How To Eat Paleo While Eating Out

If you’ve recently started a paleo diet, you may be worried about going out to restaurants and how limited your selection of menu items might be. Fortunately, it’s not actually that hard to learn how to eat paleo at a restaurant. A little bit of research and these helpful tips from the Organic Restaurants blog can make it easy to find a place that offers plenty of options to order!

Avoid the Carbs

This is the toughest part about trying to eat paleo at a restaurant. Side dishes and entrees alike could be full of carbohydrates, which will throw you off of your diet. However, there are probably easy substitutions that you could make to build a more paleo-friendly meal.

For example, if you’re really craving a burger, you can order it. Just skip the bun. Many eateries will give you the burger without one or with a lettuce wrap instead. If the default side dish is something fried or high in carbohydrates, ask about other options. Maybe a salad or grilled veggies can be subbed in for those french fries. If you’re ordering pasta, ask if the restaurant has veggie noodles, like “zoodles” made from zucchini, that can be substituted in. If you visit a Mexican place, opt for the burrito bowl instead of the burrito or tacos.

Not all eateries will be able to accommodate all requests, but it’s worth it to ask politely and see how a restaurant might be able to accommodate you. Just asking a few questions can make it much easier to stick to your diet.

Ask About Your Eggs

Eggs can be paleo-friendly, but sometimes they’re not. It matters how they’re cooked. Poached eggs are fine since they’re made with water. Fried eggs can work if you ask for them to be cooked in olive oil instead of butter. Scrambled eggs, on the other hand, are often made with milk. That’s what makes them fluffy, so that might be one menu option to avoid.

No Breading and Fried Stuff

Fried foods are often delicious. They are fine in reasonable quantities, but if you’re trying to stick to your paleo diet you’re better off avoiding them. If they are fried and breaded items on the menu, avoid them or see if there are alternatives. For example, fried chicken isn’t a great idea, but grilled chicken or fish can be a filling paleo-friendly option.

Do Your Research

If you want to know more about paleo options ahead of time, you need to do your research. Search for the restaurant you plan to visit online. You should be able to pull up a menu to learn more about their offerings, including side dishes and substitutions. Some places might even advertise that they are a paleo-friendly restaurant.

For More Help Sticking to Your Diet

If you’re looking for more info about healthy dieting or paleo-friendly restaurants, visit the Organic Restaurants website. We can point you towards organic eateries in your neighborhood. With our help, you’ll find so many restaurants that offer delicious dishes that won’t ruin your diet.