College food court values vegetarians

By Isabel Jarvo

When students are busy, nutrition is often replaced by late-night study sessions, greasy pizza and enough caffeine to run a power plant.

Unfortunately, many vegetarians run the risk of harming themselves if they continue to supplement their diets with less healthy choices. But between hectic work schedules, hours spent in class and evenings spent on homework, it can be hard to find the time to cook a proper meal. Thankfully, Algonquin is here to help.

"We always plan to have well-balanced, healthy vegetarian meals," said Carmine Mariani, head chef of the Marketplace Food Court. "I try to do my best to help them. Almost every spot that sells food on campus has a vegetarian special."

As well as being head chef, Mariani is also in charge of creating each daily vegetarian special in the Marketplace, with entrées ranging from vegetable fajitas to spicy cabbage rolls to vegetarian chicken nuggets.

"I cook all the specials myself," said Mariani. "I want to make sure nobody else touches it. Then I can know there is no chicken base or beef broth, just spices and seasonings. There is nothing else."

According to Mariani, every tool and utensil used for vegetarian meals is clean. Vegetable burgers are cooked on a separate grill, and food service tongs are never used for both meat and vegetarian entrees.

Though it may seem easy, preparing a vegetarian meal is a delicate balance of nutrition. Many sources of vegetable-based proteins are incomplete, meaning they are missing some of the essential amino acids to form a complete protein. To rectify this, vegetarians must find combinations of plant-based proteins, or rely on dairy products to ensure proper protein absorption.

"You have to make sure you have a whole lot of vegetables. You have to have lentils, potatoes, beans and nice whole wheat pasta," said Mariani. "Of course, vegetarians need cookies too, for bad days. Nice healthy vegetarian cookies."

Though cookies might not be featured on Canada's Food Guide, it is an excellent resource for new and experienced vegetarians alike. It offers animal-free substitutions for everyday basic nutrition, such as tofu or legumes instead of meat and fish, or fortified soy milk instead of cow's milk and cheese.

With so many options available for vegetarians, there's almost no excuse for poor nutrition except for improper planning. Create a daily food guide to plan for a day's worth of healthy food.

For breakfast, have peanut butter on whole grain toast. For lunch, have a vegetable stir-fry on brown rice, or refried bean tacos with lots of vegetables and fresh tomato salsa. For dinner, enjoy that pizza, but make it at home with whole grain crust, fresh vegetables and real mozzarella cheese. Stay awake during those study sessions by keeping hydrated with water and a handful of shelled nuts. Of course, don't forget the cookies.