As a freshman, getting used to eating in the dining halls took a lot of trial and error. Trying to eat a healthy, plant-based diet, is hard. Here’s what I’ve been eating every day, and hopefully this will give you some inspiration!
**Disclaimer: I eat a vegan/plant-based diet because I find that it works best for my body and helps me make healthy choices. I’m not a dietician or nutritionist, so these are just pictures of what I eat. Everyone is different.
Breakfast
#1: Potatoes
This is my go-to favorite breakfast every morning. I love potatoes! They’re full of fiber, they have a surprising amount of protein, and they keep me really full. I usually eat them with some fruit as well.
#2: Tomato Bagel with Hummus: This is what I eat when they have deep fried potatoes or don’t have potatoes for breakfast. Hummus has so much less fat than cream cheese and it has more protein.
Other Breakfast options: Oatmeal with fruit, cereal with almond milk, gluten-free waffles with frozen fruit on top, etc.
Lunch: Lunch is really dependent on what I’m doing that day and which dining hall I can get to. Typically, South Quad and North Quad are the most vegan/vegetarian friendly dining halls.
I usually eat a salad with balsamic vinaigrette, with whatever main I’m having.
This is a “cheat” meal that I eat on occasion; the vegan burger and Malibu veggie burger are amazing!
Dinner:
For dinner I’ll stuff up on cooked veggies and lots of rice! Rice is a carb that I don’t really worry about eating too much of. I just avoid eating too many processed carbs, like pastas, breads, and bagels.
Campus-Affiliated Restaurants:
I LOVE MEDITERRANEAN FOOD SO MUCH!! Ahmo’s is so quick and cheap, but so filling. I get the falafel plate with rice and fattoush every time.
Panda Express is also really great! I usually get the tofu with green beans and mixed veggies with brown rice.
I hope this helped to give you some ideas about how to eat a somewhat healthy, plant-based diet on a meal plan! Or just gave you some good ideas to switch up your meal routine. Good luck!