Following vegetarian or vegan diets is becoming less of a fashion and more of a health choice for many. Add these healthy travelers to those of us that care about animals and you’ve got a huge need for veggie food worldwide! Sadly, if you do follow a strict diet, you’ll know that this massive community fears traveling – a nightmare scenario for finding meat-free alternatives.How to find food that you can eat as a vegan or vegetarian while traveling.Take a look at this blog post to learn about tips on travel advice.
Some countries historically follow vegetarian diets, though veganism is still less common. In Nepal for example, you may be impressed at the range of meat-free options available. However, we know that even in diversely populated capital cities, mentioning you don’t eat meat can set the chef’s nervous tick off. As the waiter informs them they have to offer one or two options, they begin to wonder what they can remove meat from without taking 100% of the taste away.
This dependence on meat for taste and nutrients is not necessary, we know this! But rather than trying to explain this to every waiter, we have come up with some foolproof steps to follow for plant-based dieters.
First of all, rather than learning “no meat” in the local language, learn to ask for the ingredients you do eat, and explain how you want it cooked (i.e. not in animal fat). Positive instructions can be much more easily transmitted and avoid the inevitable flapping in the kitchen.
We have noticed that Excellence Resorts have several locations in the Caribbean with plenty of meat-free options in all their restaurants. The range of foods includes specifically labelled healthy cuisine, French, Oriental, Tuscan, Indian, and even Tex-Mex options. These hotels are veggie-friendly and don’t limit you to just one option in each location. Moreover, Excellence Resorts’ staff are pleasantly obliging when you have specific requests, so you can understand the menus down to every last ingredients.
If all else fails, investigate protein shakes based on non-milk sources.Viggan is a known brand that can provide all the nutrients you need to keep you going between meals, and can even save you time so you don’t have to stop to order, or carry millions of tupperwares with you everywhere. There’s a silver lining to every cloud!
This is also a good opportunity to point out the need to investigate local customs, like cows being sacred in India, or it being normal to eat animals we may not eat in other countries. While veganism and vegetarianism tend to be respected in most cultures, there are others where as the foreigner, you will have to patiently explain your choices frequently to those that are not familiar with this habit. So as not to spend your travels feeling offended, it is a good travel advice remember that going against the norm in any country can be problematic.
Therefore, having looked up the words to explain ingredients you can eat and how you prefer your food to be cooked, it may be worth travel advice that learning a phrase in the local language that explains your motivation. To avoid having to explain, one last tip if you can’t find veggie food at your resort, is to check the Happy Cow website. Here you can find restaurants full of with like-minded people in many large cities.
