Tips for Eating Out as a Vegetarian or Vegan

If you have chosen to cut out meat, egg, or dairy from your diet, you know that eating out can be a bit of a challenge. It can get especially difficult when you dine out with a crowd of people and have to figure out what to order. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that you can use to make it a lot easier for yourself. These will help you out even if you are not dining in a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. Here are a few things to always remember to do:

food-plate-rucola-salad

Image Source – Pexels

Ask Your Waiter

If you are looking to cut down on time, the best thing to do is to ask your waiter. Now, beware as some establishments may not focus heavily on such types of food. Nonetheless, most Penrith restaurants and those in other areas should always have a couple of items on hand for you. If you are vegan, it is not always enough to simply mention the term. There are many who don’t understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian. Therefore, you should clearly ask your waiter if there is any dairy or egg in the food that you want to order. Using vague terms could result in you not getting the answers that you are looking for.

 

Look for Signs

Some places take care to mark out the dishes that only contain vegetables. These icons vary from restaurant to restaurant. Some choose leaves while others have different images to point out the vegetarian dishes. When in doubt, always ask your waiter what it means. You should remember that most of these dishes are being marked out as vegetarian. Therefore, you will investigate whether they are vegan as well. To make sure that you know precisely what you are eating, always check what ingredients are being used. This will prevent any surprises halfway through the meal.

 

Salads and Sides Offer Great Opportunities

If you are still having some difficulty with meal choices, why not flip to the starters, salads, and sides portion of the menu? You will actually be able to find a large number of options available for you here. Choose a couple from this area and you will be able to put together a good meal. All it takes is just a little bit of creativity and you can have a tasty and filling dining experience.

 

Figure Out How to Make Substitutions

Often there are many dishes that can easily be made vegan or vegetarian if you just pay close attention. This can be done, particularly, with pasta dishes. Simply by requesting that the chef omits a particular ingredient will instantly make it an edible food for you. Don’t just stop with omissions, however. Why not make your own substitutions? Ask for tofu or some grilled vegetables to be dropped into your dish instead. This way, it can be made more appetizing for you.

After you get used to utilizing these tips on a regular basis, it will become second nature to you. You will no longer shudder at the thought of walking into a restaurant and ordering a meal.