Americans are known for their love for meat, which is inclusive of chicken turkey or even ribs.
About 2.5 percent of the population has adopted a vegan diet for various reasons.
This number is growing daily because of the sensitization of the advantages of vegan meals and the willingness of restaurants to add vegan meals on their menu.
Some People adopt a vegan diet to lead a healthy lifestyle, others to protect animals while still preserving the environment.
Whatever your reason is, it is a lifestyle choice that will cost you changes.
Most restaurants have not yet introduced a very reliable vegan menu.
There are not many choices, and if you are not creative enough, you can find yourself deprived of a good meal. Old Chicago is a good example.
They have a not so vast selection of vegan foods. They are still trying to incorporate a vegan menu into their fast food meals.
Check out Old Chicago menus on their website for inquiries or online orders for taking outs delivery to your doorstep. They are open from 11 am to 2 am every Monday to Sunday.
What to order
As mentioned earlier, Old Chicago is not vegan-friendly. Depending on your choice, you can have an excellent vegan meal prepared for you on request.
Vegan pizza
They are made of very thin crust dough. It is inclusive of soybean oil, Salt, Sugar, Yeast, Flour, Garlic Powder and Water.
Other crusts include eggs and seasoning. In this case, they are eliminated. If you prefer deep-dish dough, the ingredients are Water, Corn Meal, Yeast, Sugar, Salt, and flour.
Again the eggs and seasoning are eliminated.
Pasta
For pasta, the Fettuccini noodles and spaghetti comes highly recommended because they are semolina free.
Toppings
For topping on both pizza and pasta, you can use marinara or pizza sauces.Olive oil also works as a substitute.
Ensure you talk to the serve about the cheese and ask that they do not include it in your meal.
They can make you a pizza without the cheese if that is your wish. One thing you should definitely do is ensure the dough in your pasta, stomboli, pizza, garlic bread and calzone does not have any eggs in it.
Here are some main vegan dishes from Old Chicago
| Dish | Proportion |
| The side veggies | 3 ea. |
| Steamed vegetables | |
| Salsa | 2 ounces |
| Vegeterian 7 stramboli | 1 Stromboli |
| Guacamole side | 1 serving |
| Vegetarian 7 Calzone | 1 calzone |
| Spinach Artichoke Calzone | No cheese |
| Malibu Veggie Pizza, Chicago Style, | 1 slice |
| Vegetarian 7 Pizza, Chicago Style, Individual | 1 slice |
| Kid Super’ghetti | 1 serving |
| Kid Applesauce | 4 ounces |
| Kid Side Salad | 1 salad |
| Spaghetti Marinara | 1 serving |
| Mediterranean Salad | |
| Fire-Roasted Spaghetti Marinara | |
| Tomato & Mozzarella Caprese | |
| Old Chicago’s Famous House Salad |
Tips on how to manage a vegan diet
It can do you good to find people who enjoy vegan food to share vegan experiences. If you can have a family member, then you are lucky.
If you can, it’s about time you found a community elsewhere. Invite them to taste the recipes at Old Chicago as you also share your views.
Do not be afraid to speak up. When you walk into any Old Chicago restaurant, ask for their option.
Remind them that you are a vegan so that they can refrain from including non-vegan ingredients on your food.
Do your research. You will need to do enough research to gain useful knowledge regarding the vegan diet.
You will need substitutes for things like meat as well. You also have to check the nutritional value of the food you take to make sure; you take in the essential nutrients.
Involve your family in your journey. Sometimes, your family might not be supportive.
You can request for a day or days of the week where you can visit Old Chicago restaurant, and all of you have their vegan pizzas, Portions of pasta topped with vegan sauces.
You might find yourself recruiting a community to be vegan.
If you find not so familiar food on the menu, stick to the salads. Make sure to request them without dairy products.
At Old Chicago, you can ask for roasted green chiles, peanut-noodle dish, spinach, mushrooms, and even olives. Since there are not many options, we could use these salad options to compensate for boredom.
Why a vegan diet is great for you
You get to try amazing new dishes
I bet you have never had a black bean burger before. Most people assume that vegan dishes are restricted to fruit juices and green leaves but they could not be more wrong.
There are thousands of edible plant species that could e cooked in several different ways to produce some of the best and unpredictable dishes.
Do not knock the idea of a vegan lifestyle until you try it. In fact, it is more exiting and healthy than the predictable fast food and meaty diet that you may be used to.
It helps you improve your fitness
You heard that right, a vegan diet is perfect for people who are looking to improve their physical form or want reliable energy for the gym.
People argue that energy used for exercise cannot be found in vegetable protein but that is just wrong. The energy in plant based food is broken down much faster so the energy is more reliable
Looking for better skin and digestion?
Digestion and skin issues are highly related. If you ask most people with servere acne, dairy is one of the biggest causes.
You may use all the prescribed medication from your dermatologists but it will not go away unless you have a change in your diet.
Harsh chemicals can turn on your skin and make it harder to heal. The best thing to do is to have a change in your diet.
You do not have to go full-on vegan, you can choose to change your diet in small steps and record your body’s reaction to the food, digestion and how your skin heals.
Final word
Although there is shifting attention towards vegan diets, there are still not enough vegan foods on restaurants menus.
Old Chicago is one of those that are still not vegan-friendly.
The vegan options are not also included in the menu .for you to enjoy an excellent vegan meal; you still have to make special requests.
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