By: Chloe Opelt

Vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and gluten-free dieters are often unaccounted for in today’s society because of their unique eating habits. The diets these groups of people follow can be “expensive, and hard to acquire, much more so than what would be considered a ‘normal meal’,” according to Katie Horton.

Briana Taylor from the Hays High School delegation is a pescatarian, who had something to say about the situations she sometimes find herself in because of her specific diet. When asked about her diet choices, she stated that “it can be difficult to find the right things at times, but usually if I go out to eat, I can manage.” Taylor stated that she usually brings her lunch from home because she “can’t depend on other people or places” to have what she needs in a meal. When asked why she is a pescatarian, Taylor stated that “it’s much healthier, and it breaks my heart to kill animals for our consumption when there are alternatives that do not involve hurting animals.” Taylor minimizes the amount of animals sacrificed for her diet, and she has been a pescatarian for multiple years.

Katie Horton, also being from the Hays High School delegation, has no diet specifics, but was a vegetarian for about a year. Horton claimed that “it is very difficult to keep up with a diet like this in general.” Horton did not continue with the diet because it “got expensive” and her “family doesn’t support it.” Horton said “I like the idea that I wasn’t personally hurting any animals, but the facts are, that no matter what I do, animal products will be made regardless.” Horton didn’t plan on going back to a limitless diet, but managed to do so somehow. Horton believes that recently, “society has become more aware of the diet specifications of some people.” Progress has been made, as well as the exposure and attention the subject gets, but “it still isn’t enough to make sure everyone is accounted for in every situation. 

The diets found in the general public aren’t unheard of, but commonly misinterpreted. Public knowledge of all the various eating habits of the common people could prove to be beneficial in the future. Vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and gluten-free dieters are often unaccounted for, which then in turn can exclude this group of people from various situations such as eating out in social settings, and deprivation of variety.