60 Before 60 Project: #46 - Dine at a Vegan Restaurant

I’m not a vegan or vegetarian and do eat meat. But over the past few years, I have definitely cut down on the amount of meat I eat and try to have at least one vegetarian meal weekly and eat fish twice a week. I also have pretty much cut out red meat altogether but animal protein still remains part of my diet. 

But you can’t help but read about the benefits of a vegan diet.  

As published in Harvard Health, there are some major benefits to your health that eating vegan can have; 

• A vegetarian and vegan diet provided a 23% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• A vegan diet provides a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer

• Eating vegan may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases

But the research also highlights the need when eating vegan, that people ensure they are getting the necessary nutritional requirements.

Specifically, “sufficient vitamin D and calcium may not be easy, but the major problem is vitamin B12 deficiency unless you use supplements.”. 

By now, you’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with my 60 Before 60 Project. 

Well, I was recently taken to my first vegan restaurant by my son and his fiancée. I’ve eaten at plenty of restaurants that have had a vegetarian option but never an actual full out vegan restaurant. This meant that on the menu there was no meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. I really thought that by giving this up, that likely the taste was going to disappear as well. 

What I discovered was at this restaurant, you wouldn’t even know it was vegan. 

For a appetizer, we shared some kimchi fries. This dish was french fries covered in kimchi, “cheese” curds (non dairy based cheese), non dairy mayonnaise, chili sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

For our main meals, I had a pizza with bosc pears, notzarella (pick up on the not part), Beyond sausage, garlic confit, caramelized onions, thyme, arugula.

My son’s fiancée had what I thought was the most outrageous twist on a meat meal – a BBQ pulled “pork” sandwich. The “pork” was made from jackfruit - which is “a cousin of the fig tree, mulberry tree, and breadfruit family that grows in Southeast Asia.”. If someone hadn’t told me, I never would have guessed that this sandwich wasn’t pork. It looked and tasted exactly like the real (meat) thing. 

I really enjoyed the meal (and of course the company). But what I found so amazing is that my thoughts of what a plant-based diet was – mainly fruit, vegetables and legumes – was completely altered. I discovered that there are some creative chefs making some even more creative and delicious choices that are possibly healthier for us than their traditional counterparts. 

My 60 Before 60 Life Lesson: Put your assumptions aside and be open to new alternatives. You may be pleasantly surprised by what you find. 

Interested in seeing all my 60 Before 60 experiences? Click here.