Eating Vegan with Ease:
Seasoned Advice

Living vegan in a meat and dairy world sometimes seems like a tough fit. Dinner parties, dinners out, even a foray to the local grocery store may at times seem daunting to the unpracticed. Planning meals may present particular challenges to those long accustomed to offering vegetable “sides” to accompany a meat-based main dish. Furthermore, vegans often find themselves explaining their food choices to others. Vegan eating should be a celebration, not a chore. Here are some simple tips to help the novice or seasoned vegan fully enjoy the vegan celebration.

Learning to Think Vegan

If a vegan diet is new to you, allow yourself time for transition. It takes time to change your perception of what a meal should include. It takes time to master the nutritional knowledge that allows you to fully benefit from the foods you choose. Changing a lifetime of eating habits will not happen overnight. Identifying why you want to change your eating habits can help you stay motivated when those familiar temptations arise. People come to this dietary lifestyle for a wide variety of reasons. Your goal may be as general as “I’d like to feel better” or as specific as “I’d like to reduce my risk of heart disease, cancer, and Type II diabetes.” Being clear on why you want to make this change can help you stay focused should the going get rough.

Setting specific goals for yourself can give a sense of accomplishment. If all your meals currently contain meat, you may want to declare one day “meatless.” If you don’t eat meat but have dairy products every day, you will need a plan to wean yourself from them. Clearly stated reasoning and goals can help ensure success.

In the beginning, you may want to stick with familiar foods that you know you like. Some people like to start off with meat substitutes. This may be helpful in keeping your resolve, but keep in mind that some of these are highly processed. When you can, check out other cuisines. In many cultures, meat is scarce and reserved for special occasions and whole cuisines have been built on the bedrock of beans and grains.

Liberate yourself from seeing a meal as a main dish and sides. Instead, think about enjoying an assortment of foods rich in nutrients at each meal. Think balanced, appetizing, and satisfying. A vegan meal, from preparation to presentation to consumption, provides an aesthetic experience that is nourishing to both body and spirit.

Revel in the preparation. Read cookbooks. Experiment. Taste and smell and touch. Use the freshest ingredients you can find, including fresh herbs. Broaden your culinary horizons by introducing yourself to unfamiliar produce and seasonings. (Have you enjoyed an artichoke lately?)

Shopping for the Vegan Kitchen

Eating Close to Home

Most of us have no difficulty finding a wide selection of produce. More and more grocery stores are offering organic selections that provide a healthy foundation for your meals. Look for “USDA Organic” on the label.

An even fresher approach is to “eat close to home.” Consider growing your own kitchen garden featuring your favorite vegetables and a wide variety of herbs. In a number of areas around the country, small organic farms are sprouting up—big enough to serve the immediate community, but not big enough to market broadly. Buying from one of these small-scale organic farmers not only puts great-tasting and wholesome food on your table, but also helps to reduce the quantity of pesticides that seep into the ground and water near your home.

You can find local organic farmers at area farmers’ markets, open from early spring and into the fall in most areas. Make the trip to the farmers’ market a special treat in your week. Sniff and touch ripe produce, and buy a fresh-cut flower or two. Take in the colors and sights and sounds of people enjoying the earth’s bounty. Try to find a vegetable with which you are unfamiliar, and give it a try. Talk with the growers—ask questions about varieties, storage, and even cooking. If you find a grower whose wares you particularly like, see if there is a way to buy from him or her on other days of the week.

You may be able to buy local produce through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). With this arrangement, farmers take “subscriptions” or offer consumers a “share” of their crops. As the crops come in, you receive produce in season, fresh from the field. No matter how you approach it, eating close to home is healthier, tastier, less expensive, and bushels of fun.

Grocery Store Logic

You’ll be amazed at how many convenience foods are available at your grocery store to get you started as you learn how to put together meatless meals. Most supermarkets have a health food section that makes it easier for you to find things. Make sure to look there and in the produce section when searching out soy products. One of our local stores has begun to keep plain and flavored tofu near the organic produce and sprouts, along with seitan, vegan cheeses, and fresh Asian noodles.

Next to the vegan cheeses are the almost-vegan products—the tofu cheeses with casein, the margarines with whey. You may already be an inveterate label reader. Perhaps before you concentrated on the nutrition data; now you will want to look for animal products masquerading as chemical additives. By far the most common are albumin (egg white protein), whey (milk derivative), lactose (milk sugar), casein (isolated milk protein), and gelatin. Lard and suet are obviously from meat, but stearic acid, a saturated fat, can come from beef or cocoa butter. There are plenty of other additives, but it’s best to avoid foods whose ingredient lists read like the index to a chemistry text. Try to find the least-processed foods possible. Avoid items with the words “hydrogenated,” “modified,” or “artificial.” Some foods will state on the packaging if they are vegetarian, which usually means they contain some egg and/or dairy products, or vegan. While there may be a few new terms to learn—such as carrageenan (a thickener made from Irish moss) and inulin (a sweetener made from vegetable starch)—the labels on the foods you choose should be easy to understand, with ingredients you recognize as food.

Once you’ve explored your grocery store, locate the local health food store or natural foods market. The selection of organic produce, flours, sweeteners, and soy foods is usually extensive. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If the shopper next to you seems experienced, ask his or her advice if you’re confused. People love to talk about food.

Off the Beaten Path

Don’t forget the little specialty market down the street. Cuisines from other cultures are an exciting source of great vegan food, and shopping at the local source is an enriching experience. Larger cities will offer a variety of such adventures: Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and more. And you never know what is just around the corner in smaller communities. Take a walk! You may discover a culinary treasure.

Leaving Home Without Your Lunch Box

Adopting a vegan diet does not mean the end to eating in restaurants or going to parties. A little planning can help prevent awkward or embarrassing situations.

Restaurant Savvy

The restaurant industry has become increasingly attuned to its vegetarian diners. Many restaurants have vegetarian dishes on the menu, though they often feature dairy or eggs. With the proliferation of different dietary regimes in the last few years, most restaurants have grown accustomed to accommodating guests’ requests for special diets. You are paying for the food and should be able to have a dish prepared to your liking. Restaurants want happy guests, so if you are courteous and patient, your server and the cooks will most likely treat you to an enjoyable dining experience. Here are some tips for selecting a meal and communicating your needs:

• Many people in the restaurant industry are not familiar with the word “vegan.” If you merely describe yourself as vegan, you run the risk of being misunderstood. Gently stating your needs to the server makes it easier on everyone. Inform your server that you don’t eat any meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products.

• Ask the server to recommend something. Many restaurants train their servers to know which dishes are vegetarian or can be easily adapted to accommodate different diets.

• Make sure to ask about hidden ingredients. Often chicken broth or butter are the clandestine components. Lard is sometimes an issue in Mexican restaurants, and Indian food may be cooked with ghee, a type of clarified butter. Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese dishes often include fish, clam, or oyster sauce. If you ask whether a dish contains animal products and your server says he doesn’t think so or isn’t sure, ask politely, “Would you check on that for me, just to make sure?” A polite request is almost always greeted willingly, and may help to communicate just how serious you are about avoiding animal products. Many dishes can be easily adapted to vegan standards, and most restaurants are willing to do so.

• Many dishes are prepared only when ordered by a guest. Look for menu items with lots of ingredients and determine which ones might be tasty without the meat, fish, or dairy. For instance, penne tossed with grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, and red pepper sauce is great without the chicken—or the cheese that may be sprinkled on top. Filet mignon served with roasted fingerling potatoes, fiddlehead ferns, and grilled spring onions is wonderful without the filet—as long as the potatoes are not roasted in butter. In restaurants with elaborate accompaniments, I often ask for a plate of just the accompaniments to a dish. Otherwise, I will pick and choose from side dishes listed with various menu items and ask for a vegetable plate.

• If your server has no suggestions, and the menu gives no clue what might be available, determine what you want to eat. It is helpful to let the kitchen know what you may be in the mood for—a huge plate of grilled vegetables; a bowl of pasta with broccoli and garlic; rice with steamed vegetables, soy sauce, and ginger; a burrito with refried beans and spinach, topped with pico de gallo. The more guidance you give, the easier it will be for the server and the kitchen to put together a satisfying meal.

• Understand that your request may take some extra time. Kitchen crews spend hours each day preparing ingredients for specific menu items. Special requests may be a challenge to accommodate, especially at busy times.

Don’t forget to reward your server for the extra effort by saying a genuine “thank you,” and leaving a healthy tip.

You can avoid a lot of discussion at the table if you call ahead before you dine. Simply phone the restaurant and ask if they can accommodate a vegan diet. If the person who answers seems confused, you might want to ask to speak to the manager or chef. Make sure that the person to whom you are speaking understands that you don’t eat any animal products. Try calling early in the day to allow the chef to plan.

Get to know the food ingredients and options at restaurants you frequent. When some crafty server or chef comes through with a delicious variation on a standard menu item, make that specific variation part of your next order.

Though more and more people today are choosing foods that truly nourish them, your order may be met with more than a little bit of curiosity on the part of your waiter. Be ready for questions and field them politely. You may be helping the next vegan diner who comes in the door.

What about fast food?

While fast food chains are probably not your first choice for eating out, there are times when circumstances may find you waiting in line with your friends or family, wondering what you can possibly eat. Fast food chains have increasingly tried to make provisions for their vegetarian customers. Your best bets in the fast food world are salads (not Caesar, though) and salad bars, baked potatoes, tostadas or tacos with vegan refried beans, subs with only vegetables, and “burgers” with no meat or cheese—just the bun and all the fixings. Be aware that salad dressings may contain gelatin, flour tortillas may contain dairy products, rolls and buns may contain eggs or egg whites, and beans may contain lard. Do not expect the counter people to be able to answer questions reliably about vegan options. Many of the larger chains have vegetarian information on their websites. While these foods may be vegan, do not expect healthful preparations. Ultimately, a little planning can eliminate the need to depend on fast food. For specific information, check out the website for the Vegetarian Resource Group (www.vrg.org). They offer a state-by-state guide of vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants along with a thirty-two-page guide to vegetarian menu items at restaurant and fast food chains.

Parties

Food plays a central role in the way we traditionally celebrate life’s milestones, but the food is not the reason for the gathering. There will be times when the menu doesn’t match your needs, but go—and enjoy the celebration for the main event, not the culinary sideline.

Casual get-togethers and cookouts are perhaps the easiest settings to manage. If each guest is bringing a dish to share or meat to grill, you can share a large bowl of vegan potato salad or a platter of hummus and veggies, or bring your own veggie burgers—just make sure to be the first one at the grill.

If the invitation is to a dinner party at someone’s home, after telling that host how delighted you are at the invitation, slip in a gentle reminder that you are a vegan. You might want to assure your host that a plate of the side dishes or a large salad is sufficient. If you know your host well enough, offer to bring a dish to share with the entire group. My hosts have welcomed contributions from my own kitchen (who refuses food from a chef, after all?) and have appreciated the opportunity to try something new.

Food plays a central role in more formal gatherings such as wedding receptions, so these occasions often pose a quandary. It would be a shame to miss a lovely occasion because the menu doesn’t meet your needs. If you have been invited to a banquet or catered event, contact your host or the facility in advance so a meal may be prepared for you. This will save you and your host embarrassment during the function.

Celebrating in Your Own Home

Serving a Crowd

Those of us who love to entertain know sharing a meal with friends is one of life’s greatest pastimes. Inviting a casual acquaintance over to eat is a great way to establish a true friendship. Cooking for “meat eaters” can be great fun because you get a chance to introduce them to the tantalizing flavors, colors, and textures of vegan food. Share what you love and serve it with style. Your guests will come back for more—again and again.

Eating at Home

Don’t forget that the most important meals you cook and share are those you enjoy with your family. Giving loving attention to whole, hearty, and satisfying vegan meals can make a world of difference in the well-being of those you love.