Being a vegetarian is a struggle, particularly once you’re receiving that oh-so paltry student loan. However, it is not completely impossible to eat well as a student, you just have to pay a little more attention to what you’re doing. Many of these tips will also be applicable to students with any sort of diet looking to eat well easily. So without further ado, here are a few tips on how to eat well as a student vegetarian:
- Cook in bulk.
Cooking a hearty, healthy meal for two- or even four- on a night and then freezing the leftovers will save you on those evenings when you barely have enough energy to whack on the oven. Cooking in bulk saves me on a regular basis. It means you can cook up a storm when you’re in the mood, and then have an easy, healthy meal when you’re just not feeling it. Even better, you don’t have to eat the same meal three days running!
- Plan your meals.
Now this is good advice for all students, but planning your meals ensures that you know you are eating well and that you don’t spend too much when you shop. If you plan two or three evening meals for the week, depending on how many portions you’ll be making, you won’t need to buy much else for your dinners.
- Keep it simple.
I know all those vegetarian Instagram accounts make you want to create the most aesthetically pleasing, complicated dishes possible, but let’s be real here; you’re a student. A student who can probably neither afford nor be bothered to take the time to make dishes containing every colour of the rainbow on a daily basis. Stick to what you know, at least for now. There’s nothing wrong with a simple homemade tomato sauce with pasta, as long as you chuck a few veggies in there. Not to mention it’s versatile and can be had mixed in with rice or other similar foodstuffs.
If only we had the time.
Another way to keep it simple is with your ingredients. It’s healthier and cheaper to buy products as they come. Buying vegetables (frozen or fresh) and some chopped tomatoes and then chucking them together is far better than buying that oh-so-delicious but oh-so-sugary sauce in a jar.
- Be cautious about those carbs.
Oh carbs. You beautiful, fulfilling substance. Carbs are, however, the basis of far too many a student meal for it to be healthy. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a carb-fest now and then, so long as it isn’t the be-all and end-all of your meals. Maybe try switching to whole wheat forms of carbohydrate which is readily available for bread, pasta, rice and pitta bread. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s definitely a better option health-wise.
Om nom nom.
Also ask yourself if you really need that sandwich for lunch. Salads or couscous can be just as filling but with far more flavour and variety available than the cheese and cucumber sandwich you might make in the morning. And sandwiches get soggy. Yuck.
- Plan your snacking.
Snacking is inevitable, so don’t convince yourself that you’ll eat enough at mealtimes that you won’t want to snack. That is a lie. So buy a few healthy snack options like nuts or seeds, and a packet of biscuits for when that just won’t cut it. If you have these readily available, then you won’t feel the need to buy that supersize bag of crisps on your way home from a particularly stressful day.
- Be discerning.
About where you shop, about what you buy, and about what you eat. Shopping in the Sainsbury’s local on Brudenell Road might be convenient, but it is more expensive than the big Sainbury’s in Headingley, which is more expensive than the big Morrisons in town and the market. Also be discerning about what you buy. Make a list and only buy what you need.
- Variety.
It can be so easy when you’ve found a good recipe that ticks all the boxes to stick with it. But in order to gain all the necessary nutrients you need to vary what you’re eating. This may seem to contradict my recommendation of freezing food, but you can break out that frozen meal a day or even a month later. It doesn’t matter. Try switching up the vegetables you buy each week and see what is on special offer.
- Protein
Ah, the scourge of every vegetarian. Protein is somewhat hard to come by if you’re basically living off of pesto pasta, but try adding ingredients such as beans and pulses. For example, you can add red lentils to that tomato sauce or you can add half a tin of kidney beans to your salad. And let’s not forget the ever reliable Quorn and Tofu, because who doesn’t love a good lasagne or spaghetti Bolognese?
My Best Buys:
- Morrsions own-brand meat-free mince £1.58 for 400g (that’s about 4 or 5 large portions of Bolognese)
- Morrisons – 4 avocados for 99p
- For fruit and veg – Leeds Kirkgate Market (20 Satsumas for £1, anyone?)
- Sainsbury’s basics cheese (Yes, such a thing exists!) – £2 for a block
For lots more information on Vegetarian nutrition, visit https://www.vegsoc.org/
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