It’s easy to fall in love with the concept of vegetarianism or veganism. The allure of saving animals from slaughter or cruelty is devastatingly effective in theory. Sometimes vegetarianism is a product of necessity because an individual is allergic to animal products. Either way the existence of individuals with meatless diets must be acknowledged.
Here’s the catch—it’s hard to cut meat out of the American diet. Meat is the first thing that comes to mind when Americans brainstorm which kind of protein they should incorporate into their meals. The problem is that vegetarians need protein too.
According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, the average individual needs about .36 grams of protein per pound that they weigh. That means that the biologically average, male vegetarian needs around 63 grams of protein per day. For context, a four-ounce broiled sirloin steak is about 33 grams of protein, according to the Harvard Chan School for Public Health, while the average veggie burger patty is about 15 grams of protein, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.
The point is, a vegetarian is going to have to work a little harder than an omnivore to eat the right amount of protein. Veggie burgers, tofu and handfuls of seeds or nuts are going to be their dietary staples. According to Animal Charity Evaluators, between 2 and 6 percent of the American population is vegetarian. Around 5,500 students attend Geneseo, which means there are likely more than 100 vegetarians on campus.
Vegetarians are offered a few protein options at Geneseo dining halls. Campus Axillary Services provides veggie burger patties and sandwiches without meat at most dining halls. Eating veggie burgers for lunch and dinner, however, is only desirable for the first few weeks of classes.
Protein from a sandwich consisting of just cheese and lettuce isn’t going to be enough to fill a vegetarian’s daily protein quota. More options with tofu instead of chicken and soy protein or black beans in place of burgers would do wonders for a vegetarian’s diet. But even then, vegetarians are faced with the issue of price.
The classic quarter pound hamburger costs $6.25 at Max Market, according to CAS online ordering. A plain veggie burger costs $6.50 at Max Market. This price difference doesn’t seem like much, but a typical non-vegetarian doesn’t rely on burgers as their main source of protein. Veggie burgers are one of the only protein options available to vegetarians at Max Market.
Some other meat protein options across campus include the $4.50 plain chicken breast and the $6.25 grilled chicken sandwich at Max Market, the $7.95 chicken fingers and fries at MJ dining hall, the $6.95 Romagna chicken sandwich at Fusion Market and more. Unfortunately, vegetarians do not have the flexibility that most omnivore students have.
Vegetarian protein options are restricted to veggie burgers, the $6.95 falafel pita and an optional sprinkling of tofu in the build-your-own stir fry at Fusion. Non-meat-eaters are forced to pay much more for their meals than the average meat-eater might, and they are limited to the same one or two protein options for every meal.
The solution is clear: vegetarians need more protein options in Geneseo dining halls. The more meatless protein options there are on campus, the less difficult it will be for vegetarian students to get necessary protein in their diets.
If a few of these new vegetarian options are priced affordably, it will be less difficult for vegetarian students to pay for their meals. This way, students will be able to choose food based on what suits their budget instead of based on whether they can stomach a veggie burger for every meal of the day or not.
Madelyn Dewey is a political science and English double major junior with a passion for asking the squirrels on campus to be her friends.