By Sabrina Katz, Staff Writer
If you’re looking for an eggs-ellent way to stay healthy, look no further: eggs are a wonderful source of protein and healthy fats that should be incorporated into everyone’s diet! Eggs are versatile too, and can be eaten in tons of ways so that you never get bored of eating them.
So why are eggs so good for you? These babies are high in antioxidants that help prevent your eyes from degenerating. They contain choline as well, which has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer. Lastly, eggs contain amino acids, which eases the digestion of its protein.
Protein is the main reasons eggs are one of my favorite foods: one large egg contains 6 grams and a large egg white contains about 3.5 grams. The low calorie content (70 for a whole egg, 20 for just the whites) also makes it ideal.
There are tons of articles out there that state that egg yolks are too high in cholesterol and should not be eaten. However, research has shown that the form of cholesterol present in yolks is different from that found in a cheeseburger, meaning it won’t harm your health that way.
Plus, yolks have a dose of healthy fats in them, so don’t be scared. I’m not telling you to go ahead and eat a dozen egg yolks, but when eating omelets, use the 2:1 ratio, which states that for every two egg whites, add a whole egg.
Here’s a recipe I use whenever I’m craving some eggy goodness in the dining hall.
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons of guacamole
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 slices of whole wheat bread
Take the egg whites and whisk them up in a bowl, then add the guac and mix together. Add some salt and pepper if you’d like. Then, toast the two slices of bread. Last, add the “egg salad” onto each slice of toast and you’ve got yourself an egg-tastic sandwich! Yum yum.
By Danielle Cantey
We’ve all experienced the anxiety of entering a crowded lunch room alone on the first day of middle or high school. In those awkward grade school years, finding someone to sit with could be a daunting task. Sitting alone generally indicated you were some sort of social pariah. But once college begins, those anxieties and stereotypes about dining hall sociability disappear…or do they? Eating alone shouldn’t be an indication of loneliness or social status, but sometimes it is.
According to an article in The Dartmouth, Christopher McMillian, a senior at Dartmouth College, has implemented the Dartmouth Social Cup Program. The program is designed to combat the awkwardness of eating alone with special red cups. When the red cups are used in lieu of Dartmouth’s regular clear cups, they indicate that the student using it wouldn’t mind company. While there are students who have made fun of the program and others who complain about the cups’ ineffectiveness, the idea behind them is brilliant. As McMillian says in the article, “Students often feel uncomfortable or awkward when they are eating alone.”
The social cups are aimed at ameliorating some of the awkwardness associated with meeting new people. The cups may be ineffective when most people have established solid friend groups, but the program has great potential for freshman entering in the fall. What better way to improve freshman year than with a red cup that encourages people to come up and talk to you.
College Confidential features the perilous task of eating alone as a hot topic. Go to any dining hall on BU’s campus, and you’ll see a variety of diners: people eating alone, two people eating together, and people eating with groups of friends. In college and in life, eating alone is often a result of busy schedules and convenience. Luckily for those who feel too uncomfortable to embrace the solidarity of solo eating at Dartmouth, these red cups may just be the solution.
By Katie Doyle, Food Editor
If you’ve been in one of the dining halls lately, you may have seen, or been asked to sign, the Boston University Vegetarian Society’s petition to start up “Meatless Mondays” here at BU.
A member may have explained to you that on those days, there would be a 75 percent reduction in meat options. They may have explained that BU would be following in the footsteps of institutions like Columbia University, John Hopkins University, Yale University, New York University and University of Virginia that have already joined the movement.
There’s a reason that top-tier colleges and universities are getting on board with this initiative, and a reason Boston University should be, too, as there’s clear, tangible evidence that a vegetarian diet is beneficial for our bodies and for our planet. Just look at the legitimate, peer-reviewed studies that have shown that across the board that vegetarians live longer and healthier lives, with a much lower risk for cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
While it can be easy to shrug off health factors, it should be harder to brush off the fate of the planet we call home. Our nation’s meat production is the number one cause of harmful greenhouse gases, contributing to pollution more so than all of the cars, trucks, planes, trains and buses in the world combined. It’s true that our environment is already in deep trouble, and although plant-based diets won’t necessarily be the saving grace of climate change, we’ve got to start somewhere. Meatless Mondays is one way to reduce our collective carbon footprint.
At a university where approximately 7 percent of students here identify as vegetarians, and 3 percent as vegans, according to Dining Services’ annual survey, one might hope that the petition for Meatless Mondays would be reasonably well received, especially when the benefits of are so clear.
Fortunately, the Vegetarian Society is making progress with the initiative, and a survey will be released within the coming weeks to gauge the students’ perspectives on it. Hopefully, the reaction will be a good one.
It seems as if any backlash against the Meatless Monday movement, or vegetarianism in general, has nothing to do with the actual pros and cons of an herbivore diet. It’s more of a rejection on principle, like when someone is served a dessert they really like, until they find out it’s vegan.
It’s similar to when the National Rifle Association accused President Obama of “taking away their guns,” when, in reality, he received an “F” on the Brady Campaign’s scorecard of politicians who have spoken out against gun violence.
While I know that’s a bold comparison to make, it sheds some light on the issue of Meatless Mondays. No one would be taking away meat options in the dining hall. Rather, there would simply be less meat options and more vegetarian meals, which can be surprisingly delicious if only given the chance. What the objection boils down to, I think, is the issue of getting wrapped up in rhetoric, rather than looking at the facts. You know what I mean: “This is America, and you can’t take away my (insert noun here).”
Here’s the thing, though: they’re right, this is America, which means we at BU are lucky enough to have access to quality meat, cage-free eggs and delicious vegetarian options. It’s a privilege to have both meat and meatless food at our disposal. Instead of resenting the effort to bring in a wider range of vegetarian options one day a week, we should embrace and welcome the opportunity to make a difference in our world, no matter how small (or big) it might be.
If you haven’t yet signed the Meatless Monday petition, you can do so now by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org. But, as a reminder, really any day can be a Meatless Monday, if you so choose. Simply challenge yourself to check out the dining hall’s vegetarian station and try something new, while also doing your body, your planet and even your taste buds a favor.