When you’re making your own meals at home, it’s easy to have complete control over every aspect of your eating. You stocked the pantry, you planned the menus, and you’re whipping up tasty meatless meatless entrees for you and your family. But unless you’re completely housebound, you have to go out in the world some time – and often, that requires eating in restaurants.
That doesn’t mean you have to toss out all your vegetarian principles. More and more, restaurants offer vegetarian options, and even fast food outlets have food you can eat. Depending on where you are, you can find something to eat. The reason restaurants have become more sensitive to the needs of vegetarians has nothing to do with social consciousness – it has to do with money. Vegetarians (and friends of vegetarians) have money to spend, too, and restaurants that don’t cater to meatless eaters lose business when those folks want to eat out.
Even if you end up in a restaurant that doesn’t have anything vegetarian on the menu, you can always request something special.
Remember, restaurants want your money – and they get that money buy selling you food, and preparing it in a way you like! Salads can be made without the chicken or salmon that’s listed on the menu. You can even ask your server if the chef can prepare something vegetarian just for you. Chefs often get a little bored making the same things day in and day out, and yours may welcome the opportunity to whip up something new! Just be polite, ask nicely, and your request will be seen as perfectly reasonable.
Think ethnic
If you live in a big city, you’ll probably be able to find vegetarian restaurants in your town. If you can’t find any on the Internet or in the phone book, look for a natural foods store in your town – the employees there will be able to point you toward restaurants that are vegetarian-friendly. If both of those searches come up short, think ethnic! Chinese restaurants are great for vegetarians, offering delicious vegetable entrees, rice and noodles. Just take a moment to quiz your server about how the dishes are prepared – some dishes that sound vegetarian on the menu may contain meat or eggs. Tell your waiter that you don’t eat meat, and they’ll make sure your meal comes the way you want it.
Indian restaurants are terrific for vegetarians, too, although not all cities have them. The Indian diet has a rich tradition of vegetarianism, and restaurants offer a selection of vegetable curries and dishes made with chickpeas, which are an excellent source of protein (and delicious). If you’re new to Indian cuisine, you have a delightful adventure ahead of you – try dal, a traditional, spicy lentil dish, and samosas, delightful little pastries stuffed with meat, vegetables and spices (just make sure you don’t order the ones with meat!) If you’re avoiding dairy, though, be aware that many Indian dishes are prepared using clarified butter, called ghee – just ask that your meal be prepared with vegetable oil instead.
If your co-workers or family announce a trip to the Olive Garden or another Italian restaurant, don’t fret – Itailian restaurants are another great option for vegetarians, especially the ovo lactos. Pasta with meatless marinara sauce is a staple menu item, as it pasta primavera, which is loaded with vegetables. Many Italian soups, such as pasta fagioli, gets their protein from rice and beans (just make sure that they use vegetable broth, and not beef or chicken). At the big chain restaurants like Olive Garden or the Spaghetti Factory, you’ll find salad bar/bread stick combination meals that are perfect for vegetarians and easy on the wallet. And if the gang heads out for pizza, ovo lactos have lots of options, too. Plain cheese pizza, or even a cheeseless pizza topped with vegetables, are just as tasty as the meat-loaded kind.
Other ethnic options are excellent choices for vegetarians, as well. Hit a Greek restaurant and load up on hummus, dolma (stuffed grape leaves), baba ganoujh (a delicious eggplant spread), spanikopita (spinach pie) and salad made with a grain called tabouli. If you like Mexican fare, you can have gazpacho (a cold vegetable soup), chiles rellenos (green peppers stuffed with cheese, the breaded and fried) and bean-and-cheese versions of all the usual favorites – burritos, enchiladas, tostadas and tacos.
Eating with the common folk
If you’re an ovo lacto vegetarian, you’ll be able to find lots of things to eat at family-style restaurants, no matter what time of the day you visit them. At breakfast, you can enjoy waffles or pancakes, omelettes and egg “scrambles.” Other times of the day or night, there’s grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, french fries, egg salad and other items. It gets harder, however, if you’re vegan. In fact, despite the size of the menus in these restaurants, vegans will find little that they can eat. This is where it pays to be creative and flexible. Ask your waitress if the kitchen will top a baked potato with steamed vegetables, or ask if you can just side dishes and have a small salad, some veggies and rice. It may not be the most delicious meal you’ve ever had, but it’s an adequate meal until you can get something tastier.
As mentioned earlier in the chapter, your better restaurants will have menu items designed with vegetarians in mind – and even if there’s nothing that’s just what you want, the chef will probably be amenable to customizing a dish to your liking.
Most of the time, though, you’ll find delicious vegetarian appetizers – you can even make a meal out of two or three of those if there’s no entrée that appeals to you. But you’d be surprised how creative a chef can be when asked to come up with something new on the spur of the moment, and your meat-eating friends will be jealous of the special attention you receive!
Vegetarians on the road
Traveling can be a special sort of challenge when you’re vegetarian, since you don’t know what will be available to you ahead of time. It helps to be prepared for the worst and anticipate how you’ll eat if there’s little or nothing available for vegetarians – and you’ll need to be adaptable no matter what happens.
Car trips can be difficult if you rely on restaurants and fast food as you primary dining options. A much better idea is to pack a cooler with your own food, so that you can control what you eat and when. Besides saving you the time you would spend looking for a vegetarian-friendly restaurant, you’re assured that you can eat foods that fit with your vegetarian lifestyle. And you’ll save money, too – packing your own food is always less expensive than eating out.
Take a look at the foods you have on hand and consider how well they would travel on a road trip. Bring a cooler for the perishable items and pack up a small box with the rest. Just be careful if you’re eating while driving, so you don’t cause an accident! Here’s some foods that are as good on the road as they are at home:
Whole grain muffins, rolls and cookies
Carrot sticks and celery
Snack-size containers of yogurt, applesauce and breakfast cereal
Juice boxes
Peanut butter (or almond butter) sandwiches
Pasta salads
Egg salad sandwiches
Bagels
Hummus and pita chips
Trail mix
Fresh fruit
Vegan snack bars
Bottles of mineral water
When you’re packing for a car trip, don’t forget the little extras that will make your roadside meals hassle-free. Get a bag or box and stock plastic utensils, paper plates, napkins or paper towels, a bottle opener, a knife for slicing fruits and vegetables, ziploc baggies for leftovers, a gallon jug of water for rinsing off food and your hands, and some disposable wipes for easy clean-up. Consider keeping your toothbrush and toothpaste easily accessible so you can brush after your meal!
Remember that the key to a healthy vegetarian diet is variety. Every meal doesn’t have to be an entrée and side dishes – some granola, a single-serving container of soy milk, fresh fruit and a whole-grain muffin makes a great meal! Munch on foods that you like during the day and then spend your vacation money on a nice meal at dinner time.
Flying high and meat-free
Depending on what airline you fly and how long your trip is, your in-flight meal is likely to be a cellophane-wrapped package of crackers or a bag of pretzels. But some flights still serve meals and offer the option of requesting a vegetarian option. If you travel frequently and use a travel agent, you can let them know that you’re vegetarian and they’ll make the request for you every time they book your flights. If you book your own flights, you simply need to make the request when you make your reservations, or call the airline’s customer service number (you can also visit their website) and make the request at least 24 hours before you’re scheduled to fly.
If you’re unsure if your flight will serve a meal, call and ask an airline representative – if you’re vegan, make sure to specify no eggs or dairy.
Once you’ve made the request, call the day before your flight just to be certain that they have you down as vegetarian. When you board the plane, let the flight attendant know as soon as you can that you’re getting a vegetarian meal – as with any bureaucracy, information is sometimes inefficiently communicated. Occasionally, planes are changed at the last minute due to mechanical issues, and that can mean that your meal isn’t loaded on the right plane! Then same holds true if you upgrade to first class just before you board – they may have your meal ear-marked for your original seat assignment. Requesting a vegetarian meal is no guarantee that you’ll get one – but by politely reminding the flight crew that you’ve made the request, you increase the odds that you’ll get it.
Emergency rations – the vegetarian’s safety net
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Anyone who has special dietary needs, vegetarian or otherwise, should know how to put together a small pack of “just in case” food for those times when you’d otherwise be unable to get a healthy meal. This is a great idea for vegetarians, but it’s vital for people with insulin issues – diabetics, pre-diabetics and hypoglycemics – so they can keep their blood sugar in check.
Small, insulated lunch bags are ideal for this purpose. You want to be able to take it with you in your carry-on bag on air flights (check the current FAA rules regarding what you can, and can’t, take on a plane) or toss in the car when you’re going to be away from home all day.
Some things you can consider emergency meal rations:
Pre-sliced vegetables like celery, carrots, bell peppers and jicamaSingle-serve boxes of soy milk, rice milk and/or fruit juiceSliced cheeseProtein barsApple slicesTrail mixSnack packs of hummus and pita chipsBottled waterSmall container of peanut butterChips or pretzelsBagels
If you’re traveling, make sure you restock your emergency pack as you go along. Pick up granola bars, nuts and chips from convenience stores and vending machines. If your hotel has a free continental breakfast, nab a piece of fruit for the bag.
Keeping your “just in case” bag stocked will save you time looking for something to eat, the money you’d spend for a restaurant or fast food meal, and it’ll be a life-saver if you’re stuck somewhere without anything available.
You want fries with that?
Speaking of fast food, it’s difficult to avoid. Unless you live in a remote location miles from civilization or you never leave your house, you drive past fast food outlets several times every day. And if you’re out and about – or on the road in a strange town – they’re an attractive option for a quick meal. But do they have anything that you can eat?
Thankfully, the answer is yes. Several of the larger chains now offer veggie burgers on their menus, and also offer fresh salads (simply ask for yours without chicken). And if you know the secret password, you can get vegetarian sandwiches at McDonald’s and Burger King – request a Big Mac without meat, and they’ll be happy to comply. Ask for a “veggie burger” at Burger King, and you’ll get the tomato, lettuce, cheese (if you’re ovo lacto) and the condiments on a bun.
Some chains, like Wendy’s and Arby’s, offer baked potatoes and lunchtime salad bars.
And Taco Bell is a surprisingly good option for vegetarians – they use only vegetable oil in their cooking, even in their refried beans, and have a number of menu items that are good for ovo lactos. Other chains have pita sandwiches and breakfast items like French-toast sticks and scrambled eggs.
If you have concerns about what’s in the food provided by your local fast-food purveyors, check out the nutritional information on the company’s website. You might be surprised to learn that those French-toast sticks are made without eggs or milk, and that McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies are vegan. It pays, however, to check in occasionally and make sure menu items still contain the same ingredients, because if the company changes suppliers the formulation may change, too. The French fries at most fast-food restaurants is vegetarian, since they’ve pretty much all switched to 100 percent vegetable oil in response to public demand.
For your heartiest fast-food meal, look for restaurants that offer both salad bars and baked potatoes – not only is that a great meal combination, you can use salad bar toppings to customize your baked potato however you like!
Healthy lunches at school or work
If your school or workplace has a cafeteria, you may be in luck and they offer vegetarian options. More and more, institutional cooking has become somewhat health-conscious, although it can still be a challenge if whoever plans the menu still believes in meat-based nutrition.
The option offering the most control for vegetarian children and teens is to brown-bag it and take their own lunch to school. If you’re packing your own (or your kids&rsquo lunches, make sure to offer the same variety that you’d demand for yourself. Good lunch items include peanut butter or almond butter on whole wheat bread, carrot or celery stick with hummus spread, containers of fruit, pudding or yogurt, baggies of dried fruits and nuts, cartons of soy or rice milk, string cheese, and protein bars.
Most schools send home schedules of what meals are planned for the week, so you can figure out ahead of time what hot meals can be eaten in the cafeteria and what days lunch should be brought from home. Sometimes, the ideal option might be to eat some of the cafeteria meal, like macaroni and cheese, and supplement it with fresh fruit, whole grain crackers and soy milk from home.
How to Eat Out for Vegetarians
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If you’re a college student, you’ll probably find that your food service options include vegetarian meals – college is a time of experimentation and most universities bend over backwards to accommodate vegetarians (who are probably quite vocal about their needs!). They also have bigger budgets and don’t have to comply to the same food service restrictions as public schools, so you’ll find a much wider range of healthy meal alternatives.
If you work for a big company, you may have a company cafeteria at your disposal. That may be great – they may have a salad bar, or be vegetarian-friendly in their menu options – or it could be a hellhole that only offers greasy burgers and soggy fries. It all depends on who’s doing the cooking. Some company cafeterias have their own in-house chefs, in which case you can request that they provide some vegetarian menu items – or even make you something special. Other companies contract out their food service, and it’s made off-site.
The same strategies that apply to dealing with public school cafeterias can be used with your workplace cafeteria. If they offer a weekly menu, you can plan which days you’ll eat in the cafeteria and when you’ll bring your own lunch or eat out. You can also bring your own food and buy a couple of things in the cafeteria. One great advantage to being an adult employee is that, if you’re dissatisfied with the vegetarian options in your company’s cafeteria, you can meet with whoever coordinates the food service and ask if they can provide ovo lacto or vegan options on a regular basis.
Restaurant dining with style
No matter how well you plan ahead, there will be times when you’re in a restaurant and there’s almost nothing on the menu that fits your vegetarian lifestyle. That doesn’t mean you should throw a hissy fit and pout – it means that you need to get a little creative.
Scan the menu and look at what they offer. By examining their menu items, you can figure out what ingredients they use most frequently and ask for something combining ingredients that they have on hand. If they offer spaghetti or fettuccine and steamed vegetables as a side dish, you can ask your serve if the chef could put together a vegetarian pasta dish for you. If you’re really stuck, you can make a meal of bread and salad, or ask for a baked potato.
But before you give up and make a meal of side dishes, ask you server nicely if the chef can accommodate a strict vegetarian. Odds are, they’ll say yes – then nicely tell them what you can and can’t eat. Make sure you specify that you don’t want any animal products, and let them know if that includes fish , cheese, eggs or milk (surprisingly, even some chefs don’t know what qualifies as vegetarian cuisine). If it turns out that they can’t, thank your server for trying – after all, it’s not their fault – and make do with what’s available.
It pays, however, to understand a little bit about how the restaurant business operates. The wait staff and cooks at diners and family-style restaurants will be less flexible when it comes to accommodating your off-menu requests. This isn’t because they care less about their customers – it’s because they are, due to the nature of their establishment, less flexible and creative. 99 percent of the customers who eat in such restaurants order straight off the menu, sometimes asking for simple adjustments like no butter on the toast or a side of sour cream. The wait staff is accustomed to taking orders and getting food out fast, and the line cooks have mastered the standard menu items, rarely offering off-the-menu specials. Most of the time, the staff members at family restaurants simply don’t know how to accommodate special dietary requests because they don’t get those requests very often.
Fine dining establishments and neighborhood restaurants, though, are almost always better at handling special requests. The chefs are used to improvising, creating new menu items based on fresh local ingredients. The waitstaff knows that customers need to be catered to, so they’ll keep coming back – the big chain restaurants care less about cultivating regulars because they know they’ll still get lots of business no matter what.
Another advantage to eating in better restaurants is that, if you know in advance you’ll be dining there, you can call ahead and let them know that there will be a vegetarian in your party. If you have a chance to look at their menu ahead of time, great – many restaurants now have the menus on the websites. But you can also call the day before, ask to speak to the manager or the chef, and specify that you’ll be coming in at a certain time and tell them what your needs are.
Don’t just say, “I’m a vegetarian” – tell them that you don’t eat any animal flesh (and eggs, cheese, whatever your restrictions are) and you can even ask them if they can make sure your food isn’t flavored with chicken or beef broth. For best results, don’t dictate to them what you need – tell them politely, and ask for recommendations. If you’re talking to the chef, he may come up with something terrific that isn’t on the regular menu because it wouldn’t normally sell well to their omnivorous clientele.
Even if something on the menu looks like it’s probably a good choice, don’t be shy about asking how the dish is prepared. It pays to know what certain cooking terms mean – “au gratin” usually means that it’s topped with cheese and “scalloped” potatoes are made with a cream sauce. It’s better for you, your server, and the chef if you make sure that you can eat something before you order it, rather than sending it back after it’s been prepared because it turns out to contain ingredients you can’t eat.
Also – remember those foods that often contain animal products like Caesar salad dressing, pie crusts and tortillas. In restaurants, you’ll also find that vegetables are sauteed in butter, spinach salad comes with bacon bits, split pea soup contains bits of ham and potato salad has hard-cooked eggs. So ask your server about these things before you order – and then tip them accordingly for going the extra mile to make sure you get what you want!
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