How can I follow my vegan diet while on vacation?

Question

I am a strict vegan and I have no intention of going off of it while I am on vacation. I am visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Colorado in September for my cousin's wedding. Anyway, I am the only vegan in my entire family. I don't expect them to fuss over me however I need to eat often because of hypoglycemia. I don't think I will feel comfortable in their house if I help myself to whatever I can eat. Also when I get the reply card for my cousins wedding for which meal I want and none are vegan how do I reply? When I visit family for the day I bring my own food but I'm going from NJ to Colorado by plane so that won't work. Should I tell my aunt I'm a vegan or should I just food shop when I get there? People that aren't vegans think I am weird. My inlaws always make comments. I don't want my aunt to feel annoyed or stressed about my being a vegan. Her daughter will be getting married and she will be stressed enough but my veganism is so important to me.

Answer 1

I wonder if you are able to just listen to some good advice from a vegetarian of 6 years, (but not necessarily a vegan).

It has changed my life in many ways, and where before on vacation I'd literally stuff myself with bread and meat and junk, this time around I made wiser choices and got to sample more of the local fare, just in my quest to at least add some veggies to my diet while abroad. But, I didn't have to be "strict", and honestly, I would not go up to my mother and diss her Thanksgiving Turkey. That would be counterproductive to the whole idea.

   I think the real point is to cut back on meat, rather than  gloat about how you don't eat any at all, when you probably do anyway what with microorganisms still in your salad.

  A little organically grown meat is actually  good for you, and death is still a part of living...

Answer 2

I was vegan for three years and it was situations like these that eventually led me to make the decision to just stick to a vegetarian lifestyle outside the home. I still shop vegan for home but I found it was such a hardship when it came to family members. They would cook something vegetarian just for me and then I would refuse it when I found out they used butter. I really felt bad and had to take a hard look at why I was vegan and had to find a balance.

I became vegan for spiritual reasons and to not contribute to the suffering of animals. If I eat something with a small amount of dairy or eggs am I abandoning my beliefs and hurting the cause? My answer was no.

I'm not suggesting you abandon your vegan beliefs. Reading you question, I just remember being in that position frequently and thought I would tell you my story.

Good luck

Answer 3

Holding true to your ethics and your beliefs is nothing to be ashamed about. It's good you're thinking about this.

I think communication in advance here is a good idea. While making it clear you want the wedding to go smoothly, and want to be helpful as you can to the process, explain that at the same time you cannot compromise your veganism. So talk to the wedding organisers and your cousin and their family, and see what compromise you can get sorted. Might be easier than you think: at my friends' wedding, the caterers were fantastic: I got a superb dinner, and a chocolate cherry dessert that everyone else was envious of!

Might be a good idea as far as your aunt and rest of family is concerned on an everyday basis to shop for what you need, and offer to cook as well if needed. Don't take any comments to heart too: you are sticking true to compassionate living and equity for all. If you can reflect this through kind, respectful and thoughtful communication with people round you through this, then you'll be a great example of our bril vegan community to others.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I'm going to suggest getting a bunch of Larabars. They are really good in several flavors and not just vegan but GMO-free, preservative-free, soy-free, no corn, no added sugar, are a serving of fruit, have fiber and are very easy to put in a pocket, purse, backpack, glovebox, etc. When you get a bit hungry you can have one of those without guilt or blowing your diet whether vegan or not. Plus they are local to Colorado (although they did just get bought out by General Mills last month -- dang it!). Great for having on the plane too especially if it gets delayed.

Smart Monkey bars are good too. Both bars are also raw.

Then you might want to pick up a plug-in electric kettle to boil water which you can use to make tea, coffee, organic oatmeal (or other hot cereals), etc. Not sure if you are staying in a hotel or at a house but either way the kettle could be handy and being dedicated to warming water it won't take away a pot or a burner on the stove. If you don't want to take it home when you leave you can give it to your aunt or cousin as a thank you for having you.

You can also have some nuts to have around to nibble on.

As far as the other meals, just be honest and direct. Tell them you are vegan and if you get any grief just ask politely  for respect, that you understand they might not get it but that you would be happy to talk about it if it's a respectful discussion and they have any questions. It's important to tell them so they know why you are getting your own food and that it's not a reflection on them or to insult them and it's not because they are lousy cooks (if they are that's incidental). If they get upset you can bring up that you know it's a difficult diet for people to wrap their minds around at first because it is so different and you know they have a lot going on and just want to make it as simple for everyone as you can while still meeting your own needs. You can also deflect their objections by finishing with asking if there is anything you can do to help them out during this stressful time...

For the reply card, be honest there too. Tell them you are vegan and ask if it would be possible to get just a plate of the veggie/side dishes without the meat/animal products. Make sure they know you're willing to chatter about your diet if they wish and that you are also willing to either bring some of your own food or even help out in the kitchen but you aren't trying to be difficult and don't want to put them out either. If the meal is being done professionally then the caterer probably already knows about veg*n diets and can accommodate. This really isn't much different than being considerate of allergies or special needs diets. I've always been happy to try and make my guests happy even before I went meat-free.

As far as rude people and whether they think you are weird, you can't control that and that's their issue. It would be nice if they were as considerate as you are but they feel threatened by anything that gets them to think about their own diet so they go into defensive mode which means putting you down, ridiculing you, and aligning themselves together essentially against you all validates their own choices. If you really feel the need to say something you might try, "You don't have to understand my choices but I would request that you at least respect them."

If their behavior is so rude it causes your aunt stress then that is because of them, not you.

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Hopefully you'll be able to relax a bit and have a good time celebrating with everyone else.

PS. Look for a "Vitamin Cottage" to shop at. They are the local version of Whole Foods but still family owned.

Answer 5

Don't worry about it.  If I were you I would just go food shopping when I get there.

Answer 6

I never make a fuss about it, just eat peanut butter sandwiches, fruits and veggies, salads and bring yourself some clif bars and lara bars!! Maybe some granola and silk too (silk from the dry foods section, in individual servings).

That way you'll have foods to snack on anytime.

Answer 7

for being such a supposed natural diet its seems like lots of trouble for something so natural. Bugs are killed during fruit and vegatable harvest. Any kind of pesticide even organic is just that a pesticide. So if your not directly eating the animal (though micro bug larve are impossible to detect on fruits and vegs.) Your still causing thier deaths. Good luck.

edit - yes you should say more. Joe at least understands it logically. He knows death is a part of it get over it. Not eating meat fine. Claiming total vegan when its impossible when you break it down is denying reality.