Vegetarian college student

B

bridgeofrain

New member
Hi!

I am a life-long vegetarian who currently lives in a dorm room with no immediate access to a kitchen. I eat dairy but no red or white meat -- including no fish.

Does anyone have any recipes or good links to find easy, low-fat recipes for vegetarians?

Thanks for any help!
 
It's really tough to eat a healthy balanced diet when you live in the dorm, vegetarian or not. I spent a year in the dorm, and I've been a vegetarian for 10 years-I also do not eat any meat, fish included, but I allow dairy and eggs in my diet.
What you can eat really depends on your situation-do you have a little refrigerator and a microwave? That's what I had. One meal my roommate and I would make a lot was vegetarian soft tacos-we would get vegetarian refried beans (if you're trying to diet I would suggest getting black beans instead) with soft tortillas, and we would heat those up in the microwave and then put tomato, low fat cheese, and low fat sour cream on top. Taco night was our favorite.
I wish I had more suggestions for you. I know how hard it is. I gained a ton of weight when I lived in the dorms because of the inability to cook healthy meals. We did a lot of snacking, because snack foods don't need to be refrigerated or cooked. It was pretty bad and we both ended up in bad health until we moved into an apartment. Healthy eating is so much easier now. Does your school have a meal plan? You might want to look into that-mine does and they had a whole salad bar and they would make several vegetarian entrees a day. You just have to be careful about portion control. The meal plan at my school is set up buffet style, so it was really easy to overeat. Good luck-try taco night!
 
The taco idea is awesome! I love quesadillas, and this sounds like a delicious alternative! I do have a mini-fridge and microwave, so it would be easy to store those ingredients.

One diner actually offers wraps. I often get veggie wraps, with cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc. Have you tried that? With low-fat tortillas, it can be made relatively healthy.

I do have the meal plan my school offers, and they are excellent about offering vegetarian options. However, by the time I get back to campus after work, all but one of the dining places are closed. I get sick of the same food there every night, so it's nice to have other options.

I actually lost my extra weight during freshmen year! I still haven't gained much this year but would like to lose a little bit... Being stuck for food options doesn't help the situation! Fortunately, I'm moving into an apartment in May, so I don't have to put up with it much longer!

Thanks again for the tip!
 
Veggie wraps are very good. They make good ones at Publix supermarkets. Yum. I hope you like Taco Night. I know how hard it is to eat healthily when you're running around between classes and work. Story of my life. But things will be so much better for you when you move into an apartment. Good luck!
 
Do you eat eggs? If so, eggs can also be microwaved. I often make tortilla wraps with eggs and a little salsa and perhaps some cheese.

Other options would simply be keeping veggies and fruit in the fridge. If you don't have access to a place to cut up vegetables, you can buy the prepackaged baby carrots, or, your local grocery store might have precut celery and carrots and such. Celery with peanut butter is a great snack. so is fruit. and yogurt =) For breakfast I like to slice up some fresh fruit into a bowl of plain non fat yogurt and add a bit of granola.

I hope some of these ideas help =)
 
I am also a vegetarian and have recently discovered a website that has great recipes. It's catered towards vegans, but it sounds like you kind of lean that way anyway. Go to vegweb.com and you can find alot of good recipes. They are submitted by other vegetarians and have ratings attached. Also, alot of people post comments on how they altered the recipe for lack of ingredients or taste or even to keep it cheap! I hope this helps!
 
I'm vegetarian too. Ironically enough it was when I tried to go vegan that I put on a LOT of weight--everything was so unsatisfying that I ate three times as much to compensate. But more to the point, here are some quick meals that I love:

*Put some faux "chicken" (like morningstar brand mealstarters chik'n strips) on a whole wheat tortilla with fat-free sour cream, veggies, salsa and lowfat cheese. Roll the whole thing up and warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds or so. This is the ONLY cure for a late-night Taco Bell addiction ;)
*You can make "pizza" out of pita bread, lowfat cheese, fake sausage or pepperoni, veggies and low-cal bbq sauce instead of pizza sauce (the spicier the better--spicy foods tend to keep me from eating too much). Stick it in the microwave long enough to melt the cheese.
*If you still eat fish, pick up some ready-made sushi at the grocery store. It's actually really filling because of the seaweed and sticky rice--after about 7 pieces I feel absolutely stuffed. Even if you don't eat fish you can get veggie-only sushi--eat a handful of nuts on the side for protein though.
 
helloo,
i'm new and this is my story-

i am abroad now for my junior year in Copenhagen. I used to be a skinny girl until I was about 17. I then developed an insatiable appetite for some reason, I think stress etc... I am not blaming my mother, but her "advice" and "encouragement" only compounded the issue because she is 5' 9" and 130llbs and my self confidence plummeted. then comes the depression blah blah more eating, more weight.
Before I get too carried away- I am not THAT overweight (5'8", 170llbs). But I feel really bad about myself, and I want to be healthy. Oh, did I mention I smoke and drink...a lot.

So- I am turning my life around. Starting now. I have proposed to my mother that if she pays for a gym membership here, that if I don't loose 20 pounds by the time I get home in June that I will pay her back in full. Is this a bad idea?

I want to get home and look good. I want to go home and be improved.
 
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