Veganize your life by LindseyVolt
A vegan diet can be a challenge to follow, especially for a college student, but with all the options around the University of South Florida, it can definitely fit into student’s lifestyles.
Veganism, an extension of vegetarianism, is an integral component of a cruelty-free lifestyle. Living vegan provides numerous benefits to animals’ lives, to the environment, and to our own health through a healthy diet and lifestyle.
A person who is living a true vegan lifestyle can only eat plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes (dried beans and peas), grains, seeds and nuts. In general, vegan diets contain less saturated fat and more fruit, veggies, fiber, and protein than omnivorous diets. Some vegans won’t even wear fur, leather, down, wool or use any product tested on animals.
There are many restaurants on and off campus that cater to vegan students. In the Marshall Student Center on USF’s campus, students can enjoy a 100 percent tofu burrito with fresh vegetables from Moe’s Southwest Grille. Other restaurants on campus, such as Subway and Burger King, also have healthy alternatives.
Lauren Partridge, a USF student majoring in marine biology, has been a vegan for four years and finds it very easy to satisfy her appetite while studying on campus. “I get a veggie sub at Subway every other day. All the vegetables are organic and the condiments and dressings are all vegan-friendly,” Partridge said.
For the past couple years Burger King has been striving to promote a healthier side of the fast food industry.
“I recently learned that Burger King has removed all animal-based flavoring from their French Fries and decided to cook them separately from meat products in peanut oil,” Partridge said. “Other items, such as the fruit cup, salad and dressings are all organic.”
There are also many off-campus vegan restaurants closely located to USF. Evos, Grassroots, Viitals bakery, Kaleisia Tea Lounge and the Loving Hut all have vegan menus.
Loving Hut, located on Fletcher Avenue, offers not only an all-vegan menu, but  great prices and an abundance of information on the vegan lifestyle.
 “Loving Hut is a beacon of light for an alternative way of living,” said Supreme Master Ching Hai, innovator of the Loving Hut concept. “It’s healthier, it’s compassionate, it’s peaceful and it’s the only way to a sustainable planet.”
Carlos Carroll, a chef at the Loving Hut, is also a culinary management student at the Art Institute of Tampa. Carroll has been practicing veganism for the past five months and insisted that he doesn’t miss meat at all.
“My dad had a heart attack and open heart surgery recently,” Carroll said. “The doctors say it was due to bad eating habits and an unhealthy diet.”
However, Kristie Almeida, vegan of two and a half years and member of SPEAK(Students Protecting the Environment & Animals thru Knowledge), wants students to know that you can find vegan options at almost any restaurant.
“On happycow.com, you can look up all the restaurants in the area and they’ll tell you what’s veg-friendly,” Almeida said. “It’s a really good resource.”
There are also many fresh food markets located in the USF area that provide a large selection of “all organic“ fruits and vegetables.
Almeida said: “One thing people say a lot is that the food’s too expensive but, in my experience, making your own food is normally never more expensive than going out. There’s a substitute for absolutely everything. There’s nothing that you have to give up. Find your favorite food and there’s a way to make it vegan.”
Becoming a vegan student may seem hard, however, by just taking more time to research where to get your food could result in a happier and healthier lifestyle.
For more answers to your vegan questions, check out our Ask A Vegan blog by Rose Bishop!
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