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The College Vegan

752 views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Tiger Lilly 
#1 ·
A few months ago, I posted that I was going vegan and heading to college. Today marks my three month veganniversary and I couldn't be happier with my decision! That being said, I have stumbled on a few obstacles along the way.

Freshmen in my college are forced to get a meal plan. This means I am required to pay the very ugly dining fee in order to eat foods that "may or may not" (as they phrase it) contain dairy products. I never know for sure if what I am eating is vegan, whether it is a product that normally would be vegan or not.

It feels like I accidentally consume something non-vegan every day. I am beginning to influence my college friends, and my roommate is slowly making the transition. I want to steer her in the right direction, but it is difficult to do when she asks me if something is vegan and I have to respond with, "I'm not sure."

Thanks for your time everyone! xoxo
 
#2 ·
Congratulations on your veganniversary! I am so happy it is going well for you!

I did not experience having to depend on a meal plan in college, but I found some links below that might help you in advocating for more vegan options in the cafeterias, and also how to talk to the dining hall staff about it. The third link is a book that I personally ordered and donated to the cafeteria/food service director at the medical complex I work at. I encouraged him to look into providing more vegan options for patients and family and visitors. He actually did incorporate a few recipes from the book and there have been at least a few vegan options beyond salad and vinegar. You never know, it might be worth it not only for you but others in advocating for more vegan food options. At the very least you have the right to know if some of the foods in question are made with animal derivatives. Is there someone in food service you can call and meet with about it? Face to face conversation tends to be more effective if you can do that.

I know bread can be very tricky and a lot of commercial breads tend to have hidden ingredients that are not vegan, but there are a few types of breads that tend to be naturally vegan, such as ciabetta and sometimes french breads unless they use egg wash. Cooked vegetables can be tricky too as sometimes they use buttered sauces on them. I would ask staff. I have done this at buffet places. At the medical complex cafeteria they at least offer oatmeal or dry oats and fruits for breakfast, and orange juice. Saltines are usually vegan though not the healthiest. Veggie burgers are very iffy and I would personally ask how they are made. Sometimes you can do things like order plain spaghetti and then add stuff from the salad bar to it like vinegar and chickpeas and tomatoes to make a meal. Sounds strange but I have done it lol. I was once at a cafeteria at the Mayo Clinic and saw that they had commercial Dr. McDougall vegan soups. All I had to do was open the carton, pour it into a bowl, and microwave it. I added saltines and had a salad on the side.

I find it strange that freshman have to have a meal plan. Is there only one cafeteria? Maybe if there is more than one another one might have more options? Have you tried talking to the dining director about this policy and explain your situation? Otherwise, if you are doing the best you can than I wouldn't worry too much. Once you are no longer a freshman you will be able to do things differently. Best wishes!

http://pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/incorporating-vegetarian-meals-on-college-campuses
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue3/vj2006issue3college.htm
http://www.vrg.org/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=10
 
#4 ·
With your friend who asks "Is it vegan?" and you answer "I'm not sure".... Expand on it.

Let her know that veganism is not and cannot be perfection in this world, with the way everything is at the moment. You don't have to go off on a big long speech about how everything is terrible and all the ways we hurt animals, but you could say something like-

"I'm not sure, but this is the best I can do right now. I'm thinking of asking the University to make the ingredients of their foods more accessible and in the future, I'd really like to learn more vegan recipes so I can cook my own stuff. But right now, this is the situation I'm in. Veganism isn't about perfection though, it's about just trying to make that difference when and where I can."

And CONGRATULATIONS on 3 months! That's awesome of you!
 
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