It is no secret that I live a vegan lifestyle. I try not to be obnoxious about it as vegans and Crossfitters tend to be categorized as people who won't shut the hell up about their lifestyles. I get that it's not fun to hear the preachy monologues. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, or however the saying goes. But I do like to share about vegan options in case anyone wants to give them a try. And Boise, ID ranks high on the list of best cities for vegetarians and vegans.

Wallet Hub compiled a list of 100 largest cities and ranked them based on 16 indicators of vegan/vegetarian friendliness, including restaurants serving meatless options and cost of groceries. My hometown, Las Vegas, lands at number 31. But Boise is leaps ahead ranking at number 7! Seriously, it has been a pretty seamless transition finding vegan options in town. Once I did the research, finding vegan-friendly places to dine has been pretty easy.

As for grocery shopping, that's where Boise really takes the cake. I've found items here on the first try that I had to scour three grocery stores for back in Vegas. Gardein brand "meat" of all varieties is readily available at Albertsons, WinCo, and Whole Foods. I didn't know dessert tofu was a thing until I went on my first big shopping trip here. Trader Joe's also carries more options than I'm used to. And all these things are not even all that expensive. If you're used to buying meat, you'll notice in price comparison the alternatives tend to be cheaper.

So...even if you're not vegan or vegetarian, there are so many options here that you can always give it a try if you like. I promise it's not eating grass and leaves or eating boring food all the time.

 

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