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Hi, Mary,Hi everyone! This is a bit long, but bear with me because it's important.Something I thought about often while walking the Camino (Frances and Portuguese) was how easy, accessible and delicious it was to eat 100% vegan the whole time (I was even able to eat whole foods plant based, i.e. "healthy vegan", for most of my meals!). I really want to share this with anyone who comes across my post because I have seen SO many people in various Camino forums say that it simply isn't possible and you should start introducing animal products into your diet in preparation. That's nonsense, I promise you! Furthermore, I even met a woman on the Camino who's vegan and told me she was buying baby food at the store because she didn't know what else to eat - I couldn't believe it!
There was a wealth of vegan restaurants and albergues (or places with vegan options), along both Caminos I walked. I honestly think I've eaten some of my best vegan meals I've ever had on the Camino this summer. If there was ever a dry patch, which did happen a few times, there was always easy vegan staples in the store (grains, beans, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds). I will say that you need to prepare in advance (i.e. shopping in a bigger city and carrying some food in your pack) if you plan to sleep in a smaller village, or if it is a Sunday, as many places will be closed. That said, I found a fully vegetarian restaurant (with vegan options) in a few different teensy villages (surprise, surprise!) and many tiny shops that had at least microwave rice and beans to get you through a meal.
To be vegan on the Camino isn't as easy as eating non-vegan, of course, but we're all used to that living in a non-vegan world.It takes some preparation, but I found the prep time researching albergues and restaurants super enjoyable! The anticipation made it all even more exciting.
I highly recommend looking up eateries on your route on happycow.com prior to going, as well as checking out heartofthecamino.com/life/vegetarian-way/ for a pretty complete list of veg albergues (only one of them is 100% vegan, but they almost all have a vegan option, and there are more veg places that aren't included on this list!)
If you have any questions at all, PLEASE feel free to contact me. I want everyone to know that it's 100% doable to be vegan and to know how to do it - everyone should know this for the sake of our health, the beautiful animals and the environment. Don't be another pilgrim that starts introducing dairy into their diet prior to going because you don't think it's possible - it is possible and you can look forward to some delicious meals as well as a bit of "back to basics" meals out of the grocery store.
Hi everyone! This is a bit long, but bear with me because it's important.Something I thought about often while walking the Camino (Frances and Portuguese) was how easy, accessible and delicious it was to eat 100% vegan the whole time (I was even able to eat whole foods plant based, i.e. "healthy vegan", for most of my meals!). I really want to share this with anyone who comes across my post because I have seen SO many people in various Camino forums say that it simply isn't possible and you should start introducing animal products into your diet in preparation. That's nonsense, I promise you! Furthermore, I even met a woman on the Camino who's vegan and told me she was buying baby food at the store because she didn't know what else to eat - I couldn't believe it!
There was a wealth of vegan restaurants and albergues (or places with vegan options), along both Caminos I walked. I honestly think I've eaten some of my best vegan meals I've ever had on the Camino this summer. If there was ever a dry patch, which did happen a few times, there was always easy vegan staples in the store (grains, beans, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds). I will say that you need to prepare in advance (i.e. shopping in a bigger city and carrying some food in your pack) if you plan to sleep in a smaller village, or if it is a Sunday, as many places will be closed. That said, I found a fully vegetarian restaurant (with vegan options) in a few different teensy villages (surprise, surprise!) and many tiny shops that had at least microwave rice and beans to get you through a meal.
To be vegan on the Camino isn't as easy as eating non-vegan, of course, but we're all used to that living in a non-vegan world.It takes some preparation, but I found the prep time researching albergues and restaurants super enjoyable! The anticipation made it all even more exciting.
I highly recommend looking up eateries on your route on happycow.com prior to going, as well as checking out heartofthecamino.com/life/vegetarian-way/ for a pretty complete list of veg albergues (only one of them is 100% vegan, but they almost all have a vegan option, and there are more veg places that aren't included on this list!)
If you have any questions at all, PLEASE feel free to contact me. I want everyone to know that it's 100% doable to be vegan and to know how to do it - everyone should know this for the sake of our health, the beautiful animals and the environment. Don't be another pilgrim that starts introducing dairy into their diet prior to going because you don't think it's possible - it is possible and you can look forward to some delicious meals as well as a bit of "back to basics" meals out of the grocery store.
Which Camino did you walk last year?So great to see such a positive and healthy thread on here!
To piggyback on it all and offer even more resources -- my partner and I walked the Camino last year as vegans. As you all mentioned, its possible, but just takes a little bit of patience and planning.
We wanted to share our experiences and tips with other peregrinos, so we threw together a small guide of sorts, that was compiled with help from other guides and people we've met on the way.
This is just a first draft, so feedback or additions are more than welcome. I will also add this to the resources section, as KinkyOne recommended. Saludos!
Ecotopian Camino de Santiago | Seekingecotopia
A guide to walking a vegan, sustainable, and ecologically conscious Caminowww.seekingecotopia.com
Which Camino is that, Gehns?I'm a strict vegan/plant-based. This is encouraging! Last year, I hiked the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail eating only 100% vegan foods. This year, I'm hoping to hike Camino as vegan, too. My walk starts on September 6!
I echo everyone's appreciation, Mary. I am lacto-ovo vegetarian, and vegan when such options present. I leave in 2 days for the Portugues. I looked up restaurants on happycow for Porto but it didn't occur to me to look for the small towns because of the negativity about options I've read previously. Mary, I'll be on the Coastal route of the Portugues, detouring on the Variante. If I have time at the end, I hope to go to Muxia. If you have any advice or anecdotes you'd like to share, I look forward to hearing about veg restaurants or shops where you found Good Eats!Hi everyone! This is a bit long, but bear with me because it's important.Something I thought about often while walking the Camino (Frances and Portuguese) was how easy, accessible and delicious it was to eat 100% vegan the whole time (I was even able to eat whole foods plant based, i.e. "healthy vegan", for most of my meals!). I really want to share this with anyone who comes across my post because I have seen SO many people in various Camino forums say that it simply isn't possible and you should start introducing animal products into your diet in preparation. That's nonsense, I promise you! Furthermore, I even met a woman on the Camino who's vegan and told me she was buying baby food at the store because she didn't know what else to eat - I couldn't believe it!
There was a wealth of vegan restaurants and albergues (or places with vegan options), along both Caminos I walked. I honestly think I've eaten some of my best vegan meals I've ever had on the Camino this summer. If there was ever a dry patch, which did happen a few times, there was always easy vegan staples in the store (grains, beans, fruit, veg, nuts, seeds). I will say that you need to prepare in advance (i.e. shopping in a bigger city and carrying some food in your pack) if you plan to sleep in a smaller village, or if it is a Sunday, as many places will be closed. That said, I found a fully vegetarian restaurant (with vegan options) in a few different teensy villages (surprise, surprise!) and many tiny shops that had at least microwave rice and beans to get you through a meal.
To be vegan on the Camino isn't as easy as eating non-vegan, of course, but we're all used to that living in a non-vegan world.It takes some preparation, but I found the prep time researching albergues and restaurants super enjoyable! The anticipation made it all even more exciting.
I highly recommend looking up eateries on your route on happycow.com prior to going, as well as checking out heartofthecamino.com/life/vegetarian-way/ for a pretty complete list of veg albergues (only one of them is 100% vegan, but they almost all have a vegan option, and there are more veg places that aren't included on this list!)
If you have any questions at all, PLEASE feel free to contact me. I want everyone to know that it's 100% doable to be vegan and to know how to do it - everyone should know this for the sake of our health, the beautiful animals and the environment. Don't be another pilgrim that starts introducing dairy into their diet prior to going because you don't think it's possible - it is possible and you can look forward to some delicious meals as well as a bit of "back to basics" meals out of the grocery store.
Hi, Mary,
Excellent and reassuring post although I'm far from vegan and vegetarian myself. If you have compiled a list of such albergues and/or restaurants maybe you could post it (only .pdf files allowed) in Resources section of this forum. I'm sure many will be thankful for that.
Have a nice day
Thank you so much for this. I am vegan and although I didn't start adding meat/dairy into my diet before I left, I did weaken and gave in while on the Camino due to lack of planning on my part. It just got easier, especially after my heels started hurting so badly I could barely walk. This will help me stay strong when I return next year
I'm a strict vegan/plant-based. This is encouraging! Last year, I hiked the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail eating only 100% vegan foods. This year, I'm hoping to hike Camino as vegan, too. My walk starts on September 6!
I'm a strict vegan/plant-based. This is encouraging! Last year, I hiked the 2650-mile Pacific Crest Trail eating only 100% vegan foods. This year, I'm hoping to hike Camino as vegan, too. My walk starts on September 6!
I'm glad to see this post featured. The accompanying salad photo has eggs, so it's not actually vegan
I echo everyone's appreciation, Mary. I am lacto-ovo vegetarian, and vegan when such options present. I leave in 2 days for the Portugues. I looked up restaurants on happycow for Porto but it didn't occur to me to look for the small towns because of the negativity about options I've read previously. Mary, I'll be on the Coastal route of the Portugues, detouring on the Variante. If I have time at the end, I hope to go to Muxia. If you have any advice or anecdotes you'd like to share, I look forward to hearing about veg restaurants or shops where you found Good Eats!
Such great information. I’m hoping to walk my first Camino next May and I’ve been curious about if I’d be able to stay on my WFPB diet. I’m happy to know I can!!
Maryfm, this list is fabulous. I am leaving tomorrow to begin my journey to Porto where I hope to find bamboo cutlery since I do not have time to get any here before I leave. Will look for your recommended silicon dish as well. My plan at the moment is to take notes as I walk the Coastal Route and in the end, if I have anything pertinent, send this on to you so you can compile one for the Camino Portugues as well, if you are so inclined. One thing I will mention is I believe there is an 'r' missing in your note about making brown rice.You can for sure! I'd say I ate WFPB about 85% of the time, as I did enjoy the vegan restaurants and wanted to support them.I hope this helps. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZXUmJxnYZXWJnI_J_sTrM7fVRC3z92_k/view?usp=sharing
Maryfm, this list is fabulous. I am leaving tomorrow to begin my journey to Porto where I hope to find bamboo cutlery since I do not have time to get any here before I leave. Will look for your recommended silicon dish as well. My plan at the moment is to take notes as I walk the Coastal Route and in the end, if I have anything pertinent, send this on to you so you can compile one for the Camino Portugues as well, if you are so inclined. One thing I will mention is I believe there is an 'r' missing in your note about making brown rice.
Many many thanks for your good work, and thoughtfulness for sharing this!
All the best to you. Hopefully I'll have some bits and pieces to add to your file--maybe come November.Awe thank you so much, I hope it'll be helpful! There's some great vegan restaurants I found through HappyCow on the coastal route, including one WFPB one that is sugar and oil free.Good luck finding the cutlery and tupperwares! My cutlery is from ToGoWare and the tupperware was a gift, so I'm not sure where to recommend getting it. Buen Camino!! (And thank you for the catches on the typos, I've corrected them.)
This should help you! Preparation makes such a difference.Feel free to direct message me if you have more specific questions. There were far more things I could've included in here, but this is the bulk of it! https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vrR1vPm0vWvrjmeG_MDn3j0PsCrEB1Mr
Highly recommend VIVA LA PEPA at the foot of Burgos cathedral.You can for sure! I'd say I ate WFPB about 85% of the time, as I did enjoy the vegan restaurants and wanted to support them.I hope this helps. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vrR1vPm0vWvrjmeG_MDn3j0PsCrEB1Mr
Also, this can help you on the Camino! I'm a strict vegan as well.Feel free to direct message me if you have more specific questions. There were far more things I could've included in here, but this is the bulk of it! https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vrR1vPm0vWvrjmeG_MDn3j0PsCrEB1Mr
Hi MaryHi there, I just finished it! I hope it helpsFeel free to direct message me if you have more specific questions. There were far more things I could've included in here, but this is the bulk of it! https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vrR1vPm0vWvrjmeG_MDn3j0PsCrEB1Mr
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