The KInd Life Community Forum

its all what you are used to - I've been vegan for over 20 years, and 6 months ago had to omit soy/wheat/corn/garlic from my diet - good times! doing that put me back at square one in a way, and the first two months were hard to figure out all new foods but then I settled into my "go to" recipes and meals and figured how to order and where to eat out etc....what was easy and good to bring to work yadda yadda and now its no trouble at all.

Look around the site, there are a ton of recipes and threads on good cookbooks from others who also have similar issues/questions.

Going to others homes I either eat first or bring my own - like yesterday I had a family luncheon. I just ate lunch before going and brought my own snack of hummus I had made and rice crackers. When I was hungry I just went in the kitchen and put it all on a plate and then went back into the living room, sat down and ate it. If anyone even noticed no one said a word! If its someone I don't know, I tell them either that I'm not hungry right now or that I'm vegan or that I have food allergies and ate before/brought my own - all depending on the people and the situation.

I find if I don't make a big deal out of it, no one gives a crap what I do!

eating out we go to our favorite vegan places, but if we go to the "regular" places in town I just tell them I can't eat dairy and my other list - I never say I'm vegan - I leave them thinking its an allergy. If they think you might suddenly keel over and die if they put cheese on your food by accident, believe you me, there will be no accidents! My friends always call ahead to a local non-veg restaurant in town that they go to for special occasions and tell them what they can/can't eat and they fix them something special.

Its just getting used to it - once you do, its no more difficult then eating any other way!

OMG I am so psyched to find another Kind Lifer in the Netherlands!!! I'm living in Utrecht myself and I agree, it's a little more difficult when eating out but my personal solution has been to give myself some flexibility and not go full-on all at once.

Where do you live in NL? I am on a mission to find good vegan options and will gladly pass them along! Most restaurants have veggie options but yeah, they usually cover them in cheese. I usually just order whatever the veggie meal is and ask for it without cheese or butter - which I did even before I was a vegan because I didn't want the extra fat and cholesterol anyway.

The most important thing is to find a manageable balance that works for you. Even the most hard-core vegans will agree that transitional baby steps are better than giving up! Try eating vegan consistently a few times a week and giving yourself one or two "cheat" days. That will give you time to build up a stockpile of vegan recipes you really like without being miserable in the process.

It's hard when you are a guest at someone else's table but you have a few options. 1) make one of your cheat meals; 2) offer to cook with your mom and bring a vegan recipe made of "real" food, meaning no fake-food substitutes - easier to find than you think!

I'm less worried about being a PITA at restaurants but if it bothers you, Asian and Indian restaurants are easy since they almost always have tofu or veggie options and rarely use cheese or dairy anyway.

I post great recipes that my carnivorous husband loves at http://sneakyvegan.blogspot.com/ with links to other great vegan sites where you can find hundreds of easy, low-maintenance recipes.

I don't use a lot of food "substitutes" but when I do they are easy to find at Natuur Winkel and Super de Boer

Hope that helps - and if you're near Utrecht I'd love to have you over for dinner sometime!

@Jannekevt - one easy way to sneak your eating habits in and "not be a pain in the ass" is to not even use the word Vegan around people. Sounds silly, but I've noticed it really freaks some people out! I have told the whole world I am a vegetarian, but most people don't know that I also follow a Vegan diet about 95% of the time these days... I still have occasional slip ups but I try not to beat myself up over it. I have found it is easy for my friends and family to understand if I don't say the word Vegan, instead I say "hold the cheese, or No butter please..." just like someone else mentioned. It is much easier that way!

Eating out IS hard--especially vegan. Try your BEST and think of each encounter as a learning experience for next time. Also GOOGLE things and do research on your own time so you are better prepared. i.e did you know Guinness is NOT Vegan? They use a fish product when filtering. I learned that on this site from someone, but whoever posted it found out by emailing the company herself. Interesting huh?

-L

http://lovesveggies.blogspot.com/

@ Sierra - any specific suggestions for vegan restaurants you've tried? I check Happy Cow too but you're right, in A'Dam there are SO many to choose from. Any personal reco's would be awesome!

If you make it to Utrecht on your next visit shout out - there are some really lovely places in my hood :)

sneakyvegan at gmail dot com

I think when it comes to eating out you familiarise yourself with certain places that you know have great vegan dishes. I was lucky because I used to live very near to Soho in London and there are so many amazing places - Zili green, otarian, Mildred's, Govinda's, Hummus Bros and the list goes on...(check these places out because the food is delicious and may give you ideas for cooking your own food.) Also when it comes to friends I've noticed that my best friends don't judge and those that do I tend to see less and less - process of ellimination....