My Plant-Based Portable Meals
Somebody who knows me and knows that I adhere to a plant-based diet asked me to do a post explaining how I maintain my diet while bicycle touring, so here goes.
Here is my “kitchen”. A collapsible bowl and cup, a butter knife, a titanium “spork”, and a combination can and bottle opener.
First off: Google Maps. I utilize that app extensively while touring to help me find motel and hotel rooms that are in close proximately to a grocery store. I also check to make sure that my room has a micro-fridge and a microwave. Almost all motel/hotel rooms come with these items so it really isn’t an issue. If I can’t find a grocery store, I’m searching for restaurants with good plant-based items on the menu; Chinese and Mexican restaurants are usually good options. I was fortunate when I rode The Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier route last spring in that there was nearly always a Mexican restaurant close by and I could always order a veggie bean burrito there. Some burritos were absolutely wonderful, like the one I got at the Historic Leakey Inn in Leakey, TX. While others were nothing more than bean paste on a plain white tortilla. Those places will remain nameless.
Breakfast was almost always the same, cooked oats, a variety of berries, walnuts, some sort of plant-based milk (sugar-free if available), and I would toss on spices, usually cinnamon and nutmeg, for taste.
While riding on the bike during the day I opted more for foods of convenience. I would make some peanut butter roll-ups using whole wheat tortillas. In addition, I would consume Cliff bars, Lara bars, and Lenny & Larry’s Complete Vegan cookies. Yeah, I know these may not be the “healthiest” options, but on some of the “chip seal” roads of western Texas I was riding on a banana would have ended up being banana soup at the end of the day. However, these items were calorie-dense and were comprised of easy-to-digest simple sugars. I will usually only consume these items, except for the Lara bars, during long stretches of intense and vigorous exercise, such as bicycle touring. They are easy to carry, they won’t spoil, and they meet my needs while on the bike.
Dinner was more variable but the accompanying photos were often typical of what I would purchase at a grocery store. Above is a box or package of some sort of dark, leafy greens, and yes I would usually consume the entire package. I would simply use some sort of fruit as my dressing; berries, watermelon, grapes, or oranges were good choices. I would simply combine the greens and fruit in my collapsible bowl and shovel it into my mouth.
Round two was a can of beans, salsa or some other sort of seasoning, and some sort of whole grain tortillas.
Round three was a bag of frozen vegetables of some sort; broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peas, mixed veggies, whatever I was in the mood for. I also always carried with me a bag of assorted spices that I would sprinkle over the veggies. All of that, the greens, fruit, beans, tortillas, and veggies were usually more than enough for dinner.
There is one dietary restriction I have to be extremely vigilant about and that is lactose intolerance. In fact, it was my lactose intolerance that partially spurred me toward adopting a plant-based diet. One morning while riding on the Southern Tier last spring I stayed at a bed-and-breakfast hotel that served just a small amount of melted cheese on what was otherwise their vegan breakfast. I didn’t want to make a fuss over it so I just went ahead and ate the cheese. Well, I had to retreat to my room and rest for the next couple of hours until the intense bellyache finally subsided before I could start riding. Just the other day I had some garlic Naan at an Indian restaurant and suffered from heartburn for the next several hours. Naan bread does contain a small amount of milk. So, I’m going to have to be vigilant about reading labels, and asking questions when ordering food.
Well, this probably isn’t the most exciting post I ever made, but for anyone curious about my diet and how I maintain it while touring; you’ve come to the right place! If any of you reading this post adhere to a plant-based diet, or have to contend with any other sort of dietary restrictions while bicycle touring, I’d be interested in hearing how you deal with it.
