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Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. This is the simple concept that many Americans grew up learning. More than 90% of all schools cover the topic of nutrition, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Since 2011, MyPlate has been the standard example of healthy eating through the United States. According to the nutrition guide, Americans should eat 2 cups of fruit, 2 ½ cups of veggies, 6 ounces of grains, 5 ½ ounces of protein and 3 cups of dairy per day. However, nowadays people are starting to stray from this standardized diet. Amongst the most common diets are vegan, flexitarian and gluten-free. U.S. News & World Report recently stated that the vegan and flexitarian diets are among the top 20 diets so far this year, and Forbes stated that roughly 3.1 million people have gone gluten-free. For these three women, the hope for a healthier life was the reason behind their decision to switch.

Meet Kourie | Flexitarian (Vegan & Dairy-Free)

Korie Cowles is a current Grand View student. Growing up, Korie said that she ate the typical Midwestern diet consisting of just about anything, especially steak. 

Since moving away from home, Korie’s diet has changed greatly.  

Korie said that she primarily eats a plant-based vegan diet, incorporating chicken or fish on occasion, but never red meat. Within the past six months, Korie has become dairy-free and gluten-free, narrowing her diet even further. 

Korie said that she turned to the internet and social media groups for inspiration to fit her new flexitarian lifestyle.

However, on occasion, Korie said that she will allow herself to eat these things. Like the name suggests, this diet is more flexible than the traditional vegan diet.

Moving on campus, Korie said that she struggled to find vegan options. 

“It was definitely a hard thing at the beginning,” Korie said. “I had to put in a couple of requests to the dining hall to ask them to put more vegan options out.”

However, Korie said she thinks doing so has been beneficial, and she is glad that she voiced her concerns. 

“It is definitely not impossible to be a vegan on campus,” Korie said. 

Off campus, Korie frequently visits Horizon Line Coffee and DreiBerge Coffee, which incorporate dairy-free options and vegan pastries. Korie said that although there are vegan options in the Des Moines area, the progression has been a slow. 

Transitioning to a vegan diet is not something that one can do overnight, Korie said. Thankfully, Korie said she was able to find like-minded individuals to help support and ease her into the transition to veganism. 

Breaking down vegan stereotypes, Korie said that the cost of groceries is one of the biggest misconception. Korie said that it is no different than grocery shopping for any other diet, so that should not be a deterrent from making a dietary change. 

On a scale from zero to five, Korie would rate Des Moines as a two and a half. Her struggle to find nearby restaurants that also have vegan-friendly options is the reason behind her low rating.

Korie said that her favorite parts of her new diet are tofu due to its versatility and protein-packed punch and oat milk. As for her favorite foods, Korie said that she enjoys homemade vegan tacos and dairy-free sorbet.

Meet Shannon | Vegan & Gluten-free

In 2017, Shannon Tremblay, a current DMACC student, made the choice to switch to being vegan. Originally, Shannon and a friend decided to try going vegan together in hopes of having clearer skin and being healthier. Not too long afterwards, Shannon decided to remain vegan for ethical reasons. Essentially, Shannon does not eat or use any animal products or biproducts, such as honey.  

About two years later, after repeatedly becoming ill due to eating gluten products, Shannon decided it was time to cut gluten out of her diet entirely. But her dietary changes came with their own sets of challenges. 

“At first, it was really hard,” Shannon said. “I had to research everything because I didn’t know what I could eat.” 

Shannon explained that her challenges varied from finding food substitutes to realizing milk is a commonly used ingredient. Often, Shannon said that she found herself eating the same meals over and over. 

Trying to regain control of her life, Shannon started to experiment. Her experimentation included trying new foods and cooking more often. As a result, Shannon now has a larger variety of foods she can eat — tofu being one of her favorite foods. Not to mention, vegan nachos and vegan lasagna are her favorite dishes to cook. 

“I make a really good vegan lasagna,” Shannon said. “I make my own ricotta out of tofu.” 

As for grocery shopping, Shannon said that she finds vegan options nearly everywhere. Shannon said she gets most of her produce at Aldi and her meatless meat and non-dairy products at Hy-Vee. However, Fresh Thyme — a grocer located in West Des Moines — is Shannon’s favorite due to their frequent sales on vegan products. 

Although finding stores to shop at has been easy to navigate, the price of groceries has been more difficult to budget for as a college student. When it comes to vegan options, Shannon finds tofu and meatless meat to be fairly inexpensive and non-dairy products to be somewhat pricey yet manageable. Gluten-free options, on the other hand, are another story. 

“Gluten-free is definitely more expensive,” Shannon said. “If I want bread (then) my loaf of bread that I get, is like $6. And it’s not even a whole loaf. It’s half of a normal size loaf (of bread).” 

Even though Shannon said she enjoys making most of her meals, she still partakes in the social aspect of going out to eat. Among her favorite places to eat at are Dirt Burger and Brightside Kitchen. However, Shannon said that there are more local places that she still needs to try. 

Overall, Shannon would rate Des Moines a three out of five when it comes to vegan and gluten-free accommodations and accessibility. Prior to moving to Des Moines, Shannon lived in southern Kansas, where the vegan and gluten-free options and restaurants were extremely limited. 

“When I go back home to visit, I literally can’t eat out because they have no vegan options,” Shannon said. “Compared to back home, Des Moines has a lot.” 

Shannon often thinks about her friends who still live in southern Kansas and is grateful for how inclusive Des Moines is. However, she does think Des Moines has some work to do in order to catch up to bigger cities such as Philadelphia and LA. 

“There are quite a bit of options, but all of us vegans would love to see more,” Shannon said. “If every restaurant had a least one option, gluten-free and vegan, that would be amazing.”

Meet Kaitlyn|Gluten-free & Dairy-free

For Kaitlyn Munsterman, a current GV student, her gluten intolerance was a late onset. Kaitlyn was diagnosed her junior year of high school. However, she said that she was glad to find out about her intolerance more recently now that there is more research available and more awareness. 

During that same time, Kaitlyn also decided to become dairy-free. She said that she felt this choice was easy for her because most of the items that were gluten-free were also dairy-free.

With this dietary lifestyle, Kaitlyn said she finds herself cooking more. 

“It’s easier most days to cook my own food,” Kaitlyn said. “Because then I know what’s going into it and all the ingredients.”

Gluten-free pasta dishes — especially gluten and dairy-free mac and cheese — and tacos with gluten free shells and dairy-free cheese are among her favorite meals.

But in order to cook, Kaitlyn first has to grocery shop. Campbell’s Nutrition (in the Drake neighborhood), Hy-Vee’s health market and Whole Foods are where Kaitlyn said she does majority of her shopping. This is due to the cost of certain items and their close proximity. Kaitlyn said that often she cannot just run to any regular grocery store because the store may not carry items such as almond milk or dairy-free cheese. However, she has noticed that other stores are starting to carry more alternative options. 

“I’ve seen stuff at Walmart now that I can eat,” Kaitlyn said. “Friends have bought stuff at Aldi that have been gluten-free.”

As for going out, Kaitlyn said that she has found numerous restaurants that she can eat at such as Molly’s Cupcakes, Olive Garden, Wellman’s, Americana and Zombie Burger. However, she doesn’t let other restaurants stop her.

“I want to go out with people, so I have to limit what I eat or go and not eat if they don’t have options,” Kaitlyn said. 

Being gluten– and dairy-free has not always been easy Kaitlyn said. 

“There were times earlier on, when I was diagnosed, that I would take my own gluten-free bun in a plastic bag,” Kaitlyn said. 

She said that she has had to do research, try different brands, look at restaurant menus in advance, rely on Yelp reviews and learn how much cross contamination she can handle. 

“It’s getting easier,” Kaitlyn said. “A lot more places are accommodating and have gluten-free options. I also feel like the staff in restaurants have also become more knowledgeable about what has gluten in it.”

More recently, Kaitlyn said that she noticed more restaurant employees have been able to help her navigate the menu and have made sure she knows what dishes have gluten in them. 

It is for those very reasons that Kaitlyn said that she would rate Des Moines 3.5 out of 5. However, she believes that the restaurants here still have work to do. 

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Dairy-Free

Strengths: less bloating, learn self-discipline, clearer skin, “gateway diet,” better breathing, pain free and less digestive issues, wide variety of food substitutes available, more socially acccepted in today’s society, weight loss and more energy

Weaknesses: found in most foods, lack of vitamins, contributes to congestion, chance of having weaker bones, higher risk of cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes, costly but not necessarily allergy friendly 

Flexitarian

Strengths: incorporates more fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, more plant-based protein, eat less processed foods, limits suger, may lead to weight loss, less at risk of type 2 diabetes and cancers, socially inclusive, save moeny, a less restrictive diet and environmentally sustainable

Weaknesses: not a clearly defined diet, may be difficult for frequent meat eaters, may lead to anemia, may may lead nutrient defiencies, can interfere with existing medical conditions this diet is not clearly defined, can lead to unhealthy habits, may feel deprived 

Vegan

Strengths: promotes weight loss, reduces risk of chronic diseases and cancers, environmentally sustainable/ reduces carbon footprint, learn self control, increase good bacteria in the body, no animal impact and more fiber in diets

Weaknesses: constant losing weight can lead to weight gain, lacks some vital nutrients, a radical change, can interfere with existing medical conditions, difficulty when dining out, junk food can still be a problem, lack of protein, limited food choices, can lead to social isolation and may have to relearn how to cook

Gluten-Free

Strengths: eat more whole foods or higher quality grains, may improve lactose intolerance, less inflammation in the intestinal tract, more energy, potential weight loss, can still drink wine (if 21 or older), more substitutes are now available

Weaknesses: low in fiber, may lead to nutritional deficiencies, limited food choices, difficult to eat out, packed gluten-free foods can be just as unhealthy, reduced carbohydrate intake, possible weight gain, runners get their fuel from carbs, may lead to anemia, expensive 

It is for those very reasons that Kaitlyn said that she would rate Des Moines 3.5 out of 5. However, she believes that the restaurants here still have work to do.