At the heart of veganism lies an awareness of animal protection, an answer to the environmental crisis, and a search for a healthier lifestyle. As more and more light has been cast on these topics in recent decades, people from all walks of life have turned to veganism, making important changes in their personal lives. Between awareness-raising campaigns, revealing documentaries, and trends like the “Veganuary” challenge, society has been asked to keep up with the constantly growing demand for more vegan options. Here in Iceland, the issue has led to the emergence of a very active vegan community, supported by organizations such as the Icelandic Vegan Society (Samtök grænkera á Íslandi) or the Facebook group Vegan Ísland (with over 20,000 members). In addition, many grocery stores and restaurants now offer vegan options. Even better, Gaukurinn has become THE cruelty-free temple of downtown Reykjavik, with the opening of Veganæs last year. Yet one question remains: What about being vegan when you’re a student? How can you eat vegan on a budget at the University of Iceland, while getting enough energy throughout the day and not neglecting nutrition? This article will review the availability of vegan products around campus, feature interviews with vegan students, and provide useful tips to answer these questions.

Vegan Háma

With various locations on the main campus and in other university buildings around town, Háma and the Student Cafes are the number one hot spots to get lunch, stop in for a coffee, or buy snacks. Opening hours and the weekly menu are displayed on the Student Services (Félagsstofnun stúdenta, FS) website, under the tab "Háma." Concerning their vegan options, we can read in the description, “The stock we use in our food is without gluten and MSG. For all vegan dishes and soups, we only use vegan stock. Vegan dishes and soups are marked (V).” Yet, in a 2018 issue of the Student Paper, the then-president of the Student Council addressed the need to diversify the menu choices at the university’s catering points: “we're urging FS [Student Services] to offer more vegan options at Háma” (Elísabet Brynjarsdóttir, “Student Melancholy: Address from the Student Council President,” October 22, 2018).

A year later, after the arrival of a new chef in charge of Háma’s kitchens, and a visit to the different locations around campus, it is fair to say that FS has met the Student Council’s demand. Indeed, plant-based options are now available everywhere. Although Háma and the salad bar in Háskólatorg have the largest selection of vegan food (including hot meals, soups, sandwiches, salads, drinks, and even chocolate!), Háma in Tæknigarður and Stakkahlíð also offer a vegan hot meal. In addition, a smaller selection of vegan sandwiches or salads are found in Árnagarður, Askja, Oddi, and Háskólabío, and vegan soup is also served at least twice a week in the above-mentioned places, as well as in Veröld. Besides, since earlier this year, it is possible to buy the “one bottle = one meal" drinks from Saturo brand, which are plant-based, gluten- and lactose-free and help stave off hunger for a few hours (yet they should not replace a proper meal). On average, buying a vegan meal at Háma costs around 1000 kr. with the Student card (990 kr. for a hot meal, 530 kr. for a soup, 1750 kr. for a large salad at the salad bar and 775 kr. for a packaged salad at Háma, 430 kr. for a sandwich and 800 kr. for the Jömm one, and 540 kr. for a 33-cl bottle of Saturo).

But more importantly, there is always a bottle of plant-based milk (almond, soy, and/or oat) in every coffee corner, to be enjoyed by both vegans and those who are lactose intolerant. And for a nice coffee break, the new Kaffi Veröld, the Student Cellar, Bókakaffi Stúdenta (the café in the student bookstore), or even Kaffitár in the National Museum will comfort you with lattes, cappuccinos, and sometimes vegan cakes (depending on availability).

More demand means greater selection, so let us now turn to those who profit from it the most: vegan students.

Vegan students

Atli Snær Ásmundsson is studying linguistics and has been moving back and forth between vegetarianism and veganism for about two years. He spends most of his days at the university, so he often eats lunch and dinner on campus. Since he frequents Háma, he notices that the vegan choices have greatly improved compared to when he started his studies two years ago: “Now, there are always vegan soups and hot meals, as well as the Jömm sandwich and this new sandwich, which is better than the old one.” He also points out that while the vegan symbol was sometimes missing from the menu before, it is now always marked in Háskólatorg, but not so much in the other buildings. Yet he also mentions that the vegan options are gone in no time, so when he has classes during lunchtime and visits Háma after 3 PM, all the vegan sandwiches have already been sold. This is why he often prefers getting a vegan meal from the Student Cellar, but he doesn’t always have the time to order, nor the money to spend. When asked what he would like to see at Háma in the future, Atli says “More sweet and snacky things and more dairy-like products such as yogurt.”

Sólrún Hedda Benedikz has a BA in linguistics and is a research assistant at Málvísindastofnun. She has been slowly removing animal products from her diet for the last twelve years and turned to veganism about six years ago since she started developing lactose intolerance. She eats at Háma once or twice a week and loves when there is a good soup, but if not, she goes for salad or noodles. Just as Atli noticed, Sólrún acknowledges the improvement in the menu choices compared to a few years ago, especially that “there's actually more than one option most of the time.” Nonetheless, since she spends a lot of time at the university all year round, she finds the vegan options quite repetitive and regrets the limited availability of plant-based products during the summer.

Personal tips

Going vegan requires commitment, but with good habits and a bit of organization, this diet will become as natural as breathing. Yet students don’t necessarily have the budget to eat at Háma every day, nor the time to queue during the busy hours, and sometimes arriving too late means finding the vegan shelf empty. Besides, although a soup can help warm you up, it might not give you enough energy to stay focused all day. Taking some time to prepare food and snacks at home before a long day of studying remains the best option. Here are some tips for how to do it:

Hearty breakfast: Eat a filling breakfast, like oatmeal with nuts and berries. This will help you keep going until lunchtime.

Double portion when cooking dinner, ready-to-eat lunch: leftovers stored in a reusable and microwavable container can be heated up in the various microwaves found on campus.
Snacking is life: Snacking is important. It’s comforting, it allows time to take a break, and it helps you recharge your batteries for better focus. A personal favourite of mine is a mix of nuts, which you can also find at Háma, but I prefer making it at home and storing it in a reusable container. I use almonds, hazelnuts, unsalted cashews, raisins, and pumpkin seeds.
Fruits: as a refreshment between classes, a dessert, or an afternoon snack, fruit helps hydrate with its high water content, but it also comforts with its sweet taste. And guess what, it’s also available at Háma!

Good to know: the magic of nuts and seeds

The health benefits of nuts and seeds are incredible, and they’re an essential element of the vegan diet. In addition to the important intake of plant-based protein they provide, they contribute to good nutrition thanks to all the fibres, unsaturated fats, magnesium, and vitamins they contain. Even though they are high in calories, they make the perfect nutritional snack as they last longer than any cereal bar that gets eaten in two bites. They also greatly help with reducing the sensation of hunger as they take longer to digest. To learn more about the power of nuts, check out the article “What are the most healthful nuts you can eat?” on medicalnewstoday.com.

In summary

Being vegan at the University of Iceland is not a problem. With the diversification of products available at Háma, the vegan option has become very popular among all students. Indeed, as more and more people try to cut down on their meat consumption, plant-based meals are no longer only for vegans. Háma has done a good job in providing different menu choices, and there is also a new sandwich in the making. Yet, to prevent the daily “victim of its own success” phenomenon of vegan products, it would be much appreciated to stock larger quantities.

Going further

To learn more about veganism (information, recipes, addresses), you can check the following list of books available at Bóksala Stúdenta, websites, and apps:

· M. Evans, On Eating Meat (3295 kr.)

· S. Romine, How to Go Meat Free (1895 kr.)

· E. Hollingsworth, Vegan Treats (3195 kr.)

· Facebook: Vegan Ísland, The Vegan Society, Vegan Samtökin

· Tumblr: Veganonthecheap

· Instagram: @bestofvegan, @vegan

· Apps: Veganized, HappyCow, Vegan Iceland

“Veni, Vidi, Vegan”: On Following a Plant-Based Diet at the University of Iceland