By Maria Wright

Of the Gleaner

         A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious or health reasons. According to statisticbrain.com, there are currently 7.3 million vegetarians in the United States today, some of whom attend Wahlert High School.  Hannah Gasper, ‘16, talks about her experience of being a vegetarian.

 Q: When did you start being a vegetarian?                                                                                  

 A: Nov. 24th, 2012. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and I was like that’s really gross. I don’t want to eat flesh anymore. So, it’s about to be three years.

 Q: What is your main reason for not eating meat?

 A: I started watching videos about how poorly animals were treated and how much they were abused, and I didn’t want to put that in my body anymore. I just thought it was very negative, and I didn’t want to support it anymore.

                                       Q: What kinds of foods do you get your main source of protein from?

                                      A: Contrary to popular belief, meat actually isn’t the only source of protein. I eat a lot of quinoa and avocados; oats are also really good. I eat vegetarian chili, fruits, vegetables — stuff like that.

                                     Q: Would you recommend a vegetarian lifestyle? Has it changed you in any way?

                                    A: I think it’s made me healthier. It’s still easy to eat poorly, like I can still eat desserts. If I went vegan (someone who does not eat or use any animal products such as milk or eggs), I wouldn’t be able to eat anything, so that would be hard. I don’t think being a vegetarian is as hard as people think it is. I think everybody should be a vegetarian.