Students get pointers on eating healthy

Students learned how to lead a healthy vegetarian lifestyle Wednesday
evening thanks to a couple of their peers.

Holland senior Jill Vyncke and Auburn senior Jessica Wegener, both
dietetics majors, hosted “Veggin’ Out” at the Wesley Foundation, 1400
S. Washington St., for their community nutrition project.

The students made pamphlets with information about vegetarianism and
vegetarian recipe ideas and made vegetarian dishes for the audience to
taste.

“Our goal is to promote healthy eating,” Wegener said. “I feel
better when I’m a vegetarian. I feel it’s a healthier diet.”

Wegener and Vyncke said they want people to know they don’t have to
be vegetarian to eat vegetarian meals.

When people aren’t eating animal products they are healthier because
they don’t consume as much saturated fat, they said.

Wegener said she became a vegetarian to lead a healthier life.

Vyncke, who is not a vegetarian, said she believes in the positive
health benefits of vegetarian eating.

She said many animal products can be substituted for other foods and
also highlighted the different forms of tofu and tempeh – a soybean
cake-like texture – which she said was her favorite.

“The different kinds of tofu were interesting.” said Amanda Oliver,
Taylor senior and vegetarian. “I didn’t know there were so many kinds.”

The students also prepared Greek salad with tofu and roll-ups with
black eyed peas for everyone to try.

“The food was excellent,” said Chris McNicol, Mount Pleasant senior
and vegetarian.

The students said vegetarians can use soy products to compensate for
nutrients – such as iron, protein, vitamin D and vitamin B-12 – which
are only found in animals.

They also told students about places to shop for vegetarian foods.

They said Kroger, 480 E. Bluegrass Road, has a good organic section,
Meijer, 1015 W. Pickard St., has a variety of Middle Eastern foods and
the Greentree, 214 N. Franklin St., has a good selection of
vegetarian-style foods.

For eating out, China Garden, 2328 S. Mission, has a variety of
vegetarian dishes, they said.