[ Area residents veg out for healthier eating

February 22, 2007

MARQUETTE — Every morning Natasha Gill grinds flax seed and nuts and mixes in spinach or other greens, herbs, frozen fruit, rice syrup and soy milk. She calls it a “green smoothie” and it’s what she eats for breakfast.Gill, 31, a member of the social and educational group Northern Vegans, spoke about her meal at a recent workshop on vegetarian and vegan eating at the Peter White Public Library. “I was a declared vegetarian at age 14,” she said. “I just never gravitated to meat.”Gill has since become a vegan — a person who does not eat or use any animal or dairy products. Once she realized how animals are treated at factory farms she could not bear to eat dairy and poultry, she said. “It’s more than just a diet; it becomes a process for people,” Gill said. Gill said there are different reasons why people decide to become a vegetarian or vegan. One of them is health.Gill said cholesterol only comes from animal

products, so a vegan or vegetarian diet may boost cardiovascular health.Participants of the workshop spoke up, sharing their stories of turning vegan or vegetarian. Some said the change in nutrition has made them feel more energetic. Some said their new diet has lowered their blood pressure.Health affects aside, another reason people turn vegan or vegetarian is environmental. That’s the reason Gill’s husband David changed his lifestyle.“I went from fast food to vegan pretty quickly after I started to learn how we raise animals impacts the environment,” he said.David Gill lived in an area where he saw waste from industrialized agriculture or “factory farms” pollute rivers.“At that time, I said I can no longer eat anything that comes from that factory agriculture,” he said.Northern Vegan member Jeff Plummer of Negaunee said he became vegan 18 years ago when he made a bet with a vegetarian friend that he would not eat meat for a

month. He said he felt emotionally and physically better, and never turned back.“Every year I find more rationale to stay a vegan,” he said.Gill also spoke about the challenges of becoming a vegan or vegetarian. “Oftentimes the biggest challenge is a spouse or partner who does not support the lifestyle,” she said. “Eating is a very social activity. When you’re changing, that is really hard for your family.”One thing that shouldn’t be a challenge is cost. Gill and others said cooking your own meals, growing a garden and preserving foods make living a vegan life no more expensive than eating meat.Northern Michigan University freshman Mike Robinson came to the workshop to see what Marquette has to offer for vegetarians.“I thought it was awesome,” he said. “It really just opened my eyes to the whole community of people who are vegan and are interested in becoming a vegan.” Robinson said he would like to become a vegan,

but the decision is complicated by his NMU meal plan. As a freshman, Robinson is required to purchase a meal plan, but he primarily shops at the Marquette Food Co-op. He said he barely uses the university meal plan because it doesn’t support his lifestyle.Robinson said the workshop erased his doubts about becoming a vegan and inspired him to fight for his lifestyle.“The fact of the matter is that’s how I want to live, and there shouldn’t be a reason to stop me from it,” Robinson said.When making the transition away from meat, Gill reminded participants to seek advice from someone who is already a vegan or vegetarian. Northern Vegans has a Web site at www.northernvegans.com with more information. The group’s next meeting is at 6 p.m. March 22 at the Sweet Water Cafe. Peter H

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