The ketogenic, or keto, diet is a highly restrictive dietary approach that aims to shift the body into a metabolic state called ketosis. This involves consuming high fats, moderate proteins, and very low carbohydrates. For instance, on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, carbohydrates should not exceed 20-50 grams (g). This restriction can make eating out challenging, as many restaurant foods are surprisingly high in carbs due to breading, sugary sauces, or large portion sizes. However, with careful planning and some modifications, it's possible to enjoy dining out while staying in ketosis.
Keto-Friendly Fast Food Options
Many popular restaurants offer menu items that can be adapted to fit a keto diet by adding or omitting certain ingredients. Here are some examples of keto-friendly fast food choices:
- McDonald’s Cheeseburger (no bun): Removing the bun and high-sugar condiments makes a cheeseburger keto-friendly. A single McDonald’s Cheeseburger with cheese, onions, and mustard provides approximately 150 calories, 2 g of carbs, 10 g of protein, and 11 g of fat.
- McDonald’s Egg and Sausage Patty: Ordering the Egg and Sausage Patty from the McDonald’s Big Breakfast and omitting the high-carb hash brown and biscuit results in a keto-friendly option. This provides roughly 340 calories, 3 g of carbs, 20 g of protein, and 27 g of fat.
- In-N-Out Burger (with lettuce): Replacing the bun with lettuce at In-N-Out Burger creates a keto-friendly meal. This option contains approximately 240 calories, 11 g of carbs, 13 g of protein, and 17 g of fat. Just ask for “protein style.” Best keto order: Double-Double, Protein Style
- Chipotle Keto Salad Bowl: This meal typically includes a chicken-based bowl with added cheese, salsa, and guacamole, along with greens for extra nutrition. However, its protein ratio might be higher than some keto diets allow. A sample bowl may contain around 560 calories, 16 g of carbs, 41 g of protein, and 37 g of fat.
- Chipotle Carnitas and Chicken Salad Bowl: By carefully selecting ingredients for a salad bowl, you can create a low-carb combination. A possible option could include half carnitashalf chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, guacamole, and a supergreens lettuce blend, providing approximately 550 calories, 12 g of carbs, 36.5 g of protein, and 39.5 g of fat.
- Chili’s Crispy Cheddar Bites: Calories: 580Carbs: 18 gProtein: 22 gFat: 47 g
- Wendy’s Double Stack Cheeseburger: Omitting the bun and adding extra ranch dressing can make this suitable for a keto diet. This modification yields approximately 320 calories, 2 g of carbs, 20 g of protein, and 26 g of fat.
- Wendy’s Baconator: For a keto-friendly breakfast, skip the bun and condiments and add extra avocado and blue cheese crumbles. This combination provides roughly 960 calories, 7 g of carbs, 60 g of protein, and 78 g of fat. Keep in mind that the high protein content might not be suitable for all keto diets.
- Five Guys Hot Dog (no bun): Choosing a Five Guys Hot Dog without the bun provides approximately 280 calories, 1 g of carbs, 11 g of protein, and 26 g of fat. You can also add keto-friendly items like mayonnaise, grilled mushrooms, and bacon.
- KFC Fried Chicken Drumsticks and Coleslaw: Ordering KFC Fried Chicken Drumsticks with a serving of KFC Coleslaw can be a keto-friendly choice. A serving provides approximately 179 calories, 4 g of carbs, 16.7 g of protein, and 10.7 g of fat. Note that 100 g of coleslaw contains about 144 calories, 15.6 g of carbs, 2 g of protein, and 8.6 g of fat, which could take up a significant portion of your daily carb allowance.
Foods and Ingredients to Avoid
Certain ingredients and fast foods are typically high in sugar or carbs and should be avoided on a keto diet. These include:
- Full-sugar soft drinks
- Breads, including burger buns, muffins, and wraps
- Fries and hash browns
- Biscuits
- Ketchup
- Salad croutons
- Certain sauces, such as barbecue, teriyaki, and honey and mustard dressing
- Rice and noodles
Tips for Staying in Ketosis While Eating Out
Here are some helpful tips for enjoying fast food while adhering to a keto diet:
- Swap high-sugar sauces: Ask to replace high-sugar sauces with high-fat condiments like mayonnaise or olive oil.
- Choose full-fat salad dressings: Opt for full-fat salad dressings, but always check the sugar content.
- Request a side salad: Ask for a side salad instead of a burger bun.
- Add avocado: Add extra avocado to a burger or chicken salad for healthy fats.
- Extra cheese: Request extra cheese or cheese slices instead of buns or other forms of bread.
- Choose a bowl: Opt for a bowl instead of a taco or wrap.
- Lettuce wraps: Use lettuce leaves as substitutes for buns.
Quick Keto-Friendly Snacks
For quick snacks, consider whole foods that require minimal preparation or are readily available at grocery stores. Some keto-friendly ideas include:
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- Jerky
- Boiled eggs with mayonnaise
- Olives
- Avocado
- Cheese
- Nuts
- Celery paired with dips or dressings made with cream cheese or sour cream and mayonnaise
Best Keto-Friendly Restaurants of 2022
- Jimmy John’s: Make any sub an "Unwich" by replacing the bread with a lettuce wrap.
- Chipotle: Build a keto-friendly salad bowl with meat, veggies, cheese, guacamole, and salsa, or order the Keto Salad Bowl.
- Wendy’s: Modify burgers and salads to be keto-friendly by removing the bun, ketchup, onions, barbecue sauce, and croutons.
- El Pollo Loco: Choose from the Pollo Fit Menu, featuring keto-friendly options like the Double Chicken Avocado Salad and the World’s First Keto Burrito.
- Chick-fil-A: Order grilled nuggets with a Side Salad or a Kale Crunch Side.
- In-N-Out: Order any burger "Protein Style" to have it wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun.
- Popeye’s: Opt for Blackened Tenders (not breaded) and green beans.
- Slim Chickens: Choose side salads, grilled chicken strips, and chicken wings.
- Qdoba: Order the Smoked Brisket Keto Bowl or create your own keto-friendly bowl or salad.
- Noodles & Company: Customize dishes with zucchini noodles.
- Olive Garden: Replace pasta with a large portion of broccoli and choose the salad without croutons.
- BurgerFi: BurgerFi offers burgers and fries, but it’s a bit more upscale than your everyday fast food experience.
- BD’s Mongolian Grill: Create a custom stir-fry with meats, seafood, and veggies, skipping noodles, rice, corn, and sugary sauces.
- The Cheesecake Factory: Customize a Glamburger with no bun or a build-your-own omelet with keto-friendly fillings, or order the SkinnyLicious Grilled Salmon entrée.
- Buffalo Wild Wings: Order traditional wings (plain) with dry seasonings and celery sticks.
- BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse: Customize a keto-friendly meal using their variety of veggies and proteins.
- Joe’s Crab Shack: Enjoy unbreaded seafood options like Joe’s Classic Steampot (skip the corn and potatoes).
- On the Border: Choose fajitas with meat and salad, skipping tortillas, beans, and rice.
- Chili’s: Opt for bunless burgers, steak, grilled chicken, grilled fish, entrée salads with grilled meat, or fajitas without tortillas or sides.
- Outback Steakhouse: Stick to grilled entrées with non-starchy sides, avoiding sugary glazes or sauces.
- LongHorn Steakhouse: Choose steaks, grilled salmon, pork chops, and salads with keto-friendly sides like Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and broccoli.
- Texas Roadhouse: Opt for steak, chicken, salmon, bunless burgers, and salads with keto-friendly sides like sautéed mushrooms, house salads, and green beans.
- Colton’s Steakhouse: Order Colton’s Loaded Chicken with keto-friendly sides like house or Caesar salad (no croutons), steamed vegetables, green beans, grilled asparagus, or sautéed mushrooms.
- Saltgrass Steakhouse: Order the Bacon Wrap Filet & Grilled Shrimp with asparagus or broccoli and a salad without croutons.
- IHOP: Create low-carb omelets with keto-friendly fillings.
- Denny’s: Customize burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast foods to be keto-friendly.
- Blaze Pizza: Order the Keto Pizza or create your own with keto crust, sauces, cheeses, and toppings.
- Marco’s Pizza: Order Pizza Bowls, featuring sauce, cheese, and toppings without the crust.
- Texas de Brazil: Enjoy meats, cheeses, and vegetables from the salad bar and carved meats at your table.
- Golden Corral: Choose from salad, sirloin steak, roasted turkey, baked fish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
Additional Restaurant Options
Here are some more restaurants and specific keto-friendly orders to consider:
- Freddy’s: Best keto order: Freddy’s Original Double, as a lettuce wrap
- Elevation Burger: Best keto order: Paleo Burger (comes as a lettuce wrap)
- Bonefish Grill: Best keto order: Filet and Lobster Tail with Steamed Asparagus and Creamed Spinach
- Just Salad: Best keto order: The Keto
- IHOP: Best keto order: Spinach and Mushroom Omelet, no pancake batter added
- Wingstop: Best keto order: 8 pc Original Hot Wing Combo with Veggie Sticks and Ranch Dressing
- Marco’s Pizza: Best keto order: Pizza Bowl with pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, light sauce
- Ruby Tuesday: Best keto order: Top Sirloin with Fresh Grilled Zucchini and Roasted Baby Bellas
- Chili’s: Best keto order: Shrimp Fajitas, no rice, beans, or tortillas
- Waffle House: Best keto order: Cheesesteak Omelet, no sides
- Chick-fil-A: Best keto order: Grilled Nuggets and Kale Crunch Side
- Popeye’s: Best keto order: Blackened Chicken Tenders with Blackened Ranch Sauce, no side or biscuit
- Subway: Best keto order: Steak & Cheese No Bready Bowl
- Outback: Best keto order: Victoria’s Filet Mignon with Caesar Salad (no croutons) and asparagus
- Ruth’s Chris: Best keto order: Petit Filet and Shrimp with Creamed Spinach and Grilled Asparagus
- LongHorn: Best keto order: LongHorn Salmon with Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Fresh Steamed Broccoli
- Saltgrass: Best keto order: New York Strip with House Salad (no croutons) and Broccoli
- Texas Roadhouse: Best keto order: Herb Crusted Chicken with Sauteed Mushrooms and Steamed Broccoli
- Starbucks: Best keto order: Caffe Americano with a splash of heavy cream
- Dunkin Donuts: Best keto order: Snackin’ Bacon and a plain iced coffee
- Tim Hortons: Best keto order: Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap (no wrap) and an original brewed coffee
- Dutch Bros: Best keto order: Nitro Infused Cold Brew
- Peet’s: Best keto order: Bacon, Spinach, and Swiss Frittata and a Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte Made with Heavy Cream
- Fogo de Chao: Best keto order: stick to grilled or roasted meats and non-starchy vegetables
- The melting pot: Best keto order: stick with cheese fondue, vegetables, and meats
- Del Frisco’s: Best keto order: Roasted Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Wild Mushrooms
- Texas de Brazil: Best keto order: choose meats and non-starchy vegetables
- Morton’s The Steakhouse: Best keto order: Miso Sea Bass
International Options
Here are some keto-friendly options in various international locations:
- Europe (Five Guys - UK, Germany, Spain): Best keto order: Bacon Cheeseburger, in a lettuce wrap
- Giraffas (Brazil): Best keto order: Medalhao de Alcatra, with a salad instead of fries and rice
- Kebab Turki Baba Rafi (Asia): Best keto order: Kebab Meat Lover with no wrap
- El Jannah (Australia): Best keto order: ½ Chicken Plate with Mixed Pickles, no bread
- Nando’s (South Africa): Best keto order: 3 Peri-Peri Chicken Thighs with Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
- A&W (Canada): Best keto order: Sausage and Cheddar, served in a lettuce wrap
Understanding Macronutrient Ratios
Different variations of the keto diet exist, each with specific macronutrient ratios. A medical keto diet for epilepsy often prescribes 4 grams of fat for every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein. Modified Atkins diets have no protein restriction and consist of approximately 65% fat, 29-32% protein, and 3-6% carbohydrates. For weight loss, a common keto approach involves 70-80% of calories from fat, 10-20% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates.
Calculating Net Carbs and Ketones
Many keto dieters use net carbs to measure their carbohydrate intake. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting grams of fiber and sugar alcohols from total carbohydrates. However, this term is not universally recognized, and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) considers it an imprecise measurement. Some individuals on a classic keto diet may also measure ketones, which are produced when the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
General Tips for Dining Out
- Plan ahead: Research restaurants and menus online before you get hungry.
- Don't be afraid to ask: Inquire about ingredients and request substitutions.
- Choose simply prepared proteins: Opt for grilled or roasted meats, fish, or poultry without sugary sauces.
- Add healthy fats: Include sources like extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, or cheese.
- Be mindful of alcohol: Stick to wine and clear liquors (vodka, gin, tequila) with soda, on the rocks, or neat.
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