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Living the Vegan Life in Champaign-Urbana
12:00 am Oct 4 - by Mary Hankey
Related Venues
Red Herring Coffeehouse »Address: 1209 W. Oregon Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 367-2340
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Strawberry Fields (Deli) »
Address: 306 W. Springfield Ave. Urbana, IL 61801
Phone: (217) 328-1655
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Smoothie King »
Address: 616 E. Green St., Suite F Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 337-5555
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Layla Eller would rather eat a baked tofu sandwich than a grilled hamburger. She would choose raw veggies for dinner instead of raw steak. For breakfast - soymilk and cereal.
Four percent of Americans identify themselves as vegan and Eller is among them. Vegans make the choice to avoid animal products - goods either produced from or taken from the body of an animal-in their diet. In addition to meat, eggs and dairy, fish is restricted as well.
"I don't think it's ethical to consume these products, so why would I?" said Eller, employee of the vegan-friendly Red Herring Restaurant in Urbana.
Most people choose to become vegan due to moral issues or personal beliefs. Chad Knowles, a kitchen manager at the Red Herring, explained that vegans are typically "free-spirited thinkers" who are politically and environmentally aware.
Eller and other vegans have found ways to avoid non-vegan products and enjoy their diet.
"It's making a transition from not cooking to cooking, and substituting things," Eller said.
Strawberry Fields, Smoothie King and Common Ground Food Co-op are all establishments near campus that stock vegan products on their shelves. Also available, are vegan alternatives to foods that contain animal products, explained Knowles. So, with a little creativity and patience, vegans can eat meals like orange "chicken" tofu, scrambled "egg" tofu, or portabella mushroom burgers.
Tempeh, made from soybeans, sietan, wheat gluten, and tofu, a curdled mixture of soybeans and water, are all meat alternatives that vegans can use.
"It's not radically different," Eller said.
Eller explained that Asian and Indian restaurants are also a delicious choice for a vegan meal.
"The cool thing about it is that you're forced to look at other cultures," Lisa Vironda, kitchen manager at the Red Herring, said.
Finding alternatives to animal products is not the only challenge vegans face; Eller explained that it can be hard for non-vegans to understand her lifestyle.
"Eating is very personal," Eller said. "Some people are hostile because they don't understand."
Knowles explained that it's often more convenient to eat with other vegans because they share the same eating habits. Eller said that this does not mean they want to be isolated from, or are uninterested in, those who do eat animal products.
"I don't want people to think that vegans only want to be around other vegans," Eller said.
Many non-vegans and vegetarians can find that making the switch to a vegan lifestyle is a challenge. Vegans recommend taking gradual steps, rather than jumping right into full-fledged veganism.
"Some people burn out on veganism because they throw themselves into it," Vironda said.
Websites like vegweb.com offer recipes for vegans of all degrees to try. Tastebetter.com provides a list of alcoholic drinks that vegans give a thumbs-up.
"Start with educating yourself and try to cook," Knowles said. "See what you can eat instead of meat."
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