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!
By looking at the salads and entree side vegetables on the menu, you can actually put together your own salad. Don't be afraid to ask for a "customized" salad for your lunch or dinner. You can always ask for a large salad with spinach or mixed greens as the base, with a couple of different diced raw vegetables or fruits on it. And to step up your salad a notch, you can ask for as many different colored vegetables as possible. To determine if the restaurant has avocados in their kitchen or not, scan the menu for guacamole or avocado as an extra or a side. Now you can request avocado to be added to your salad to make it extra satiating.
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.
Now, you may not get enough protein, fat, carbohydrates, or calories from this salad and this is where a bit of planning comes in handy. In your purse or pocket, you might want to bring along a handful or two of nuts or seeds, dried fruit (can be your dessert!), a raw food bar, or a whole grain bar, in a small plastic baggie. You'll be glad that you did.
One of the worst things when eating out with friends and family is to still be hungry and thinking about eating while there is great conversation being made all around you. You want to feel comfortable and happy enough with your meal that you can be in the present moment and not give a second thought to what you just ate. This is probably the most important social aspects of succeeding with a special diet--to do whatever it takes to be happy and satiated with our meals out!
You could also supplement your salad with super-nutritious foods such as hemp seeds and sea veggies but be prepared, as this could definitely turn some heads. It depends on how comfortable you are around the party you're with. There is a well-known raw foodist in Chicago who does this to her salads at cooked-food restaurants and swears by it. She knows it raises the vibration of the food before it reaches her mouth.
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.
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.
If you're not comfortable dining out with others on the vegan or raw-vegan food diet and lifestyle, you can always eat beforehand and let others know you had a late lunch or breakfast. Just make sure to bring a snack in your purse or pocket just in case you'll be out for a while.
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. - 20897
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!
By looking at the salads and entree side vegetables on the menu, you can actually put together your own salad. Don't be afraid to ask for a "customized" salad for your lunch or dinner. You can always ask for a large salad with spinach or mixed greens as the base, with a couple of different diced raw vegetables or fruits on it. And to step up your salad a notch, you can ask for as many different colored vegetables as possible. To determine if the restaurant has avocados in their kitchen or not, scan the menu for guacamole or avocado as an extra or a side. Now you can request avocado to be added to your salad to make it extra satiating.
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.
Now, you may not get enough protein, fat, carbohydrates, or calories from this salad and this is where a bit of planning comes in handy. In your purse or pocket, you might want to bring along a handful or two of nuts or seeds, dried fruit (can be your dessert!), a raw food bar, or a whole grain bar, in a small plastic baggie. You'll be glad that you did.
One of the worst things when eating out with friends and family is to still be hungry and thinking about eating while there is great conversation being made all around you. You want to feel comfortable and happy enough with your meal that you can be in the present moment and not give a second thought to what you just ate. This is probably the most important social aspects of succeeding with a special diet--to do whatever it takes to be happy and satiated with our meals out!
You could also supplement your salad with super-nutritious foods such as hemp seeds and sea veggies but be prepared, as this could definitely turn some heads. It depends on how comfortable you are around the party you're with. There is a well-known raw foodist in Chicago who does this to her salads at cooked-food restaurants and swears by it. She knows it raises the vibration of the food before it reaches her mouth.
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.
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.
If you're not comfortable dining out with others on the vegan or raw-vegan food diet and lifestyle, you can always eat beforehand and let others know you had a late lunch or breakfast. Just make sure to bring a snack in your purse or pocket just in case you'll be out for a while.
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. - 20897
About the Author:
Lenette Nakauchi is a raw superfoodist living in Chicago 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 informational websites www.gorawhavefun.com and www.eatsuperfoods.com.
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