Breakfast, lunch, and dinner: Three things that are nonchalantly put into the average person’s routine. As most of us are consumed in our daily activities, it rarely occurs to some people what exactly they are consuming.Many don’t blink twice at a burger from Mcdonald’s, or a Wake Up wrap from Dunkin. While others like senior, Bevan Bshara, have a different perspective on eating.

Bshara has been a vegetarian for a few years now, “I started this diet as a New Year’s resolution in sixth grade, and it’s been a part of my life ever since.” Though she admits, “The reasons weren’t so much ethical but more health wise.”

There’s much evidence that vegetarians have a lower risk for heart disease and death from heart related issues. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “A combined analysis of data from five prospective studies involving more than 76,000 participants published several years ago — vegetarians were, on average, 25% less likely to die of heart disease.” In studies including Seventh-day Adventists, vegetarians’ risk of forming type 2 Diabetes was 50 percent of what nonvegetarians risk was.

One concern about cutting meat out of a daily diet is the loss of necessary protein. “To gain this back, many vegetarians, like myself, eat brown rice, lentils, wheat, nuts, protein bars and oats, you have to find an alternate source of protein,” Bshara said.

“For me it was a combination of both ethics, but the health benefits weighed my decisions a little heavier.” While the health factors of being a vegetarian are strong enough, many people convert to this lifestyle for ethical reasons.

Joanne Jarzobski, marine biology teacher, can also relate to Bshara’s diet. Meat has been absent is Jarzobski’s diet since the age of 18, “I went on a trip to Russia and while there I didn’t eat any meat. When I returned eating some made me feel sick,” she said.

Beyond that factor, she, along with Bshara, said that the whole aspect of consuming dead animal does not appeal to her.

As these facts have progressively gotten more recognition over the past decades, restaurants have added vegetarian options to their menus. “When I started this diet, it was definitely harder to eat out–many restaurants didn’t have meat-free menus. But nowadays it’s a lot easier,” Jarzobski said.

Both Bshara and Jarzobski can attest to vegetarianism promoting them to a healthier lifestyle, but neither would not force this diet on anyone. “People’s choices are their choices, they can do what they like, although the environment would be better, it is always their decision,” Jarzobski said.

Bshara agrees, “If you want to eat meat then eat it.”