is the vascular system. The plant-based diet has less fat and cholesterol, and it gives me the opportunity to eat more of a variety of diverse foods.”

McCarthy, who is the president of the Vegetarian Eating Group at NIU, has been a vegetarian for six years.

“We focus on non-confrontational educational outreach to tell people … of the benefits of vegan and vegetarian diets regarding human health, animal rights and environmental issues,” McCarthy said.

By choosing to eliminate animal-based products from their daily intake, vegetarians and vegans enjoy taking in calories from plant-based foods.

“We enjoy the diversity of the plant kingdom in our diets,” McCarthy said. “It is a much heart-healthier diet because it is much lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, especially vegan diets, which contain no cholesterol because they are free of animal products.”

In addition to raising awareness of health-related eating issues, VEG brings speakers to the group’s meetings to educate about the importance of nutrition.

McCarthy thinks that in addition to helping educate about nutrition, VEG is a way for people to meet others with similar interests.

“VEG is the only organization in DeKalb that provides reliable dietary information for vegetarian and vegan diets,” McCarthy said. “We are open to vegetarian and non-vegetarian people.”

VEG meets every other Thursday at 8:45 p.m. at DuSable Hall, Room 328. According to McCarthy, about 40 people come to regular meetings.

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