By Andrea CastilloThe Daily Northwestern

Communication freshman Benjamin Singer’s first step toward becoming a vegan took place when he was 4 years old.

Singer was eating at a restaurant with his family when he got up to get some Jell-O. After being told by his mother that it included gelatin, Singer said he had an epiphany.

“I realized that animal products were a luxury, and it meant the life of another animal,” he said. “I felt guilty about doing something for my pleasure for another life.”

From that point on, Singer decided to become a vegetarian, and, after years of consideration, Singer became a vegan in August 2004. At home, his mother and sister are vegetarians, and his father doesn’t eat much meat. His decisions to become vegetarian and then vegan were entirely voluntary, he said.

Singer is one of many NU students and Evanston residents who lead a vegan lifestyle. In Evanston, there are a number of restaurants and organic food stores that cater to the specific needs of vegans.

While vegetarians don’t eat meat, vegans don’t use any type of animal-derived products, including dairy, egg, leather or wool. According to the Vegan Research Panel, about 1 percent of all Americans are vegans.

While Evanston resident Kay Fennell doesn’t always follow a vegan diet, she said she tries to eat at least one vegan meal every day. About 35 years ago, after reading a book called “Diet for a Small Planet,” she developed a stronger interest in nutrition and stopped eating red meat. She said she has felt healthier ever since.

“I feel so much better,” she said. “I feel lighter inside. I feel more harmony with the Earth, with my spirituality and how I look at everything.”

When she first decided to embrace the vegan lifestyle, she often had to travel to the South Side of Chicago to find her food. Now she said finding vegan food is much easier, with a variety of businesses that serve vegans locally, including Whole Foods Market, 1640 Chicago Ave., Blind Faith Cafe, 525 Dempster St. and local organic markets.

After starting a Web-based business, Fran Horvath, who has been a vegan for 15 years, opened Ethical Planet, 1110 W. Davis St., a vegan general store that sells items such as prepackaged snacks, and shoes and clothes made from materials such as hemp and canvas.

“I think (veganism is) going to keep getting more and more mainstream, especially now with all the problems with food,” Horvath said. “People are (becoming) more conscious of what their food comes from and is made of.”

A few doors down, Jaqi Boyer, the owner of Wild Tree Cafe, 1100 Davis St., also caters to a vegan clientele. Not all of the menu items are vegan, but the cafe features many vegan-friendly dishes. The spreads and soups are vegan, and food alternatives such as agave nectar, a honey substitute, and almond and soy milks are available. Also, the produce served in the cafe is entirely organic.

Boyer estimates that about 60 percent of her customers have strict food preferences for gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan foods, though Boyer’s cafe offers a variety of dishes for all kinds of customers.

“Some people feel being organic or vegan is an exclusive club, and we want them to feel welcome, so we serve a spectrum,” she said.

Health food stores and health-conscious eating habits are becoming more mainstream, Boyer said, thanks in part to larger chains like Whole Foods Market that have helped raise awareness of organic food.

“Because healthier alternative foods are more available, more people are trying it,” she said. “There is more information about how eating affects health.”

Singer said he doesn’t shop at local vegan-friendly businesses very often and usually relies more on catalogs and online stores. However, compared to his hometown of St. Louis, Singer said Evanston and Chicago offer more resources for vegan and other non-mainstream lifestyles.

“Evanston is a great place for people with alternative lifestyles, especially for environmentally-friendly lifestyles,” Singer said. “It is definitely one of the more progressive places in the United States.”

Reach Andrea Castillo at [email protected].