1. Make friends with the people in dining services

Discussing your commitment to eating whole plant foods with the director of your college’s dining services is one of the most effective ways to get started. Remember that the easier you make it for others, the more willing they will be to provide for you. So be positive and helpful (flattery goes a long way here).

Emphasize inexpensive, easy-to-prepare vegan staples, such as oatmeal for mornings and plain brown rice at night. Then you can add in whatever else is being served—fresh fruit and nuts for the oatmeal, and leafy greens, steamed vegetables, soups, salsa, and salad bar items for the rice. Not only will this improve your eating experience, it will support healthy options for your peers as well.

2. Make special requests for healthier food options (don’t be shy)

The more creative you are, the less likely you will become bored with your food options. Some schools post dining hall menus online. Check these ahead of time, and don’t hesitate to order your meal without specific ingredients , or request your own off-menu dish. For example, if you see a meat dish on the menu accompanied by grilled vegetables or a tasty grain, ask if you can have only these items. More often than not, the individual items are prepared separately, which makes your request convenient for everyone.

3. Find the alternative milks

Many dining halls have a section for students with food allergies. This is where you’ll find your soy milk, almond milk, and other plant-based goodies. More use of this section will show dining services how important these options are to students. I often ate oats with plant milks and chopped up fruit in the morning and for emergency dinners when nothing else was available.

4. Load up on healthy snacks

If you are lucky enough to have a dining hall that lets you take pieces of fruit to go, take advantage of this! Other items great for snacking include nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Staying full between meals with a couple bananas or a handful of raisins will help you stay focused in class and keep you from resorting to vending machine junk food. If you can’t take items out of your dining hall, request that fruit be put out when it is ripe so that everyone can enjoy it and there is less waste of unripe, starchy fruit.

5. Savor your company and practice mindful eating

One of the best aspects of the college dining hall is spending time with friends. Whether eating with an individual or in a large group, try to fully appreciate the moments of being together. Being present in the dining hall will help you better enjoy the human connections that we all crave, while allowing you to eat more mindfully.

As you get the hang of navigating the college dining hall, you’ll start to see more and more options. Take generous portions of salad bar items, and fill up on whole, healthy plant-based foods first, so you don’t fall into the pleasure trap of cookies, pastries, and other tempting dessert items. Most important, be kind and respectful to dining service workers, fellow students, and yourself; it will make your experience much more enjoyable.

The post How to Eat Healthy in College Dining Halls appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Going vegan once sounded like a nearly impossible feat to me, especially in college. Even more so at a college in the south, where barbecue and butter are the sixth and seventh food groups. Yet all it took for me was some education and a few weeks of trying it out to realize I needed to do this, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.

About 8 million Americans eat a vegan or plant-based diet, meaning they do not consume any dairy, meat, or eggs, and that number has been growing rapidly in the past few years. With some of those 8 million being Beyonce, Carrie Underwood, Mike Tyson, and Liam Hemsworth, the vegan lifestyle has started to get some much-deserved publicity and credibility.

After a freshman year full of late-night Domino’s pizza and early morning donuts and espresso, the typical college student diet began to take a toll on me. I came home for the summer sick, exhausted, and a few pounds heavier. I exercised routinely and even resorted to old eating disorder techniques to try and lose the weight, but the pounds wouldn’t budge. And I felt stuck.

I watched Forks Over Knives one afternoon that summer and realized that my quality of life could be so much higher if I just adjusted my diet. So I took the plunge, decided to go vegan, and haven’t looked back since.

Why go vegan as a college student? Why shouldn’t you wait until it’s more convenient?

1. You’ll have a steady stream of energy that doesn’t require a steady stream of caffeine.

Last season, on the popular TV show Extreme Weight Loss, celebrity trainer Chris Powell tried an experiment with a pair of twins. He put one on a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet and the other on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. After two weeks, both lost the same amount of weight, but the first twin had lasting energy to do the workouts and looked more muscular, while the second struggled to make it through his daily routine. While a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet does bring quick results, it doesn’t produce healthful habits. Following a vegan diet means more time to get your work done, better ability to focus, and an overall less-stressful life.

2. You’ll get sick far less often and stop spending hours in the health center.

Foods that are highly processed or high in cholesterol, saturated fat, and sugar deplete the body of its nutrients, which weakens your immune system. Many animal products fit this description, causing inflammation to your heart and arteries. They also destroy white blood cells, your body’s defense mechanisms. By contrast, unprocessed plant foods are typically full of antioxidants and vitamins, which help protect your immune system and reduce your susceptibility to sickness.

3. You can eat plenty of food anytime you are hungry and still maintain a healthy weight.

As long as you aren’t eating highly processed foods or animal products, you do not have to count calories or restrict your intake. Vegans tend to weigh about 18% less than the average American, even while eating as much as they need to.

4. You will actually save money on food and get to spend it on clothes … or more food.

My grocery bills have drastically decreased since adopting a plant-based diet. Your most expensive groceries are typically dairy products and meats. Some great vegan staples in college are some of the cheapest foods at the grocery store: black beans, brown rice, frozen fruits and veggies, peanut butter, and pasta. Focus on these, and your body will feel lighter while your wallet will feel heavier.

5. You are allowed, even encouraged, to eat carbs!

A healthy, whole-food vegan diet consists of about 75% carbohydrates that can be found in potatoes, beans, rice, corn, pasta, and whole grains. It’s all about eating the right kind of carbs that will fill you up and give you lasting energy without the crash. Protein and fat are important components too, but you need far less of them than the propaganda would have you believe. After a few weeks of following a plant-based diet, your body will soon tend to crave the right foods.

Lauren Lane is a junior at the University of Alabama and a staff writer for The Crimson White, the university newspaper.

The post Why College Is the Best Time to Go Vegan appeared first on Forks Over Knives.