More undergraduates going green

Students that forgo meat in favour of vegetarianism may find themselves both richer and healthier.

(© Cultura Creative (RF) / Alamy Stock Photo)

Forget late-night kebabs and cheap bacon sarnies; many of today’s students are cutting meat from their diet altogether.

Starting at university can be the ideal time to make the change to vegetarianism, says Sophie Djemil, 19. “When you’re a kid, you basically just eat what your mum gives you. Now that I’m shopping for my own food, paying for it and cooking it myself, I’m thinking more about what I eat.”

With National Vegetarian Week on the horizon, 16-22 May, Djemil adds; “I’ve seen so much information recently. I’ve seen stuff about steroids they feed to the animals they breed for meat, and it just doesn’t make me feel good about eating it.”

She’s not alone. According to market research experts Mintel, 20 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds in Britain are either vegetarian or vegan, and a report published in February by the social research institute NatCen found increasing numbers of Britons swapping meat for vegetarian alternatives. Among survey respondents, nearly one in five people aged 18 to 24 said they had reduced the amount of meat in their diet over the previous 12 months – and one in ten people surveyed overall were considering vegetarianism. Reasons cited include health, cost, animal welfare, and concerns over food safety and the environment.

Yet even in 2016, some vegetarians still face social hurdles and stigmas. When Ben Alexander, 24, decided to go veggie during the third year of his degree, “I got ripped by my friends,” he admits. “I lived in an all-guy house with quite macho attitudes – but I don’t mind what they said.”

For those looking for like-minded company, however, many universities – including Nottingham, Bath, Edinburgh, Bradford and more – have a Vegetarian Society where students can get together to chat and eat. For recipe ideas, meanwhile, there’s no shortage of vegetarian student cookbooks out there, alongside websites including vegetariantimes.com and vegetarianrecipesmag.com.

And having significantly altered his diet, Alexander says he has noticed a number of benefits. “I spend less money on food, because meat is expensive, and I’m healthier.” As for the practicalities, “It wasn’t difficult to make the switch – except when you’re talking about post-clubbing snacks,” he smiles. Djemil also recognises that problem: “It’s easier to eat meat when you’re out and about, because it’s always there. It’s so easy to throw money away on fast food! But I’d rather take time to cook something healthy,” she says. That’s not just because she’s concerned about nutrition. “I’d prefer to eat food I can really taste and enjoy”.