Walking through the arrivals hall in Christchurch airport offers a clear understanding of two main sources of revenue in New Zealand – sheep and cows. Pictures and sounds of these friendly farm animals greet you at almost every turn. And as a vegan, it becomes clear that life might soon be very difficult!

A common sight in New Zealand – pity we couldn’t save these woolly friends from their fate

However, despite the tremendous amount of dairy produced and milk products consumed, and the presence of many, many sheep farms producing wool and lamb, it is a very easy place to thrive as a plant-based consumer. There appears to be an increasing awareness of alternative dietary requirements and small businesses are blossoming to meet the demand. Since our visit five years prior, the choice and range of products available to vegans has increased dramatically.

Although New Zealand is an isolated country, there is a tremendous variety of fresh produce and fruit sold at both supermarkets and farmers markets across the country. Most of this is grown locally and is beautifully fresh and delicious. There are imported options, but the prices reflect the hefty surcharge to bring these goods into the country from far away lands. An exception to this is perhaps bananas, which are comparable in price to what we pay in North America.

All the larger supermarket chains carry a wide variety of products to support a plant-based diet. These include non-dairy milk and yoghurt options, grains, legumes, nut butters, cereals, soy products, meat substitutes like tempeh and veggie sausages, and breads. In larger cities and towns you’ll find at least one health food store offering everything you could possibly wish for from kombucha to flax seeds. Prices are more expensive than supermarket sundries but many of these products are locally produced and organic. Here are a few options in key centres, many offering freshly prepared vegan food and baking too:

Piko (Christchurch)
Organic Green Grocer (Nelson)
Commonsense Organics (Wellington/Auckland)
Chantal Organics (Napier)
Ceres Fresh Market (Auckland)

Generally we shopped at the Countdown supermarket chain for our regular groceries and did not have any trouble finding everything we needed there. Fruit and vegetables seem to be of better quality and cheaper price at produce markets, but the supermarkets are perfectly fine too for variety and freshness. Whenever possible we purchased fruit and vegetables at road side stalls and even had the chance to pick our own cherries! We also were treated to gorgeous fresh vegetables, herbs and berries from my brother’s garden in Christchurch, making us long for a garden of our own!

Bucket of cherry goodness from PYO (pick-your-own) farm near Nelson

We mostly cooked for ourselves during our three months in New Zealand as we had wonderful kitchen facilities when staying with family and friends on both North and South islands. When we were travelling and camping we usually had access to communal kitchens or used the camp cooking gear we borrowed from my brother. We had a lot of fun trying out new recipes with our family and we especially had fun baking vegan pies, cookies and muffins with our little nephew.

Family baking time!

Yummy homemade pizza

Fresh berries from the garden + vegan waffles = bliss!

Cooking up gourmet vegan chow on one of our camping trips

We did enjoy a few meals out as well as the odd take-out feast with the ethnic flavours of Thailand or India being quite common. Most restaurants are familiar with what vegans eat and are happy to accommodate. Eating out in New Zealand is quite expensive, and our backpackers’ budget struggled to cope with the high cost. In an average restaurant, it’s not uncommon to pay $18-25 for a main meal. Lunch items are a bit cheaper, with coffee and pastry items running around $4 each.

We were also afforded the opportunity through my brother’s generosity and interest, to sample a variety of wonderful local vegan wines. It was very impressive to see that wine makers in New Zealand include information on the component used in the fining process to make wine. Often these components are animal-based, but sometimes a synthetic or plant-based option is utilized. It was very refreshing to find such a wide variety of wines that were vegan and labelled as such.

In summary, New Zealand was an incredibly easy country to navigate as vegans. It would be even easier to enjoy if budget was not a consideration, as there are many wonderful dining options that could easily cater to plant-based requirements, from lunch time food carts through to boutique bistros.

Local resources:

http://www.vegansociety.co.nz

http://www.vegans.co.nz

http://vegetarians.co.nz

www.happycow.net/australia/new_zealand/

We had reservations about visiting India for a few reasons, but food wasn’t one of them! We eagerly anticipated the rich spicy flavours, the soft warm breads and the tender slow roasted vegetables and pulses. And we weren’t disappointed!

India is one of the easiest countries we’ve travelled as vegans. With a small amount of enquiry (English is very common in the bigger cities and tourist routes), one can efficiently bypass the elements in a typical Indian restaurant menu that don’t fit within a vegan framework. The most common items are ghee (clarified butter) and paneer (soft white cheese). These ingredients show up quite frequently on any self respecting Indian vegetarian menu, but there are also many other options such as vegetable, lentil and chickpea dishes that can be made (and are often readily offered) without ghee or paneer.

As food is generally very inexpensive in India, and as our self-catering accommodation options were very limited in this part of the world, we were able to try many different restaurants and flavourful dishes which took on a new character in each region we visited. For breakfast we ate muesli and soy milk, with generous helpings of fresh fruit such as banana, papaya and mangoes. Lunch and dinner were usually restaurant based and depending on the location, included thalis (a platter with small servings of various dishes), dosas (wafer thin lentil crepe often filled with vegetables and potatoes), and other regional fare with the odd western style meal to change the flavour a bit.

Fruit stands are common and well stocked

We drank only bottled water while in India. Bottled water is cheap and available everywhere. This, along with a strict hygiene regimen (including frequent hand washing followed by hand sanitizer), and very selective eating choices (picking slightly upmarket restaurants with good local patronage, not eating from street carts and vendors, washing fruit well, and packing food for travel days) allowed us to travel through India for over a month without having any stomach or other ailments.

Here is a summary of the regions we visited, the typical food we discovered and some of our favourite dining and grocery shopping experiences:

MUMBAI

Our brief stay in Mumbai did not give us a lot of time to explore the local cuisine. We had a few excellent light meals at pure vegetarian restaurants close to and recommended by our accommodation. We also had a terrific pizza (no cheese!) and very cold Kingfisher beer at Pizza by the Bay on Mumbai’s famous Marine Drive in Churchgate. We found an excellent whole/natural foods store near Churchgate called Nature’s Basket which stocks a wide range of locally produced and imported food items including soy milk. This is a great reference to other natural food stockists and resources in Mumbai, including a number of vegan resources. We’re sure there are many wonderful culinary delights to be discovered in Mumbai, our two-day stopover simply didn’t allow for too much exploration – especially since it was our first introduction to India and we were feeling a little cautious and a bit overwhelmed!

Pizza and cold Kingfisher beer at Pizza on the Bay

 
GOA

We chose to stay in north Goa on Mandrem Beach at a quiet laid-back beach resort called Dunes Holiday Village. There is a fantastic restaurant on the premises at Dunes, offering an extensive selection of Indian as well as western choices, along with juices and smoothies. We ate most of our meals here as we found it to be very affordable, excellent in quality and a very comfortable place to while away the time while looking at the gorgeous ocean view. Another favourite spot was Lamuella Cafe, just across the road from Dunes. The freshly ground coffee, homemade rice milk, oatmeal, and granola hit the spot on more than one occasion! We visited once for dinner and found their food portions, while very tasty and plentiful in vegan options, to be quite small and overpriced.

North Goa is well known for its beautiful beaches, yoga retreats, and bohemian lifestyle. There is an abundance of restaurants from Arambol Beach down the coast to Anjuna Beach with vegan options, from local flavours through to fresh salads, falafel, veggie burgers, raw delights, and more. Most of the yoga retreats cater to alternative lifestyle and dietary choices, and offer enticing menus with vegan options. There is also an amazing and plentiful collection of fresh fruit stands, along with well stocked grocery stores. Come with a good appetite as you’ll be a well fed vegan in these parts!

Waiting for our dinner to arrive while watching the sunset at Dunes

 
DARJEELING

Oh Darjeeling, how we miss you! In this high Himalayan mountain station we discovered a delightful assortment of cultures and flavours due to Tibetan, Nepalese, Indian, and English influences. Over our 10 day stay we feasted on a wonderful range of excellent food with vegan options galore. Here are a few of our favourite eating experiences:

Glenary’s Cafe and Bakery is a Darjeeling institution. The wonderful enclosed porch with amazing views over the town and mountains is the best spot to sit on a sunny morning with a cup of tea. The cafe menu offers fairly standard fare, with options like oatmeal, wholegrain toast, veggie burgers and other snack items. The bakery has a wide range of breads and some sweet and savoury vegan baked goods.

A cute Glenary’s teapot

Kunga is a tiny family-run restaurant that makes the best vegetarian momos (tibetan dumplings) in town! With seating for roughly 20 people, it’s not easy to get a table, so come ready to wait or arrive before peak meal times.

Waiting for table outside Kunga

Vegetarian momos at Kunga – well worth the wait!

Lunar is an Indian restaurant under the Dekeling Hotel (where we stayed in Darjeeling). It’s a more upmarket option, but still within a reasonable price range. We liked the clean, smart dining room with lovely views and enjoyed the vegetable pakoras, chana masala, and naan bread a few times during our stay.

Excellent Indian fare and fantastic views at Lunar

Sonam’s Kitchen is a small hole in the wall that is mostly frequented by travellers. Known for its coffee and chunky toasted wholemeal bread (from Glenary’s of course!), it’s a lovely spot to sit for a while. We dropped by a few times for a late breakfast. We’d hoped to try the dinner options as they came highly recommended, but the restaurant was closed in the evenings during our stay in Darjeeling.

A friendly place with the best coffee in Darjeeling

Foodsteps offers a number of healthier options like smoothies, granola, wraps, and homebaked vegan cookies. Friendly staff and lovely views from the upstairs dining room make this another sweet spot to while away some time.

Fresh, healthy fare at Foodsteps

Nathmulls Tea Shop is one of the nicest locales in Darjeeling to experience tea culture. As a purveyor of fine teas from across the Darjeeling region, the range and quality of teas is outstanding. A small cafe attached to the tea sales room offers a full range of tea tasting as well as a food menu with one or two suitable vegan options.

Sampling the best of Darjeeling’s tea at Nathmulls

Hasty Tasty is the best spot for cheap and fast Indian food. The masala dosa and vegetarian thali are a must!

Aaah, the amazing dosa at Hasty Tasty!

Our one day hike across the border into Nepal included lunch in a mountain refuge. We were treated to an amazing range of lentil and vegetable dishes, rice, papadums and the potent tongba – a millet-based fermented alcoholic beverage that is served warm.

The potent millet drink called tongba

 
JAIPUR

Jaipur is the capital city of the state of Rajasthan, located in northwest India. We spent two nights here as part of a “golden triangle” tour which included a visit to Agra (home of the Taj Mahal). On our first night we discovered a wonderful rooftop restaurant called the Peacock on the top floor of the Hotel Pearl Palace. We returned here on our second night too as we enjoyed our first visit so much! Our favourite dish was the Dhal Makani enjoyed with ice cold Kingfisher beer.

Loving the vibe and amazing food at Peacock

A sweet treat!

Down a narrow alley to find a local treasure

 
DELHI

The sprawling and congested city of Delhi crams in every conceivable restaurant, street vendor, kiosk and food cart. It’s a full frontal sensory overload! Our three days in Delhi gave us a very quick glimpse of what the city has to offer, with most of our exploration on the food front centered on Connaught Place. We had two really amazing meals at Saravanaa Bahvan – well worth the wait in the long line up. Here the specialty is a variety of dosas, and their excellent thali – beautiful flavours and a fun hands on food experience.

A delicious onion dosa – more than enough to share!

We were surprised that grocery stores were limited in the city. There were a few convenience stores selling the typical range of supplies like bottled water, candy and toiletries, but we couldn’t find a supermarket in the area that we were staying near the main railway station. We were able to find soy milk and muesli at the TwentyFourSeven convenience store in Connaught Place to meet our breakfast needs.

We arrived in Croatia from Rome, Italy, where vegan options were plentiful, fresh and delicious and the supermarkets well stocked. We were unsure what our options would be as we touched down in Dubrovnik and set out to explore part of the Balkan region for a couple of months. Our time in Croatia was mostly spent along the Dalmatian Coast and on the Istrian Peninsula. We enjoyed a good mix of small villages and big towns, and aside from one small island hamlet (Sobra on Mljet Island), were able to find everything we needed to make our usual healthy, happy vegan meals and even enjoyed several meals out.

Food shopping

After finding and settling into our accommodation, the next order of business in a new place is to orient ourselves regarding food. Since we mostly stay in places that have kitchen facilities, orientation usually entails locating the nearest grocery store or supermarket to stock up on supplies. It’s always exciting to explore a new store to see the selection of vegan-friendly products, along with local fruits and vegetables.

Picking up soy milk at one of the many Konzum stores across Croatia

In Dubrovnik we found a supermarket called Konzum just down the street from our lodging, near to the main bus station and port. Konzum is a large Croatian supermarket chain and we were delighted to find a large “health food section” with all of our usual requirements: soy milk, oats, muesli, peanut butter, nuts, seeds, dates, and more. We subsequently found that other supermarket chains such as Tommy, Studenac and Pemo also carried most of the basics, but we generally shopped at Konzum since we found their selection, prices and freshness of produce to be the best. Pricing for typical items: 1l soy milk – 18 Kuna (C$3.30); 250ml peanut butter – 10 Kuna (C$1.85); bread loaf – 8 Kuna (C$1.50); 1kg bananas – 10 Kuna (C$1.85).

Our most challenging few days as it relates to food was on the island of Mljet. We initially decided to stay in the town of Sobra which is near the main ferry dock in the centre of the island. Unfortunately we were surprised to find that the small food store was very poorly stocked with supplies and almost no fresh produce. There are a handful of restaurants but their offerings are quite poor and we were not too thrilled about eating bland pizza and pasta for lunch and dinner every day!

So we decided to move to another village on the island called Polace at the entrance to the National Park, and were ecstatic to find two well stocked food markets (with soy milk no less!) as well as plentiful supplies of fruit and vegetables. There is also a bakery that makes the most amazing multi-grain bread (even better than the French and Italian breads we recently indulged in!). We’d certainly recommend Polace as a base if you visit Mljet and wish to enjoy nature while continuing with your plant-based diet. Although we opted to cook all of our meals in our apartment, there are a number of restaurants along the waterfront in Polace, many of which would be able to whip up a vegan salad, sandwich, pizza or pasta. You can read more about what we got up to on Mljet here.

Bean chili over baked potatoes – one of our favourite meals enjoyed in Polace on our lovely patio! And of course, wine with lunch (a very civilized habit acquired in France)!

The bakery or “pekara” in Polace on Mljet Island

One of the very well stocked supermarkets in Polace

We also found a few natural/health food stores called “bio” shops in Dubrovnik and Split. These shops were very well stocked with local and imported natural foods, home and beauty products. We enjoyed a rare treat of tofu and quinoa purchased from one of the bio shops called Trgovina Refužo in Split, just a few steps away from the Riva. It was really great to chat to the store owner who has been vegan for many years and is working hard to promote a plant-based lifestyle in Croatia. The shop is very well stocked with nuts, seeds, grains and flours in bulk bins, along with meat alternatives such as tofu and seitan, and non-dairy milks. There is also a gluten-free product section. Here’s a list of the other bio shops we found:

Bio and Bio – Dubrovnik

Bio and Bio - Split

Zdravi Bili – Split

What an unexpected treat to find tofu and quinoa in Croatia! We had a great time checking out bio store Trgovina Refužo in Split

Where possible, we also seek out markets to buy our food. We hoped that Croatia would be similar to the other European countries we’d recently visited. We were not disappointed by the produce markets, fruit and vegetable vendors and bakeries in every place we visited! Not only are the local ingredients fresher and more tasty, they tend to be cheaper too – especially when purchased at places where locals shop. Local fruits include mandarin oranges, grapes, pomegranates, apples, limes, melons and lemons. Local vegetables include potatoes (the best we’ve had!), chard (how we’ve missed you!), cabbage, zucchinis, lettuces, cucumber and tomatoes (yes, a fruit, but more suited to the vegetable list somehow!). Anything imported is quite a bit more expensive, but there is a good variety.

The “green market” in Split next to Diocletian’s Palace (photo credit: www.taxisplitairport.com)

Our typical breakfast consists of oats or muesli/granola with soy milk, nuts, dates, flax seeds, oat bran and banana. We had no problem finding any of these ingredients during our stay in Croatia. Lunches and dinners are usually interchangeable and we make large portions to allow for leftovers if we’re staying in one place for a few days. We generally make bean burritos, lentil stew, pasta with vegetable and tomato sauce, chickpea curry, soups and other dishes as we find available ingredients for a special treat (like tofu!).

Yummy lentil stew with fresh veggies over cous cous with a side of roasted beets

Eating out

We don’t eat out very often on this global adventure with its backpacker budget, but we do like to support local vegan restaurants when we can. In Split we discovered a wonderful spot called Makrovega, serving reasonably priced daily set vegan and vegetarian menus, along with light meals such as veggie burgers, burritos and sandwiches. They also have a delicious variety of dessert items and fresh cold-pressed juices. There’s also another option in Split called Vege which is a take-out window located near the produce market. We didn’t get a chance to eat there, but wish we did! There is a popular vegetarian restaurant called Nishta inside the old city walls of Dubrovnik that we were hoping to try, but unfortunately it was closed on the day we visited the old town.

Lunch at Makrovega – we tried the burger and tofu burrito – both outstanding!

Generally we don’t have the luxury of choice for vegetarian or vegan restaurants, so we get creative, and work around the menu offerings, and sometimes, the language barrier! In Croatia, the most common restaurants are eateries called “konobas” run by local families serving mostly regional fare which is heavily weighted to meat and fish dishes. All of the restaurants we visited had pizza and pasta selections that could easily be made vegan, along with amazing vegetable side dishes. These restaurants offered up the best meals:

Sperun – Split (very heavy on seafood and local fare, but there are pasta options; we ordered the spaghetti with tomato sauce and a side order of each of the boiled and grilled veggies – wonderful flavours and generous portions but slightly heavy on the olive oil for our liking)

Quaint local restaurant Sperun, hidden off the main tourist promenade in Split

Bistro Toc – Split (we asked for a vegan version of the burrito with tofu and avocado instead of meat and cheese – very happily accommodated and delicious too!)

Pizzeria Napoli – Labin (we initially wanted to try a regional pasta dish called fuzi which is served with locally grown white truffles, but unfortunately the dish is made with cream and cheese; we opted instead for a veggie pizza with no cheese – again, happily accommodated and we weren’t disappointed!)

Pizzeria Napoli on the main square in Labin on the Istrian Peninsula

Gorgeous, colourful vegan pizza enjoyed on the patio overlooking the main square in Labin

The verdict

Being vegan in Croatia was much easier than we expected it to be. This is largely attributed to the availability of varied supplies in the supermarkets as well as our ability (and interest) to cook for ourselves. Eating out for every meal would be possible, but one of vegan inclination would be limited to pizza and pasta in most restaurants. There is also not very much ethnic diversity in the towns we visited, so typical options for vegans like Mexican, Thai or Japanese are not plentiful.

Hands down the easiest place to be vegan in Croatia is Split (compared to other larger towns we visited, including Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula and Rovinj). Zagreb was not on our itinerary on this trip, but it’s likely that it would have more options than the rest of the country.

Best local food tried: Croatian chard (dark green leafy vegetable) and potatoes

Most surprising food experience: Well-stocked bio/natural food stores in bigger centres

Most challenging food experience: Understanding the language to convey or request vegan requirements

Here’s a delicious and healthy vegan adaptation of a traditional favorite!

Ingredients:

1 tsp water
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried Italian herbs
1 head broccoli
2 zucchinis
3 carrots
1 butternut (small)
Pinch salt and pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, shredded
1/4 cup water
2 blocks firm tofu, drained
1 large can tomato paste
750ml pasta sauce
1 box lasagne sheets (egg-free)

Method:

Lightly grease a large rectangular (10 x 13 x 4 inches or so) glass baking dish with a small amount of olive oil. Spread  1/3 can of tomato paste onto base of dish. Preheat oven to 350 deg F or 180 deg C.

Fill base with one layer of lasagne noodles.

Lightly fry garlic in water in a large pan. Add herbs.

Thinly slice broccoli, zucchinis and carrots. Peel, de-seed and cut butternut into small cubes.

Add vegetables, salt and pepper to garlic and herbs. Cook until vegetables are soft. Add pasta sauce and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.

While vegetables are cooking, blend spinach with water. Add tofu and blend gently to create a chunky paste resembling ricotta cheese.

Pour half of spinach/tofu mixture onto first layer of noodles. Top with half of vegetable/pasta sauce mixture.

Add another layer of noodles and repeat the layering once more. Finish with a layer of noodles and top with the remainder of the tomato paste.

Cover dish with foil and place in pre-heated oven and cook for 1 hour. If the noodles are cooked after 1 hour, remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. If the noodles are not tender after an hour, leave in for another 20 minutes and check again. Remove when ready and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy (for dinner, and lunch the next day!) with a crisp salad and a glass of red vegan vino!

** This recipe can easily be made gluten-free by using gluten-free lasagne sheets available at health food stores or well-stocked local supermarkets **

We picked Belize as the starting point for our adventure partly because we thought it would help us ease into the change in foods available to us to continue our plant-based diet throughout Central and South America. We also thought Belize was a good place to start as English is widely spoken, helping us greatly if we couldn’t communicate our requirements in Spanish.

Luckily we were correct on both counts. We discovered to our delight that it was relatively easy to find our basic items like soy milk, oats, cereal, bread and peanut butter at any supermarket (less so of course at local small supply shops/kiosks). What was most surprising was the soy milk imported from Canada was cheaper than what it is sold for in Canada!

Fruits and vegetables are also widely available, and if you stick to local produce, it’s very cost effective too. We paid $1 for 7 or 8 bananas, and about $1.50 for a very large papaya. As a comparison, we picked up 2 peaches (imported from the USA) at the market in Corozal for $5. We didn’t repeat that performance! Fruits and vegetables are best purchased at local markets, which are common in every town and village. Supermarkets tend to mark up quite a bit and the quality/freshness isn’t as good.

A papaya almost as big as my head for $1.50! Awesome!

Organic fruit and veggies are virtually non-existent; we found one store on Ambergris Caye that stocked imported organic produce but it was extremely expensive (for example, $7 for a small bag of organic baby carrots). We decided to stick to local produce and save our budget from being wrecked after the first week!

We didn’t have any greens or lettuces in Belize. These items carry a great risk for food borne illness as the soils and dirty water carry bacteria. Needless to say, from the outset we greatly missed our morning kale and banana smoothies!

We decided to seek out a balance of hostels with and without kitchens so that we could cook our own meals but also eat at restaurants some of the time when a kitchen wasn’t available or when we wanted a break from making meals or wanted to explore the local flavours.

Great kitchen at Yuma’s House Hostel on Caye Caulker

Cooking meals on the road is cost effective and a very social experience in hostels – we met and cooked with a fun and diverse group of people in Corozal and on Caye Caulker. It’s also a fun experience to explore the aisles of local supermarkets to see what local foods are available – combined with wonderful fresh goodies from the market! Our favourite spot was the bright pink fruit and veggie stall behind Yuma’s House Hostel (across from the basketball court) on Caye Caulker.

Home cooking at Yuma’s House Hostel: beans, veggies and tortillas – fresh and fantastic with an oceanfront view!

In Belize we typically made oats and tea for breakfasts, with fruit for snacks. Fruits were mostly bananas, oranges, papaya and watermelon. Lunches and dinners were typically pasta, curries, and beans and veggies on fresh tortillas – with a few peanut butter and banana sandwiches (or tortilla roll-ups) along the way.

Hot oats for breakfast with banana, cinnamon and soy milk

Peanut butter and banana tortilla roll-ups – fun and nutritious :)

Eating out was relatively straightforward, even with our basic Spanish. Almost every dish that didn’t include meat or fish did include cheese, so we simply specified no cheese or dairy (sin queso o lactosa) and enjoyed several delicious meals along the way. Most of our meals out in Belize centred around the staple of rice and beans – made a little spicy with Marie Sharp’s hot sauce – a Belizean favourite!

We also had other local fare like “pupusas” – flat corn cakes stuffed with beans (and other non vegan items of course, but we skipped those options!) and cooked on a griddle. Pupusas are actually from El Salvador but Belize has adopted the dish and added their own flare to it. Another great dish we tried was “salbutes” – deep fried tortillas topped with fresh salsa, beans and guacamole. The more standard food we tried included pizza, burritos, falafels and hummus and veggie burgers. Non-local food and restaurants are more expensive than domestic options.

Pupusas stuffed with beans and topped with pickled cabbage and hot sauce

As for beverages, we drank bottled purified water in Belize, along with coffee, tea, local beer (Belikin – regular and stout), and the water from one delicious fresh coconut! Beer is cheaper than water, and in the heat of the day, so much more refreshing!

Delicious fresh coconut water

To summarize, it was incredibly easy and reasonably cheap to follow our vegan diet in Belize while ensuring that we had variety as well as nutritious meals. Aside from our first few meals in Crooked Tree where we struggled a bit to convey what our needs were and found the food to be very expensive relative to subsequent meals we had, we really enjoyed our time as vegans in Belize.

Best local food tried: bean pupusas in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye (the restaurant across from Waruguma Restaurant – Waruguma is very popular, but they wouldn’t make us pupusas without cheese)

Most surprising food experience: finding soy milk readily available

Most challenging food experience: avoiding deep fried, processed and fast food (it’s everywhere in Belize!)

We spent over 3 weeks in Guatemala and during this time, had the opportunity to try a wide variety of foods and restaurants that satisfied our vegan requirements. The staple of rice and beans is nicely complemented by the ever-present corn tortillas. It’s impossible to walk down the street and not hear the pat-pat-pat of the tortilla dough being hand-shaped into 5-inch rounds or to smell the tortillas toasting on the cast iron griddles. The tortillas are made from many different corn varieties – white, yellow, blue, black and likely more! Delicious on their own or as part of a meal!

At our first stop in Flores, we were delighted to discover a full menu of vegetarian and vegan options at the restaurant inside Los Amigos hostel. We tried the tofu wrap, burrito, curry, falafel and salads, as well as the fruit smoothies. All were very tasty, and very reasonably priced for our backpackers’ budget. We decided to eat all of our meals here, as the food, prices and atmosphere were just right for us. They also have an awesome happy hour menu with great deals on all sorts of yummy cocktails and local beers.

Richard relaxing in the garden restaurant at Los Amigos hostel in Flores

The city of Antigua provided a wide variety of options for us including well-stocked supermarkets and a large outdoor produce market. We had a kitchen at our accommodation, Holistico Hostal, so we were able to cook for ourselves most of the time – economical and healthy! We whipped up bean and veggie fillings for our delicious corn tortillas, hot off the griddle! We did enjoy two meals in local restaurants – a fresh and tasty quinoa and tofu wrap at Pitaya and a typical Guatemalan meal consisting of veggie-stuffed tostadas, guacamole, salsa and pickled cabbage at Sabe Rico. Both were on the pricier end of the scale, but were good quality meals. We were also able to temporarily return to banana heaven and enjoyed the use of the hostel’s blender, making a deep green spinach and 8-banana smoothie on two occasions!

Lunch at Pitaya in Antigua

Guatemalan meal at Sabe Rico in Antigua

Return of the spinach-banana smoothie – oh, how we missed you!

The majority of our time in Gautemala was spent in Panajachel, a town on the shore of Lake Atitlan. Here we lived with a local Guatemalan family while we attended Spanish school for two weeks. We ate all of our meals with host-mom Magda, and she did an amazing job of catering to our (unusual) requirements. Breakfasts were fruit and cereal or oats, lunches included pasta, beans/rice, veggies, tortillas and bread, and dinners included soup, bread, tortillas, salad and veggies. We supplemented our meals with peanut butter sandwiches as snacks during lessons, and lots of fruit during the day. Our host-mom was very intrigued that we could not only survive, but thrive on our diet – especially since we ran a marathon while staying with her!

Panajachel has a fair number of restaurants offering vegan options, some even advertising vegan meals and treats on their window signage. Our culinary outings in Panajachel on Calle Santander included a wonderful smoothie/juice bar called Pitaya (not connected to the one in Antigua), a great little restaurant called Llama del Fuego with a multitude of tofu, tempeh and other vegan friendly options, vegan apple strudel from Cafe Kitsch, wood-fired pizza and delicious freshly made pupusas (bean stuffed corn pockets) with salsa from a street vendor.

Pitaya Juice Bar in Panajachel – banana, mango and papaya smoothies – yum!

Another smoothie break at Llama del Fuego in Panajachel – chocolate, banana and mango – yum again!

Snack time at our study table at Casa Magda!

Bev with our host-mom, Magda, in the kitchen at Casa de Magda

During our time at Lake Atitlan we visited two other villages on the lake shore. San Pedro is the largest village after Panajachel, and is a bohemian oasis with a wide variety of vegan choices. We enjoyed a yummy veggie burger at the Irish pub (only one of the many nationalities represented here!), and made the mistake of only buying two delicious vegan choc-chip banana cookies from the natural foods market on the main street just up and to the left from the ferry dock. This market stocks a wide variety of local and imported foods that would happily support a plant-based diet, albeit at a hefty premium. The other village we visited was San Marcos, and it’s a little more hippy trippy than the other villages around the lake. We tried to find a few of the vegan outlets that we’d read about, but were unsuccessful in locating them – either due to closure for the season or poor directions. We were later told that they do exist by friends who visited the village!

In Guatemala we did feel a bit restricted with breakfast options in lodgings that included breakfast in the room rate. Most often breakfasts included bread, fruit, eggs, pancakes, juice and coffee. We usually opted for the fruit, bread and coffee, and then added our own granola, oats or cereal as we were able to. We did have pancakes on occasion once we’d confirmed that no dairy was used in the batter. It’s worth considering this when you’re travelling as a vegan, as the inclusion of breakfast is often not great value if you don’t take advantage of the full spread. Going forward, we may opt to ask for a reduction in rate in favour of an included breakfast.

Breakfast on the deck at El Portal Hostel in Semuc Champey – granola, Cheerios, soy milk, bananas and coffee

Finding staples like fruit, vegetables, soy milk, cereal and peanut butter was very easy in Guatemala and the supermarkets are very well stocked. Bread is in plentiful supply with bakeries or “panaderias” almost outnumbering the tortilla vendors! Be aware that the bread is usually made with white flour and is more cake-like than the crusty bread that you might expect if you’re from North America or Europe. You can also buy sandwich bread (wholegrain and wholewheat) in the supermarkets that are a little healthier although who knows what goes into that bread to keep it fresh! There are also many street vendors who sell cut fruit, fresh juice, pastries, breads, chips, candy and soft drinks. Similarly, there are vendors who board buses with all sorts of food items. Most of these were deep-fried items and definitely not vegan-friendly! Be sure to ask if the item is “sin carne o lactosa o huevos” if you’re intent on staying vegan!

Learning a bit of Spanish was very helpful to us when navigating meal times and shopping for groceries in Guatemala (and all the other Central American countries we’ve visited). It’s definitely a good idea to brush up on a few Spanish phrases and to learn the Spanish words for meat and dairy items. Most restaurants understood vegetarian, but very few understood vegan, so we were careful to describe as best we could in our limited Spanish what we did and didn’t want!

We picked up a batch of supplies as we moved through each major town and were never without an “emergency” source of calories! Aside from more secluded jungle locations like Semuc Champey or smaller villages across the countryside, we found it very easy to continue our plant-based diet in Guatemala in the locations that we found ourselves.

And last but not least – beverages! We enjoyed many wonderful cups of coffee in various spots across Guatemala. Our favourite place for a strong brew was undoubtedly Crossroads Cafe (notwithstanding the religious underpinnings!)  in Panajachel. Of course, we are now in the habit of taking our soy milk with us wherever we go as there is usually a great cup of coffee within arm’s reach! Favourite drinks in Guatemala included the deep, dark Moza beer (our favourite beer hands down on the trip so far) and the many delicious smoothies along the way made from the fresh and plentiful fruit supplies including papaya, mango, banana and pineapple. Be sure to ask if the smoothie bar has soy milk as cow’s milk and/or yogurt is commonly used to make smoothies. You can ask for purified water to be used if no soy milk is available (or bring your own, as we did!).

Rich enjoying a cold and satisfying Moza beer

Best local food tried: Corn tortillas

Most surprising food experience: Eating wonderful tempeh sandwiches in Panajachel

Most challenging food experience: Too much bread

Four years ago I was already living a vegan lifestyle and I was out of shape. I didn’t eat anything that came from an animal, but I also didn’t necessarily concern myself with eating healthily. (It should be noted that Oreos and Coke make up two parts of a (bad) vegan diet). At 5’ 7” I was a rather podgy 158 pounds and I probably couldn’t run more than 1km without stopping.

In June 2009 it was time for a change. I decided to start running in order to lose some weight. Bev and I examined our diet and made some changes. We ditched the processed foods, the bread, the juice, the pop, the vegan pastries, the vegan dark chocolate – pretty much all refined sugar, and drastically reduced our coffee and black tea consumption. Six months later, I weighed 120 pounds and signed up for my first race – the 2010 BMO Vancouver Marathon, which takes place in May every year, and I started training with an actual race goal for the first time.

Fast forward four years. I now weigh between 118 and 120 pounds, have run six marathons, one 90K road ultra marathon (Comrades Marathon in 2011 in South Africa), one 80K mountain trail ultra (Arc’Teryx Squamish50 mile), one 50K mountain trail ultra (Chuckanut 50K), several half marathons, and many other shorter races. I don’t run them particularly fast, but I always finish, and I’m still improving. My current best marathon time is 4:02, which I hope to better at my seventh marathon, the Good Life Fitness Victoria Marathon on October 13th.

When I started running, I decided I needed to learn a little more about how my vegan diet would affect my ability to increase my activity levels. I learned that some of the world’s most impressive endurance athletes were actually vegan. I read about 100 mile trail running legend, Scott Jurek, and two-time Canadian 50K road running record holder and professional Ironman triathlete Brendan Brazier, who both credit their vegan diets with helping them achieve the sporting successes they did.

Two things were immediately obvious to me: I was doing the vegan thing wrong, and being vegan would not be detrimental to me increasing my activity levels.

I convinced Bev to start running too, well, actually I think she just noticed how much I was enjoying it and she started to take an interest in it and pretty soon Team Attfield started running together.

We continued our nutrition related reading and exploration of different eating approaches, going from very low carbohydrate based diets to where we are now, which is a pretty high carbohydrate diet – always vegan though. We even went through a period of eating almost entirely raw as well, and had a 10 month stint of consuming around 20 bananas per day!

Currently our diet consists of simple carbohydrates (lots and lots of fruits, especially bananas (not quite 20 per day anymore ), complex carbohydrates like yams, potatoes, quinoa, brown rice and quinoa pasta, all kinds of legumes and beans (which also provide some protein), fermented soy products including tofu and tempeh, and copious quantities of vegetables and salads.

A typical (non race-day) menu would look a little like this:

Breakfast (serves two):

• 8 large bananas

• 1 small head of romaine lettuce

• 4 large swiss chard leaves and stalks or about 6 large kale leaves and stems

All blended together in our indispensable Vitamix blender. This shake tastes much better than it looks!

Mid morning snack:

• ½ cup of Bob’s Red Mill gluten free mighty tasty hot cereal (which is made from brown rice, corn, buckwheat, and sorghum)

• ½ cup of unsweetened soy milk

• 1 medjool date

• 1 tablespoon of oatbran

• 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

Second mid morning snack:

One serving of Vega One (vegan) nutritional shake.

Third mid morning snack (no, we’re not hobbits (even though we like them)):

Either a Clif Bar, an apple or a banana.

Lunch:

Lunch is typically left overs from the previous night’s dinner and usually consists of a bowl of miso and tofu and vegetable stirfry (broccoli, zuchini, celery, carrots, red peppers) on a bed of quinoa.

Mid afternoon snack:

Usually two oranges and a grapefruit and an apple in the late afternoon.

Dinner:

As mentioned above, a typical dinner would be a large bowl of miso and tofu and vegetable stirfry. Other dinner options include rice and quinoa pasta with tofu crumbled in tomato sauce, or baked yams or potatoes with kidney beans and avocado. Soups and really large salads are also a frequent dinner time favorite in our house.

Tofu pasta sauce

Depending on the amount of training we did during the day we would also typically include a protein shake consisting of Vega (vegan) Performance Protein, bananas, blueberries, carob powder, Udo’s Oil 3-6-9 Blend, and unsweetened soy milk.

Awesome protein shake

The above menu keeps us well fuelled and energized for our day to day tasks and supports our 6-day-a-week running habit very well; it satisfies our tastebuds, and keeps us ridiculously regular (sorry for the overshare). A key finding for both Bev and me is that we don’t experience that very typical crash in the afternoon – our energy remains very constant and even throughout the day.

On racedays (and the day or two before) we change our breakfast and cut back a little on the very fiber rich fruits and vegetables in an effort to avoid the dreaded mid-race number-2 bathroom break! On these mornings we opt for the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free mighty tasty cereal or Whole Foods Organic 365 steel cut oats with soy milk. After a long day out on the trails or on the road, our guilty pleasure is usually some organic corn chips with guacamole and a rice and bean burrito.

We initially started down the vegan path because we didn’t feel right about the horrendous suffering inherent in the production of meat, dairy and eggs for food, and along the way we learned that being vegan is also the single best thing we can do in order to (substantially) reduce our environmental footprint. Combined with the fact that a large and growing body of scientific research shows that a well executed vegan diet is by far the healthiest way to eat makes being vegan an absolute no-brainer for us.

See you out on the trails, somewhere in the world

Looking for a delicious, moist chocolately banana bread that’s cruelty free and filled with goodness? Look no further!

Ingredients:

6 ripe bananas
¼ cup oil (I use coconut oil – melt in microwave for a few seconds if solid)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup agave syrup
8 chopped dates
3 cups flour (I typically use a combination of non-wheat flours such as buckwheat or spelt plus 1 tsp xanthum gum for a gluten-free loaf – but you can use regular white baking flour too, in which case you can omit the xanthum gum)
2/3 cup oat bran or wheat germ (use oat bran if you want the loaf to be gluten-free)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (or more if you’d like the loaf to be more chocolatey!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Grease large size loaf pan with small amount of coconut or other oil.

Mash bananas until very mushy. Add oil, lemon juice, agave syrup and dates, and stir together. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, stir together flour, xanthum gum (if using), oat bran or wheat germ, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix gently with a wooden spoon until just mixed (i.e. the dry ingredients are folded into the wet ingredients – don’t over mix or mix too vigorously). Add the chocolate chips and gently fold in.

Spoon into the loaf pan and spread out to ensure even distribution.

Bake for 50 – 55 minutes (test at 50 minutes – if knife comes out clean, you’re good to go!). I move my oven rack up to ensure that the bottom of the loaf doesn’t burn while the rest of the loaf is baking – it’s quite a dense dough, so I find this ensures even baking.

Let stand on cooling rack in pan for about 20 minutes. Gently pry loaf away from pan edges, give it a little shake to loosen and turn over onto cooling rack. If it’s sticking, leave it a few more minutes so that the top of the loaf doesn’t come apart from the bottom! Enjoy while warm!

Adapted from “How It All Vegan” by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard

Great post-race or long run fuel too!