Vegetarianism is on the rise. Vegetarians choose their diet for many reasons. Some choose this route because they want to support the environment or because it is considered popular. Others are attracted for religious or health reasons. Sophomore Parth Parekh has been vegetarian all his life because of his Hindu religion.

“Basically, my whole family is vegetarian, so I’ve never lived a different life,” Parekh said. “It makes [everything] convenient for me.”

Parekh does not feel the social pressure of being vegetarian, but sometimes finds it hard to find a meal when he is hanging out with friends. He always brings his lunch to school so he does not have to go through the daunting task of asking the cafeteria workers the ingredients of everything being served.

“It saves me from having to explain [myself],” Parekh said. “[It is] sort of a safety net for me.”

The inconvenience of finding a fitting meal causes Parekh to prefer to stay home for dinner, where he knows everything there is always something he is able to eat.

“All the [restaurants] nowadays are filled with hamburgers and chicken strips,” Parekh said. “I just don’t feel like dealing with it.”

Parekh is indifferent toward people who become vegetarian for non-religious reasons. He said being vegetarian is a healthy life choice that everyone can and should participate in if they are willing to. It gives him more comfort knowing that others can understand the weight of being different.

“In middle school, I’m pretty sure I was the only vegetarian and it was not the best,” Parekh said. “Now, I know like two others, which is pretty cool.”

Parekh believes that the school does not have enough food choices for vegetarians, and it was surprising to him to learn that the school does not offer multiple main meal choices.

“Once I forgot my lunch and I saw that the [lunch] line had salads,” Parekh said. “I was happy that I would not have to starve that day, but when I opened the container, it had chicken.”

Parekh believes the school should offer things like veggie burgers, tofu, and other non-meat options.

“If our school had more options, I wouldn’t always bring my lunch,” Parekh said. “[This would] make my life a million times easier.”

Parekh said being vegetarian has helped him figure out who his true friends are. Usually, his friends are indifferent toward him, but he’s met some people who are rude about his vegetarianism.

“Bad friends are the ones who hold up a piece of meat and wave it in front of my face,” Parekh said. “Good friends, I’ve [learned], just accept it.”

Parekh sees himself as always being vegetarian and said that even if he was not Hindu he would still be vegetarian.

“Being vegetarian is something, I think, I’m meant to do,” Parekh said. “[Our ancestors] have been eating meat since basically the beginning of time, so, it’s very cool to see times change.”

According to the Vegetarian Resource Group, a non-profit organization that spreads information about vegetarians, about 2 million students, ages 8-18, are vegetarian.