The Biggest Story To Overcome: I’m Traveling, and I Can’t Eat Plant-Based On The Road
My latest reality check on life in the middle
Hi there and welcome to Roots! I'm so glad you're here. If you're enjoying what you're reading so far and haven’t subscribed yet, please click that button:
And if you like this post, please tap that heart button ❤️ and leave a comment as that helps the algorithm push this content out to more like-minded souls who might enjoy it. Thank you for being here!Road tripping. It’s fun, exciting, a little boring, eventful, memory-making, tedious … Oh, so many words I could use to describe it.
My Mom and Dad grew up in the same small town in the Midwest. About 1200 people live there.
When I was little, we’d travel back every 4th of July and Christmas, spending a couple of weeks there in each season. My memories were all about food, family, and fun. Of course, it was through the eyes of a child, then a teen. By the time I went to college, my visits became less frequent. Once I started a family, it was reduced to just a few times over the years.
Burying my Mom there next to my Dad last December left me shellshocked. It was cold, bitter, brown everywhere, little life. No people - it was too cold. Trees hibernated. No green anywhere.
This is a meat-packing community; everything is about feeding animals and bringing them to slaughter. I felt that in the air.
But we did what we had to do. And we went home.
So when my sister and I decided to go back for Memorial Day, I was a tad skeptical. It was fast - just a couple days to visit the cemetery, spend some time with my cousin and her husband, and do a little ancestry digging in the process.
I’m so glad I went.
It was a fast trip. One day of solid driving. Eating dinner with my cousin. Then off to bed in a hotel. The second day, we visited the cemetery, then drove to other nearby small towns, looking for the graves of relatives. Great grandparents. Great great grandparents. Aunts and uncles and cousins.
We had so much success! And learned so much about our history. I have a lot of notes and photos to start researching our roots.
Then, Memorial Day. A morning of services and revisiting my Mom and Dad. Lunch with my cousin. Then, back on the road for Colorado.
We stayed in a larger town for better access to hotels and restaurants.
But very quickly, I discovered this was a carnivore’s dream location. Meat everywhere.
Every restaurant offered meat entrees and little else. A pizza place with not a veggie pizza in sight. I had to ask if they could take the green peppers from one pizza, olives from another, sprinkle in a few tomatoes, and call it a veggie pizza. After a moment of consideration, she said they could probably do that.
Anything but good ol’ mozzarella cheese? Nope, not happening.
Oh, does this bring out the story:
I’m traveling - There’s no way I can stay plant-based on the road.
And it’s very easy to jump back into eating any old way - all the “old” foods you’ve been trying to avoid.
I get it.
It’s at times like this that my “plant-based lifestyle” rules kick in. It’s at times like this when Michael Pollan’s quote kicks in,
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
At times like this, I do what I can do.
And I stick to my basic plant-based rules.
🌱I take an active role in deciding what restaurants to eat at.
This is likely the biggest game-changer in this situation. I do my research ahead of time so I can actively choose places where I can find a meal.
There was a smoothie place near our hotel. They offered a vegan option, plenty of fruits and greens, and a vegan-based protein powder. This was just what I needed to fuel my mornings and ensure I had a solid foundation for my days moving forward.
🌱Eat food, the best possible in the situation.
Small towns never have many restaurant options. And over a holiday weekend, even some of those choices are closed.
In one town, we had to eat at the “pub.” A local hangout with pool tables and a bar.
Every entree had meat, even the salads. But they did have a strawberry and spinach salad with chicken; the server was happy to remove the chicken. And listed under the appetizers was fried cauliflower. I don’t eat a lot of fried food, but it turned out to be good.
And the place filled up quickly - that happens when it’s the only place open! We had a blast, with more memories made from our trip.
🌱I focus on nutrition, protein, and eating as much of the rainbow as possible.
Plant-based living means NOT accepting the menu as is. You can build your own meals by combining ingredients from multiple dishes.
Again, I built my own veggie pizza by requesting veggies that were on their meat-based pizzas.
Sometimes, I order several sides - a side salad, an order of broccoli, and a sweet potato.
I also come prepared. I packed a cooler full of nuts and seeds, protein bars, and fruit. I always have snacks tucked into my bag that I can enjoy as we travel along.
🌱I make the wisest choices possible.
Plant-based living means exactly that - you’re living with the best possible choices, as healthy and natural as possible.
Sometimes that isn’t possible. So you make do. And you don’t think twice. You don’t beat yourself up for eating something not normally on your plate.
That’s what I did on this trip, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Because in a few days, I was back home, with full access to a kitchen where I do things my way.
And a file full of photos I’ll be referring to in the coming months as I dig deeper into my roots.
p.s. Did you like this message? It would mean a lot to me if you’d press the ❤️ below if you liked it, left a comment 💬, or shared it with a friend. I’m trying to grow this publication, and I depend on people like you to do so!
And if you’re new here, Welcome! 💐 I’d love to start sharing my message with you if you’re interested in all things plant-powered, proaging, or finding kitchen joy. Subscribe … and then explore my entire archive! Glad to share with you! 🙋🏼♀️