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How To Eat Vegan In Shreveport, Louisiana

Writer's picture: Teal Garden NutritionTeal Garden Nutrition

Updated: Oct 17, 2024

Estimated read time: 10


If you are a resident in Shreveport, Louisiana and feel underwhelmed trying to do a plant based diet or feel unsure about the local vegan options, then this is the resource for you. 





What is ‘vegan’?


Vegan is a type of diet consisting of eating only plant based foods to meet daily nutritional needs. Plant-based food groups consist of:

  • Grains, such as barley, wheat, quinoa, rice, corn, oats.

  • Legumes, such as lentils, peas, beans.

  • Vegetables, such as asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower.

  • Fruits, such as watermelon, strawberry, pineapple, papaya, fig, date, blueberry, ackee, apricot.

  • Nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and macadamia.

  • Seeds, such as chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.


Before we continue, here is a quick terminology note. I use the phrase ‘traditional’ diet to represent a diet that includes animal meat and seafood, and animal by-products.


A plant-based diet is a diet that consumes plants and plant-based foods. A plant-based diet is not vegan necessarily. For instance, someone on a traditional diet may consume a larger portion of plants and plant based foods without eliminating animal meat and animal by-products from their diet. Which is why you may see the phrase “100% plant based” with certain brands or products. This will distinguish that brand or product as safe for vegans. 


My philosophy believes that the diet is the way that you eat. Thus, a lifestyle diet is a way of life that is based upon the way that you eat. Do you enjoy nature and find opportunities to be outdoors? Do you find that you prefer natural home remedies to clean your house with? Do you prefer plant based personal care products? Your preferences in the environments that attract you, types of people in your circle, and activities your participate in all make up your lifestyle space. A vegan lifestyle may use more natural products on their body as well as in their diet. A vegan lifestyle may take a more holistic approach to activities and environments that promote a healthy life. Here’s to say that even a ‘traditional’ diet. 





How to eat vegan when local options are limited


 When you are craving a certain flavor, mouth feel and aroma, and the available options before you don’t quite hit the mark or are not available when you want it most, you end up settling on something to get that full feeling. Unfortunately, that full feeling may be quite unfulfilling. The effects of an unfulfilling meal go deep (like psychological deep) and may impact our perception on food, health, and satiety. 


HOME COOKING


As a vegan resident in Shreveport, I found it easier to cook my own meals. I saved money and limited the high risk of cross-contamination with animal meat and animal by-products. 


MEAL PREP / PERSONAL CHEF


There is no shame in fixing a big pot of something to stretch you for several days. Meal prep is a hot word that shouldn’t be so over-complicated with layered recipes and ingredients you can’t even get at your local stores. Meal prep should be planned with your budget, cooking equipment and skill level in consideration. 


Outsourcing your meal prep is another great option whenever your budget allows. Hiring a vegan personal chef to prepare your meals gives you a more personalized approach to eating what you really want. Your vegan personal chef will create your menu, do the grocery shopping, cook the foods and have your meals portioned out. With vegan chef prepared meal prep, you can finally feel satiated with your meals. Teal Garden Nutrition offers 100% plant based vegan meal prep every week. Their Vegan Meal Prep Meals To Go service allows you to pre-order from a wide menu throughout July 2024 by Friday 8 p.m. for pick up or delivery on Sunday. 


ORDERING AT NON-VEGAN ESTABLISHMENTS


Vegan or nah, I daresay many of us have experienced sending food back because it was not prepared with our specific instructions. As a vegan, when I go to a 100% plant based vegan establishment, I feel such liberating freedom. I can order straight from the menu without regard for modifications. At restaurants that have vegan options on their menu, can not guarantee that separate and clean cooking equipment would be used to prepare your meal. I know what it’s like in the kitchen to have to clean one part of a grill on a busy weekend evening dinner rush to accommodate that one order for a specialty (allergen) customer. I have felt the ping of disappointment between the server staff and myself when I forgot to warn them of my dietary restriction or omit the dairy. I have felt the boiling rage when a well informed staff member brings back an order doused in cheeses and animal meat. So this section is for those that need a friendly reminder when dining out with vegan options in Shreveport.


Foremost, review the restaurant’s menu before you go. Make note of menu items that you may be able to make vegan friendly. For example, a pasta dish may be made vegan if the sauce is marinara and the kitchen has veggies to add to it. If necessary, call ahead to confirm the customization of menu items.


Secondly, ask that your order be made with clean and separate preparation tools to prevent cross-contamination. I will say this again here: Be well aware of the high risk of cross-contamination. 


Third, just in case you need this… Here is a list of friendly reminders when ordering vegan options at non-vegan restaurants:

  • Remove the dairy. There is cheese on just about everything in America. To make a dish vegetarian/vegan, ask for any dairy products be omitted or substituted wherever possible. Dairy consists of milk and milk by-products, butter, cheese, and eggs.

  • Confirm what liquid pastas and grains, and vegetables, were cooked in. Animal broths and butter are hidden ingredients with pastas and grains. Sometimes mashed potatoes have buttermilk and other dairy ingredients in them. 

  • Confirm whether any butter was used to prepare or finish foods. Some southern cuisine restaurants put butter on their vegetables as a finishing flavor enhancer. A burger bun may be basted with butter or oil for toasting. Some asian cuisine restaurants may use butter in their food preparation. 

  • For most Asian cuisine restaurants, ask that no egg and no fish/oyster sauce is used to prepare your meal. You may need to confirm that noodles were not pre-soaked in liquid that contains meat or any animal by-product.

  • For pastries and desserts, it is best to only consume when the item is clearly labeled as vegan. Otherwise, most pastries and desserts will contain dairy in some form. Majority of candies and gummy or chewy sweets contain gelatin, which is made from the cartilage, bones or skin of animals. 


Fourth, follow your gut instinct. If you suspect that the staff did not actually confirm your order, it may be best not to place your order with that establishment. The term vegan is so widely used that some people assume that if they don’t eat meat then they are vegan. The same goes for industry. For example you ordered a veggie burger at a non-vegan restaurant. A restaurant staff member may just peel the cheese off of your burger instead of remaking your order. This form of cross-contamination would make me sickly. I do not eat out often, but when I do I am overly cautious when ordering. So, follow your first mind/gut instinct. 





Where to eat vegan in Shreveport


This year, Shreveport held a Vegan Chef Competition for local chefs and restaurants to showcase their vegan food skills. The Shreveport Vegan Chef event inspired plant based options in many local restaurants. These restaurants and chefs listed below curated specialty vegan menu items that may still be available. Check out these restaurants listed below. I have included restaurants that have participated in the Vegan Chef event and restaurants that have vegan-options.



Shreveport has 100% plant-based dining establishments:

  • Good Wishes Cafe 

  • Teal Garden Nutrition


If you’re planning a visit to Shreveport, be sure to check out events and the Shreveport Vegans Facebook groups and social media for pop-up markets to catch local vegan eats from Teal Garden Nutrition. We prepare all of our meals in a 100% vegan environment. No shared equipment. No meat or animal by-products in our kitchen! 



To recap, do your research into a restaurant’s menu before you visit. When you order, remember to omit non-vegan items and inquire about hidden ingredients that may not be described on the menu. If you live in Shreveport and you visit any of these places, be sure to show your vegan love! When we show more interest in things around Shreveport, there can be more opportunities for businesses to invest in plant-based lifestyles. I hope you found this post helpful. Let me know in the comments, which dining establishments have you been to? 


Sending you off with Love and Light,


Written by Linda Montgomery

Vegan Culinary Nutritionist & Chef at Teal Garden Nutrition

Published July 25, 2024

Edited October 17, 2024



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