President George W. Bush once said, “I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”

While the President might not have been a huge fan of vegetables, many students at WJ practice vegetarianism and have very different opinions from the President. According to the United States Harris Polling system, only 3.4% of adults in the U.S. follow strict diets that exclude all meat, poultry and seafood, however vegetarianism is still something people are aware of in the community.

People may choose to not eat meat for ethical issues with the consumption of animals or for religious reasons. Many times the animals that are slaughtered live in incredibly cramped conditions and eat feed packed with hormones, according to the USDA. Vegetarians do not want to buy into the cruelty of the meat industry and also do not want to consume meat full of antibiotics and chemicals.

“At first it was because I was really against the slaughtering of animals,” said junior Elise Rudt, who first became a vegetarian in second grade, took a break during middle school and began the practice again during high school. “It really bothered me that what I was eating had eaten something else.”

Yet others choose this lifestyle for environmental reasons. According to a study by Cornell University, the U.S. could feed eight hundred million people with the grain that they feed to livestock. It takes an estimated forty-one million tons of plant protein to feed U.S. livestock that produce only seven million tons of animal protein for human consumption.

“One person can really make a difference,” said junior Rebeca Figueiredo, who became a vegan a little over two and a half years ago. “I really care about the humane aspects and the impacts on the environment.”

Both say that following their diets is not very difficult. Living in the D.C. area, they can usually find meal options when going out to eat. There are also many vegetarian restaurant choices, such as the Vegetable Garden on Rockville Pike.

“Except if you go to a fast food restaurant,” said Rudt, “then be prepared to eat the fruit cups.”

While it may seem impossible to live without meat, veganism and vegetarianism have many beneficial aspects and the practice can even be enjoyable.

“Being a vegetarian is really fun and it allows you to test your body in a new way,” said Rudt, who enjoys the challenge and plans to keep her diet for years to come.

Although some may worry that they will not have a well-rounded diet if they give up meat, there are many alternative ways to get protein. In Rudt’s case, she gets it from eggs and milk, while Figueiredo gets protein from tofu, cereals and soymilk. Both Figueiredo and Rudt were not big meat eaters to begin with, and do not miss their old diets.

“The cravings were only in the beginning,” said Figueiredo. “Now that it’s all out of my system, I don’t even think about it anymore.”