It can be challenging for a member of the vegan and vegetarian community to find quality tasting protein. Chartwells, the company that makes the food on campus, has significantly improved the protein selection, specifically inside the Oakland Center. For quite some time, students with the transfer meal plan who were vegan or vegetarian could only eat at Moe’s, Subway or Create. Protein is the most vital part of a vegan or vegetarian diet; without it significant health effects will start to show.

Moe’s has many options including beans, vegetables, queso  and tofu. Beans, for instance, are a great source of protein and taste good. Subway has two vegetarian transfer meal options: the veggie delight or the veggie patty. The veggie patty is filled with protein as well as vegetables like carrots, mushrooms and peppers.

Create, as most students know, is built around various salads and wraps making it vegetarian friendly. But now, vegan students can count on the restaurant for more than just a salad.

“We are now offering tofu as a protein option in Create,” Chartwells Executive Chef Kevin Peasgood said.

Also new this year is options for salads in On The Go stations as well as Au Bon Pain.

“We have a strawberry pecan salad with fresh goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette that is in the rotation for our On the Go program,” Peasgood said. “We also have various vegetarian snack boxes that have hummus, cottage cheese, vegetables, fruit and nuts.”

The Bear Cave has also made its black bean burger a transfer meal. The burger is made with corn and black beans and is accompanied by a side of fries.

For most vegan and vegetarian students, it is often more expensive and takes more effort to find a nutritious meal on campus. But Chartwells is working to change that, especially because it is no extra cost to the company.

For students interested in or concerned about campus dining, the Chartwells office is on the main level of the Oakland Center by the OU Credit Union.