How can you stick to your plant-based diet when you are away from home?
I've lived in Playa del Carmen in Mexico for a year, but I felt like it's time to see other places in this beautiful country, too, so I've just started travelling all over Mexico.
Tasting the traditional food is part of my travels, but as a vegan diabetic, it can be tricky sometimes. I follow a Low-Fat, Plant-Based, Wholefood Diet, and I always stick to it, no matter what, otherwise my blood glucose level rises. Although Mexico is well known for it's fatty meat dishes, I can always find something that I can eat. Last week I tasted a lot of different kind of traditional meals prepared in a low-fat, plant-based, wholefood version.
Let me share with you what I ate during the last week that fits into my diet, but is traditional Mexican food at the same time.
Corn tortillas with cactus salad - Corn tortillas are only made of corn and water, so it is wholefood, too.
Chilaquiles - Corn nachos topped with green salsa sauce and mashed beans. Totally oil free.
I had a very typical Mexican tomato-chili soup with nachos for lunch.
I also bought some cactus, called nopal, and grilled it with other veggies.
Corn is very typical in Mexico, it is eaten almost every day.
Gorditas were my favourites!!! They are made of corn, too, and they look like small pita breads which can be filled with many kind of veggies, like nopal, cooked chickpeas, beans, potatoes, mushrooms, etc.
This gordita is filled with potatoes, but I tasted every kind of veggie version :)
I had some chickpeas in a bag falvoured with lime and chili as an afternoon snack.
Ohh and these roasted chili flavoured haba beans are definitely my favorite snacks.
I usually eat fresh fruits for breakfast, and the mangos in Mexico taste incerdibly delicious!!!
The combination of mangos and jícama is even better. I've never seen jícama before I got to Mexico, and I love it.
I always go for meals which are 100% plant-based, don't contain oil and any kind of processed ingredients (white flour, sugar, etc...). So before buying anything or ordering in a restaurant, I make sure that the food I'd like to have meets all these requirements.
**I hope this article inspires and motivates you to stick to your diet anytime in any situation, and shows you how diverse you can eat as a vegan, even if you are not in your comfortable home, where you can prepare your own meal that surely fits in your diet or plant-based lifestyle. **
This is my entry to #fruitsandveggiesmonday held by the wonderful lady @lenasveganliving.