I just got back from the Lifestyle Medicine Conference, and it was exciting with over 1500 attendees and over 500 people sitting for the certification exam! It is exciting that so many new people are interested in this field of medicine…There were a lot of different exhibitors but I do want to mention Kate Farms. I have a lot of patients on liquid supplementation because they want to gain weight and have trouble eating. I have not had any suggestions for meal replacements because the most well-known one (which will remain unnamed here) contain dairy products which are pro-inflammatory. Kate Farms however do not contain dairy, which is wonderful! I am enclosing some pictures here. I will now be recommending this to patients that desire a meal supplement. They even have a version for patients with feeding tubes!
I was able to visit some of the vegan friendly restaurants in Orlando while I was there. I’d like to put a shout out to Selam Ethiopian restaurant. I forgot to take a picture of my food there, but it was delicious, and I would highly recommend this restaurant. They had a vegan combination special, and they were able to make completely gluten free injera (at no extra charge). I enjoyed myself there!
I also went to visit Dandelion Cafe, a vegan cafe in Orlando downtown. They had a gluten-friendly menu. I ordered the Mediterranean Bowl. This little Cafe had the cutest decor and on the walls of the cafe, there is original artwork for sale from different artists.
I also went to visit Bombay Cafe, a vegetarian indian restaurant in a strip mall in Orlando. I loved this place. The staff is knowledgeable and pointed me in the right direction regarding which entrees were vegan friendly. I ordered the chana palak, which was delicious. They even included an extra dish of rice for free because I needed the rice to finish the rest of my meal.
Lastly, I want to mention that I went to Humbl by Matthew Kenney in Orlando two times, since I liked it so much. I ordered the almond based chocolate milkshake twice. It might not have been good for me, but it was delicious! I also ordered the Humbl Bowl and the Addison Bowl, as well as the “shroom” with cauliflower pizza crust (gluten-free option). Of all these dishes, I liked the Humbl bowl the best, but they were all good.
There are fortunately many more vegan restaurants in Orlando, so I am just scratching the surface in the short time I spent there. I hope that if you go there, you can enjoy yourself eating as I did!