It's about that time of year again - when college students around the country move back to school. I have become interested in moving towards a more vegetarian type diet as I have been studying Buddhism. The school I go to (not going to name it as some of the uber-militant eco-warriors might latch onto it and ignore my question) suprisingly has a relatively wide array of veg*n options. However, I'm looking for additional meals that are nutritious, vegetarian that might be available in a college cafeteria. We have a full salad in each cafeteria, if that helps any.

Thanks!

It's kind of hard to give advice when it would depend on what was available on campus. Every college is going to have different choices, I can tell you how I attempted to be vegetarian on campus, but it may or may not help you.
First off, I wasn't a very successfull vegetarian on campus, partly because I wasn't sure about what I needed nutrient-wise and partly because the college I went to didn't really cater to vegetarians. After a while, the food got really repetitive, and I wasn't all that creative food-wise. There are only so many hummus sandwiches one can eat in a week (but only when the hummus tastes like cardboard.)

So, my advice to you would be to make sure you know what your nutrition requirements are right now and try to eat as varied a diet as you can on campus. If you have different places to eat on campus, make sure to eat at them all, as they may have different foods at each one.
Feel free to get creative about eating, salad bars are great, but can get a little boring after a while.
Check to see if there's rice or soy milk available somewhere on campus. Oh, and be sure to visit the campus grocery store if there is one. Remember that living off of macaroni and cheese COULD be considered a vegetarian diet, but it's not all that healthy.
Check to see if the grill has veggie burger choices, but don't get too dependant on grilled/fried foods.
You said your college has a wide variety of veg*n foods? Just be courageous and try them all. Without specifics as to what foods are available on campus, I can't really give you more advise than this.

I'm a little confused about your question. Without knowing what sorts of things your school offers, its hard to say what you would or would not be able to find to eat? Are you looking to assemble meals out of what is available in the caf? Or are you looking to cook things (microwave, hot water, whatever) in your dorm?

Eating veg*n in dorms is hard. It depends on your school and how well they cater toward veg*ns. My school pretends like it's veg*n friendly but all the food is fried and the only thing vegetarian are pizza, salad, quesadillas, some pasta dishes, veggie burgers, and hummus sandwhiches. Vegan is nearly impossible. The freshman dining hall did have a vegetarian bar, and once in a while had a vegan option there. Basically eating nutritious food was out of the question and eating vegetarian was dull and boring. This year I have an apartment off campus though, and plan on going vegan (or mostly vegan) when I finally move in there. (2 more weeks)

Make sure they put tofu in the salad bar. I actually like to eat cold tofu with just a dab of soy sauce as a snack. The salad bar should also have lots of beans in it - load up. You're gonna be lacking in protein without some of the "alternatives" that you'd get elsewhere like tempeh and seitan. Eat all the veggies and fruits you can get into your body. Whole grain bread for sandwiches with avocado, red onions, tomatos, mushrooms, field greens/spinach, and sliced green apple on it are awesome... sounds weird but its really tasty.) Pita sandwiches with hummus and tomato and spinach leaves. Pasta of course, but dont rely too much on carbs. vegetarian pizza (ask the pizza station to make you a cheeseless pizza with loads of veggies on it), ask your school to stock soymilk for your bfast in the morning (hopefully a high protein cereal). Make yourself a burrito by piling rice, corn and beans into a tortilla and microwaving it at the cafeteria (bring your own spices - it will make it tastier and ensure its vegan ;-) )

Those are all things that were available at my college cafeteria for vegans. Hopefully you'll have the same, and more!

Being vegetarian in college is easy....and being vegan is hard, but can be workable. I found some websites that may help you out.

Staying Healthy in College
http://www.peta2.com/COLLEGE/c-freshman15.asp

If you're interested in bringing more vegetarian or vegan options to your campus....check out this website
Go to "Campaigns"
http://www.veganaction.com/

Check out Peta's top 10 veg friendly college cafeteria's and how to get veggie options
http://www.peta.org/feat/bigten/

Also, use this restaurant guide to find veggie restaurants near your college.....most often, there are health food stores and organic places to eat located near campus
http://www.happycow.net/

-From experience, many colleges offer vegetarian but not vegan options, however, since you have not mentioned the college, it's hard to help ya out.....do a google search for vegetarian options at your college.....you'll find information.

Hi Justme,

How are you? I hope you're fine. The college i went to was ok for vegetarians. There wasn't any tofu available though. There were a lot of veggies choices, and there were salad bars too ( the cafeteria). We even had a kichen in the dorm. We would cook our own food sometimes. If there is a kitchen in your dorm, you can buy you some veg*n food. Have you a refriege in your room. Put your food in it. That's what we did. If you do that, then you can cook your own food. Go to the grocery store in guy you some veg*n food. Stock up on it.

I'm sure that they have a kitchen in those dorms rooms there right? I hope, so it will not be so hard for you while you're there. I'm sorry :( hope it gets better. God bless you.

Monika