“Go vegetarian.” The thought never truly crossed my mind, but in a spontaneous whim I decided to give it a shot. Yeah, sure it’s easy to stumble towards the AMU grille and grab a greasy burger, but putting a little discipline into your life by adhering to a stricter diet can yield mental and physical benefits, especially in these winter months when its easy to succumb to poor dieting habits.

And coming from a ravenous pig like myself, it really wasn’t a difficult feat. All it takes are a few paltry adjustments. When I started the process, I began by coupling my interests and tendencies with my eating habits. For example, I usually prefer to eat lunch with friends at the AMU during the week, so I’d go with them for a bite and would get milk, a bagel with peanut butter, and some fruit.

Easy enough. It’s a fairly balanced meal for anyone, even someone like myself, who exercises frequently and needs to rebuild muscle tissue. But if you’re against supplanting lunch with breakfast food, the salad bar is a healthy alternative with plenty of options to customize your own blend of nutritive flavor.

But that’s just the start of the many vegetarian options here at Marquette.  Just about every residence hall on campus has something to offer. Straz Tower, for instance, has a wide selection for vegetarians, including stir-fry, pizza, salad, and fruits and vegetables. Or if you feel like grabbing something quick, head over to one of the brews and snag a warm winter beverage with a simple snack like fruit and yogurt. Or for my fellow night owls, I’ve found myself ordering off the vegetarian Chinese and Japanese menus on numerous midnight occasions–usually a simple vegetable soup and tofu dish.

For more on going vegetarian, check out Dana’s article