A College Freshman Tells You How To Eat Vegan On A Budget

The vegan diet, if that's your thing, is becoming increasingly accessible in the age of Instagram, as social media connects people with a growing network of recipe ideas and tips for living well.

One young vegan, first-year university student Zoe Thompson, recently wrote a blog post for the Guardian sharing tips on how to maintain a vegan diet within the confines of the college cafeteria. The trick, Thompson found, was to cook for herself.

"Following a vegan diet can be extremely cheap for students," Thompson writes. "For example, one thing I depend on is the sweet potato. Not needing an oven or a hob, the humble root vegetable is microwaveable in under five minutes. A jacket sweet potato can easily be stuffed with hummus or ready-made falafel, beans and steamed vegetables, making a really tasty (and notably quick) lunch."

Also recommended by the vegan on a budget are Uncle Ben's quick-cooking rice varieties, lentils, vegetable soups, plus curry bases and miso to "add some sparkle to tinned beans or tofu."

"I'm proud to be sensitive to animal rights and that I have garnered enough independence, creativity and self-acceptance to live this way and let others know and learn about it," Thompson writes of her veganism. "Hopefully, my case serves as a testament to the fact that anyone, anywhere can be vegan if they truly have the passion for it."