By: Nina Carlsen
College students at Saint Louis University need to know the answer to this question as hundreds of students rely on on-campus dining options as their main source of food during the school year.
In order to answer this question it is necessary to first understand what a vegetarian or a more plant-based diet consists of. The vegetarian diet is typically seen as the complete elimination of meat from one's diet. A more plant-based diet typically includes the elimination of all animal products such as milk, cheese, eggs etc.
Now, in order to find out how a person with these dietary restrictions can be accommodated at SLU it was essential to speak to people on the other side of the lens as far as on-campus dining goes. Dine SLU Nutritionist Donna Foy as well as Dine SLU Director of Operations Myron Bridges offered insight on the topic of being vegetarian at SLU.
Both Foy and Bridges provided a list of all restaurants and dining halls on SLU's main campus that have at least a few vegetarian options. Below is a graphic that shows the different options mentioned.
Image edit created by Nina Carlsen on Sept.19, 2021.
Both Foy and Bridges also mentioned a tool that students with dietary accommodations, such as a vegetarian or vegan diet, can utilize while dining on campus. It is called the Bite U App.
Video recording taken by Nina Carlsen of the Bite U App on Sept. 20, 2021, Audio clip featured of Foy taken by Nina Carlsen on Sept. 20, 2021.
Bridges suggested for all students to follow Dine SLU on their favorite social platforms, "Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram we post regularly about dining on campus and showcase new initiatives on those pages." These social pages can be found @dineslu on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
When asked about what Dine SLU can do to improve accommodating students who have a vegetarian diet Foy said, "About four members of SLU's community have mentioned their concerns and questions about accommodations regarding the vegetarian diet on campus just this week. At Dine SLU I believe we should work on offering even more options and increase the variety of food provided while accounting for the wants and needs of our students."
As a result of speaking with two informed members of SLU's main dining service provider it seems that a vegetarian diet can be a sustainable and achievable feat that will continue to evolve and improve as more students living on campus adapt plant-based diets.
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