The transition to college life is often filled with new challenges and stresses. For many, it’s the first time living away from home, perhaps even in a new city or state. Between figuring out your major, class schedules, and how to balance school and social life, what’s on your plate is perhaps the least of your concerns. That is, unless, you’re vegan, or follow a meat-free lifestyle. A few times during the first couple weeks of school, I found myself in the dining hall, squinting at the only option labeled “vegan”, only to see the fine print said, “contains milk”. Pretty soon I realized that it was time to take matters into my own hands. Eating vegan at home was always relatively easy, but learning to eat vegan while living in a college dorm came with its own set of challenges. Perhaps you are wondering, just as I was, how does one stay vegan in college, and affordably at that? Whether you’ve been vegan for years, or you are thinking of giving veganism a try now that you’re away from home, here are my top tips on how to eat vegan in college.
- Make the most of the meal plan
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Most colleges require a meal plan if you’re living on campus, so I recommend making the most of the meals you have to use. I opted for the meal plan with the least amount of meal swipes, so I can spend more money on other groceries. Here at UH, I try to use my meal swipes at the retail dining locations throughout campus, rather than the dining halls, as they often have more vegan options. Campus Center Food Court, for example, has a salad bar with various vegan options, and Jamba Juice now has a dedicated plant-based smoothie menu. On a typical day, I make my own breakfast and dinner, and grab lunch at Campus Center with my meal swipes and points, making effective use of the meal plan while also having delicious vegan meals!
- Use the dorm kitchen
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As I began to miss home-cooked food and tired of eating the different versions of tofu the dining hall offered, I ventured into the kitchen to start cooking my own dinners. While my breakfasts are usually simple enough to make in my room, I frequent the kitchen often for dinner, making anything from potatoes, to roasted veggies, pasta, curries, etc. for dinner. It’s a great way to make convenient vegan dinners, and you can even meal prep for the week too. Which brings me to my next point…
- Meal prep
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Pre-preparing meals for the week is an easy way to eat vegan without having to stress about finding the time to make breakfast, lunch, or dinner amid busy schedules. I use Sundays as my prep day to make meals for the week. Personally, I love overnight oats, so I’ll make them at the start of the week and store them in mason jars for a quick and tasty breakfast. For dinner, I like to prep a grain such as quinoa or rice, starches like potatoes, and always have staples like beans, avocados, and tortillas on hand for a quick power bowl or taco.
- Save money by shopping local and in season
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Let’s be honest, college is expensive, and unfortunately eating vegan gets a bad rep for being expensive too. To make the most of what you buy, while spending the least money, I recommend shopping local and in season whenever possible. Shopping at a grocery store that sells locally grown fruits and veggies, or making it a Saturday morning tradition to head to the farmer’s market, is a great way to get wholesome produce at a reasonable price. And, although Ben and Jerry’s vegan ice cream is hard to beat, or your favorite vegan cheese would taste great with crackers, usually vegan junk food can be quite expensive. Instead, I like to buy mostly unprocessed, low priced vegan options like bananas, potatoes, beans, rice, pasta, and tofu, among others.
- Keep it simple
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Eating vegan doesn’t have to be complicated. Simple meal ideas centered around a few main ingredients can make eating vegan in college easy, while still delicious. Overnight oats or almond butter toast for breakfast, smoothies or salads for lunch, and bowls or tacos for dinner are just some easy ideas. Even making a meal plan with an accompanying grocery list to relatively follow can make eating vegan in college more convenient.
I went vegan nearly two years ago for ethical and environmental reasons, and it has become an extremely important part of my life. Staying vegan while transitioning into college life has had its challenges, but if you are committed to this lifestyle like I am, simple planning can make veganism easy and accessible for anyone!