Animal rights, concern for the environment, a desire to lose weight, or just wanting a change are all reasons to go vegetarian. Since college is all about experimenting, why not start with vegetarianism?

A common misconception about vegetarianism is that it limits your diet. Contrary to popular belief, going vegetarian does not mean all you can eat are salads. In fact, going vegetarian can expand your diet. Living in Milwaukee offers the perfect opportunity to try out vegetarianism. There are plenty of veggie-friendly restaurants and places to grocery shop.

You’ll have to head to the East Side and Riverwest neighborhoods, but it’s definitely worth the trip:

Whole Foods 2305 North Prospect Ave

Riverwest Co-Op Café 733 E. Clarke Street

Comet Café 1947 North Farwell Ave

Beans & Barley 1901 E North Ave

Hotch-A-Do 1813 E. Kenilworth Place

Fuel Café 818 E Center St

So, how do you ditch the meat and start a vegetarian diet? Taking baby steps is the easiest and healthiest way. Instead of quitting meat cold turkey (pun intended), try limiting your intake to every other day, or one meal per day. Stop eating meat gradually, but make sure you’re supplementing the nutrients you would get from meat with other things; eggs, for example, are an excellent source of protein, while nuts offer the healthy fats you need.

To make sure you’re getting plenty of protein you can turn to a variety of foods: Greek yogurt is chock-full of protein, as are other dairy products. Soy is also rich in protein and found in many vegetarian dishes. It comes in many forms, such as tofu, tempeh, milk, or as the bean themselves.

Dark leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, broccoli and romaine lettuce are essential when it comes to getting your iron as a vegetarian. One concern, however, is that the body doesn’t digest vegetable irons as easily as meat irons. To offset this, increase your vitamin C intake to help the process. Adding more citrus fruits to your diet easily does this.

Carbohydrates are fairly easy to get as a vegetarian. They’re plentiful in whole grain foods such as brown rice, wheat bread and tortillas, as well as pasta–so enjoying them shouldn’t be a problem. Whole grains are also a good source of zinc, which is important for immune system functioning.

As a vegetarian, milk can be your best friend. It offers not only calcium and protein, but vitamins D and B12 as well. Vitamin B12 is what most vegetarians don’t get enough of because it is only found in animal products. If you’re not planning on going vegan, you can get your B12 intake from dairy products, eggs or fortified products such as soy milk.

Making sure you stay healthy as a vegetarian can be simple, as long as you make sure you’re getting enough of the nutrients your body needs. In addition to eating the right foods, taking a multivitamin is a great way to ensure you’ll be a picture of health, without eating meat.