Feasting on alligator tail meat, peeling boiled crawsh and ordering shrimp creole are Cajun traditions, but some cajuns are re-thinking these southern rituals and their health by adopting veganism, a menu of green beans, lentils and soy.
Members of the Vegetarian Society and students spoke Wednesday at the Helen M. Carter House about vegans and vegetarians who choose not to indulge in Louisiana’s southern cuisine.
Vegans are vegetarians who do not eat any food that comes from animals, such as beef, chicken, pork or sh, nor do they eat dairy products, such as eggs or honey, said Jannequin Bennett, executive chef of TJ’s Restaurant and author of Very Vegetarian. Instead, vegans eat vegetables, grains, beans and fruits.
Vice President of the Vegetarian Society, Greg Waldron, a second-year graduate student in soil science, said they promote vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.
“Everybody’s different in nutrition,” Waldron said. “You have to find what works for you. Being vegan works for me.”
Because the vegan diet is high in fiber, low in saturated fat and nutritious, Bennett said one reason people choose a vegan lifestyle is to achieve good health.
In a vegan diet Bennett said the increase in fiber content provides defense against cancer and heart disease, regulates blood sugar levels and helps a person maintain a healthy weight.
During the discussion, vegan students complained about animal products prepared in every type of cajun delicacy.
“I am very allergic to dairy products and am now vegan. I moved to Baton Rouge recently and can’t figure out how to eat here,” said Jenny McGibbon, a music voice freshman.
To help vegan students enjoy cajun cooking without animal products, Waldron presented Andy Allen’s Asian Cajun cookbook, a vegan cook magazine. Recipes feature garlic green beans, etoufee’, green gumbo, black-eyed pea jambalaya, unmeatball gravy and eggplant sauce piquant.
Living on campus and eating at the dining halls interferes with a vegan lifestyle, said Stacy Sauce, a mass communication senior.
Agreeing with Sauce, McGibbon said she does not eat much on campus. McGibbon said she eats nuts, fruit, soymilk and peanut butter.
By eating less-processed foods and choosing organic foods, vegan students can preserve further their health. Bennett said food companies regularly add chemicals not naturally found in food, such as pesticides, preservatives, artificial flavor and color additives, for preservation and presentation.
People are converting to veganism also in protest for animals’ rights. Waldron said 90 percent of animals killed are in factory farms for food.
Waldron said he refuses to spend money on any animal product foods because of animal cruelty.
In agricultural business, “animals are fed, kept and medicated with an eye to increase production, not their well-being,” Bennett said.