Raw Foodists' Guide to Eating Out

So, you have chosen to try the raw food diet however you feel as though you are tied to your kitchen for food? Do not worry, you can eat out almost everyday and not feel like you are cheating on your new lifestyle. There are some tricks to the trade to eating out without having to eat exclusively at raw food restaurants; I'm talking "real" restaurants also!

When I first started to eat raw food almost 100% of the time, minus the, ahem, cheating nights, I thought my days of eating out were gone. It was nice at first because eating in is so much cheaper than eating out at posh restaurants. Some of my favorite ethnic meals are from Japan (since I used to live there), India and of course good old German comfort food (I come from a German family). Eating raw vegan does allow for some foods within these ethnic foods to be enjoyed however lets face it, nothing is the same as the original thing. In addition, there is nothing raw vegan that I have come across that caters to a good German Sausage! If you have a recipe, share your secrets.

So, my curious mind started to wonder how I could stick with my raw vegan diet without cheating each time when eating out. The results were simple:
1. Take along a few needed items in your purse (or pocket). For instance, there is nothing like a salad that has been made by someone else. No matter how hard I try to make salads in the house, they always taste better when you do not have to do it yourself for some reason. So, I usually take along a small bottle of salad dressing that has been made raw vegan. My simple recipe is a few tablespoons of cider vinegar, a few of Nama Shoyu, a few of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and some crushed thyme. Then, when I order my salad I just order it with new dressing. Yes, you are going to get some looks however who will be the last person laughing later in life?