Emergency rations – the vegetarian’s safety net
Anyone who has special dietary needs, vegetarian or otherwise, should know how to put together a small pack of “just in case” food for those times when you’d otherwise be unable to get a healthy meal. This is a great idea for vegetarians, but it’s vital for people with insulin issues – diabetics, pre-diabetics and hypoglycemics – so they can keep their blood sugar in check.
Small, insulated lunch bags are ideal for this purpose. You want to be able to take it with you in your carry-on bag on air flights (check the current FAA rules regarding what you can, and can’t, take on a plane) or toss in the car when you’re going to be away from home all day.
Some things you can consider emergency meal rations:
Pre-sliced vegetables like celery, carrots, bell peppers and jicama
Single-serve boxes of soy milk, rice milk and/or fruit juice
Sliced cheese
Protein bars
Apple slices
Trail mix
Snack packs of hummus and pita chips
Bottled water
Small container of peanut butter
Chips or pretzels
Bagels
If you’re traveling, make sure you restock your emergency pack as you go along. Pick up granola bars, nuts and chips from convenience stores and vending machines. If your hotel has a free continental breakfast, nab a piece of fruit for the bag.
Keeping your “just in case” bag stocked will save you time looking for something to eat, the money you’d spend for a restaurant or fast food meal, and it’ll be a life-saver if you’re stuck somewhere without anything available.
You want fries with that?
Speaking of fast food, it’s difficult to avoid. Unless you live in a remote location miles from civilization or you never leave your house, you drive past fast food outlets several times every day. And if you’re out and about – or on the road in a strange town – they’re an attractive option for a quick meal. But do they have anything that you can eat?
Thankfully, the answer is yes. Several of the larger chains now offer veggie burgers on their menus, and also offer fresh salads (simply ask for yours without chicken). And if you know the secret password, you can get vegetarian sandwiches at McDonald’s and Burger King – request a Big Mac without meat, and they’ll be happy to comply. Ask for a “veggie burger” at Burger King, and you’ll get the tomato, lettuce, cheese (if you’re ovo lacto) and the condiments on a bun.
Some chains, like Wendy’s and Arby’s, offer baked potatoes and lunchtime salad bars. And Taco Bell is a surprisingly good option for vegetarians – they use only vegetable oil in their cooking, even in their refried beans, and have a number of menu items that are good for ovo lactos. Other chains have pita sandwiches and breakfast items like French-toast sticks and scrambled eggs.
If you have concerns about what’s in the food provided by your local fast-food purveyors, check out the nutritional information on the company’s website. You might be surprised to learn that those French-toast sticks are made without eggs or milk, and that McDonald’s chocolate chip cookies are vegan. It pays, however, to check in occasionally and make sure menu items still contain the same ingredients, because if the company changes suppliers the formulation may change, too. The French fries at most fast-food restaurants is vegetarian, since they’ve pretty much all switched to 100 percent vegetable oil in response to public demand.
For your heartiest fast-food meal, look for restaurants that offer both salad bars and baked potatoes – not only is that a great meal combination, you can use salad bar toppings to customize your baked potato however you like!
Healthy lunches at school or work
If your school or workplace has a cafeteria, you may be in luck and they offer vegetarian options. More and more, institutional cooking has become somewhat health-conscious, although it can still be a challenge if whoever plans the menu still believes in meat-based nutrition.
The option offering the most control for vegetarian children and teens is to brown-bag it and take their own lunch to school. If you’re packing your own (or your kids&rsquo
lunches, make sure to offer the same variety that you’d demand for yourself. Good lunch items include peanut butter or almond butter on whole wheat bread, carrot or celery stick with hummus spread, containers of fruit, pudding or yogurt, baggies of dried fruits and nuts, cartons of soy or rice milk, string cheese, and protein bars.
Most schools send home schedules of what meals are planned for the week, so you can figure out ahead of time what hot meals can be eaten in the cafeteria and what days lunch should be brought from home. Sometimes, the ideal option might be to eat some of the cafeteria meal, like macaroni and cheese, and supplement it with fresh fruit, whole grain crackers and soy milk from home.
