8 fast food meals…vegan-style.
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Like many people who grew up in America, eating fast-food was part of my regular diet. I remember, about once a week as a treat, on the way home from pre-school, my mom would bring me to McDonalds to get a kid’s meal. It was a magical feeling- opening the warm white bag and looking inside to find a pile of chicken nuggets and a little toy. I remember, on the twice-a-year-road-trips my family would take, we would stop at Taco Bell and get crunchy tacos and bean burritos. I remember, when I was about 10 years old and I started to become more aware of the food I was eating. I remember when the iconic documentary film “Supersize Me” was released, and this instigated me to further investigate food and health. My family stopped going to McDonalds, and when we did go to Taco Bell, I would result to ordering mostly vegetarian options (which were, and still are, minimal compared to the options available with meat).
As the years have gone on, fast-food restaurants have unquestionably increased the number of vegetarian options they provide, and in more recent years, vegan options.
Although I pretty much stopped eating fast-food altogether once I hit teen-hood, in recent years- since converting to eating a plant-based diet- I have began experimenting with it.
I think it started when Carl’s Jr. came out with their Beyond Burger, around 2018. My fellow vegan-friend and I were elated by the news. Burgers have never been a huge part of my diet, even as a kid. In fact, I don’t think I have had ever eaten a burger at fast-food restaurant. But simply the fact that Carl’s Jr. had a vegan patty option… we were so excited. We jumped in the car and drove to our local Carl’s Jr. and fell in the love with the idea that we actually could get a plant-based meal at a fast-food restaurant. Fast-food was now an option for us.
Bringing us to the present moment- nowadays, there are far more than a single plant-based option in the realm of fast food. You may already know of them. But I am here to tell you what I know about, and what I think and feel about each of these options.
I have been eating a plant-based diet for about 5 years now. I have tried a lot of what’s out there. But not everything. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know! I always want to try new things.
