Santorini Island, Greece - June 2011
25 Days of Wandering - Land, Sea & Air - From St. Louis to Santorini
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I'm finally home--and what a crazy exciting wonderful month it's been! Sure, I unplugged my computer and cellphone & took a blogging break, but, oh baby, this was no slow-paced kick-back retreat! Not much poolside lounging or meditating on this vacation.
Most mornings we were up at 6:00 am and down at 11:30 pm!
I'm a "don't-want-to-miss-a-thing-kind-of-gal" & there was just too much to see at every port--and plenty to do on the ship. If we weren't touring, exploring, getting lost, hiking, talking, eating, watching outstanding performers in nightly shows, listening to music, drinking wine, dancing, working out at the gym, sitting in the hot tub or meeting new people--we were crashing in our room. In spite of the pace it was so romantic & relaxing-the Mediterranean, no cooking, no responsibilities.
We hiked the cliffs of Capri and the caldera between Fira & Oia in Santorini, got lost in Rome (at least I thought we were lost--my husband said "We're not lost. We're in Rome."), beached it in Mykonos, then hiked down the donkey trail, dodging cranky donkeys & manure, strolled the streets of Barcelona for eight hours straight marveling at Gaudi's genius, and then ate & drank ourselves silly on tapas & sangria.
- Part I: Son #2's graduation in St. Louis--a whirlwind 3 day trip, that included 20 hours of driving, and an overnight stop in Indianapolis to see our daughter-in-law's family. Couldn't have been a more perfect graduation day! Elie Wiesel was the commencement speaker, the threatening skies cleared to a bright blue--and we couldn't have been prouder parents!
- Part II: Got home, unpacked, & quickly repacked our suitcases for 3 days in Barcelona & a 12 day Mediterranean cruise to Rome, Naples/Capri, the Greek Islands of Santorini & Mykonos, Athens, Turkey, & beautiful Malta. We did a whirlwind house-cleaning in preparation for a visit from our grandson & kids at the end of our trip--I squeezed in another day at work--and off we flew across the Atlantic for our Mediterranean adventure.
- Part III: The five day visit with the kids & our just-turned 2 year old grandson. No sleeping in for Oma & Poppy! Plenty of play time, a train trip, relaxing outside, and lots of good food that we cooked together.
25 Days on the Road. What Worked. What Didn't. What I Learned.
What Worked
1. The Best Airport Food for Vegetarians. Consult the Physician's Committe for Responsible Medicine List of Airports with Healthy Vegetarian Food. Thanks to the PCRM List we knew we could find a decent meal at Green Leaf Grille at the Newark airport before we headed off to Barcelona. A perfect loaded salad worked for me. Flatbread with hummus & vegetables for my husband. Tanked up & ready to roll.
2. Bring your own breakfast & snacks on the plane or you'll regret it. For an overseas flight, bring plenty of healthy snack foods, lots of water, and something to eat for whatever meals the airline is going to serve--if you plan to skip their offerings. We knew we were getting dinner at the airport--so all we needed to bring was something for breakfast. I brought along McDougall Oatmeal Raspberry Breakfast Cups that just needed some hot water to make them ready-to-eat. My husband brought along Ezekiel bread with PB2 & Jam. We also had plenty of Hammer bars, Two Moms in the Raw Granola bars, and a couple bags of Mary's Gone Crackers Sticks & Twigs. Too bad we couldn't pick up anything decent in Barcelona for lunch or dinner to take on the plane for the ride home!
3. Staying healthy on the germy plane. On the drive home from St. Louis I read a just-in-time article in Prevention on how to stay healthy while traveling. We decided to take their suggestions & brought along Clorox wipes to de-germ the plane's seat belt, tray table, and seat arms. Hand sanitizer & some saline nasal spray to keep the nasal passages moist & germ-free. We drank lots of water to stay hydrated. We opened the air vents above us, to keep the air circulating, but directed the flow away from our faces. At the hotel we wiped down all the usual suspects with the Clorox wipes--the door knobs, the remote, the light switches, etc. Did the bed bug check. It felt like overkill (I'm not a germaphobe)--but we did not want to be sick on our long-awaited trip. Brought along my neti pot and some Alkalol--just in case. Check out the Prevention article (link above) for more tips.. Everywhere we went on the ship there were Purell dispensers--to make sure no one got sick--colds or the dread norovirus. It felt like a hospital--but I was glad for it.
4. Traveling on a ship that has wide selection of healthy food and accomodates vegetarians & vegans. We booked a cruise that we knew would accomodate both vegetarian & special diets. Thanks to the helpful advice of a blog-reader in New Hampshire who strictly follows the Esselstyn diet, we cruised on the Celebrity line, which he assured me would go out-of-their-way to provide a vegan no-oil diet if we asked for it. And he was absolutely right--I just didn't take the extra step to ask them to prepare our food without oil. I was happy enough to have a wide choice of creative delectable gourmet vegetarian dinner options--including many made without dairy. There were also plenty of plant-based lunch options to choose from--and a homemade fruit sorbet for dessert at every dinner. There's no restaurant at home where I would find this variety & quality of vegetarian food. The ship has a special chef who prepares food for people on restricted & specials diets. If I had heart disease, I would have no qualms about insisting that my food be cooked without oil. But, when we were off the ship for lunch or while in Barcelona, I was surprised at how difficult & expensive it was to find a restaurant with decent plant-based meals. Meat & pork are favorites everywhere. Fish and salad were often the best options available to us off the ship.
5. Fitting in some exercise. In port cities we put in many miles walking--but the pace was slow when we were on a tour arranged by the ship. On the few sea days that we had, we worked out in the ship's well-equipped gym. I even had a chance to take 2 spinning classes with a Romanian world-class cycling champ. And we absolutely never took an elevator--walking up & down 10 flights of stairs many times a day. This is definitely heart-pumping exercise.
6. Food Finds. Best find on ship's lunch buffet? The Indian food station. The mixture of dal, vegetarian curry & rice was fantastic. Best breakfast buffet find? The mix-ins at the yogurt station. Adding stewed strawberries, walnuts, flax--and the baked apples I found at the English breakfast station--made the ship's soupy fiberless oatmeal edible. We found a whole grain Marathon bread hidden among a large selection of fiberless white breads. Best port city find? Within the Farmer's Market in Barcelona, located on La Rambla, we found a delicious vegetarian take-out stand, called Organic.
7. Hosting a celebration dinner? Forget the restaurant! No time to cook? Find a Natural Foods Caterer! We knew we wouldn't be able to shop & cook a dinner for son #2's graduation--we just didn't have the time. And it wasn't going to be possible to go out to a restaurant on a Friday night. The solution was to contact Eli Margulies, of Eat With Eli in St. Louis. The cost turned out to be close to what we would have paid for dinner, drinks, & a tip at a really nice restaurant, and it wouldn't have been half as creative, flavorful, healthy, or leisurely. Besides, we ended up with leftovers for lunch! Eli's Graduation Dinner Menu:
Lemongrass Miso Soup with Tofu
Cucumber Peanut Salad (ala Heidi Swanson)
Fresh Field Greens with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Grilled Tofu with Spicy Peanut Sauce over Forbidden Rice with Julienned Vegetables & Roasted Pineapple (a knock-out)
Broccoli Raab
Chocolate Almond Midnight Tofu Mousse Cake with Almond Praline & Raspberry Sauce (sinfully delicious)
Homemade Mojitos
8. Our best vegan lunches turned out to be part of the ship's shore excursions to Athens & Ephesus, Turkey. That was a big surprise. In Athens we had about 20 fresh vegetable entrees to choose from at an elegant hotel buffet, so we piled our plates high so we could taste everything. Short on atmosphere--but we loved the food. The Turkish restaurant near Ephesus was an out-of-the-way open-air roadside restaurant that I wouldn't have stepped foot in if it hadn't been part of the tour. A little on the sketchy side. Once more, a gigantic lunch buffet with about 30 vegetable-based entrees to pick from. Lots of variety--but not much on seasoning.
What Didn't Work
1. I really missed my beans & greens! Sure we ate veg--but it lacked the best parts of my diet--beans, greens & whole grains. None of the rice, breads (except for Marathon bread), grains, or pasta we ate were whole grained. Turns out living without beans, whole grains, non-dairy milks, steel cut oats, kale, collards, Swiss chard, Green Smoothies, sweet potatoes, squash, berries, and sprouted whole grained breads does make a difference in how I feel. Sure, I didn't gain a single pound on vacation, but my digestive system was way out-of-whack without eating all the fiber that I usually eat. And I really missed my daily dose of beans or soy. Within two days of returning home--eating my steel-cut oats, Green Smoothies, baked squash, All-American Bean Chili--I felt like a new woman.
Son #2 tells me that he also notices a big difference when he has his usual Kale Smoothie after a week hiatus. His digestive system works better. He feels sharper. He notices improved word fluency. His energy level shoots up. I agree.
2. Strolling & walking the stairs are neither aerobic nor muscle-building. Sure I was on my feet everyday--walking all over the Mediterranean port cities--but it's just not the same as doing heart-pumping aerobic exercise & weight training. I can't tell you how good it feels to finally get back to my regular exercise routine--spinning, weights, & yoga. Being away from my regular exercise routine for a month made a noticeable difference. My body started to decondition. My muscles started to shrink, my yoga flexibility decreased, and my heart rate isn't getting up as high as it usually does during spinning. Hey, I know it won't take long to get back into the groove--but it's interesting to see how quickly the body deconditions when you take even a short exercise break.
3. When you're surrounded by desserts, alcohol, and restaurant fare--it's so easy to indulge. Yes, I had a little of a lot of foods I would never eat at home. And I had a glass of wine almost every night with dinner. Sure they tasted good--but not as good as I would have thought. I'm glad I tasted them--to get that out of my system, but it didn't make me crave more the next night. My most memorable indulgence: fresh-grilled sardines & Greek salad at an out-of-the-way tiny Santorini family restaurant that overlooked a parking lot--not the typical gorgeous Santorini cliffsides. My indulgences: hazelnut gelato, some fresh feta cheese on top of a Greek salad, a vegetable terrine topped with goat cheese, fresh-off-the-boat teeny tiny flash-fried sardines, The Barcelona tapas favorite--fried potatoes topped with hot sauce & mayo (so not worth it), chocolate bombes with raspberry sauce, a chocolate chip cookie, gravlax (salmon), and a very ordinary vegetable cheese pizza we ordered when it turned out to be the healthiest option on the menu. Really.
4. Getting asked why I was ordering from a separate menu & why I wasn't eating meat makes me feel defensive. I never met anyone else on the ship who was eating vegetarian--let alone vegan--although I'm sure they were onboard. Whoever we sat with for dinner invariably asked us what we were eating and why it wasn't on their menu. I usually bumbled out some explanation that we've been eating a mostly vegetable diet for a couple of years--primarlily for health. Often they wanted to know more--and I was forced to mentioned that we also don't eat dairy--and then sometimes I was pushed to say we also don't eat oil--and by then I wished I'd kept my mouth shut--and I felt compelled to say--"But really, we're very normal people--not fanatics or wackos." I definitely wasn't interested in talking about plant-based diets to people who were enjoying steaks & braised beef shanks. A little awkward. A little uncomfortable. Our dinner guests were all lovely interesting people--and I didn't want to talk diets.
5. It's harder to eat plant-based when you're the only two people in the room who are eating this way. So many of my friends, family, & co-workers now eat this way that it's easy to forget how uncommon it really is. When everyone is talking about the amazing Bananas Foster, beef shanks, lamb chops, or lobster that they had for dinner--and they ask you what you're eating--you feel a little separated from everyone else--but it wasn't really much of an issue. Just didn't want anyone to think I was some kind of a weirdo.
6. Bottom-Line: My trip was amazing, and it was surprisingly easy to stay mostly on the plant-based course--in spite of what now seems like a lot of "planned indulgences". Going no-oil would have taken the plant-strong challenge to a whole other level--but it would have been possible to do on this ship.
What I Learned
1. I was surprised to find out how much the addition of beans, whole grains, and greens contribute to how well I feel. I never would have realized their importance if I hadn't had the opportunity to live mostly without them for 3 weeks. I'm talking about improved digestion and more energy.
2. Plan ahead and bring food from the U.S. for your return plane trip home. Portable healthy food options are slim-pickings outside of the U.S. Don't expect to find much of anything healthy to eat at the non-US airport you fly home from. As for airline food--don't get me started! Our lunch was a doughy bun with a 2 fried chicken patties filled with cheese, mayo, a candy bar, a pale limp salad, & chips! Yuck! Has anyone ever ordered airline vegetarian meals? Is it worth it?
3. I should have done my restaurant homework before I left home. Here's where having a computer or smart phone would have been helpful! Next time I'm going to travel with more than just Frommer's and Rick Steve's guidebooks. Who knew how easy it would have been to check Trip Advisor or Happy Cow for recommendations for good vegetarian food? Certainly not me! Doesn't mean that the restaurants would have been easy to get to--or worth the effort--but at least I could have seen our options. It definitely would have worked well for us in Barcelona.
4. Plan your own shore excursions with the help of the internet. Our best advice came from two women from a small town in South Carolina who really did their homework. They checked out Rick Steve's site & Trip Advisor & booked reasonably-priced personal tours with highly recommended English-speaking guides who picked them up at the ship & took them to exactly where they wanted to go in Rome, the Amalfi Coast, & Athens. They were able to walk right into all the crowded hard-to-get-into places like the Vatican Museum & the Sistine Chapel--and were even taken to reasonable local restaurants that they raved about. The costs for their custom guides were the same as the bus-load-shore-excursions offered by the cruise ship!
5. If you're still full 3-4 hours after eating, your food probably had too much fat in it.
6. If you have zero intestinal gas a few hours after a meal--your food has very little fiber in it.
7. The best food is what you cook yourself.
What Made the Traditional Post-World War II Mediterranean Diet So Healthy?
After seeing the Greek islands for myself I now understand why the Mediterranean Diet got a reputation for being heart healthy. Steep hills, homegrown food, and isolation.
Imagine living on a craggy isolated Greek island, post-World War II. You had to walk up and down steep hills everyday to tend to your garden and your animals. There was no processed food coming onto the island.
You lived off of what you could grow yourself--tomatoes, greens, vegetables, fruits, and the wild purslane (high in omega-3s) growing on the hillside. Sure you had a little cheese, fish, wine & olive oil--and fava beans.
You were heart-healthy because you worked hard, ate lots of plants, a little fish, and a little wine. And that heart health came in spite of the olive oil--not because of it.
What's the real story behind the virtues of the Mediterranean Diet?
The authentic post-World War II Mediterranean diet of Crete--lots of physical labor coupled with lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and just a little bit of olive oil, wine, & fish.
Br J Nutr. 2004--when researchers went back to Crete to look at the health of the islanders--the group with the highest olive oil (MUFA) consumption had the highest heart disease, and those with the lowest olive oil intake had the the lowest heart disease. Click here and here for more about why olive oil & the monounsaturated fats aren't exactly health food.
The data on which the Mediterranean Diet is based came from the 1950's. At that time the people on the Isle of Crete had the lowest all cause mortality. It was post-WWII, they were poor, didn't have a lot to eat, ate mostly fresh fruits & veggies from their gardens, walked 9 miles a day, worked at hard physical labor and the highest consumption of oil was 3 TBS a day--and small amounts of fish. Big difference from how we live today.
The Parthenon in Athens
Ephesus, Turkey
Hiking the Cliffs of Capri
All Aboard--Waiting for the Train--the Grandson Wave
The New Graduate Wave
Forbidden Rice with Roasted Pineapple--not yet topped with Grilled Tofu & Spicy Peanut Sauce
Our First Train Ride - Next Stop? Lunch
Our First Homegrown Crop of Lacinato Kale & Dandelion Greens - Went Right Into My Homecoming Green Smoothie
My First Meal After Our Kids Left- All-American Chili with Roasted Brussels Sprouts
What a trip! But It's Great to Be Home.
I really want to know!
Do you find it hard to eat healthy & exercise on vacation?
Any travel tips for sticking to a plant-based diet?
Do you notice a difference in how you feel when you aren't eating your usual fare?
This is such a timely post for me as I'm trying to plan a heart-healthy trip to New Orleans! I look forward to reading others' travel tips, too.
First, a huge yes when it comes to ordering veg meals for the flight! Whenever I have the option of getting a meal, I always order the veg or a fruit plate. I got in the habit of this when I followed the McDougall plan in the early 90s. It's rare now to have this option on domestic flights, but last time I did, I ended up with a pretty tasty Indian dish while others had something rather bland. Once I got a plate of chilled soba noodles and a salad, and the one time I ordered a fruit plate it was not bad. You will encounter questions from those sitting nearby though, so be prepared.
My husband is a late sleeper, so I try to locate a natural foods store or a veg-friendly cafe to walk to first thing in the morning. At the very least, I have a brisk walk in!
When I pack, I tend to bring a variety of dried fruits and nuts, as well as bars. On this trip, I'm also planning on bringing a ziploc of ground flaxseed (suboptimal for the omega 3s, I know, but still has fiber) mixed with cinnamon and dried ginger for sprinkling on fruit at breakfast. Just saw those Mary's twigs at my local store and will bring some of those, too!
Last thing - I also usually ask on the chow.com message boards for veg-friendly recommendations from locals. :-)
Posted by: A | June 15, 2011 at 04:21 AM
Welcome back! I really missed your blog while you were away!
My husband and I went to Portugal in May, and we totally shared your experience. We don't follow a vegan diet--but eat heavy on the greens and whole grains, light on the oil, few animal products. Even trying to do that on vacation was really hard! I ate salads everywhere we went, and ordered vegetarian meals wherever possible. (Portugal is also very heavily meat-based and like you, we did have fantastic grilled sardines and other fresh fish. But it was hard to get any greens!) And here's the kicker: I got food poisoning! I spent the last 2 days of the trip really sick, as did 6 others who were on the tour with us. (Everyone else thought it was a virus, but it didn't arc like a virus--the people I was in closest contact with didn't get sick, it was all pretty random.) I guess the good thing was that I still had no appetite on the plane so the terrible airplane food on the way home wasn't even remotely tempting. I wish I had known about Green Leaf Grille, because we flew out of Newark, too.
We were both also pretty deconditioned when we got back despite lots of walking--but of course I spent the last 2 days not moving except to get to the bathroom. I find that airplane travel--even fairly short trips--sets me back in general anyway.
Congratulations on your son's graduation--and your grandson is beautiful! Hope you're feeling back to normal soon.
Posted by: Barbara | June 15, 2011 at 05:00 AM
My husband and I've requested vegan meals the last few times we've flown to England and they have been the best airplane food we've ever eaten. It was usually some sort of Indian meal with a great sauce, a whole wheat roll, salad and fruit at desert. We complained about not having a truly vegan breakfast snack and they brought us the fruit salad from 1st class. Amazing! This was all United Airlines though, so maybe they are just a great airline. We've been burned by British Airlines and had a horrible experience with their lack of customer service. Definitely recommend United or Virgin Atlantic for international travel.
Posted by: Carla Arton | June 15, 2011 at 05:12 AM
Missed not getting Happy Healthy Long Life updates but I'm so glad you had a great time. I guess I need to step up my diet to get your energy. I really enjoyed your comments on the Greek islands. Everytime you read about populations that have long life it is associated with physical exercise and a reasonable diet. The post world war II stories of people who were forced to work hard and eat little and ended up with clean arteries also bears this out. HDL has always interested me as so many studies have shown this to be a powerful risk factor. But modifying this risk factor with drugs has so far had very little success. I think that it will be proven that exercise is the key to high HDL. And HDL is a marker of another physiological process that results in reducing heart attacks. Recently another study was sited in the NY times about sedentary life styles and heart problems. Noted in this study was low HDL seemed prevalent in this group. As a practicing retail pharmacist for 47 years I have made it a point to interview patients over 80 as to their lifestyle. The things they told me..".I was always thin, I was always active physically, and they avoided "pills"." I think we get too caught up in the details looking for the complicated magic bullet but its right in front of us.
Thanks for your blog.
Lazy Almost Retired Pharmacist
Posted by: Paul Myron | June 15, 2011 at 05:25 AM
Next trip go to Paris!
Loads of veggie choices and Naturalia stores to buy organic fruit, bread, snacks
That town is in LOVE with quinoa.
Who knew?
And lentils of course and all beautifully prepared.
Fancy department stores like Printemps and Bon Marche even have veggie restos.
New York is way behind.
http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2010/12/paris-designer-fast-food.html
Posted by: Carolg | June 15, 2011 at 05:40 AM
Agree to always order vegan meals for intl. air travel! Airlines vary but the food isn't bad and usually there is "fresh" fruit. Happy Cow is a must for world wide travel. Even without a smart phone you can print out lists in advance. Being environmentally and animal conscious means I'll go the extra mile to find appropriate food, something I didn't do when I was vegetarian for personal health reasons only. I was thrilled to find in Greece the concept of fast days when they only eat vegetables (Fridays and religious holidays). The fact that there is a word for it meant it was much easier to explain what I wanted. By the way, some older Greeks have told me it wasn't just that they were poor, some of them were literally starving in the post WWII era. Many left Greece for other places, and those who remain fill up on olive oil and heavy foods now that they're abundant-- even though they're no longer starving. It's the Grandma phrase "Eat, eat!".
Posted by: Jill W | June 15, 2011 at 06:53 AM
When I requested a vegetarian meal from Air Canada for a flight from Toronto to London, they asked, "Which vegetarian meal?" and rattled off a list of at least six types. I chose Asian vegetarian and was served a delicious curry over (sigh) white rice, but nothing else good for you on the plate, just a lot of carbs, no salad, no fresh fruit. On the flight back, though, several hours after lunch, they brought three pieces of fresh fruit to each of us Asian vegetarians, and apparently to no one else. In England, I found M&S Simply Food stores, offering lots of prepared food, including a great green soup, bean and grain salads, fruits, veggies, nuts, and yogurt, at Heathrow and at the Oxford train station, near my hostel. It's generally easy to find muesli and whole-grain German rye breads in the UK.
Posted by: Jo M | June 15, 2011 at 09:50 AM
Wonderful blog entry. We went on the same cruise itinerary last fall and I agree with the GI problems encountered when you lose out on beans, real greens and high fiber grains. I even brought along a fiber suppliment that I added to my daily oatmeal and still had to resort to a laxative. Misery. Keeping some oatmeal packs and I like to bring along a can or two of Eden's Organic beans and rice for plane trips where there is absolutely no veggie alternatives. One also needs to remember in certain countries eating raw veggies is just plain dangerous. We were very surprised last summer that our trip to China was nearly devoid of any raw vegetables. I had no idea they were so enamored with beef and pork and in the northern areas are much more wheat based in their diet than rice base.
Posted by: Ann | June 15, 2011 at 10:49 AM
Your observations about standing out because of your food choices were well put. I have also experienced this. I expect comments about my vegan diet. What throws me more is when people don't catch on that what I'm eating is vegan, but do comment on how "healthy" my dinner plate is. They either look at me with pity, as if I'm punishing myself, or they start in on how "good" I am an dhow "bad they are. All instances are awkward. I don't think of myself as eating abnormally healthy meals, but when I attend business conferences and such, I see just how different my preferences are from others. Thanks for the great blog entry - sounds like a fabulous vacation!
Posted by: Erica the librarian | June 15, 2011 at 01:38 PM
If you want to be vegan on International Travel, you had better rent a house so you can do your own cooking. Then, of course, you have to resist all those delectable cheeses, sausages, pates, pastries, etc. etc in the market.
For me half the fun of travel is trying new and interesting foods or dishes particularly well prepared. For vacations and dinners out, I forget about being vegan. Where I live there are almost no restaurants with vegan dishes. There are lots of vegetarian dishes loaded with cheese and oil, though.
I am a vegan at home, but not on vacation or in restaurants. On the plane, if possible, I bring my own, but when returning from France two weeks ago, I forgot I couldn't bring produce into the US and was caught by a fruit sniffing dog! Really. A cute little beagle. So better eat all your fresh stuff before customs.
Posted by: Michele (Betty) | June 15, 2011 at 01:59 PM
For exercise on vacation overseas my husband and I try to find a daylong bike tour. A great way to give your legs a break from walking and you go places you'd never get to see on your own. And riding a bike is fun. Also, there's usually a volcano or mountain somewhere nearby, so we hire a local guide and spend a day or two climbing. Again, you get to see places most other tourists don't, and it's fun.
In my daily routine, I eat no animal products, but on vacation, instead of eating bland, overcooked oatmeal for breakfast or something sugary, I'll opt for an egg white omelet filled with whatever vegetables are available. Eggs are ubiquitous, so this is generally not a problem. It's a compromise for a vegetarian, but you gotta get some protein into you since beans and lentils probably aren't available.
It's just a personal preference, but I'll choose grilled fish over vegetables or rice that are cooked in oil. When eating out, I always consider the amount of fat and protein in a dish, not just that it's vegetarian. But before going on vacation, I do check for local vegetarian restaurants.
In my experience, it's almost impossible to find any healthful food at an airport overseas. At U.S. airports it's getting easier to eat plant-based, but it's still hard to get anything that hasn't been cooked in oil. I bring lots of snacks.
On the airplane, if I travel in Economy class I bring all of my own food. St. Dalfour makes ready to eat meals that are tasty and convenient. And at least you know the nutrition of what you're eating. In Business class, I don't bother with a vegetarian meal. You get a decent amount of vegetables and fruit with the regular meals, and they're usually quite good. Whatever meat or fish that comes with the meal is so dry and overcooked that it's easy not to eat it.
When traveling my attitude is to compromise and make the least worst choice. And when I get home, I'm always so grateful to get back to my normal way of eating and exercising.
Posted by: Nancy Stueve | June 15, 2011 at 06:27 PM
We are a vegetarian family with 3 children. Last year we spent nine months traveling round the world together. We found vegetarian / vegan fare very difficult to obtain in many places and also definitely recommend the vegetarian options on long haul flights, although some didn't appeal to our pretty adventurous eating children.
In Kenya we ate nothing but rice and cabbage for a month, supplemented with avocado from a roadside stall. Definitely got our greens - but very little protein, we found some nuts to use for this but they were not so fresh.
Cambodia was a treasure chest of peaceful buddhist food with delicious options in the local cuisine and also an array of other cultures represented inexpensively in Siem Reap.
In Egypt often only pizza or pasta could be made vegetarian, although we found some delicious hummus and tabouli type salads in Hugharda. Practically everything was deep fried in most restaurants. Hotel breakfasts did have good fresh fruit that we filled up on.
In the UK we could find amazing fresh produce and also many preprepared salads in supermarkets. Campervanning through Europe this was somewhat hit and miss, sometimes the produce was great, but often the foods marketed to travellers are the breads, meats and cheeses. We had a brief Pain au Chocolat interlude in France that was far from our usual diet!
Our eldest (10) took great delight in being able to order his own meals and ate exclusively Indian curries when they were found and Macaroni Cheese when they weren't (he was impressed to get home to our vegan home and find his spots completely disappeared when the mac and cheese left his diet...).
Our last few weeks were in San Francisco and Los Angeles and we were still able to be amazed by American portion sizes and fat content even though we were forewarned! There was also a lovely organic grocer down the road from where we stayed and we ate kilos of fresh fruit from there.
Sushi is a staple airport vegetarian food for us and recently I even found it made with black and brown rice in Sydney airport, although usually it is white. We often grab a couple of extra lots of sushi to feed hungry kids on the plane. We also stock up on individual packs of dried fruit and nuts for flights. We tend to not pack fresh stuff so much as we are always worried about forgetting to finish / bin it before customs - getting 3 small people and assorted gear through immigration is enough of a challenge!
Posted by: Anna SKinner | June 15, 2011 at 07:25 PM
Thank you everyone who commented on the blog--or through email with your FANTASTIC travel tips & commiserations! You are truly an experienced, well-informed, & generous group!
Why didn't I ask you all for advice, BEFORE I left for my trip?
A, Barbara, Carla, Carol, Jill, Jo, Ann, Erica, Michele, Nancy, Anna, & Law Prof--your advice & shared experiences will be so helpful to me--and surely to others--on future trips.
What a well-traveled group you are! I loved reading about everyone's far-flung adventures. Anna, I was in awe of your far-flung travels!
Hope to summarize these tips to share with the "email gang" (& myself) who often miss out on the web comments.
To Paul, the pharmacist: Thanks for sharing the lasted HDL pharm flops! It's so interesting how we're now realizing that artificially raised or lowered HDL numbers--that aren't "earned" through life style modifications aren't always indicative of positive change in heart health.
Looks like the only way to know if your HDL is good or bad is by having its efflux capacity measured--but that's not yet "ready for prime time".
Would love to hear more about your thoughts on diet/exercise vs statins for heart health.
BTW--this week's article in the Archives of Neurology on the benefits of a low fat/low GI diet to protect against Alzheimers comes right out to say that high fat can raise HDLs--which isn't the way you want to raise them.
Posted by: The Healthy Librarian | June 16, 2011 at 05:16 AM
Welcome back! We all missed your posts, but it was great to hear about your wonderful time away. I was looking forward to hearing how it felt for you to be out of the electronic world for awhile, but with an itinerary like that, I have a feeling you might not have noticed! I'm especially impressed with your restraint on the cruise. I've only been on one, to Alaska, and adopted the "well, it's only for a week" mentality. (I was vegetarian at the time, not vegan) I managed to gain about 5 pounds that have never left. So, congratulations on a job well done. And thanks for letting us enjoy your trip vicariously.
Posted by: Carol | June 16, 2011 at 10:24 AM
We just returned from 2 weeks in London, so could really relate to your experiences. Although with some walking we could usually find cafes with vegan choices, it wasn't always easy. The lack of fiber caused digestive problems, as with you. In retrospect, since we ate breakfast at the apt. we rented, I probably should have made us smoothies (with spinach, no kale to be found) every morning. Since we were in business class on the plane, just ate around the meat and cheese (so much cheese!) choices, but it made for rather unhealthy meals, heavy on the white bread. So I will bring more food next time, and will definitely pre-order vegan.
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. We liked the food choices on Celebrity better than Princess--you chose a good cruise line.
Posted by: linda mandel | June 16, 2011 at 02:55 PM
Wait a minute! How about those beautiful pics of you guys in front of the most picturesque places on earth? Santorini...OMG!!!! You both look so incredibly happy. I am so happy that you had an amazing trip and came back to a joyous graduation! I must agree with you and Erica the Librarian. No matter how inconspicuous I try to be on my plant based diet, there is always a comment. I don't like getting into a discussion about my reasons because it only makes the meat eater very defensive and sarcastic about my choices. I really don't want to get into defending myself all the time. If I feel someone truly is interested and genuinely wants to know, I will engage, but mostly people say: "How can you eat that way... Hell, you only live once, have some pork belly!" Just like you wanted YOUR regular routine back again, I missed my regular Healthy Librarian routine! It's great to have you back, Deb!
Posted by: Gael in Vermont | June 16, 2011 at 05:39 PM
I went to Spain for a scientific conference a few years ago with a lacto-vegetarian Hindu boss. In Spain, a vegetarian sandwich means "fish". I had to explain, "no pesca" at every establishment. He was hungry sometimes, as he did not know any Spanish. I can speak enough to get by. I found a corner market and bought a loaf of whole wheat bread, fruit, vegetables, and juice for my stay. Breakfast was easy, if not my usual oats. But by the end I was prowling for a good bowl of arroz y frijoles.
Working for and with Indians, they totally understand and support my food choices. Other people look at me with pity, yes, but when I state why my choices are different, they tend to understand. I was reared by conservative Christian parents who taught me that when people look at you strangely for not participating in behavior you know to be self-destructive, you are doing something RIGHT. You've no need to feel defensive. You are simply not willing to harm yourself to make others more at ease with their behaviors. I was reared to be weird. It helps.
Posted by: Mitzi | June 16, 2011 at 07:14 PM
I just returned from 7 weeks in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, and yes, it was hard, even impossible to find healthy vegetarian food sometimes. It's a meat culture. I rented apartments in Brazil and Argentina for some of the time and that made breakfast and dinner somewhat more healthy as long as I resisted my penchant for pastry. Lots of the delicious fruit juices in Brazil also have sugar added. I found that I missed brewers yeast - they just don't have it. But the "per kilo" restaurants in Brazil, where you fill your plate from a buffet with a lot of salad and veg selections, were a real find.You only pay for what you take.
I haven't had any luck with airline veg food - cheese and pasta. Perhaps vegan would be better.
I was so glad to be back in the land of farmers markets and berries!
Posted by: Judy in Portland | June 16, 2011 at 10:32 PM
So glad to hear from you again and your trip looked wonderful! I really appreciate the links and tips, like the Sticks & Twigs idea! I totally agree with the comment that, unlike Paris, New York is WAY behind! But with the tips I've learned from you, and other readers, I'm now on month 4 of the oil and fat free diet - per Dr. Esselstyn.
I have "fallen off the wagon" a few times, but pretty much because I was stuck in a situation where, exactly like you, the BEST option was an oily pizza! Sad comment on our restaurants - and this was in Connecticut! But I feel better knowing I'm not the only one, and that the world won't spin off its axis if I, occasionally, have a bit of oil or fat in a meal!
Thanks, as always, for your invaluable information and I'm going to do research on Ireland, where we're headed this summer. It's a very meat and potatoes place, so any tips from readers will be welcome!
Chris in Connecticut
Posted by: Chris O'Keefe | June 17, 2011 at 03:04 AM
Carol,
I loved being unconnected to the internet and phone-in spite of the fact that it was a busy vacation. I didn't get the same kind of benefits I would if I was backpacking or in a cabin--but it gave me a chance to know how nice it is to turn off the darn devices!
I really had no urge to turn on my phone or computer when I got home. It really does use up a lot of free time. I didn't miss it one bit. Thank you so much for your warm welcome back.
Linda,
So interesting how so many of us experience "digestive slow down" on European food. It's comforting to know it wasn't just me. Good to know that Celebrity beats Princess for healthier & more accomodating selections. Law prof agreed, too.
Gael,
Thanks for all your enthusiasm--those pics weren't even the tip of the iceberg. Even with my cheapo-falling-apart-on-its-last-legs camera, I've got some spectacular shots. It makes me feel better to hear that you, Erica, & others feel defensive/awkward/uncomfortable when asked about why we're eating the way we do. You're right--you know when someone really wants to know--and then I'm happy to talk.
Mitzi,
I can't thank you enough for sharing your parents words! So simple. So commonsense. Yet, so powerful. Definitely a keeper--that will now change my whole reaction. I was very surprised about Spain, too. And their veggie options were in lots of olive oil. I'm grateful that Indians have introduced their wonderful vegan curries & dal around the world.
Chris,
I agree with you. It was nice for me, too, to hear that we've all had similar experiences, and that things don't fall apart when we have a little oil or fish or cheese occasionally--we do the best we can.
I've heard from a plant-based professor in Ireland who says she goes to some great veg restaurants. I'll email her and see what recommendations I can get for you.
When I was in northern England a few years back, I was surprised to see veg options at even the smallest of pubs--but that was during the Mad Cow scare. Not sure if things have changed. Have a wonderful summer vacations. Please do read through all the comments--lots of good info here!
Judy,
OMG--what an fantastic adventure. Good thing you had an apartment & could cook. Know exactly what you mean about being glad to return to farmer's markets & lots of fresh food!
Posted by: The Healthy Librarian | June 17, 2011 at 05:01 AM
Welcome back! On the vexing topic of other people's reactions: I find that being a vegan (or even just eating healthily) just seems to get up people's noses. Sometimes they react in a hostile way (which I just never would if someone told me their food preferences). Their responses usually make me feel that I'm being awkward or a nuisance - definitely not making the party go with a swing! The worst response is "well, you've got to die of something!" or "Life's too short to worry about all these ridiculous pronouncements on diet - every day they find something else that's going to kill you" etc etc.
In the UK I have found it unusual for people to take veganism in their stride - they seem to get really worked up and anxious as if you are asking them to come up with some gourmet meal. I just long to say well, just cook what you want and give me the vegetables! It's not that difficult. In other people's homes, I usually just give in and eat what they want me to eat (weak, I know!) In other situations (as on holiday), I just try and keep a low profile - but people seem very attuned to what one is eating! I find that strange as I simply don't question other people's food choices.
Posted by: Anna | June 17, 2011 at 10:56 AM
You are so lucky to have so many plant strong family members, friends and coworkers. My list of such eaters is exactly 4 and I am going on 4 years of eating vegan! I've learned to bite my tongue most of the time about why I eat this way because if I ever find an interested ear I tend to get overly enthusiastic and give TMI.
The tips in this post will be so helpful for future travel. We're planning a trip through Wisconsin, Michigan, and up to Tornonto and I'm making lists of restaurant and market options to help us stay on track.
Posted by: Penny | June 18, 2011 at 01:38 PM