October 25, 2018

How to Eat Plant-Based in College

Have you ever wondered how you could possibly eat plant-based in college? You’ve come to the right place! As a college student, I understand the struggles of late-night group projects, last-minute meetings, mountains of homework, hours of studying, and exactly zero time for anything else.

Despite the craziness of the college schedule, I’m still able to eat a whole food plant-based diet at every meal. No, I’m not superwoman. I don’t spend all my time cooking (though I wish I could). I have classes, projects, meetings, clubs, bible study, mass, and more. Just like you. But I do it. Somehow, I eat plant-based 100% of the time.

I don’t want it to be a secret. I know many people desire to eat this way but fall short because they don’t think they can. (Read more about the word “can’t” here.) I want to tell you all about how you CAN eat plant-based in college and address the potential obstacles you currently face. Let’s get into it!

1. I don’t have time

Ugh. Time. I wish there were more of it. Sadly, there isn’t. But that doesn’t mean we should just give up on what is important to us!

The key is to rearrange our schedule to include what is most important and exclude or limit what we don’t really need.

Example: I use social media for this blog. (If you don’t already follow @theplantbasedcatholic on Instagram, you definitely should). What I don’t use social media for is mindless scrolling. I check Instagram and Facebook very rarely outside of regularly scheduled blog use. Why? Because I don’t want to waste half an hour every morning looking through pictures I’ve already seen or searching for random things. Instead, I use that time for other activities — like cooking.

Or we can attempt to do two things at once.

Example: I LOVE listening to podcasts (check out the Resources page for some of my favorites). Do I have time to just sit and get educated on the happenings of the plant-based world through a podcast? Nope. So I listen while I’m doing other things. Like working out, doing laundry, or cooking. Instead of spending hours sitting on my butt listening to podcasts (insert: watching Netflix), I make myself productive and get something else done in the process!

Also, there’s this thing called meal-prepping or batch-cooking where you make super large portions of a meal on the weekend and eat leftovers during the week. This is exactly how I do it.

Example: I eat overnight oats (recipe here) for breakfast every morning. Instead of making up a batch each night, I make 5 jars on Sunday and grab one each morning as I’m heading out the door. It’s way less hassle and saves tons of time.

Bottom line: there IS time to eat plant-based in college. You just have to make it.

Blueberry Maple Overnight Oats

2. I don’t know how to cook

College is the perfect time to learn! Cooking will keep you healthy and fit throughout your life — a key “adulting” skill.

If you have the basics of cooking down, click through some of the recipes on my site — you can easily make most of my recipes with minimal time (see #1) and effort. Be on the lookout for future dorm-friendly recipes (aka microwave-only cooking).

If you’ve never cooked a day in your life, the internet is your new BFF (as if it wasn’t already). There are plenty of instructional videos teaching you how to chop, steam, bake, sauté, or otherwise cook your food. Watch them :)

Either way, most recipes are easy to follow as long as you read the instructions and do exactly what they say.

Bottom line: you can learn. Just follow the recipe and you’ll be fine.

3. I don’t have any recipes

See the “Recipes” tab at the top of this page? Now you have recipes.

Seriously, though. Anything you could possibly want to eat has a recipe on the internet. A three second google search will get you more results than you know what to do with.

So add keywords to your searches.

Example: Let’s say I want to make oatmeal. Instead of googling “oatmeal recipes”, which will get me thousands of results. Search “sugar-free plant-based overnight oats” or “gluten free plant-based oatmeal recipes”. Something that narrows your search by adding healthy parameters to the query. (P.S. if you’re actually looking for oatmeal recipes, check out this, this, and this.)

Start thinking about foods you like to eat now. Add some keywords like “plant based” “vegan” “gluten free” “sugar free” “fruit sweetened” and “oil free”. You’re in business!

Then, try some recipes and remember the ones you like. Start a list, create a Pinterest board, write out some recipe cards, print (yes, old-school) your favorite recipes. The easiest meal plans rotate a few key meals — all you need to do is find you’re main meals.

Bottom line: spend 10 minutes online and you’ll be set.

Lettuce Wraps

4. I can’t afford to eat plant-based in college

I’d like to alter the above statement to “I can’t afford SOME plant-based diets”. Because it’s true — gorging on superfoods like goji berries or spirulina and buying 7 avocados per week is not sustainable on a college budget. But just because some plant-based foods are expensive, doesn’t mean all plant based foods are expensive.

Stock up on bulk foods — beans and grains that are cheap and last forever. Beans and grains are some of the most calorie-dense, nutrient rich foods and they are VERY cheap. You can make 13 servings of lentils for under $2.

Shop in-season — fruits and veggies can get expensive when you’re eating a lot. If you shop in season, you’ll be getting the best deals and the freshest, most nutrient-dense produce. To shop in season, simply note which fruits and vegetables are currently being harvested near you (a quick google search can tell you).

Buy frozen — frozen fruits and veg can have more nutrients than fresh. Because frozen foods are flash-frozen soon after they were harvested, they are often more nutrient-dense than fresh foods. They are usually cheaper too. Especially in the off-season, the frozen aisle is your friend.

Visit the Farmer’s Market — the best place for fresh foods for cheap. If you haven’t been, find your local farmer’s market. Farmers tend to offer food way cheaper than the grocery store and the food is always fresh.

Keep it simple — if the organic food is twice as much as the non-organic or those kale-chips are half your grocery budget, DON’T BUY THEM. A plant-based diet can be made extremely simple by eating real, whole foods, with no “ingredients”. Just eat the foods. As long as you’re eating plant foods you are most of the way there. Those “extra steps” like buying organic or finding fancy plant-based snacks are great, but not necessary. Stay simple.

Bottom line: shop smart and you’ll actually SAVE money on a plant-based diet.

Spicy Corn Guacamole

5. The dining halls don’t sell plant-based options

This can be tricky. Each school and each dining hall is different. But depending on your situation, you have several options.

If you have access to a kitchen

If you live in an apartment, house, or otherwise have access to a kitchen, eating plant-based on campus is no problem! It just takes a bit of preparation. Take a few minutes each night (or every weekend) to figure out what your schedule is, when you’ll want to eat, and what you’d like to eat. Then, pack food for yourself.

I mentioned before that I meal-prep a lot. I have overnight oats for breakfast each morning, which I make on the weekends. And if I know I will be on campus long enough to need a second meal, I’ll throw some leftovers in a container and bring that with me too.

Also, always carry “just in case” food. We all know the college schedule can get crazy, you don’t want to get stuck with a million things to do and nothing to eat. So keep a piece of fruit, bag of nuts, or granola bar with you at all times. You never know when you’ll need it.

If you don’t have a kitchen

You probably have access to dining halls if you don’t have your own kitchen. Many dining halls have plenty of plant-based options. Seek out the salad bar — load up on fresh veg and all the greens you want. Look for other serve-yourself type places.

Example: my freshman year, the dining hall closest to me had a potato bar. There was also a burrito place where you could get beans.

You may have to get part of one meal and part of another. But the key is to try to get as many whole foods as close to their natural state as possible. It won’t be perfect in the dining halls but you can always find something.

Your other option is your dorm room. You may have a microwave or a mini-fridge or both! With these you can cook potatoes, defrost frozen vegetables and fruits, cook oatmeal, keep raw vegetables, fruits, and plant-milks. Even without a microwave or fridge you can keep canned beans (and an can-opener!), nut/seed butters, raw oats, fruit/nut granola bars, dried fruits, kale chips, etc.

Bottom Line: you may need to get creative, but you can piece together a meal even without a full kitchen.

6. No one else eats plant-based in college

While it may seem like everyone on campus eats super unhealthy and you’re the only one who wants to take care of your body and spirit, it’s not true. You are not alone.

Yes, there are plenty of people who don’t treat themselves right. But there are also tons of people who do eat healthy. They aren’t always the most outspoken people.

You can find friends who share your desire to eat plant-based by joining a vegan/vegetarian group on campus. There’s probably at least one group at your school or in your community. (Even if you’re in the Midwest!!)

You can also just start talking with people about your food choices. Many people are curious and want to know more about healthy eating. Share what you know!

Bottom line: your best friend doesn’t have to be plant-based, you can easily eat plant-based in college without ditching your current friends AND you can make new friends by joining vegan groups.

7. I don’t have the self-discipline to keep (or start) eating plant-based

Think about the proven benefits of a plant-based diet: reduced risk of death from cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and so many more diseases, increased gut and immune system health, higher energy levels, faster workout recovery. The benefits are endless. Every time you think that you can’t do it, remember why you became interested in the first place.

A plant-based diet is actually good for you. It’s good for your body, mind, and spirit.

If you don’t see immediate benefits from eating plant-based, try to stick with it for a few weeks. You will notice positive changes! You CAN do this. It is SO good for you. Your body will THANK you.

Bottom Line: you 100% can eat plant-based, the mental and physical benefits you will experience will keep you motivated and help you stick with it.

Peanut Butter Protein Nice Cream

I hope I’ve eliminated the majority of possible obstacles to eating plant-based in college. If you’re looking for more guidance about what exactly a plant-based diet is, read my post on Living Plant-Based. And if you want to stock up your fridge/pantry with tons of plant-based goodies go through my posts on the Easiest Healthy Grocery List and My Plant-Based Kitchen Staples.

Is there anything holding you back from eating plant-based in college? I’d love to help you out. Comment below or tag me @theplantbasedcatholic on Facebook or Instagram.

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