Being a vegetarian in college can be much more complicated than you originally intended. Well, at least if you weren’t planning on becoming merely the pizza and caesar salad type… I don’t know about you, but many of us vegetarians pride ourselves on being healthy and taking care in what we put in our bodies. So, whats in our way? The limited options at the cafeterias. One of the biggest problems that we vegetarians face is protein and how to get it. Here’s some tips for working the William and Mary dining system to your advantage.
For Breakfast: Be sure to take a multi-vitamin and some supplement for vitamin B-12
-Try an egg or egg white omelette from Sadler or the Commons in the morning with some veggies in it and some fruit on the side.
-Try a wheat bagel thin with veggie cream cheese or peanut butter with a skim and/or soy latte from Einstein’s Bagels.
-Try a protein bar (read the ingredients to be sure that it is high in protein and low in sugars).
-Try some oatmeal, and no, not the prepackaged flavored ones. To add in flavor, add a drop of salt to the water before heating in the microwave. Then remove 30 seconds before it’s done, and add cinnamon, sweetener, and some raisins or craisins for flavor before letting it finish heating.
-Try a banana dipped in peanut butter.
For lunch and dinner:
Hit up Sadler Center for a salad:
– Be sure to add garbanzo beans, black beans, white beans, or kidney beans (depending on what is out) for protein.
– Add some hummus to dip some of your vegetables for another great way to get protein.
– Be sure to mix some spinach into your lettuce for the iron and folate.
– Use balsamic, italian, or if you’re brave enough, only oil and vinegar for dressing.
– Add as many vegetables as you like, the more the merrier.
Sadler has the best vegetable pizza if you’re in the mood for it, and also often have garden burgers (eat sans bread and use as a meat/ protein supplement portion of your meal).
The Market Place:
-Make a salad similar to the one described above.
– Try the vegan wrap stand. (they’re all delish)
– Make a customizable veggie and cheese melt panini on wheat.
– Make a vegetable and bean burrito. (just avoid too much guacamole and sour cream or your meal might go from healthy to rather huge)
The Commons:
– Be sure to take a cafe lap and see all the availabilities (my personal favorites are the eggplant parmesan and vegetable stir-fries)
– The salad bar is the most limited here, but is always a possibility.
– Check out the vegan/ gluten-free sections.
– Get to know the staff, and on days such as panini days, approach them and ask them to make yours without meat. (Seriously, know their names and they’ll usually smile and willingly help you out!)
-Take a to-go box to get raw vegetables and cook them in your dorm’s kitchen. Then either heat up a veggie burger, or cook some tofu/ mean supplement to add to a self-made stir-fry.
I also tend to keep berries, nut mixes, cereals, salsa and chips, popcorn, and dried fruits in my room for snacks. Be sure to stock-up on healthy stuff for those late night study sessions so that you don’t find yourself downing doritos and oreos, or worse, ordering Domino’s, at 1am!