Being Vegetarian on Campus

Are you a vegetarian at a new college? Being a vegetarian was always hard work, but it's even more challenging when you have to transport your life to a new location and a new way of living. The campus is intimidating enough itself, the food choices don't need to be. Here are tips you can take to remain a healthy, budding herbivore at your learning palace.

Forget your school

Go to one of these, instead. According to PETA these are the most vegetarian-friendly colleges:

Indiana University- Bloomington
Humboldt State University
University of Puget Sound
Yale University
SUNY Purchase
Oberlin College
New York University
University of California Berkeley
University of Pennsylvania
University of Florida

Investigate the Cafeteria

If it isn't feasible to go to one of the colleges above, you could try your luck at your own. My community college serves vegetarian burgers and features an extensive, tasty salad bar. The majority of universities serve salads, at least. Try a web search with the search terms "dining services" and the name of your school to get an idea of what type of foods they serve.

Ask the veggies

If you're school has a vegetarian club on location (or nearby), it would be a good idea to ask them what's the best bet when it comes to vegetarian grub. Likely, they have insider tips and knowhow that other sources won't have. Also, you should also check what vegetarian websites like Happy Cow say about off-campus locations. If you're lucky, you might be able to find a local blog. I live in Miami, so I use Meatless in Miami extensively.

Do it Yourself

If you don't have a meal plan, it would be cheaper just to cook yourself. And you could get away with simply "cooking." My favorite heat-up-and-go snacks are Gardenburgers and Morningstar Corn Dogs. They'll provide a nice amount of protein, yet still look unhealthy enough to make your pizza-gorging roommates jealous. Invest in cereal. Invest in soy milk. Invest in peanut butter. Invest in bananas. These could appease your morning appetite forever, and you'd never get bored of them. Nuts make great, healthy snacks when you are binge studying (read: drinking), and tofu, seitan, etc... are good for just about anytime you have the patience to make them. As long as you get some B12 and protein you'll be okay. Fingers crossed. All Recipes has a nice database on cheap, quick, dirty, vegetarian and vegan college recipes you can scan through by clicking the link to the left.

Don't Worry

Being a lacto-ovo vegetarian isn't a big deal. It's when you forsake eggs, milk, and/or all the other animal products, that you'll come across some troubling challenges. Prepare and anticipate, that's the best advice I could give.

Source:

Winners for Peta2's Most Vegetarian-Friendly Colleges - http://www.peta2.com/college/c-vegschools-winners.asp