What are good questions to ask at restaurants when following a vegan diet?

just order pasta with veggies, no cheese

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Congrats! It can be a little tedious trying to find out what restaurants are including in their food. I try to pick foods that I know have a better chance of being vegan and then ask from there. For example, if I want pasta, I ask if there it is made with eggs... if they don't know I ask if they can look at the package (very politely... 'cause I live in Canada lol). If they are unwilling to do that or do not have the package, I don't eat it. Sometimes you have to tell people what the hidden animal products are..... for instance in restaurants: bread - I have rarely found a restaurant with vegan bread - most commercial bread is made with esters of mono and di-glycerides or sterol 2 lactulate; both milk derived; salad dressing - the vast majority of commercial dressings have animal derived ingredients. If they have a balsamic vinaigrette or the like, you are usually safe.

The most important thing I have learned is to ask the server to ask the chef/cook or to ask to see the ingredients myself (lots of larger chains have ingredient books - you will find what you need in the "allergy" section as they would list dairy ingredients in products). I do this now because I have had a few instances where I was told something was vegan during one visit and was told it was not vegan during another visit. If the staff are unclear (as they were at the Japanese restaurant I used to go to), I tell them that it would be helpful to know what is in their food and that I won't go there again. Too bad, so sad for them!

As well, because I am really embarrassed by asking all those questions when I go into a restaurant, I usually "plan" my meal beforehand by looking at their website and calling to ask any questions I have.

You will find a good resource below in terms of hidden animal ingredients (it's great for reading labels). It might seem like a pain at the beginning, but you get used to what to look for and then it is just second nature. I have a list in my wallet for those pesky ingredients I can never get straight!

Enjoy the journey, it is very rewarding.

As a former chef and now a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I must confess most waitstaff are not interested nor care about these situations which is sad, most do not desire to know the menu nor do they really feel it is in there best interest to, as chef I worked in high end fine dining establishments and hotels, I was taught/instructed by the Ex Chef to involve the waitstaff, so they tasted the soups, sauces and specials every day/night, sure I had vegetarians and people with religious conviction issues, for them it was a more descriptive rundown, so ask direct questions, inquire as to there type of cookware, this may sound strange, but non stick is best as it does not absorb flavours, most places use tongs or forks to move or turn food/meats so contact may be unavoidable.

That's a well query. I'm a vegan and "cutting-edge remedy" is frightening to me. I think that the wellness care approach (no less than right here in America) is within the industry of retaining persons ill to ensure that pharmaceutical organizations, hospitals, coverage organizations, and so forth. to make plenty of cash. In the final few years, what number of medicinal drugs had been taken off the marketplace due to the fact that they have been inflicting severe wellness headaches and mostly killed persons? Upon additional study, the FDA ultimately fesses up and states that no, the did not do *sufficient* study at the drug earlier than approving it. They rushed it out to ensure that the powers that be to receives a commission. That tells me that they do not have sufferers' curiosity at center. Having stated that, I suppose that common treatments are larger for us and don't seem to be used commonly sufficient. I swear via common treatments to make me consider larger they usually *do* paintings. If by some means we might flip again to nature for remedies, I suppose everybody could be happier and more fit. I do not believe scientific animal trying out. It's entirely pointless individually.

I was recently vegan for over 5 years. I found it very hard to visit any restaurant that was not specifically vegetarian or vegan. At regular restaurants they don't usually understand the reasons that vegans live by, and its very hard to explain. But it possible with these steps:

1.Choose Wisely

If there’s more than one restaurant to choose from, don’t pick the steakhouse or any shop displaying dead animals in the window. A no-brainier, right? Try to find a restaurant serving food that’s known for being vegan friendly. Here are some examples of vegan dishes that can be prepared at restaurants specializing in international cuisine.

2. Look for Accidentally Vegan / Easy to Veganize Options

Fruit Pizza, No Cheese

Take a look at the menu. Does anything look like it might be vegan?

salad with seasonal vegetables and house sauce … penne pasta with mushrooms, bell peppers and zucchini … vegetable stir fry and rice noodles …hmmm…What about easy to veganize?

cucumber, avocado and tofu maki with cream cheese … pizza with grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts, green olives and mozzarella … fried rice with vegetables and egg

Pick a dish that could be made vegan with a few adjustments.

3. Ask Questions

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce, Hold the Parmesan

Ask questions before ordering. Here is a list of questions you may want to ask:

Is the soup made with meat, chicken or vegetable stock?

Are the beans cooked with pork or another kind of meat?

What kind of oil is used for frying?

What kind of bread do you use? Does it contain milk? Has it been glazed with egg?

Is the pasta made here? Does it contain egg?

Is there a sauce? What kind of sauce?

Is butter used?

What’s in the salad dressing?

Is the dish prepared fresh?

What brand of veggie burgers do you use? Do they contain egg?

Depending on the answers, let the server know if it’s a good thing (e.g. vegetable stock) or won’t work for you (e.g. chicken stock). After this, you can start getting more specific about what you can and can’t eat.

4. Be Clear & Polite

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich (No Cheese) and Root Vegetable Chips.If the menu reads grilled eggplant, red pepper and zucchini sandwich with feta cheese, don’t just ask for the sandwich without cheese. There could be surprise spreads. The vegetables could be cooked with butter. The bread could be glazed with egg.Once, I ordered a vegetable and cheese sandwich and asked for no cheese. The waitress said “no problem.” My sandwich arrived without any cheese but turned out to be an omelet between two pieces of bread. Funny, the menu didn’t mention egg. This is why it’s important to list all of the items you can’t have. Assume nothing.

Now that you have an idea about what you want to order, and some information about what’s in or not in the dish, tell your server what you can’t eat.

Be polite. Smile.

You don’t want to overwhelm them with a long list of ingredients but it’s a good idea to mention the major items. Make it clear that you can’t have meat (nope, not even chicken!), fish, milk, eggs, cream, cheese, butter and honey.

Don’t say “I’m vegan. What can you feed me?” Most people won’t understand. You can try saying you’re vegetarian, but don’t eat milk products, eggs, fish or chicken. It’s worth a try.

5. Be Grateful

Anden Potatoes with Rosemary and Olive Oil

Even if you’re served a giant pile of white rice, or miniature potatoes with oil and dry herbs, be grateful. If it’s anything more, tip. If you like what they came up with, be sure to express your thanks and make it clear how much you appreciate the effort. If the owner is around, thank them. Promise to come back for more and tell all your friends. Mean it.

Just tell them that you wouldn't like any animals products in any of the items you would be ordering. For example, I know for a fact that when I order tomato soup at an Indian restaurant, more often than not, it would be topped with cream, so I inform them about this while ordering itself. It depends on the type of restaurant and what type of meal you're gonna order.

TO be honest, the guy at Olive Garden and Panera won't even know what vegan means, let alone care if your soup have dairy in it. He'll say no just to shut you up.

Personal experience many many times over. I wouldn't trust any server to give me all the info. You'd need to ask to see the label. YOu may ask is this vegetarian and they'll say yes, despite it being cooked in chicken fat.

ok i would first find a veggie meal that u think looks tasty then ask the waiter/waitress for an ingredient list. if the restaurant doesn't know the ingredients or wont tell u that's a bad sign of how healthy a meal is. so i would skip the diner veggie or not...

Ask if the food is prepared with animal products and/or prepared alongside meat