Dining out while maintaining a ketogenic diet can seem challenging, but with a little planning and the right knowledge, it's entirely possible to enjoy restaurant meals without compromising your dietary goals. The key is to be informed, adaptable, and not afraid to make modifications to menu items. This comprehensive guide will provide you with the tips, tricks, and restaurant recommendations you need to successfully navigate the keto landscape while dining out.
Understanding the Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and very low-carbohydrate diet. The goal is to shift the body's primary fuel source from glucose (derived from carbohydrates) to ketones, which are produced from fat. This metabolic state, called ketosis, is associated with weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and other potential health benefits.
Macronutrient Ratios
Different variations of the keto diet exist, each with slightly different macronutrient ratios. A medical keto diet for epilepsy may prescribe 4 grams of fat for every 1 gram of carbohydrate and protein, resulting in approximately 90% of calories from fat, 6% from protein, and 4% from carbs. A modified Atkins diet may consist of approximately 65% fat, 29-32% protein, and 3-6% carbohydrates. For weight loss, a common keto ratio is 70-80% of calories from fat, 10-20% from protein, and 5-10% from carbohydrates.
Net Carbs vs. Total Carbs
Many keto dieters focus on "net carbs," which are calculated by subtracting the grams of fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrate count. The idea is that fiber and sugar alcohols have a minimal impact on blood sugar levels. However, it's important to note that the concept of net carbs is not universally recognized, and its calculation can be imprecise.
Importance of Whole Foods
A well-rounded ketogenic diet should primarily consist of whole, nutritious foods. Non-starchy vegetables should be a staple, and some fruits can be included in moderation despite the diet's low-carb nature.
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General Tips for Keto Dining
With the increasing popularity of the keto diet, many restaurants are becoming more accommodating to keto dieters. Some chains even offer specific keto-friendly menu options. However, you may still need to make some adjustments to your meals.
Building a Keto-Friendly Meal
Start with a base of simply prepared protein, such as grilled poultry, fish, or meat without sugary sauces or glazes. Combine it with non-starchy vegetables like zucchini, broccoli, or leafy greens. Add healthy fats from sources like extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, sliced avocado, olives, nuts, seeds, or cheese.
Smart Ordering Strategies
- Choose grilled or roasted meats: Opt for grilled steak, salmon, or chicken, avoiding breaded or battered options.
- Request no bun: Order burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, or deli sandwiches without the bun and eat them with a knife and fork or ask for a lettuce wrap.
- Customize salads: Order an entree salad with grilled meats, but hold the croutons, fried onions, tortilla strips, and sweet dressings. Choose creamy dressings like ranch, mayo, or plain oil and vinegar.
- Substitute vegetables for pasta: Replace pasta in pasta dishes with a bed of broccoli or other non-starchy vegetables.
- Ask for modifications: Don't hesitate to ask your server about ingredient substitutions or preparation methods.
Pre-Planning is Key
- Research online: Scope out restaurants, browse menus, and choose a restaurant before you get hungry. A little planning can help you stay Keto and avoid carb-laden temptations.
- Consider local eateries: Don’t shy away from local eateries. Most local restaurants are happy to accommodate your dietary preferences and may have more creative freedom than chain restaurants.
- Look for "build-your-own" options: Places like Chipotle, Subway, and Mongolian BBQ restaurants - where you choose your own ingredients for a salad or bowl - are excellent choices that give you lots of control over the final carb count.
- Plan your day around dining out: If you know you’re eating out for dinner and you want to indulge a bit, save yourself a few extra carbs and/or calories by doing an intermittent fast or eating Carnivore for breakfast and lunch.
What to Avoid
- Breading and batter: Most fried foods are coated in breading or batter, which are high in carbohydrates.
- Sugary sauces and glazes: Many sauces and glazes contain added sugar, which can quickly derail your keto diet.
- High-carb sides: Avoid sides like french fries, mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread.
- Desserts: Most desserts are loaded with sugar and carbohydrates.
Keto-Friendly Restaurant Chains
Here's a guide to some of the best chain restaurants for keto dining, along with specific menu recommendations:
- In-N-Out Burger (West Coast): Order your cheeseburger "Protein Style" for a lettuce wrap.
- Best keto order: Double-Double, Protein Style
- Noodles & Company: Opt for zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta.
- Best keto order: Zucchini Pesto Cream with Grilled Chicken
- Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Choose sauce-free meats and keto-friendly sides.
- Best keto order: Brisket and Pulled Pork Combo Plate, with Creamy Spinach and Green Beans, with no roll or sauce.
- Jimmy John's: Turn any sandwich into a lettuce wrap by asking to "make it an Unwich."
- Best keto order: Hunter’s Club Unwich
- Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: Request any sandwich as a lettuce wrap.
- Best keto order: Freddy’s Original Double, as a lettuce wrap
- Elevation Burger: Make any burger a lettuce wrap with 100% grass-fed beef and organic ingredients.
- Best keto order: Paleo Burger (comes as a lettuce wrap)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: Build a keto-friendly salad bowl with various meats, veggies, and toppings.
- Best keto order: Keto Salad Bowl with Steak
- Bonefish Grill: Choose from grilled shrimp, fish, steak, chicken, or pork.
- Best keto order: Filet and Lobster Tail with Steamed Asparagus and Creamed Spinach
- On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Select fajitas, steak, or chicken dishes, avoiding battered or breaded items.
- Best keto order: Grilled Queso Chicken, no rice
- Just Salad: Customize your salad or order "The Keto," featuring roasted chicken, almonds, avocado, eggs, and cheddar over salad greens.
- Best keto order: The Keto
- Blaze Pizza: Order a cauliflower-based Keto pizza crust.
- Best keto order: The Keto Pizza
- IHOP: Focus on omelets and keto-friendly breakfast items like eggs, bacon, and sausage, but request no pancake batter in your omelet.
- Best keto order: Spinach and Mushroom Omelet, no pancake batter added
- Wingstop: Choose from a variety of wing flavors and dipping sauces.
- Best keto order: 8 pc Original Hot Wing Combo with Veggie Sticks and Ranch Dressing
- Marco's Pizza: Opt for a Build-Your-Own Pizza Bowl with light sauce and your favorite toppings.
- Best keto order: Pizza Bowl with pepperoni, mushrooms, spinach, light sauce
- Ruby Tuesday: Select steakhouse fare like steaks, seafood, and chicken, with low-carb veggie sides and a salad bar.
- Best keto order: Top Sirloin with Fresh Grilled Zucchini and Roasted Baby Bellas
- Chili's: Choose fajitas or steak to keep carb counts low.
- Best keto order: Classic Sirloin With Grilled Avocado and a Side of Steamed Broccoli or Shrimp Fajitas, no rice, beans, or tortillas
- Waffle House: Order eggs, bacon, and omelets, skipping the high-carb sides.
- Best keto order: Cheesesteak Omelet, no sides
- Chick-fil-A: Opt for grilled nuggets and the Kale Crunch Side.
- Best keto order: Grilled Nuggets and Kale Crunch Side
- Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen: Choose blackened chicken tenders, skipping the side.
- Best keto order: Blackened Chicken Tenders with Blackened Ranch Sauce, no side or biscuit
- Subway: Turn any footlong Subway sandwich into a low-carb salad called a "No Bready Bowl."
- Best keto order: Steak & Cheese No Bready Bowl
- Outback Steakhouse: Select steak, seafood, and side options.
- Best keto order: Grilled Lobster Tail With Roasted Garlic Topping and Sautéed ’Shrooms or Victoria’s Filet Mignon with Caesar Salad (no croutons) and asparagus
- Ruth's Chris Steak House: Choose from keto-friendly proteins and sides.
- Best keto order: Petit Filet and Shrimp with Creamed Spinach and Grilled Asparagus
- LongHorn Steakhouse: Select steak, chicken, fish, burgers, and entree salads.
- Best keto order: LongHorn Salmon with Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Fresh Steamed Broccoli
- Saltgrass Steak House: Opt for steaks, seafood, chicken, and entree salads.
- Best keto order: New York Strip with House Salad (no croutons) and Broccoli
- Texas Roadhouse: Choose from several keto meal options and snack on complimentary in-shell peanuts.
- Best keto order: Herb Crusted Chicken with Sauteed Mushrooms and Steamed Broccoli
- Starbucks: Order coffee-based drinks and add sugar-free vanilla syrup for sweetness.
- Best keto order: Caffe Americano with a splash of heavy cream
- Dunkin' Donuts: Order coffee, bacon, and breakfast sandwiches without the bread.
- Best keto order: Snackin’ Bacon and a plain iced coffee
- Tim Hortons (Canada/US): Order coffee or tea drinks and sandwiches or wraps without the bread.
- Best keto order: Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap (no wrap) and an original brewed coffee
- Dutch Bros Coffee: Order unflavored coffees with cream.
- Best keto order: Nitro Infused Cold Brew
- Peet's Coffee: Grab a frittata and a coffee drink made with heavy cream or half and half.
- Best keto order: Bacon, Spinach, and Swiss Frittata and a Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte Made with Heavy Cream
- Fogo de Chao (Brazilian Steakhouse): Stick to grilled or roasted meats and non-starchy vegetables.
- Best keto order: Focus on grilled or roasted meats and non-starchy vegetables
- The Melting Pot: Indulge in cheese fondue and cook your own meats, avoiding breads, crackers, and chocolate dessert fondue.
- Best keto order: Stick with cheese fondue, vegetables, and meats
- Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House: Choose keto-friendly options like roasted chicken with asparagus and mushrooms.
- Best keto order: Roasted Chicken with Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Wild Mushrooms
- Texas de Brazil (Brazilian Steakhouse): Focus on meats and veggies.
- Best keto order: Choose meats and non-starchy vegetables
- Morton's The Steakhouse: Select from keto-friendly proteins and sides.
- Best keto order: Miso Sea Bass
- Five Guys (UK, Germany, Spain): Order your burger in a lettuce wrap.
- Best keto order: Bacon Cheeseburger, in a lettuce wrap
- Giraffas (Brazil): Choose meats and veggies, avoiding potatoes and rice.
- Best keto order: Medalhao de Alcatra, with a salad instead of fries and rice
- Kebab Turki Baba Rafi (Asia): Order kebab without the wrap, except for the dessert kebab.
- Best keto order: Kebab Meat Lover with no wrap
- El Jannah (Australia): Choose Lebanese-style charcoal chicken.
- Best keto order: ½ Chicken Plate with Mixed Pickles, no bread
- Nando's (South Africa): Opt for spicy Peri-Peri chicken and vegetable sides.
- Best keto order: 3 Peri-Peri Chicken Thighs with Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower
- A&W (Canada): Request your burger in a lettuce wrap.
- Best keto order: Sausage and Cheddar, served in a lettuce wrap
- Taco Bell: Remove high-carb rice and beans from most items.
- McDonald’s: Order bunless burgers or breakfast sandwiches, skipping the french fries and sugary condiments.
- Wendy’s: Order bunless burgers or lettuce-wrap burgers.
- Burger King: Order bunless burgers, skipping the hashbrowns at breakfast.
- Chick-fil-A: Choose grilled chicken, tracking macros closely due to breading and condiments.
- Starbucks: Stick to plain coffee or espresso, customizing with keto-friendly options.
- Subway: Opt for steak and cheese salad.
- Sonic: Order no-tortilla breakfast burritos and bunless sandwiches.
- Buffalo Wild Wings: Stick to classic wings over breaded boneless options.
- Five Guys: Enjoy burgers and hot dogs without the bun.
- KFC: Options are limited due to fried chicken.
- Arby’s: Order sandwiches without the bread.
- Jack in the Box: Customize orders, avoiding bread, buns, croutons, and sauces.
- Carl’s Jr.: Order burgers protein-style without the bun.
- Olive Garden: Choose keto-friendly meals, excluding never-ending pasta and breadsticks.
- Dunkin Donuts: Order plain coffee drinks or sandwiches without the wrap or bread.
- Panera: Stick to the salad menu, skipping the bread and chips.
- Moe’s: Customize burrito bowls, skipping the tortillas.
- Panda Express: Choose menu items under 15 grams of carbs.
- Pizza Hut: Choose options outside of pizza to satisfy cravings while keeping carbs low.
- Denny’s: Choose low-carb options like eggs, cheese, meats, and non-starchy vegetables.
- Jersey Mike’s: Order your sub in a bowl rather than on a bun.
Modifying Your Meal: 9 Simple Hacks
- Plan Ahead: Use restaurant finder apps or Google to search for "keto friendly" and "keto restaurants" in your area.
- Modify Meals: Most popular restaurants offer meals composed of a protein with a starchy side (think steak and fries), which are easily modifiable to fit your keto macros.
- Avoid Hidden Carbs and Sugars: Just one wrong ingredient can throw you out of ketosis.
- Read the Menu Carefully:
- Use Keto-Friendly Spices and Sauces: Most spices and some sauces are keto-friendly! Mustard or hot sauce are generally safe choices - just check the ingredient list to ensure they’re sugar-free.
- Pack Your Own Creamy MCT Oil: If black coffee isn’t your thing, pack a little Creamy MCT Oil to go!
- Opt for Healthy Keto-Approved Sides: Skip the main course altogether and opt for some healthy keto-approved sides instead.
- Ask Questions: Don’t be worried about annoying the waiter- you have questions that need answers. Do you want to know if the mayonnaise is sugar-free? Or if croutons come with that salad you want to order?
- Get Creative with Dessert: Chances are, most restaurants won't have keto-friendly dessert options, so this your opportunity to get a little creative!
Specific Examples of Keto-Friendly Meals
- Burger Joint: Replace the bread with a lettuce wrap, skip the sugar-loaded condiments like ketchup, and pass on the fries.
- Mexican Restaurant: Order burrito bowls.
- Salad Bar: Ask for no croutons and switch their sugary dressing for a clean classic you can’t go wrong with - olive oil, lemon (or ACV), and salt and pepper. Then add some meat, an array of veggies, and voila.
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