There’s a lot of talk lately about how our school is not vegan-friendly. Eating healthy sounds like it should be easy, but with a lack of funds as a college student, it becomes a challenge. Most of us are busy with our classes, clubs and social events, so it’s hard to find the time and money to eat three healthy meals a day. With the lack of time, we opt for easy foods: pizza, fast food, chips, ice cream or the classic favorite, ramen noodles. Not only is it expensive, but there is also an absence of good, well-cooked and available food that is not just for vegans, but also for anyone who wants to eat healthy.
While I lived on campus, I found it slightly off-putting that a fruit salad cost me $5 on my meal plan, but a hamburger or a slice of pizza cost around $1 to $2. I know that it costs more to have healthy food in the dining halls, and even in supermarkets, but how can college students be expected to avoid the “Freshman 15” or lose weight already gained? The campus dining halls are riddled with options for those who don’t care about what is in their food. There are many fattening options that look delicious. But what if you want something healthy? Good luck, because there is little to no food that looks good, tastes good and doesn’t burn a hole in your meal plan. The only place where there is any hope, especially for vegans, is in College-in-the-Woods.
I moved off campus this year and found that it costs quite the pretty penny to eat well when buying my own groceries. Slowly the price grows every time I make it to the register because I want to eat organically. It also takes much longer to make my own food; everything has to be done after I get home from classes, and some nights that’s 8 p.m. at the earliest. What’s a good, quick fix? Well, prepared food, but most of that prepared food is processed and bad for the body. I realized I needed an organized way to fix my problem.
Making a list of the food I want for the week helps me limit how much I buy at the supermarket. If I know what I want ahead of time, then I don’t have to worry about buying too much and wasting the extra food. Another helpful tip is to clip coupons. You’d be surprised how much you can save by clipping a few coupons. It also helps to buy some food in bulk. Any way to save some money can help make it easier to buy the healthier but more expensive foods. Try keeping a budget. Knowing how much money you have to save and how to spread the wealth can help when it seems like you’re spending too much money. It’s important to keep your body healthy without hurting your wallet, too. Also, going shopping while hungry can cause you to buy more than you want to buy. Go shopping right after eating a meal; that way you’re in the right mindset to buy food in a smart way.
Another thing to keep in mind is the Binghamton University Food Co-op. There, you will find many options that will satisfy those who are vegans, and for not too much money. The only problem is that the Co-op is only one place, and there should be more than one place on campus that appeals to those who are vegan, vegetarian or just want to something healthy to eat.
There are ways to keep healthy in college; you just have to take a closer look and find the plan that works best for you. Hopefully, if enough people voice their opinion about wanting more options that are healthy and geared toward those who don’t eat meat or animal products, it will become easier and — if we’re lucky — cheaper to keep healthy. There are tons of ways to save money because we all know that every penny counts. So instead of worrying about how much money I’ll lose at the supermarket, I can worry about keeping my body as healthy as possible.