College Campuses Offer Plant-Based Meals as the New Normal

The salad bar in the main Marist dining hall is just one location where students can find plant-based foods on campus. Photo by Emma Denes 25’.

Today’s college students fuel all the latest trends — including what we put on our plates.

“It’s definitely really integrated into my lifestyle. I don’t really see it as a diet, more like a life choice. I just choose plant-based products,” said Victoria Stout ’26, who has been vegetarian since her freshman year of high school. And she’s not alone.

The latest data indicates that only a single-digit percent of Americans are vegetarian or vegan, but it seems young adults are more inclined towards the trend. Some U.S. college students choose plant-based meals at a rate of 81% when it is presented as the default option, according to a study conducted earlier this year by the Food for Climate League.

Plant-based eaters can be divided into two main camps: vegans and vegetarians. A vegan diet consists of no animal products whatsoever, while a vegetarian diet is looser and allows for the consumption of eggs and dairy. But despite those dietary restrictions, various foods are available for nourishment, from fruits and vegetables to cereal and chickpeas. 

Across the country, over 1,400 higher education institutions provide vegan options. And this plant-based diet movement is catching on globally. An open letter signed in September by over 650 academics in the U.K. calls for British universities to divest entirely from dairy and meat products.

And for college students particularly, now might be the best time to try a new diet. “You got it better. You got good metabolism, you’re in a good spot health-wise,” said Marie Murphy, campus dietician for Gourmet Dining at Marist College.

For people, the planet and animals

Those who adopt a plant-based diet typically do so for one of three reasons: to improve health and wellness, reduce their impact on the environment or champion animal rights. But the arguments can blend into one another. 

“You may have someone who’s very impassioned by animal rights, so then they become a vegetarian because they’re an animal rights person. But then what happens is, they learn about the diet and the lifestyle,” said Joseph Campisi, chair of the philosophy and religious studies department at Marist and professor of the college’s Ethics of Food course.

Like all diets, a plant-based diet has pros and cons. It may protect against type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure — and even possibly promote weight loss. One study from the British Journal of Nutrition found an association between a plant-based diet and lower stress levels in Saudi Arabian female college students. 

For those who do not eat animal products, missing out on those essential nutrients, such as Vitamins D and B12, is a possible concern. Stout, for example, does take supplements for iron deficiency.

“From my perspective, it’s best to have a more flexible approach, where some of those animal-based proteins are actually going to be more beneficial for you than the animal fats,” said Murphy. 

But a plant-based diet is certainly the best option for maintaining the health of the planet. 

According to Livestock's Long Shadow – a 2006 report published by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization – grazing for livestock accounts for the largest share of our land use, making up about three-quarters of agricultural grounds. And the most recent data indicates that livestock produces 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Within that percent, cattle contribute the vast majority. When cows burp after feeding, they release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more powerful at trapping atmospheric heat than carbon dioxide. In addition, beef production alone accounts for 41% of tropical deforestation, resulting in 2.1 million hectares of forest lost every year — along with the carbon capture potential of all those trees.

Although both vegan and vegetarian diets have a lower carbon footprint, the latter would be considered unethical regarding the animal rights perspective. For instance, only female cows can produce milk – so when male calves are born, they are killed and processed into veal.

“If the idea is that you don’t want to be involved in the slaughter of animals, even dairy involves the slaughter of animals. So, if you want to be morally consistent, it’s not enough to be a vegetarian. You have to be a vegan,” said Campisi. 

Taking it one meal at a time

According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Vegan Report Card, Marist ranks A+ when it comes to vegan dining options. But that rating was only last updated in 2019 when Sodexo served as the campus food provider.

Still, plant-based choices remain present this year, with new company Gourmet Dining taking Sodexo's place. The daily online menu for the main dining hall signifies vegan or vegetarian items with green leaf icons. Options also exist at on-campus retail dining locations, where menu items can be viewed and ordered via the Grubhub app. 

At North End in McCormick Hall, students can try rice bowls with tofu or tempura cauliflower. The Steel Plant Café features avocado and hummus toast for fashion students and other majors who stop by. And at Marketplace, students can build their own "Save the Cows Veggie Burger."

Murphy emphasized that eating locally, even without going fully plant-based, is one of the best ways to support ethical food practices. “Local farmers are folks who are treating their animals humanely, and they’re creating less greenhouse gas emissions overall because you’re not going to transport it as far,” said Murphy.

For those who may be more hesitant to give up meat, it is important to remember that adopting a plant-based diet does not require going vegetarian or vegan. Swapping animal proteins for plant-based ones is one way to go about it. The plant-based meat industry, currently dominated by companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, could be worth as much as $85 billion by 2030.

“What some people say is plant-based is way better. But if we’re going to be practical about it, what we should kind of promote is that instead of eliminating meat, people reduce it as much as possible,” said Campisi. He cited the approach of Mark Bittman, a former food writer for the New York Times, as one example to follow: eating a vegan breakfast and lunch, but “indulging” for dinner.

Stout offered the reminder that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Even just replacing steak with chicken or trying one plant-based meal a day are simple steps each person can take to care for themselves and the planet at their own pace.

“Everyone’s body is a little bit different, and your food intake is everyone’s own journey,” said Stout.

Victoria Stout ‘26 has integrated a vegetarian diet into her lifestyle — and she encourages others who are interested in doing the same to take it one step at a time. Photo courtesy of Victoria Stout 26’.