Any other college-age primals? page 2

[Iceskater]

Im a senior also. Going primal has made me realize that almost every cafeteria lunch item is grain-based. Ive used it as an opportunity to fast (usually thru bf or lunch) since I commute between 3 different campuses.


I like to ziplock along nuts, eggs, apples, and avocados. If I can sneak out to a grocery, Ill buy a whole roasted chicken for a few bucks.


Having primal food avail is hard, not to mention the social aspect- ie avoiding alcohol on the weekends

[klcarbaugh]

Oh come on chocolatechip, you must have had a really bad experience. Living in a dorm is so much easier than I thought. And, as long as you are out doing something and having a life, you aren't in your room except when you are sleeping... there are a million places to go study or hang out. The floor advisers and roommates/hallmates are generally super nice and connect with you because they are all in the same boat (trying to figure out their place in the world). You get to meet people from all walks of life. Yea, I guess the food situation is the only thing that sucks for me. Plus, usually dorm living is only for one year. Then, sophomore year you can get a bunch of friends together who respect you and life peacefully (hopefully) in a house or apartment.

[Pankratos]

I'm a senior at FAU in south florida and although i wasn't primal when i lived in the dorms I can see how difficult it would be to get some decent food in that situation. Nowadays I'm a commuter student and when i eat at school, which is rare since eating primal tends to keep me from being hungry during the day, I eat from the small chinese place on campus. I can usually get some protein and veggies without rice for relatively cheap. I have a taste for eating my fruit and veggies raw as well so its easy to keep that stuff around un-refrigerated.


I'm glad you brought this up, since i'll probably be going back to the dorms after i graduate and find another school!

[Shazkar]

I'm lucky enough that after freshman year I needed no meal plan (which was a rip off anyway), and sophomore year each floor had a kitchen, and last year and this year I've been in suites with our own kitchens...

Though I didn't even start trying to eat healthier until recently, but I sure saved money by cooking.

[AmyMac703]

Hey,

I started a primal blog where I talk about being a primal college student. I only have like 4 entries up but that is going to be the main focus of it

http://www.thepathtothewest.blogspot.com

I haven't lived in the dorms (and thus, had to eat at the cafeteria) since freshman year, but there are plenty other aspects of college life that make being primal a challenge for college kids (including social pressures, kind of like klcarbaugh's vegetarian roommate that he/she was talking about).

The main thing I would suggest for the cafeteria would be to get a burger or grilled chicken patty without the bun. If they serve them already on buns, just get one and throw the bun away.

At my school they serve them already on buns but you can get as much food as you want per trip to the cafeteria so theoretically you could get 2 or 3 burgers/sandwiches and throw away the buns for all of them.

[Shazkar]

The hardest thing really is:

1) Free food is usually pizza and I cannot resist food if it is free, or the free indian vegetarian cooking class every tuesday night with large amounts of food... free...

2) Going out with friends to eat, but that is a rare weekend treat so I'm okay with that

3) Beer... delicious beer, which is one of my favorite substances on the planet, but I have drastically decreased the quantity I drink, and increased the quality instead


I wouldn't say I eat a primal diet yet, as I haven't committed myself 100%, but when I cook for myself I basically limit it to meat/eggs + veggies... so that's a start at least. And the snacks in my room are almonds, walnuts, or fruit.

Don't drink soda or juice (but haven't yet cut out dairy....)


But going out with the friends on the weekends is, I guess, okay, though not ideal... but at least it's only a few times a week

Last night, for example.... terrible, I had an espresso (perfectly fine), ice cream (not at all), and we went to this classsy pizza joint (not at all ok either)


But I figure the occasional going out with friends thing is okay, pretty much the entire week up till today I cooked most meals for myself or got salads from delis...

[BigBeck89]

The thing gettin me through college is primal sandwiches. easy to make, wrap in foil and go.


2 Nappa cabbage leaves work great for bread. just slap some turkey, tomato, pickles, mustard and go.

[greggor]

Junior-ish in SoDak. I'm living off campus, and I enjoy it heavily. But, it can be done. Basically go through your cafeteria line thinking like Grok. Imagine that you are on the great plains stalking your prey. Though the mastodon, antelope, deer, and bison are absent, in their place: hamburger patties, cheese slices, beef roasts, bacon slices, pork chops, and the elusive steak. Be patient, and stalk lightly. Leave none to be wasted! But, you might want to leave the spear and sling in the dorm room...

Also, get a phone book, look up your local butcher's shop(s), and ask them for tallow, tongue, and liver. These will inevitably be the cheapest/free items that a poor college student can afford. Also, look around town for a "farmer's market" for fresh chicken or duck eggs, and POSSIBLY a hook-up for REAL cream. At my school, there are mini-kitchens, and after talking to my friends at other schools, it's quite common. Go to the nearest dollar store, pick up some pans, and start cooking bacon, steaks, eggs etc.! I really don't eat snacks too much anymore. I basically eat only 2 meals a day, and sometimes just 1. I'm just not super hungry anymore! Big breakfast of eggs, cream, tallow, and deer. I'm stuffed until 4 or 5. BUT, if you REALLY need something, just cook a bunch of bacon ahead of time and baggie them up! Just be creative!

GOOD LUCK

Greg

[gazb]

I just finished Uni in the UK (University of Edinburgh). I was in halls of residence for my first year, where we were given breakfast and dinner, and "off campus" for the other three years. That's the usual setup here, although people are given a choice of catered or self-catered in first year if they go for halls; I just happened to choose catered.


This was long before I was into healthy eating, but the choice was decent. For breakfast there was a full selection of cooked items: eggs, sausages, bacon, all the rest. Plenty fruit too; cereal and toast were of course also on offer. It was pretty much a case of help yourself. There was a "point system": you can take 6 points worth of food. 3 points was enough for a pretty decent breakfast, so I'd use the other 3 to grab stuff for lunch: a couple of bacon rolls (I did say this was before I was into healthy eating!) and an apple.


Dinner was OK too, there was a good choice: one meat dish was always on offer, along with a veggie option, and for the carb fans there was always pizza, pasta, and chips. It was the usual queue up and tell the server what you want deal, so nothing stopping you from asking for the meat and the veg without the starchy side then hitting the salad bar. Again, point system allowance was enough even for a greedy bastard like me; from what I gather they've now scrapped the point system altogether and it's now all you can eat!


Of course, you're still having to compromise; I'd guess that most of the food was low quality meat and cooked in vegetable oil. The golden rule still applies: if you want healthy food you gotta cook it yourself. If I were to go back now I'd choose self-catered.


Also we had kitchenettes that had a fridge, kettle, toaster, and microwave. You can prepare a surprising amount of food with these!

[klcarbaugh]

Yea, in the U.S. a "meal plan" (catered) is REQUIRED. The only way to get out of it (I did, so I know the process) is if you have severe food allergies, another medical reason, or a religious reason. You have to provide several forms of documentation from your doctor. Sighed written notes, allergy tests, letters, food journals, etc. I have a friend who is Muslim and kosher so she also got out of the meal plan. She had to have a religious leader sign papers, etc.

Oh, but that is not all. The paperwork gets sent in along with all the notes and extra stuff... and gets reviewed by a committee. Mine got reviewed twice, and still I was put on a "120 meal plan" (which is much less than the general required one) since there were no on-campus apartments (with a kitchenette) available. I just got word a few days ago that there is a space open now... so I am moving Friday! I never set foot in a cafeteria so I won't get charged anything for the food I didn't eat, but I do have to pay more for my new room (even though I still have a roommate). So it SUCKS.