Are you wondering how you are going to eat out at a "regular," or fine-dining restaurant now that you've decided to follow a vegan or raw-vegan diet? This can require some forethought, since going out to eat is definitely going to happen. Eating out happens to be on of the most popular social activities in any culture.
You can absolutely eat a delicious, nutritious, vegan, and even raw meal at any restaurant, whether it caters to your particular diet or not. The most important tip for maintaining this type of diet is thinking ahead and bringing type of supplemental snack with you!
You'll probably want to order some sort of salad from the menu. This could be an entree salad without the meat or a double-order of the simple side salad. Maybe you can even choose the organic or local salad if they offer one--all the better for you!
Options for customized salads are almost limitless. It's easy to create your very own salad simply by scanning the restaurant menu for the salad ingredients and entree side vegetables. Now that you know what you have to work with, don't be afraid to ask your server for a salad to be put together for you. Start with the greens of your choice and then for a variety of vegetables. If you usually have avocado on your salad, scan the menu for guacamole or extra avocado as a side. Even if you have to pay the extra money, if avocado on your salad is going to make your meal more pleasant, go for it.
It's best to be as kind and discrete as possible with your server and they will most likely do their very best to assist you. Your salad can be the most beautiful and artistic salad the restaurant has ever made! It might just have other customers turning their heads to ask where it was on the menu and complimenting you on your choice. As for salad dressing, safe bets are usually the restaurant's vinaigrette, some lemon slices, or oil and vinegar.
Planning ahead of time comes in handy if this dish does not give you enough protein, fat, carbohydrates, or calories than you're used to for your meals. You may want to carry along with you a baggie of nuts or seeds, some dried fruit (this can double as an after-dinner sweet!), a snack bar, or a small piece of dark chocolate. You may be very glad that you did.
The most crucial thing for your dietary success is to do whatever it takes to be happy and satisfied with your dinner. You want to be totally in the present with your friends and family and one of the worst situations is to be missing out on all the fun because your stomach's still grumbling and you're still thinking about food!
Superfoods are another option to add to your customized salads. Of course, you would have to bring these with you from home. Hemp seeds, sea vegetables, and goji berries are easy to pack superfoods. This could raise the nutrition of the food from 10 fold, especially if eating out at a non-organic restaurant, which is usually the case. Just be sure to prepare yourself for some extra attention when putting these foods on your salad. It will definitely depend on how you're with if you do this or not.
Here are some more tips for vegans and raw foodists dining out at a cooked food restaurant:
Nuts and seeds that come on salad are usually coated in sugar, or "candied" so be careful. Be sure to watch out for cheese or dairy-based salad dressings, like ranch, that come automatically on the salad and ask for it to be left out. It helps tremendously to pack some sort of sweet snack with you to eat after your meal--especially if you have a sweet tooth and will be tempted by others' desserts. If you're not entirely "raw," don't hesitate to ask your server for some steamed vegetables on the side of your salad or as an entree.
Others in your party may or may not notice what you're doing. If you're comfortable, confident, and nonchalant about what you're doing, they probably wont notice. They're more likely to notice and focus on you if you feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about it yourself. Others may be a bit interested in what you're eating and will even comment on how good your food looks!
If and when people ask about your diet, have a simple definition planned and memorized that you can give them. If you don't want the entire dinner conversation to focus on your new diet, just say its how you prefer to eat right now or you're trying something new out for a while. In a nutshell, choose your line and deliver it in a positive and confident way.
Yet another option asked out to eat with a large group of people is to eat before and simply tell everyone that you had a late lunch or breakfast. Most people understand why you won't be ordering anything if you say this. This comes in handy if you're still not comfortable dining out with others on your new diet. Just be sure to pack some sort of snack with you in case you'll be out for a while and hunger does strike.
In time, you will definitely get used to how to eat out at any type of restaurant--whether or not it caters to vegetarians, vegans, or raw-foodists. Dining at fine restaurants may not be as fun as it used to be, but that's because you know you can eat a much healthier and more satisfying meal at home for pennies on the dollar now. Try proposing a night out for your non-vegan friends at your favorite restaurant. This is a great way to show them how much fun and creative gourmet healthy vegan or raw-vegan food can be. - 20896
You can absolutely eat a delicious, nutritious, vegan, and even raw meal at any restaurant, whether it caters to your particular diet or not. The most important tip for maintaining this type of diet is thinking ahead and bringing type of supplemental snack with you!
You'll probably want to order some sort of salad from the menu. This could be an entree salad without the meat or a double-order of the simple side salad. Maybe you can even choose the organic or local salad if they offer one--all the better for you!
Options for customized salads are almost limitless. It's easy to create your very own salad simply by scanning the restaurant menu for the salad ingredients and entree side vegetables. Now that you know what you have to work with, don't be afraid to ask your server for a salad to be put together for you. Start with the greens of your choice and then for a variety of vegetables. If you usually have avocado on your salad, scan the menu for guacamole or extra avocado as a side. Even if you have to pay the extra money, if avocado on your salad is going to make your meal more pleasant, go for it.
It's best to be as kind and discrete as possible with your server and they will most likely do their very best to assist you. Your salad can be the most beautiful and artistic salad the restaurant has ever made! It might just have other customers turning their heads to ask where it was on the menu and complimenting you on your choice. As for salad dressing, safe bets are usually the restaurant's vinaigrette, some lemon slices, or oil and vinegar.
Planning ahead of time comes in handy if this dish does not give you enough protein, fat, carbohydrates, or calories than you're used to for your meals. You may want to carry along with you a baggie of nuts or seeds, some dried fruit (this can double as an after-dinner sweet!), a snack bar, or a small piece of dark chocolate. You may be very glad that you did.
The most crucial thing for your dietary success is to do whatever it takes to be happy and satisfied with your dinner. You want to be totally in the present with your friends and family and one of the worst situations is to be missing out on all the fun because your stomach's still grumbling and you're still thinking about food!
Superfoods are another option to add to your customized salads. Of course, you would have to bring these with you from home. Hemp seeds, sea vegetables, and goji berries are easy to pack superfoods. This could raise the nutrition of the food from 10 fold, especially if eating out at a non-organic restaurant, which is usually the case. Just be sure to prepare yourself for some extra attention when putting these foods on your salad. It will definitely depend on how you're with if you do this or not.
Here are some more tips for vegans and raw foodists dining out at a cooked food restaurant:
Nuts and seeds that come on salad are usually coated in sugar, or "candied" so be careful. Be sure to watch out for cheese or dairy-based salad dressings, like ranch, that come automatically on the salad and ask for it to be left out. It helps tremendously to pack some sort of sweet snack with you to eat after your meal--especially if you have a sweet tooth and will be tempted by others' desserts. If you're not entirely "raw," don't hesitate to ask your server for some steamed vegetables on the side of your salad or as an entree.
Others in your party may or may not notice what you're doing. If you're comfortable, confident, and nonchalant about what you're doing, they probably wont notice. They're more likely to notice and focus on you if you feel uncomfortable and embarrassed about it yourself. Others may be a bit interested in what you're eating and will even comment on how good your food looks!
If and when people ask about your diet, have a simple definition planned and memorized that you can give them. If you don't want the entire dinner conversation to focus on your new diet, just say its how you prefer to eat right now or you're trying something new out for a while. In a nutshell, choose your line and deliver it in a positive and confident way.
Yet another option asked out to eat with a large group of people is to eat before and simply tell everyone that you had a late lunch or breakfast. Most people understand why you won't be ordering anything if you say this. This comes in handy if you're still not comfortable dining out with others on your new diet. Just be sure to pack some sort of snack with you in case you'll be out for a while and hunger does strike.
In time, you will definitely get used to how to eat out at any type of restaurant--whether or not it caters to vegetarians, vegans, or raw-foodists. Dining at fine restaurants may not be as fun as it used to be, but that's because you know you can eat a much healthier and more satisfying meal at home for pennies on the dollar now. Try proposing a night out for your non-vegan friends at your favorite restaurant. This is a great way to show them how much fun and creative gourmet healthy vegan or raw-vegan food can be. - 20896
About the Author:
Lenette Nakauchi is a raw superfoodist who loves teaching, coaching and demonstrating to others how to go and stay raw in a fun, healthy, sustainable way. Learn more about the raw food diet and about superfoods by visiting her websites www.gorawhavefun.com and www.eatsuperfoods.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment