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What Can Vegans Eat?
Have you ever wondered how to tell if a food is vegan-friendly? Food is vegan if it does not have any animal products if it is not tested on animals, and if it is cooked in any animal products.
Plants that have are not processed are, of course, vegan-friendly. These plants include vegetables, fruits, seeds, beans, legumes, and nuts.
How to Eat Vegan at Restaurants
When you eat in your own home, making your favorite plant-based meal may be more manageable. You can buy all of your ingredients and put a delicious vegan-friendly recipe together yourself, in which you know precisely what your meal contains.
Going out to eat, however, may prove to be more challenging to know if you are getting a vegan dish or not. Well, actually, there are a ton of establishments that have vegan-friendly options today, so being vegan is not as difficult as it used to be. With some simple guidelines, you can eat vegan-friendly in just about any restaurant.
What Restaurants in Las Vegas have Good Vegan Options?
The quickest way to find vegan-friendly establishments in Las Vegas is to search for vegan-friendly locations near you using Google. You will get a list of nearby vegan-friendly options that you can check out before you go. Check out both the description of the restaurant and the customer reviews. You may even be able to see a menu on the restaurant’s website.
Call the Restaurant to Inquire About Vegan Options
Before you go to a new restaurant, give them a call to ask about their vegan-friendly options. This preemptive action will provide you with peace of mind that there will be something you can eat before you get to the restaurant.
Calling ahead will also give the chef a heads up in case they need to make something specific for you. In the odd fact that the restaurant does not have any vegan-friendly options, you will have time to change your plans and won’t waste time going to an establishment where you can’t get anything.
Some establishments will even have a separate vegan-friendly menu, so call ahead so you can arrive with the confidence in knowing you will have options.
Explain Your Dietary Restrictions – And Be Polite!
If you are not able to call beforehand, ask your greeter or your server about the vegan-friendly options when you get there.
Many people are afraid to ask for vegan-friendly options in a restaurant because they fear the waiter or the chef will be annoyed with them. However, in most places, this is not the case. The key is to be polite and not demanding.
Your waiter and chef will want to know what you want so they can get your order right. Simply ask your waiter if there are any vegan-friendly options. Some people may not know what makes something vegan-friendly. If this is the case, just politely tell them what you don’t eat. If you are courteous, people generally respond with courtesy in return.
Remove or Substitute Ingredients
Most establishments will allow you to modify your meal. For instance, if an item includes cheese or eggs, you can ask the server to hold the cheese and eggs.
Sometimes you may be able to ask your waiter if you can substitute another ingredient that will make it vegan-friendly while not sacrificing taste. For instance, you may want to substitute or replace cheese on your baked potato with some salsa instead.
Look for Vegan Symbols on the Menu
Many establishments will often include symbols in their menus to indicate which dishes are vegan-friendly. These symbols may look like a small green leaf; they may consist of the letter “v,” or they may be some other icon that matches the restaurant’s theme. Just look for the explanation of the symbol, and you are good to go.
How to Order Vegan Foods at Any Restaurant
How to Eat Vegan in Chinese Restaurants
Avoiding dishes with eggs, fish sauce, and oyster sauce in Chinese eateries. You can enjoy some yummy veggie spring rolls, vegetable soups, and vegetable noodles.
How to Eat Vegan in Ethiopian Restaurants
Ethiopian cuisine does not typically include cheese. Therefore, if you stay away from the meat dishes, you should be all set. Just ask your server how in what substance the stew is cooked. Some use butter, while others use vegetable oil. Also, you may need to ask for no sour cream.
How to Eat Vegan in Indian Restaurants
Many Indian eateries will use dairy in their curries and rice dishes. One exception is Chana Masala, which is made from curried chickpeas. This dish is usually vegan-friendly.
How to Eat Vegan in Italian Restaurants
Italian has many options you can enjoy, like garden salads, bruschetta, bread with olive oil and vinegar, and even pasta and veggie pizza. Just check with your server to make sure the pasta noodles do not contain eggs. For pizza, ask for no cheese and no parmesan (which may be put into the sauce if you don’t let them know you don’t want it). Also, ask if the pizza crust is made with honey. Many places will have vegan meat and vegan cheeses to add to your pizza, so make sure to inquire about those toppings.
How to Eat Vegan in Japanese Restaurants
There are a ton of vegan-friendly options available in Japanese eateries. Try eating some vegetable tempura, vegetable sushi rolls, miso soup, lettuce wraps, and edamame. Make sure to ask your server to skip any eggs, fish sauce, or fish flakes.
How to Eat Vegan in Mexican Restaurants
Mexican recipes often call for chicken stock, lard, and sour cream in many of their otherwise vegan-friendly dishes. If you order rice, beans, or tortillas, make sure to ask if any of the above ingredients are used. Substitute the sour cream for some avocado or guacamole.
How to Eat Vegan in Middle Eastern Restaurants
One of the most vegan-friendly restaurant options is those serving Middle Eastern cuisine. All you have to do is avoid meat dishes. The rest of the menu items are often vegan-friendly and do not include meat. The only ingredient you may need to ask about is yogurt, which is included in tzatziki.
How to Eat Vegan in Thai Restaurants
When you go to a Thai restaurant, be sure to ask for no fish sauce or eggs. Also, check to make sure the curry paste is vegan-friendly. There are many delicious Thai dishes you can enjoy, including vegetable rice, vegetable curry, vegetable pad Thai, and vegetable rolls.
Eating Vegan in Vegetarian Restaurants
When you go to a vegetarian restaurant, it is much easier for the chef to modify your meal, so it’s vegan-friendly. Your servers will be used to this request, and there may be many vegan-friendly options on the menu.
Eating at a Vegan Restaurant
When you dine at a vegan establishment, you have an entire menu of plant-based options to choose from. You do not have to worry about whether your sandwich is vegan, because they will likely all- if not most- be vegan.
How to Get More Vegan-Friendly Options
The vegan movement has been gaining momentum for a while and is resulting in more vegan-friendly options available every day. If you haven’t found your perfect vegan dining experience yet, don’t worry! More vegan-friendly establishments are opening all the time, and existing local establishments are introducing new vegan-friendly food, and refining their menus based on demand. The best thing you can do to help get more vegan recipes on the menu is to continue to ask about vegan options whenever you go to a restaurant.
