The Traveling Vegan

Back in December my friend and mentor, Neal Ford dared me to try going vegan for a month.  As he put it “what have you got to loose?”  It was a great decision. After two weeks I felt amazing. You never realize just how much sodium you are taking in until you get rid of cheese from your diet.  Wow.

Now to be completely fair, I built up to it. My daughter has severe food allergies and my wife is very active in the allergy community.  Eggs and milk were eliminated from her diet when she was an infant and my wife spent years finding good alternatives.  While I still consumed eggs and cheese regularly I knew of many alternatives that I liked and enjoyed.  I also had cut out red meat 5 years before that.  So again, it was almost an incremental step for me.

One of the things that convinced me to try it was because I found out I could do it and travel.  See Neal travels more that any individual I have ever met.  One year he actually spent more time in an airplane than in his condo (popular guy ).  Anyway, not only does he travel but he is one of the biggest foodies I know.  So he had me convinced to try it.  I’m glad I did.

Traveling though has not been easy.  I’ve picked up a few pointers along the way and made some compromises.  I’ve been meaning to throw these up here. Thankfully Giles Bowkett gave me a nudge to get these up here.

I’m also feel bad calling myself vegan as labels can make us jump to assumptions. I should also clarify that I’m vegan in the sense that I do not eat meat, dairy or eggs.  I’m ok with honey. I do not eat fish, but have been known to cheat at times (sushi is an honest weakness).

Cliff Bars Are Your Friend

One of the worst things is being stuck.  Stuck in an airplane, stuck in an airport, etc. When this happens, having a cliff bar in your bag is huge. They last quite awhile and combined with a bottle of water can last you for quite some time.

Read Menu for Ingredients and Negotiate

Realize that you aren’t going to find a vegan item on the menu (many won’t have it). But you can find vegan ingredients.  Pasta dish with chicken over here, spinach salad with walnuts over here, grilled veggies over here as a side.  Now turn to the server and ask “Would it be ok to get the pasta dish without the chicken and throw in some spinach and grilled veggies.”  In the end I’ve only had a small handful of places not work with me.  Meat is the most expensive item on the menu.  When you ask them to leave it off, its amazing what you can get.

Omelet Stations Are Your Friend

One of my favorite tips involved omelet stations at restaurants. Ask for a veggie omelet without the egg. All but one time I’ve gotten an amazing plate of sauteed veggies.  Combine it with a legal english muffin or toast, some fruit and you have a great breakfast.

Finer Establishments Mean More Creativity

So far I have not found a vegetable I did not like.  We were taken to dinner in Sweden one time and they did not have any options I could see (or understand). So I asked the server if they could do ‘something.’  I gave them my limitations and told them I was open minded.  The meal I was served to this day ranks as one of my top 5 dishes of all time.

Get A Kitchen And Find a Whole Foods

Thankfully there is a trend of eating better in the US now. We are realizing just how much crap we are consuming (watch Food Inc sometime).  Whole Foods and Natural food stores are no longer ‘hippy’ places you only find near college campuses (unless maybe you are in Texas).  When you travel, stay in a Residence Inn (Marriott) or Homewood Suites (Hilton) establishment. It’s usually only a little bit more. First night you are there, go grocery shopping for some basics.  For me its Coconut Milk by So Delicious, So Delicious coconut milk coffee creamer, cereal, and fruit.  If I’m going to be there awhile, I’ll buy meals that I can make.

Plan And Be Flexible

Unfortunately the hardest part of this diet is that food can’t just be an afterthought. You begin to know restaurants where there really is nothing for you (BBQ comes to mind).  Look out for conference events that are food based.  Talk to the airline on international flights (I’ve had some killer meals on United believe it or not).  Understand ahead of time what you are going to do and what your backup plan is.

And in the end, be prepared to cheat slightly if you have to. Unlike my daughter’s allergies it is not a life threatening condition if I eat a muffin that had egg baked in.  I’m doing this for health not for political reasons so I’m able to cheat.  I’m ok with it in the end.  If doing well 98% of the time, I’m happy with myself.

I do encourage people to try it though.  It’s amazing what flavors and combinations exist that most people never get a chance to try.

I’ll post more if I think of them.