Have you recently resolved to eat a primarily vegan or raw-vegan food-based diet and are now wondering how you are going to dine out at regular food restaurants? This can definitely be a challenge following this sort of diet and lifestyle, especially if you want to maintain and hopefully grow your social life! Dining out at restaurants and in other peoples homes is definitely going to happen to. In fact-dining out is the most popular social activity of our culture.
It is definitely possible to order a satisfying and healthy meal while enjoying the company of your friends and family. Planning ahead of time and bringing some sort of snack with you to the restaurant is probably the most important key to doing this!
Almost all restaurants have salads. You could order the chicken salad without the chicken, the gourmet salad without the cheese, or an order or even two of the simple side salad. And if the restaurant has an organic or local salad on the menu, it's a no-brainer!
Never be afraid to ask your server to customize a salad for you. You can create your own salad by looking at the menus salads and entree side vegetables to know what ingredients the restaurant has on hand. Ask for a big salad with greens, other than iceberg, as the base and a variety of different chopped raw vegetables on it. Ask for as many different colored vegetables as possible. If the restaurant has any guacamole or avocado anywhere on the menu--fantastic! Now you know they have avocados in their kitchen and you can ask for avocado to be put on your salad as well if you'd like.
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!
Other salad supplement options that you could bring with you are superfoods such as hemp seeds, goji berries, or dried sea-vegetables, but be forewarned--this will definitely turn some heads if you're not with the right crowd. So this just depends on how comfortable you feel around your dining-mates. A famous raw foodist in Chicago does this to her salads at "cooked-food" restaurants because she enjoys raising the nutrition and vibration of all her food, especially if it's not organic.
Some additional tips for vegans and raw foodists eating out at a regular restaurant:
Nuts and seeds on salads are usually toasted or candied so beware. Make sure to ask to hold the cheese or dairy-based dressings on your salad. Bringing some sort of sweet with you is a great idea if you're going to be tempted to eat a cooked/baked dessert that others will be eating (A date rolled in cacao nibs might satisfy your chocolate cake desires). If you're not entirely raw, don't hesitate to ask for plain steamed vegetables as an entree.
Stay comfortable, confident, and nonchalant about your requests and possible supplemental snacks, and others probably won't even know what you're doing. At the very most, they'll compliment your on how gorgeous your meal looks! But if you become uneasy and embarrassed about your diet and requests, you could get a lot more attention than you bargained for!
Try to have a simple definition planned and rehearsed about your diet that you can give others if and when they ask. The easiest line to give is "I'm just trying something new out right now," or "This is just how I prefer to eat right now and I'm feeling the results already." Whatever you say, try to say it in the most positive and confident way possible.
If going out with a larger group of people, you can always eat beforehand as well. Telling others that you just ate due to a late lunch usually fares well. If you're going to be out and about for a while after the meal, you may want to bring some sort of snack or trail mix with you though just in case end up getting hungry later.
No matter what type of diet you adhere to, hopefully you will now to able to comfortably eat out at any sort of restaurant. Eating out may not be as enjoyable as it used to be when it comes to the food--because you are now eating much more nutritious meals at home but maintaining that social component is very important for your long term success of your diet. Maybe next time you're friends want to meet up for a meal you could propose a new vegan or raw food restaurant that you've never been to before. They might have a change of heart on how delicious and beautiful these meals can be! - 16004
It is definitely possible to order a satisfying and healthy meal while enjoying the company of your friends and family. Planning ahead of time and bringing some sort of snack with you to the restaurant is probably the most important key to doing this!
Almost all restaurants have salads. You could order the chicken salad without the chicken, the gourmet salad without the cheese, or an order or even two of the simple side salad. And if the restaurant has an organic or local salad on the menu, it's a no-brainer!
Never be afraid to ask your server to customize a salad for you. You can create your own salad by looking at the menus salads and entree side vegetables to know what ingredients the restaurant has on hand. Ask for a big salad with greens, other than iceberg, as the base and a variety of different chopped raw vegetables on it. Ask for as many different colored vegetables as possible. If the restaurant has any guacamole or avocado anywhere on the menu--fantastic! Now you know they have avocados in their kitchen and you can ask for avocado to be put on your salad as well if you'd like.
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!
Other salad supplement options that you could bring with you are superfoods such as hemp seeds, goji berries, or dried sea-vegetables, but be forewarned--this will definitely turn some heads if you're not with the right crowd. So this just depends on how comfortable you feel around your dining-mates. A famous raw foodist in Chicago does this to her salads at "cooked-food" restaurants because she enjoys raising the nutrition and vibration of all her food, especially if it's not organic.
Some additional tips for vegans and raw foodists eating out at a regular restaurant:
Nuts and seeds on salads are usually toasted or candied so beware. Make sure to ask to hold the cheese or dairy-based dressings on your salad. Bringing some sort of sweet with you is a great idea if you're going to be tempted to eat a cooked/baked dessert that others will be eating (A date rolled in cacao nibs might satisfy your chocolate cake desires). If you're not entirely raw, don't hesitate to ask for plain steamed vegetables as an entree.
Stay comfortable, confident, and nonchalant about your requests and possible supplemental snacks, and others probably won't even know what you're doing. At the very most, they'll compliment your on how gorgeous your meal looks! But if you become uneasy and embarrassed about your diet and requests, you could get a lot more attention than you bargained for!
Try to have a simple definition planned and rehearsed about your diet that you can give others if and when they ask. The easiest line to give is "I'm just trying something new out right now," or "This is just how I prefer to eat right now and I'm feeling the results already." Whatever you say, try to say it in the most positive and confident way possible.
If going out with a larger group of people, you can always eat beforehand as well. Telling others that you just ate due to a late lunch usually fares well. If you're going to be out and about for a while after the meal, you may want to bring some sort of snack or trail mix with you though just in case end up getting hungry later.
No matter what type of diet you adhere to, hopefully you will now to able to comfortably eat out at any sort of restaurant. Eating out may not be as enjoyable as it used to be when it comes to the food--because you are now eating much more nutritious meals at home but maintaining that social component is very important for your long term success of your diet. Maybe next time you're friends want to meet up for a meal you could propose a new vegan or raw food restaurant that you've never been to before. They might have a change of heart on how delicious and beautiful these meals can be! - 16004
About the Author:
Lenette Nakauchi is a raw living foodist who is passionate about sharing, teaching, and showing 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.
