I came to UNC-Wilmington my freshman year not being a vegetarian. Though it was something I had always wanted to do, it was hard to achieve at home when most dinners contained a meat aspect. I had learned so much about the history of animal abuse, how the animals were raised, and the damages it does to our environment my senior year of high school and this issue became something I was extremely passionate about.

When I got to UNCW, I decided that this is the best time in my life to create change.  Now that I freedom and control over what I eat, I can take charge of my diet and eating standards and make my own choices.  I no longer had people cooking for me and choosing what I would eat every night. 

It was most certainly not an easy change, and there were many of times I ate Chick-Fil-a, or a chicken salad. And not to mention Cookout’s chicken quesadillas. Feeling regretful and disappointed, I kept telling myself it was just too hard for me to completely change my diet and lifestyle. 

Finally one day I told myself that there was no more of this back and forth, if it really meant that much to me I needed to stop “cheating”. And since that day I have yet to eat any meat product. At first, I was really concerned that I would really struggle with not having meat alternatives here on campus.

UNC-Wilmington dining does reach out to the population of vegetarians and vegans on campus by providing many protein replacements.  I have never felt like I cannot eat at a certain place on campus or have such few vegetarian options that it is not worth eating there.

I’ve never been someone who has enjoyed eating tofu or other meat replacements so forcing myself to expand my horizons and try new things was quiet the experience. The first time I tried a meat alternative was at Dub’s Café on campus, and though foreign and somewhat rubbery in taste, I ended up really liking it! Usually trying new things is difficult for me, but now it is something I am forced to do on campus in order to eat a balanced diet and take in all of my necessary nutrients. 

Overall, my experience of becoming a vegetarian was nothing short of easy. However, due to the fact that UNCW provides ample options for vegetarians living on a campus, it was more successful than I could have ever hoped!