Have vegan food? Will travel!
So I’m a traveler. Always have been. Now my passport might be low on visa stamps, but its not for lack of desire! One question I’m asked all the time is how I make great choices even while away from home. Listen, God’s abundance is all around you! It just requires you to DIG a bit.
Months before we relocated to Colombia, South America, I started googling like crazy to find out what food would be available to me so I wouldn’t be caught off guard. I know people who will make a move BASED ON their dietary desires and needs. Now THAT’S commitment! But if you think about it, what’s more important than nourishing your cells? Without them you’re literally nothing.
So let me help you, help you.
Here are my top tips:
Research before you leave town. What’s available in the area? If its limited, you’ll be forced to make some compromises. How gangsta are you? I will make my own salad dressing, pack it in my checked bag (if flying) and use it with whatever salads I can find while I’m out. I’ve even taken my Nutribullet and blended smoothies in my hotel room everyday (and they were AMAZING...made my coworkers quite jealous!).
Take what you can with you. Always always always keep snacks on you. And not nasty stuff either. Establish your good go-to snacks and never leave home without them. For me initially it was walnuts and raisins in a sandwich bag. Truly helped me in times of crisis! When traveling for longer I’ve been known to pack everything from fresh fruit (domestic travel only), to packing an entire ziploc bag of quinoa stir-fry!
Determine your cheat in advance. Listen, you know you, it’s hard sitting at a work dinner or dinner with friends sticking to your plain salad. Some can do it, many cannot. Do your best to decide going in what your splurge will be. Will you have a side of fries? A small appetizer? What?? Don’t be at the mercy of your stomach and peer pressure. Sure recipe for failure! If you can, volunteer to plan the dinner. That way you can pick a place that’s got options for you. If not, try to find out the name of the place in advance so you can look up the menu online and make a smart choice before you even get there. Trust me, it helps! Also remember you can ask them to remove things from menu items and most of the time they will.
Websites for planning
Tripadvisor.com. I’ve used this site for YEARS just to find things to do in new places (you might even find some things in your own city you’ve never heard of). But TripAdvisor is also GREAT for food reviews. Yep. Whatever you’re into, someone else is too. I don’t care HOW weird it is.
www.happycow.net. The end. It is the BEST resource for healthy foods near you. I’ve used it from my hometown of Atlanta (when in an unfamiliar neighborhood), to a business trip to Seattle, and even globally in South America! You can find great restaurants and even grocers carrying things that will fuel your body versus deplete you. Worried about how the food tastes? Don’t. For many international spots you can use Google reviews to see what the masses say and even find foodie pics. If you’re in the U.S., just use Yelp. Type in the name of the restaurant and see what people are talking about. If everyone raves about the nachos, GET THAT. Don’t veer off into some new land your first visit and then be upset if the dish is nasty. MOST restaurants, vegan and animal alike, have some dishes that are fails.
I can guarantee if you implement these suggestions it will make a tremendous impact on your health. The biggest challenge with most people is their failure to plan. You MUST plan or you WILL fail.
Even with all of that, I know that not everyone is ready to commit to a full-time vegan lifestyle. I get it. That’s why I’ve started a new “Weekday Vegan” program in my Eat Right with The Rebirth Lite group through Facebook to help people eat better Monday-Friday, then do as you please on the weekend. Start today with my free challenge and stick around after that if you desire for additional support. Or jump straight to 1-on-1 coaching. For the busy professional its the perfect option. We'll discuss your unique lifestyle, I'll send you recipes tailored to your tastebuds and even make restaurant and menu suggestions for eating out! Get on my calendar and let's chat: bit.ly/discovercoach
