The plant based diet is one that has increased in popularity over the last couple of years. It consists of reducing the consumption of dairy products and meat. Vegans and vegetarians tend to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and beans.

There are many reasons why people decide to follow plant based diets. Whether it is to reduce the environmental impact, protest against animal cruelty, heath reasons, or even religion; it has become easier to be plant based since restaurants and grocery stores are offering more meat alternatives. Senior Shreya Ramesh has been vegetarian her whole life for religious practices.

“One of the most notable Hindu practices is giving up meat, so growing up religious helped me maintain this diet. Through this, being vegetarian also became a personal choice for me because I’m passionate about helping the environment and its animals.”

But not everyone grows up eating plant based meals, some people decide to make a change later in their lives as they are trying to find the diets that work best for them. Madison Emery, a senior in high school, became vegetarian because of her love for animals. She says that after making a change in her diet, she began to notice some changes in her health.

“I work out quite a bit throughout the week, and I feel that the food I have is sufficient in helping maintain energy and all the nutrients I need,” Emery said.

For people who are interested in changing their diets, making small changes over time is a great way to start. Senior Lorena Liu follows a plant based/flexitarian diet, which focuses on whole foods and unprocessed ingredients.

“Unless you have a lot of time, it will be very hard to switch your diet entirely overnight, but making small changes over time will add up and you won’t feel like you are missing out on much,” Liu said.