I will be the first to admit that I have very little willpower, especially when it comes to food. If I see something tasty, whether its bacon or a bag of potato chips, I can’t help but want to take a bite (or a few). I have always idolized students at Millersville who are maintaining a vegetarian diet while living on campus and eating at the dining halls. I am not a vegetarian, but I have the utmost respect for them and wish I had what it takes to follow in their footsteps. I was lying in bed in my dorm room one day when I had a startling realization: I eat at least one type of meat almost everyday.
It was then that I decided I needed to make a change to my gluttonous lifestyle and cut back on the amount of animal products I consume. So, I decided to challenge myself. I was going to attempt to restrict myself to eating only the vegetarian options available from the various dining halls on campus for a whole school week. I logged what I ate each day and recorded how I felt, and read articles like this one by Kathleen Dolan from St. Edwards University for insight and inspiration.
Here’s how my challenge went:
Overall, despite being a picky eater, I found the vegetarian options available at Millersville to be delicious! However, I did notice toward the end of the week that selection was becoming limited. At the Galley, the only meat-free meal options for dinnertime are plain pizza, a salad, and pasta with sauce from the pasta bar. Breakfast options are limited to a bagel with cream cheese, fruit, and cereal with milk. At the Anchor, the salads are pre-made with only croutons and cheese as toppings, plus your choice of dressing. The Anchor has mac and cheese and soup which I ate a lot at lunchtime. They also have a protein substitute available at the made-to-order sandwich service if you want a sandwich without meat, as well as plain pizza. Most of the sides at the anchor are vegetarian, but the main course food items mostly contain meat. I have concluded that the Upper Deck actually seems to have the most vegetarian options, though the menu is not the same everyday. The salad bar, dragon bowl, healthy bar, and made-to-order omelet and pasta bar from the Upper Deck were definitely my go-to’s this week!
My attempt to be vegetarian for a week on campus pretty much exhausted all of the vegetarian options Millersville has to offer. As a result, I found myself wanting more by the end of the week. I had gotten pretty bored with the vegetarian options on campus, and would’ve liked to see more variety in the types of fruits and vegetables in particular. I actually did feel better and more energized by the end of the week! While I did crave pepperoni pizza and hoagies from time to time, I felt compelled to eat the vegetarian options because I knew both myself and the environment were benefiting from my decision. After all, it’s the little choices we make everyday that have the biggest impact on the condition of our life and the lives of others as well. So, If you aren’t a vegetarian, that’s absolutely okay, but I would recommend trying to go vegetarian for at least one week. Even if you live on campus, it isn’t as difficult as it may seem to eat meat-free in the dining halls.