A: Are you almost ready to go? Our ride will be here in five minutes.
B: I’m almost ready. I just have to finish packing my lunch.
A: What are you bringing for lunch today?
B: A small kale salad with lentils, a peanut butter sandwich, an apple, a banana and some trail mix for snack.
A: How come you always bring a lunch to school? You never buy one from the cafeteria.
B: They don’t have vegetarian options at school.
A: Of course they do, they have cheese pizza, potato chips, sodas and candy.
B: None of that food is healthy. If I want to keep playing soccer I need to stay in shape. That’s not going to happen if I eat pizza and drink soda every day.
A: Okay, but why are you vegetarian in the first place? Don’t you need meat to build strong muscles?
B: No, I get plenty of protein from beans, lentils, seeds and nuts. It’s protein, not meat that builds muscle. Plus, beans are cheaper than chicken or fish or steak and don’t put a strain on the environment.
A: What do you mean by that?
B: The amount of water, grains and resources it takes to raise one cow could feed a family of four people for months. Hey is that the car horn? We’d better go.
A: Okay, but I want to hear more about this on the ride to school.
B: Alright.
