It’s not easy to be a vegetarian while on the road. I know that because my husband used to be a traveling consultant. 100% travel, eating out all the time, fly out on Monday mornings and return on Thursday nights, jet lag, one hotel room after another… it is a tough drill. If your client is based in San Francisco or Austin, you have no reason to worry, at least as far as food is concerned! But if your travel takes you to places as remote as Leon, IA or San Angelo, TX, then it won’t be as easy.
Fast Food is of no use…
McDonalds does not serve vegetarian burgers in the United States. It’s an interesting situation: you can get veggie burgers at McDonalds in India, UK, Berlin. Also, the fast food giant serves far better fare in those countries than it does in the USA. But isn’t the quality of food meant to be the same regardless of location? Or do local factors make a difference? Unfortunately, I don’t know the answers to those questions.- Subway is a great option (at least you have fresh vegetables to pick from), although I would steer clear of the vegetable patty. For one, most likely, it is not fresh and secondly, I am positive that egg is used as a binder.
Thank God for protein bars…
- Stock up on Lara Bars! These fruit and nut bars contain just that: dried fruit and nuts. No additives, no proteins, no supplements, none of the *energy* ingredients – good old-fashioned fruit and nuts. Many a time, I will have one of these for breakfast and it tides me over until lunch.
- Odwalla offers a good selection of fruit-vegetable juices. Odwalla’s Superfood may look (and feel) like the vilest green object you have encountered but it packs much energy and nutrients (and taste) into a small bottle. There are also other selections: Strawberry C Monster, Soy Vanilla Protein Shake, etc. As always, check the ingredient list and if you find any ingredient that makes you uncomfortable, look for other options.
Snacks to the rescue…
- Fresh fruit may not suffice for lunch but it sure fills the tummy when hunger strikes at 3:30 pm.
- Fruit yogurt is a filling snack especially when you add fresh/dried fruit to it. As always, check the ingredient list; some brands contain gelatin and a host of unpronounceable ingredients.
Looking for the lunch box…
- Finally, it may be worthwhile to pack yourself some couscous salad from home. Cook couscous as per directions, add some chopped peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, toasted pine nuts, drizzle a simple dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and fresh/dried herbs, toss it all together. Tastes good when warm, and even better when cold!
Happy Travels!
– By Guest blogger, Lakshmi Jagad. Laxshmi is a writer, photographer and social media consultant based in Atlanta. She writes about her encounters with food on her blog, The Rich Vegetarian.
