Vegan Journey: The challenge of traveling

As many of you know, I travel quite a bit (almost weekly) for my position as Frieda’s President and Chief Energizer Bunny!

This week, I am in Chicago for a small produce show. Now that I am completely vegan, I definitely have to plan my eating more.

My breakfast before the early morning flight was my usual oatmeal (lots of protein). I packed Ziploc® baggies with raw almonds (more protein) and organic raisins and dates to snack on during the flight.

After landing and getting to my hotel, I attended a speaker session as part of the produce show. By the time the session was over at 5 p.m., I was starving and my energy was kind of low.

There was a reception immediately following and I did a quick scan of the room. I didn’t see any fresh fruits and vegetables to munch on! Frankly, I was shocked since I was at fresh produce event.

I had to punt, and managed to make myself a cabbage taco on a corn tortilla, which was my vegan take on the “make your own fish taco” bar at the reception.

After the reception, my colleague Jennifer and I went to visit one of our client’s supermarkets. When we were done, we looked at each other, trying to decide what to do for dinner.

As I eyed the fresh looking salad bar, stocked with fresh cut fruits and vegetables, I asked her how she felt about eating dinner right here in the grocery store.

Her eyes lit up as she confided in me that, when she travels, grocery stores are her preferred choice for dinner. She said she feels like she can choose exactly what she wants, knowing it’s fresh and that she will enjoy a lighter meal.

I was thrilled!

What made me even happier was the store’s several vegan options for ready made salads! I got to enjoy a chopped kale salad along with my salad bar selections.

Try dining at a local grocery store on your next trip.

Karen