College Dining Hall?

[lulumasclans]

        I have been struggling with how to manage being a college student and eat Paleo. The way my school is set up, everyone is on a mandatory, all-you-can-eat meal plan, and a great deal of socialization and studying is done over meals. Unfortunately, the dining services cook everything in canola oil, use conventional produce and CAFO animal products. It also offers a good deal of non-paleo starches like brown rice, lentils and hummus.
        Does anyone have tips on how to manage a situation like this? I used to use a crockpot in my dorm room, but my roommates couldn't stand the smell, and it got lonely eating all by myself.
       My big question is, in the situation where you have CAFO animal products, conventional produce and canola-oil-saturated everything and the busy schedule of a college student, what do you do? I have been miserable on a gluten free, soy free, dairy free vegan diet with the occasional egg while at school, but I am too afraid to touch the arsenic-laden chicken and hormone-antibiotic beef! Any advice is appreciated

[gutsybynature]

Don't be afraid to eat the dorm cafeteria food. Just do the best you can to eat paleo within the reality of your life. Avoid salad dressings and fried foods and you really won't be consuming that much canola oil. CAFO animal products and conventional produce are not ideal but they are far from being poisonous and much better than being vegan. I have heard everyone from Robb Wolf to Chris Kresser and others give similar advice to people in such situations. You need to eat!!! Being miserable and afraid is not good.


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[EJ]

gutsybynature is right. You need to eat-and eat MEAT! Many of us out in the "real world" eat CAFO animals and conventional produce because that's what we can access or afford. While not ideal, some things are more important to our overall health. Being a vegan will most likely land your health in a bad situation. Eat meats, but in moderation. If you're really concerned, maybe you can supplement a Paleo-ish protein powder on the side when you truly can't stomach the chicken. Although, Sarah tends to avoid chicken as the least nutritious meat, anyway. So you'd be better off sticking to beef and pork and eggs.

In the end, we do the best we can with what we're given. If you can't come up with alternatives, choose wisely. Also, it sounds like a great opportunity for you to get other students involved in some food activism to try to make healthy changes to your dining system

[salixisme]

I agree with the 2 posts above - you really do need to eat or you will get sick.

I would avoid gluten and dairy at all costs and not worry too much about the rest - stressing about food will also make you sick, and will be worse than eating the food the college dining hall supplies.

While CAFO animals are not ideal, most of the toxins are in the fat, so if you cut off any fat or choose the leanest meats possible you will be removing most of them. take your own salad dressings (olive oil and balsamic vinegar is a good one) with you to dress any salads and don't eat fried foods.

Go for the lean meat and lots of veggies, and you will still be eating a diet that is better than the standard SAD diet even if it is not ideal.