4 Tips for Eating Out When You're Plant-Based

When you're trying to eat healthier, it can feel hard to eat out. When you're trying to eat plant-based, it can feel almost impossible at first glance. But if you're like us, it doesn't feel realistic to completely avoid all restaurants all the time. Sure, a season of eating at home is great for your health (and your budget!), but never eating at a restaurant again isn't a commitment you have to begrudgingly make. We're here to offer some tips for how to enjoy eating out while still sticking to your commitment to eat plants and not completely derail your health goals.

TIP #1: Plan Ahead -- Nothing will frustrate you and derail your goals like showing up to a restaurant totally unprepared. If the choice is 100% in your hands, specifically look ahead of time for either vegan restaurants or spots that offer some good plant-based options. We only have one plant-based, comfort food restaurant in town, but we are discovering other places that have some really good vegan dishes or add-ons (i.e., sub tofu for meat, bean-centric dishes, etc.) that make it much easier to go out to eat with friends and family. We've even discovered that one of our favorite "non-vegan" restaurants actually has a lot of staff that are vegan, so they advocate for more plant-heavy options on their menu. (They will forever have our patronage!) Deciding where you're eating and knowing what's on the menu ahead of time will save you from eating an iceberg lettuce salad with balsamic dressing. No one wants that.

If you are going out with friends, make your voice heard by suggesting restaurants that you know offer good vegan options. If you get stuck at The Beef Shack, well, keep reading (tip #3 is for you).

TIP #2: Advocate for Yourself -- Speak up! Seriously. No one is going to make the right decisions for you. If you've committed to a plant-based lifestyle, don't be swayed by what friends are ordering, and don't be afraid to ask if the staff will make substitutions or accommodations for you. For example, if you're ordering a black bean burger and you're unsure if the sauce is vegan, simply ask. Many times restaurants will cater more towards vegetarians and will still have sauces or cheeses that are dairy-based in those meals. Ask that those things are taken off, please and thank you. Remember, the more restaurants notice that their customers' ordering patterns are tending toward plant-based, the more change will occur. And keep in mind, too, that restaurants are a service industry; they want your experience to be pleasant, so they are usually happy to accommodate. Just be polite but firm about your preferences, and always remember to thank spots that go the extra mile or who have good vegan choices on their menus!

TIP #3: Pre-load. Your friend invited you to somewhere The Beef Shack for her 35th birthday dinner. You have some tact, so you aren't going to suggest a different place to eat; it's her birthday, after all. But, ahem, the restaurant doesn't exactly align with you lifestyle. Never fear: you've got this.

No one can force you to eat anything you don't want to. You have the final say about what goes in your mouth; ultimately, the decision about what you eat is up to you. In hard situations like this where you want to be with friends but just cannot eat what is on the menu (aka baby back ribs, country fried steak, and a porterhouse steak with a side of buttery mashed potatoes), pre-loading comes in really handy.

Pre-loading is eating the bulk of your meal prior to going out. This is just a good tip in general if you're in a weight loss phase and want to reduce the amount of more calorie-dense food you consume when eating out anywhere, vegan or otherwise. I will often snack on a large container of fresh veggies before going out to a local pizza place with my family. But it would especially come in handy if you were headed to a meat heavy restaurant and knew that very little on the menu would be available for you to eat. Hummus and veggies, or a veggie rice bowl with a delicious dressing like Gotham Greens' Green Goddess dressing would be a great decision. Then when you arrive at the restaurant, you can focus on connecting with friends, getting a fun mocktail or cocktail, and having the mental space to look for something to eat without being insanely hungry. Being "hangry" never leads anyone to make good decisions!

TIP #4: Look for the veggies. Sharing a meal with the people you love is irreplaceable, and the fact is your whole crew likely isn't 100% plant-based. So at a non-vegan restaurant, look at the menu and see what you can make work (ideally you would do this before). Some go-tos for us at even the most challenging restaurants are:

1. Baked potatoes or sweet potatoes (ask them to hold the butter or put it on the side)

2. Steamed veggies (double check that they don't add butter at any point)

3. Rice (add steamed veggies)

4. Fruit salad

5. Salads with no meat or cheese added, with a balsamic vinaigrette

6. Pizza without cheese, but with marinara sauce and all the veggies (delicious, actually)

Eating out when you're plant-based might take a little more thought and preparation, but it's getting easier every day. Sometimes you luck out and find a great vegan spot and your non-vegan family and friends with great options. But other times, you'll need to eat ahead and get something smaller once you're at the restaurant. Remember, the more restaurants have requests for plant-based options, the more likely we are to see change.

Happy eating (out)!

Peace, love, and plants,

John & Heather