mfmarotto
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (09/2016)
Frances & Portugues (06/2019)
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.
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.
