Eating as a vegetarian in a college dining hall can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. With limited options and as a relatively picky eater, sometimes it can feel like all I’m eating is pasta and bread. As a vegetarian, it’s so important to make sure that I’m eating enough protein and getting enough nutrients from other places besides meat.
The first few weeks of school, I ate the same things every day. It seemed hard to find a wide variety of food that I wanted to eat everyday and I quickly got bored with constantly eating the same foods all the time. However, over the last month and a half, I have begun to discover all the vegetarian options the dining halls have to offer offer.
Usually well stocked, the salad bar provides so many great options for nutritious veggies. I’m not normally a huge salad person, but there are always lots of carrots, cucumber, celery and other veggies. Most days, there is hummus that makes a great dip for veggies. Hummus is made of chickpeas, which are a source of protein. Quinoa is also usually at the salad bar. As another source of protein, quinoa is a great addition to a salad or sandwich.
Everyday, there is a vegetarian option at the soup bar and there are always veggie burgers. The stir-fry station is a great way to get lots of veggies all cooked together with rice or noodles and tofu can always be added. Different sauces add new flavors and make the dishes different every time.
Breakfast is typically the hardest meal for me to find food I want to eat. Before becoming a vegetarian, meat was always a part of my breakfast. Now, I have found great options in the yogurt, granola, and fruit that are set out every morning. It’s usually out all day, so there is always that option for every meal.
In Huffman, there is the pasta bar, which also always has a vegetarian option. Most of the time, lots of veggies can be added to the pasta making it more nutritious.
While becoming a vegetarian at college can seem intimidating at first, its definitely possible! Since becoming a vegetarian and eating in the dining halls, I have tried so many new foods that I normally wouldn’t have. There are so many different kinds of food and so many to try!