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Depends where you are in the Midwest. Across Iowa in the larger cities there is no problem finding Health food stores and co-ops that can cater to Vegan.
I've just gotten into using Hammer Nutrition products and they're big into veganism, one reason being animal protein can lead to excess ammonia buildup causing fatigue. I enjoy animal protein but as I get older and wiser I try to adhere to Micheal Polan's message of "eat more plants". |
Originally Posted by veganbikes
(Post 20939278)
I am vegan and unlike most carnists I don't feel the need to talk about it all the time non-stop and have it plastered everywhere from T.V. to print ads to just going into the average grocery store and then whine when some who is vegan actually mentions veganism.
Veganism is about not exploiting animals no matter who they are. If you feel as if you have a right to exploit someone else, please tell me then would you want the same thing you have done to someone else done to you? I prefer to live my life trying to treat others the same way I would want to be treated, I see no reason to live any other way! As far as eating on tour, it is quite easy. You can get all forms of freeze dried and dehydrated meals and fruits and vegetables that are vegan as well as some some prepackaged stuff like Tasty Bites (and similar knockoffs) and you can make your own with a dehydrator. You can also bring oats, rice, quinoa (Keen One makes a delicious instant one), lentils, instant noodles, TVP, instant mashed potatoes, nuts... You can also bring various bread and nut butters and jellys, jams, preserves... If you are smart go to places that do take out and get sauce packets like Sriracha, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and mix in some peanut butter powder into some noodles and maybe some dried veg and cut up some primal strips on top and you have some delicious peanut noodles. This a great site for pre-made vegan backpacking meals which also work perfectly for touring: https://outdoorherbivore.com/vegan/ There are also a lot of other brands also doing vegan options these days. As far as powerfood/sports nutrition goes Pro-Bar, Clif, Science in Sport, Skratch, Floyds of Leadville (if you are into CBD), Nuun as well as quite a few others offer vegan bars, gels, chews, drink mixes, etc. I would use this exclusively but is very handy while riding. My favorites are the SIS Isotonic gels (you don't need water to consume) and Clif shot blocks and nut butter filled bars and I frequently use the Pro-bar gels but their packaging isn't as good as Clif, and just bought a whole bunch of Nuun tablets for my water. Never underestimate the usefulness of electrolyte drink mixes, there can come a point where you literally cannot consume any more water and even if you could water won't replenish everything you lose. Sometimes I will also eat out on tour and Happy Cow is a great resource for travelers seeking vegan food. I use it all the time when out of town. Really it is super easy to eat while on tour and I have never really had any issues other making or finding food even some of the worst grocery stores and convenience stores will generally have at least something these days. If you are especially creative in the kitchen or by the campfire you can come up with some pretty delicious and exciting recipes using odd ingredients. |
Veganbikes brought up a good point about freeze dried and premade packages. I would imagine, worse case scenario, if one knew the basic route you were taking and could buy ahead of time, you could mail packages to yourself of the stuff you couldn't count on in stores in those zones and just buy the rest enroute. In the doc "Inspired to Ride" Jason Lane mail dropped himself meal replacement powder as he was trying to do the race on a liquid diet.
Where there's a will, there's a way and sometimes for a personal intrinsic value you have to be willing to accept the occasional hardship. |
There is an article about a vegan runner crossing America and his food choices may apply to cyclists.
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Interesting article with some good ideas but sort of bs at the same time. They claim that by eating a whole food plant based diet it's impossible to be protein deficient but then advocate (actually advertise for) both Solyent and Skratch, two supplements designed to make up a completely artificial diet. And list a whole range of other premade (processed) food items. I'm not knocking it, I actually like the idea of them (Solyent/Skratch), but it's a little bit cutesy "do as I say, not as I do". Also, not everyone can afford that degree of food cost (imagine what all that boutique stuff costs!) nor to have a dedicated nutritionist on board to make sure you're keeping up.
I like the basic premise but only if it could be dumbed down for the average joe. Basically, you couldn't do what that guy does unless you had the financial and logistical support he has. |
Originally Posted by revcp
(Post 20939331)
I think a lot of the above is easier / more doable for shortish tours, but I hope it's also true of longer trips. I'm a bit dubious that the less traveled areas of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota will have much of what's mentioned. I would love to be wrong.
Also Wally-Mart is starting to carry a lot of vegan options as is Target and other similar type places. You can try and check around for Buddhist or Hare Krishna centers as they might be of some help for finding food or getting a animal free meal. Also a lot of fast food places have some options or like Taco Bell have loads of options and is one of my favorite places (I like a good Crunchwrap Supreme sub beans for meat, fresco style and add potatoes but sometimes I will add gauc as well however a good ten pack of fresco bean burritos add potato is always a good idea) Denny's serves a vegan veggie burger which as does Red Robin and even White Castle now. There are plenty of other options for that as well from pizza places to sandwich shops to even some of the fast casual and buffet style restaurants. There are also tons of great guides some from fellow vegans and some from the restaurants themselves and with the abundance of chain restaurants these days it is easy enough to find something. As much as I hate John Schnatter, Papa Johns pizza no cheese with some of that garlic dipping sauce is pretty fantastic when there aren't great options around. If you bring some spices and bullion cubes you can easily take some bits and pieces from places and make something decent if not excellent. Proper seasoning can turn something ho-hum into something yum. I think people get a little worried but in general it is tough to not find something somewhere unless there is nothing around anywhere. Sure your options might not always be the best and yes some nights you might eat like royalty and sometimes you might eat like a broke college student. |
Originally Posted by Happy Feet
(Post 20939378)
Veganbikes brought up a good point about freeze dried and premade packages. I would imagine, worse case scenario, if one knew the basic route you were taking and could buy ahead of time, you could mail packages to yourself of the stuff you couldn't count on in stores in those zones and just buy the rest enroute. In the doc "Inspired to Ride" Jason Lane mail dropped himself meal replacement powder as he was trying to do the race on a liquid diet.
Where there's a will, there's a way and sometimes for a personal intrinsic value you have to be willing to accept the occasional hardship. Also another good note that I should mention if you can find a store that has a Kosher section you might find some animal free foods, because of Jewish dietary laws they cannot use dairy or meat in certain things and it can work out quite well. I found some Delinut chocolate hazelnut spread that is quite delicious randomly and now am addicted to it! |
Originally Posted by Leebo
(Post 20939266)
Nope, meatatarian here.
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I'm not a vegan but I'm not against being one. I just don't care either way but I do try to vary my diet to reduce leaning strongly one way or another and I do in general not eat a lot of meat. Basically the focus is a nonevent for me.
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
(Post 20939307)
So when you mention eating a cheeseburger it is just fine but when someone mentions veganism it is some form of evangelism? I don't get it? Animal exploitation can be seen and heard so often in daily conversation without a care. Imagine someone was stepping on your foot and you kept saying stop stepping on my foot and that person told you "you are being a anti foot crushing evangelist" and continued to step on your foot.
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Originally Posted by alan s
(Post 20938451)
What are the benefits of being a vegan? Just wondering. :popcorn
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I'm not vegan (used to be a long time ago) but on tour I tend to eat vegan stuff esp when camping. I like rice/lentils, oatmeal, hummus, rice crackers, crisp bread etc. Easy, digestible & cheap. Even if one eats meat, diner/fast-food offerings tend to be greasy & salty.
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Originally Posted by NoControl
(Post 20939644)
Whoa whoa whoa, Brother! I got nothing against vegans whatsoever! I'm a part-timer myself. I was commenting on the previous poster's many vegans rubbing it in your face about how vegan they are... not you. Don't jump to conclusions, and above all don't take offense. I like cheeseburgers and you like quinoa. Together we roll down the same road.
I like cheeseburgers too, I just don't like animal exploitation. Truthfully I am not a huge fan of quinoa and quinoa has nothing to do with veganism which is about not harming anyone else for any reason and working towards a better future for all earthlings. My intention is not as an attack against you but a simple statement that animal exploitation is almost literally everywhere and people mention it so often or do it so often that one cannot say a thing about a quiet voice in the background saying "live vegan" as being in your face or really anything. |
Originally Posted by veganbikes
(Post 20939428)
With a good dehydrator you can make some pretty fantastic meals, I made a delicious veggie filled mac and cheese for a tour and it was beyond comforting and quite filling, I actually made a bit much of it and almost had trouble finishing it. As long as a sauce isn't too thin and liquidy (or just add some agar powder) you can dehydrate it and cut it up into chunks and then add it to the pasta, rice, quinoa, couscous, barley... you are cooking and have a delicious sauce. I have done it with cheese sauces and also did it with soy yogurt and it was quite tasty. I also made a pretty decent "beef" stew by combining TVP, not beef bullion, freeze dried vegetables and some seasonings and served it over instant potatoes and certainly wasn't complaining, I didn't even have to dehydrate anything myself and you can get TVP in all sort of sizes these days. There is a 7th Day Adventist store not ridiculously far from me that sells it in big chunks.
Also another good note that I should mention if you can find a store that has a Kosher section you might find some animal free foods, because of Jewish dietary laws they cannot use dairy or meat in certain things and it can work out quite well. I found some Delinut chocolate hazelnut spread that is quite delicious randomly and now am addicted to it! |
I tend to go less meat-y when outing, be it backpacking or cyclotouring, unless you count MRE's
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I'm not vegan so I wouldn't even know where to begin. Everyone's body is different and, for me, I just don't respond well without some sort of animal protein. Don't eat much beef but I do have chicken, pork, and fish on a regular basis. I am super picky about the source though. I wonder if all-natural, grass-fed, farm raised animals have less of an impact on the environment. Anyways...
Lots of good ideas in The Feed Zone cookbooks. Seem to recall a lot of the recipes being of the vegan sort. Could be wrong though. |
If you attend one my cookouts there will definitely be meat and the grill or in the smoker. But if you are vegan you will have a full plate of food because there will be several sides that are vegetables. Plenty of beans to get protein. You won’t leave hungry.
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Meat is sweet, and pork and beans are keen.
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Certainly not a vegan or even a vegetarian. Balanced diet for sure. I do find that when I put in the high miles, like 100-200 miles, I tend to eat about the same amount of animal protein I normally would. I just increase the consumption of other food sources, preferably those that digest a little faster. Large meals in general are a challenge and for me really need to be spread out over the ride. Hard to do with a ribeye. But not impossible. A few burgers at Burger King is more doable. Or a Subway to go.
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Originally Posted by revcp
(Post 20940348)
I have an Excalibur dehydrator, use it extensively for canoe and backpack trips. It's not feasible for a two month bike tour. A lot of recs on the thread have good recommendations for enroute foraging.
Foraging can be quite fun. If you get a chance to find some paw-paws or ramps...yummo!!!! Just don't eat random mushrooms you find ;) |
Originally Posted by DropBarFan
(Post 20939841)
Even if one eats meat, diner/fast-food offerings tend to be greasy & salty.
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
(Post 20942136)
Awesome. You got a good one. It actually is somewhat feasible you just need to ship yourself packages throughout so it could require some more logistics and also a bit of extra preparation. Or at least you can have some stuff for a bit of the trip or maybe make some really top notch favorites for those days that really suck and you want a meal that will bring you back up.
Foraging can be quite fun. If you get a chance to find some paw-paws or ramps...yummo!!!! Just don't eat random mushrooms you find ;) |
Originally Posted by jeffwhitfield
(Post 20941424)
I'm not vegan so I wouldn't even know where to begin. Everyone's body is different and, for me, I just don't respond well without some sort of animal protein. Don't eat much beef but I do have chicken, pork, and fish on a regular basis. I am super picky about the source though. I wonder if all-natural, grass-fed, farm raised animals have less of an impact on the environment. Anyways...
Lots of good ideas in The Feed Zone cookbooks. Seem to recall a lot of the recipes being of the vegan sort. Could be wrong though. And re all-natural, grass fed animals, there may be slightly less impact on the environment, but the issue really is the "crop" (and water) it takes to create a pound of meat. Eating "lower on the food chain," means the energy (and water) that produces vegetables, etc. is going into a person directly rather than going into the animal that then goes into the human. |
Originally Posted by phughes
(Post 20942497)
What dehydrator do you use?
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Originally Posted by revcp
(Post 20942520)
If this is addressed to me, I use a 9 tray Excalibur dehydrator. If you're in the market, look for a dehydrator that has heaters and fan in the back of the unit instead of on the bottom. The latter works well for the first tray or two, but decidedly less well for those above.
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