Five years ago, Emily Banas made a huge lifestyle change. After learning in health classes about how animals are treated in slaughterhouses, Banas, sophomore in LAS, made the decision to become a vegetarian.

Banas did research on animal cruelty and was thoroughly turned off by it, she said. She also looked into the health effects of how the chemicals ingested when eating meats can be harmful to the human body.

“I like to say that I don’t eat any type of food that has a mom,” Banas said. “I don’t eat any meat, cheese or animal by-products.”

There are many different classifications of vegetarianism, said Rebecca Roach, teaching associate of food science and human nutrition. Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat both eggs and milk but not meat; however, some do not eat eggs but drink milk. Pescatarians eat fish but do not eat any other meat products.

“Veganism is like the extreme sport of vegetarianism,” Roach said. “Vegans do not consume anything that comes from an animal. For example, they do not eat honey. They do not even wear leather or use makeup with animal products in it; this category includes anything that either causes harm or discomfort to animals.”

Being a vegetarian or vegan means that one needs to pay special attention to their nutrient intake and make sure that he or she meets all the requirements needed for a healthy diet, Roach said.

“I have never been in a situation where I can find absolutely nothing to eat,” Banas said. “There is always a salad bar in my sorority house, and sometimes the chef will make us vegetarians special meals if we can’t eat the meal.”

The residence halls also provide vegetarians and vegans plenty of options with their salad bars and various vegetables, Roach said.

Banas said she also keeps her own supply of food in her room that she can substitute. Restaurants are not a problem for her either, as many local businesses offer vegetarian options.

“Anyone who is a vegetarian can eat perfectly healthy at any restaurant they go to,” Roach said. “All it requires you to do is to look at the menu with a different eye than before, or ask the waiter how certain foods are prepared.”

There are even restaurants that cater specifically to vegetarians and vegans such as the Red Herring, located on the corner of Oregon Street and Mathews Avenue in Urbana.

The Red Herring is a restaurant and coffeehouse that serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday, mostly for the campus, said Maggie Verklan, current manager.

“We have a strong regular crowd who are mostly vegetarians and vegans at this point because we are the one place on campus that is a guaranteed meal that is cooked in a kitchen without meat,” Verklan said. “A lot of people do come who are not vegetarians or vegans but just want a more politically minded food choice.”

The Red Herring has been named the best vegetarian restaurant for the past three consecutive years, as awarded by Buzz Magazine, Verklan said.

Banas also pointed out that many other restaurants have a vegetarian section on their menus for the convenience of their customers.

“You will begin to notice it more in menus because vegetarianism is becoming increasingly common as people are more into the morality of what they eat,” Roach said.

As she has gone through the starting process of being vegetarian, Banas suggests that newer vegetarians take time to do research about the types of foods they should be eating as well as going to see a nutritionist.

“It took me a couple years to get my eating patterns right because I wasn’t getting as full as I used to,” Banas said. “You need to go out of your way to look for protein and vitamins from other sources.”

McKinley has a lot of great sources for learning nutritional needs, Roach said.

“I think being a vegetarian or vegan is a great lifestyle, although it takes a lot of attention,” Roach said. “There are lots of important pieces to being either one, but it is perfectly simple and doable.”