Here at Palmetto, more and more people say they are going “meat free,” but is this just a trend? Some people are genuine in their efforts to save animals by cutting out meat, although others are just doing it because it is “cool” and the latest fad. These bandwagon followers are giving a bad name to genuine vegetarians, making exceptions here and there for a little meat.

A question that is raised when talking about these followers is how long will it last? How long will it be until the next hot thing comes around and they are bored of being a vegetarian or vegan?

Veganism seems to be a more social thing than a saving animals thing. Vegans refer to their diet change as a “lifestyle.” Being a vegan opens up a whole new group of trendy and fashionable friends, but are these so-called vegans cutting refined sugar products out of their diets because these refined sugars involve animal byproducts?

Society is obsessed with its image, and being a vegan comes across as being a person who cares for animals’ rights and conditions. So are these recent vegans just doing this for their image? This lifestyle is extremely hard to keep up, which makes it come across as a phase that will eventually get old and pass.

One of the risks with these newfound vegetarians and vegans face is that their bodies do not get the proper nutrients that they need to function. They can very easily end up in the hospital due to the lack of nutrients like protein, iron and calcium for their brains and muscles to function properly.

These new vegetarians and vegans need to do their research so they do not end up passing out because they do not know what their bodies need. The fact is, a lot of vegetarians and vegans are not educated on what their bodies are missing by cutting out all animal products, which in turn makes society think it is just a fad.

Jumping into this new “lifestyle” to seem trendy or intelligent because young Hollywood is doing it makes no sense. Research must be done if they are fully going to commit to this dietary change, because if not, their bodies and minds will suffer.

There are genuine vegetarians and vegans who are doing a great thing and truly believe in their cause, but this new rise in vegetarianism and veganism seems to be just a trend.