Vegetarian: A look into why SJHS student Eliot Schlaak chooses to be vegetarian and what it means

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On average, Americans eat 106.9 pounds of meat each year, yet as time goes on, more and more people are becoming vegetarian, some even converting to veganism. What is this meat-free lifestyle like?

Well, according to Eliot Schlaack, 11, he eats more varieties of food as a vegetarian than he did as a meat-eater.

“I love vegetarian/vegan alternatives, as they are sensory-friendly to my eating disorder,” Eliot said.

Becoming vegetarian was the best option as his family practices veganism, and being paired with a disorder called Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID.

“This means I have sensory issues with food. Meat is one of those food groups that I can’t eat because of this disorder,” he clarified. 

The rest of his family didn’t have ARFID, but had other reasons for going vegan.

“My mom and brother went vegan because they found out about the industrial meat complex and the abuse animals go through,” Eliot said.

Veganism is the practice of not eating any animal products: eggs, milk, and other secondary animal products. Vegetarianism is not eating any animal meat but includes secondary animal products.

“My family is all vegan, I am the only vegetarian. I’m kind of lucky because then I get all the eggs and chocolate to myself,” Eliot joked.

But the vegetarian lifestyle has been a part of Eliot’s life for quite some time now.

“I’ve been vegetarian for more years than I haven’t been. I only ate meat when I was 7-10 years old,” he said.

For Eliot, he can’t break his vegetarian practice due to his disorder, but his family has indulged on the occasional animal product.

“I don’t think I’ve ever cracked, but I know my brother and mom have eaten butter and milk when they were vegan,” he said.

Restaurants have started to expand their menus to accommodate the growing number of people becoming vegetarian, vegan, or any type of other animal-related diets.

“It’s very easy to eat at restaurants as a vegetarian—there are so many black bean burgers and veggie pastas around here,” Eliot said.

According to a survey sent out to SJHS students, around 17.4% practice some form of veganism.

Being vegetarian is proven to have health benefits as long as you get the appropriate amount of protein. So, maybe next time you go to order a juicy burger, consider a vegan “chicken” sandwich. You may just like the taste more.