Plant Strong Anywhere!

Rip Esselstyn

Rip, son of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, was a firefighter in the Austin fire department when he discovered dangerously high cholesterol levels of his firefighter comrades. He led a station revolution of dietary change and markedly better health, which he detailed in his bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet. Visit Engine2Diet.com for updates from Rip.

I know I have posted a few times my tips for traveling while eating a raw, living foods diet. Well, when we travel all 7 of us go and our daughter who is vegan, and two of the boys who eat loads of veggies, have used most of Rip's tips while traveling and eating out. Our daughter eats a vegan diet that combines raw and cooked foods and all of these tips have worked for her.With Christmas and New Years coming I am sure many people will be traveling.Read the article below and hopefully you can learn something new that will help your family on their next trip.  (Note: I personally do not advocate his tip for using the microwave at the hotel). Enjoy!

 

Taken directly from Forks Over Knives site:

"Staying plant-strong while you’re traveling on planes, trains, and automobiles is a piece of cake (or even better, a piece of kale!). I’ve been traveling a ton lately. In fact, in February I was on the road 22 out of 29 days! I was plant-strong and ripping it up day after day after day.Here are some of my tips for staying fabulously plant- strong — no matter where you are. You can remember these with the acronym F.A.B.:

Figure out what you can eat. Use the menu as a list of ingredients. A 100% plant-strong meal might not be available, but maybe the restaurant uses some ingredients in other meals that are completely plant-strong. For instance, you might notice steamed vegetables and potatoes in one dish, and black beans in another. Well, the three together make for a great plant-strong plate! Sometimes it is helpful to call ahead. You’d be surprised how many chefs will rise to the occasion and love making you a plant-strong meal! They may even come out to your table and shake your hand to let you know how much they enjoyed preparing your dish.

Ask for what you want. Ask your waiter or waitress if a dish can be prepared with veggie broth instead of oil. Ask if they have whole grain options. I’ve been told that the chain of restaurants, Pei Wei, is very accommodating with requests for plant-strong meals. You can ask for almost any dish to be made with brown rice and to have steamed vegetables and tofu instead of the meat. And get this: they will cook your meal using vegetable stock instead of oil! They call it “stock-velveted.” Sounds cool! Incidentally, their parent restaurant, PF Chang’s will do the same thing.

Bring your own food. I always pack a solid amount of food to take with me whenever I travel so that I have options on the plane or afterward when renting a car, driving to my next destination, etc. You can pack things like the Rip’s Big Bowl or oatmeal and raisins for a quick breakfast in a hotel room, soups, and there is even vacuumed sealed cooked brown rice available for a quick re-heat. You can make plant-strong burritos or sandwiches for the plane or road trips as well.

More Tips on Eating Out

Check out happycow.net. The site will give you a list of all the vegan or vegetarian friendly restaurants near you.

There are a bunch of great smart phone apps that will help you locate the nearest veg-friendly restaurant near you! Check out: Vegan Steven, iVegetarian, Veg Out, Veggie Passport (which is great if you are traveling to another country!), and Vegan Express that will help you identify veg-friendly menu items in chain restaurants.

Tips for Other Restaurants

Asian restaurants: Ask for brown rice, steamed vegetables, steamed edamame, or tofu, hold the extra sauces, and use low sodium soy sauce sparingly. Another good option is brown rice vegetable sushi.

Italian: Go for whole grain pasta, tomato sauce (with no cheese added), and ask them to throw in as many grilled/steamed vegetables as they can find!

Steak House/American: Believe it or not, you can get a great meal at a steak house. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and lots of steamed vegetables are options you can almost always find. You can also ask for a huge salad! Ask your waiter for a salad with every fresh vegetable they have on hand (and even fruit), with a side of balsamic vinegar (or sneak in your own plant-strong dressing).

Breakfast spots: Ask for oatmeal made with non-dairy milk or water, fruit, and some nuts. You can also ask if they have whole grain bread, a little nut butter, and fruit.

Coffee shops: Hot herbal tea is always a great option. Most coffee shops carry non-dairy milk now as well instead of using dairy creamer. If you are having a snack, go for something like oatmeal. You can also get a little dried fruit and nuts at many places. I’m a frequent flyer for the Starbuck’s oatmeal in almost all airports.

Gas stations: If you are on the road, you can find fruit at most convenience stores, and sometimes whole grain pretzels or unsalted nuts as well.

Grocery stores: Don’t forget local grocery stores! You can get items like oil-free hummus, whole grain crackers or bread, cut up and washed vegetables/fruit, cans of low sodium beans (just be sure to pick up a cheap can-opener). You can even buy potatoes and frozen vegetables to microwave later in our hotel room. Or, you can make a great trail mix with whole grain cereal, raisins, and a few nuts. Many grocery stores also have salad bars where you can make a great plant-strong meal. Go to wholefoods.com and find the closest Whole Foods Market and look for the Health Starts Here logo in the prepared foods section for oil free, plant-strong options.

The bottom line is that no matter where you are, there are plant-strong options to be found! Plant-Strong Anywhere!"