York not as vegetarian as U of T

Victoria Alarcon
Sports & Health Editor
York recently found itself a spot in round two of the annual North American Most Vegan-Friendly College competition, held by the youth outreach division of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for Youth (PETA2).
On Nov. 2, however, York was beat out by 2007 winner, the University of Toronto.
PETA2 announced the nominees this month based on tons of feedback from thousands of students over Facebook, Myspace and email.
“This is the fifth year that we have highlighted colleges and universities that offer delicious meatless meals on campus,” said Ryan Huling, spokesperson for PETA2. “Schools are starting to add more vegan options to the menu, including York, such as vegan samosas, falafel sandwiches and vegan cheesecakes, things that didn’t really exist five or 10 years ago.”
The number of nominees doubled from 40 to 80 competitors since last year, said Huling, and only 16 Canadian universities were picked. Other nominees include some of York’s neighbours: Queen’s University, the University of Toronto, the University of Guelph and many others.
For vegan student Rhianna Paul, a second-year visual arts major, the news of York’s nomination comes as a definite positive.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Paul. “Considering I’m going to be here for a couple of years.”
The vegan numbers in Canada have grown considerably in the past few years and vegetarian numbers have grown at an even faster rate. In a report by AgCanada in 2005, the publication found that up to 40 percent of Canadians will seek a meatless meal at times.
Maurice Morise, owner of the Indian Flavour restaurant in York Lanes, said the statistics come as no surprise, adding he’s seen a growing demand for vegan options at his restaurant. “Vegan is a growing market and is of importance in the university,” said Morise.
Indian Flavour is just one of the many restaurants at York that offers popular vegan options.
The change to a vegan or vegetarian diet include many health benefits according to health associate professor Mazen Hamadeh, and is a big reason people are beginning to change their lifestyle today.
Hamadeh recognizes that elimi- nating meat from your diet means eliminating the fat as well.
“The health benefits are two- fold. One, you are eating less of the food that contain high amounts of saturated fatty acids, you are eating less of the foods that contain cholesterol and instead you are eating grain, cereal and high fibre, which is ensuring you feel more satis- fied and full for longer periods of time.”
While those benefits may be a plus, for some students the cost of buying vegan meals at York is just too much for their pockets. “A lot of stuff is overpriced,” said Paul. “The ground food that we have in the cafeteria and other restaurants, you’ll find it costs 12 dollars for just a small salad.”
Chantelle Ennis-Charoo, a second-year communication studies major, finds when it comes down to it, she’d rather choose food options that fit her budget. “As far as cost goes, I think it is more expensive to eat vegetarian-type foods on campus.”
The decision to become vegan or vegetarian is not an easy one, either, said Hamadeh, who recommended those that want to go vegan should do it gradually. According to Canadian Health, the amount of people who switch to a meatless diet at a young age do not know enough about vegetarian nutrition to avoid deficiencies. In order to stay healthy, the average female must consume up to 46 grams of protein, and men 56 grams. A lot of that protein is found in meat products.
For many vegans or vegetarians, however, the decision to stick to a plant-based diet is not based on the health benefits they would gain or lose, but rather on the ethics of their choice.
Huling, a vegan himself, he made the switch when he became aware of the cruelty involved in raising and killing animals for food. Over the last couple of years, the amount of undercover investigation videos has increased tremendously over the internet. On YouTube, videos that showcase the notorious animal cruelty happening in fast food res- taurants has reached a staggering amount of views.
According to PETA2, as soon as individuals make the decision to eliminate meat products from their diet, they save the lives of more than 100 animals every year.
By offering students vegan op- tions, schools are giving students a choice and a voice in what they want to support, said Huling.
“The goal of the competition is to highlight schools like York that have gone above and beyond to meet the overwhelmingly student demand for vegan options and to remind students that every time they sit down to eat, they can make a choice.”