Being a vegan in a world of meat and dairy can leave you feeling left out while dining out. Fortunately, many restaurants have added vegan-friendly options to their menu, as more people become conscious about the way they eat.

If you're visiting a restaurant that doesn't have an obvious vegan option on the menu, consider an excellent tip I learned from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Colleen suggests that you take an inventory of what ingredients they do have in the kitchen and design your meal around those items.

Here's an example:

Take a look at this basic restaurant menu I found on Google. Click here to see the full menu.

Even though at first glance there doesn't appear to be any vegan breakfast choices on the menu, train your mind to look at the different ingredients in each dish. The waffles with seasonal fruit and whipped cream is the first menu item we will look at. The waffles and whipped cream aren't vegan but we can ask for the fresh fruit. Also, the ham & sausage entree comes with hash browns and toast. We can order the seasonal fruit, hash browns and toast and make ourselves a filling breakfast without much hassle.

Let's take a look at the lunch choices. I see there's a vegetarian pot pie (woohoo!) on the menu, but let's pretend that option isn't there. Looking at the menu further, we could order a meatless burger without mayo, or cheese and opt for the other toppings (mustard, lettuce, tomato, red onions) and a side of fries.

Look at that!

Eating out as a vegan can be challenging but using Colleen's approach can make these experiences a little easier.

Visit the rest of my Vegan While Out posts and watch my YouTube videos below discussing more eating out tips.