Maintaining any specialized diet while on the go can seem challenging, especially when faced with the convenience of fast food. However, with a little knowledge and preparation, it’s entirely possible to stick to your lifestyle even when you’re short on time. The paleo diet is so deeply entrenched in the public consciousness by now, some might think it's old hat. But paleo adherents, like dieters in general, are still legion -- and while purists would never dare set foot in a fast food joint, dabblers and casual paleo practitioners continue to be frustrated by the lack of paleo options when it comes to dining out. Luckily for them, there are a surprisingly high number of technically paleo options at several major fast food chains. Fast food is hard. Really hard. If you want an actual meal, you will inevitably have to compromise. Let's explore how to navigate Paleo fast food meals, make smart choices, and maintain your commitment to your diet without sacrificing convenience.
Understanding the Paleo Diet Basics
Before diving into fast food options, it's crucial to have a solid understanding of what the Paleo diet entails. The Paleo diet focuses on whole, unprocessed foods that our ancestors might have eaten. According to the Mayo Clinic, the diet mimics a caveman-like eating regime, including foods that could be hunted or gathered.
This includes:
- Lean meats
- Fish and seafood
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Healthy fats like olive oil and avocado
Everyday Health adds that those who eat paleo can add olive oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil in moderation. Avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugars, and processed foods is key. Keeping these guidelines in mind will help you make better choices when you're faced with a fast-food menu.
Choosing the Right Restaurant
Not all fast-food restaurants are created equal when it comes to Paleo-friendly options. Some chains offer more flexibility and healthier choices than others.
Read also: Paleo Granola Recipes
Look for places that offer:
- Grilled proteins: Grilled chicken, steak, or fish are great options.
- Customizable menus: Places where you can build your own meal or salad are ideal.
- Fresh sides: Salads, vegetable sides, and fresh fruit options.
Focusing on Protein-Rich Meals
One of the easiest ways to stay on track with Paleo is by focusing on protein. Many fast-food joints offer grilled chicken, beef patties, or fish.
Here are some tips:
- Ask for grilled, not fried: Always opt for grilled over fried to avoid breading and unhealthy oils.
- Double up on protein: Consider asking for extra meat to make your meal more satisfying and nutrient-dense.
- Skip the bun: At burger places, you can often request your burger "protein-style" (wrapped in lettuce) or simply ask for no bun.
Customizing Your Order
Customization is your best friend when eating Paleo at fast-food restaurants.
- Build a salad: Start with a base of leafy greens and add grilled protein, avocado, nuts, and a simple olive oil or lemon juice dressing.
- Swap out sides: Replace fries or other carb-heavy sides with a side salad, fruit, or extra veggies.
- Hold the sauce: Many sauces and dressings contain sugar, dairy, or unhealthy oils. Stick to olive oil, and lemon juice, or request sauces on the side to use sparingly.
Beware of Hidden Ingredients
Fast food often contains hidden sugars, preservatives, and other non-Paleo ingredients.
Read also: Paleo Diet Delivered: What You Need to Know
Be cautious of:
- Salad dressings: Many are made with soybean or canola oil and contain sugar. Opt for simple oil and vinegar, or bring your own dressing.
- Seasoned meats: Some grilled meats may be marinated in sugary or soy-based sauces. Ask if the meat can be prepared plain.
- Beverages: Stick to water, unsweetened iced tea, or black coffee. Most other drinks contain sugars or artificial sweeteners.
Paleo-Friendly Fast Food Chains and Menu Options
Here are some specific examples of fast-food chains and menu options that can be adapted for a Paleo diet:
Chick-fil-A:
In 1967, S. Truett Cathy opened the first Chick-fil-A hoping people would enjoy more chicken instead of beef. A 1995 Chick-fil-A marking campaign that cleverly featured a cow painting a billboard with the words "Eat Mor Chikin" solidified this dream, creating a branding image that is still used decades later. Today, Chick-fil-A is the best-selling quick-service chicken chain in America. Paleo eaters avoid grains, commonly found in fried foods like fried chicken. What you may not know is Chick-fil-A offers grilled chicken sandwiches and nuggets. As mentioned, grains don't have a place at the paleo eater's table, so we suggest the grilled nuggets in this case. The grilled nuggets come in counts of five, eight, or 12, so we recommend grabbing a dozen to maximize your meal. As is so often the case, there is technically nothing on the menu that passes paleo muster here, but there are a few choices that may be close enough for some.
- What to eat: The grilled nuggets and buffalo sauce are acceptable. The Superfood Side salad is a good choice (it contains maple in the dressing but maple syrup is paleo-approved). You can also order the Southwest Salad or Grilled Market Salad without cheese and without dressing.
- What to watch out for: Literally everything (else) on the menu. As for the above, soybean oil, sugar, molasses and grape juice concentrate all show up in the ingredients list for the nuggets alone, which means they are not actually paleo, but they're as good as you're gonna get at this (and most other) chains. The buffalo sauce isn't purely paleo either, but it's the only one on the menu without corn syrup and soybean oil, so that's something.
Shake Shack:
Read also: Paleo Mayonnaise Recipe
If we shared that Shake Shack started as a single hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in New York City, would you believe us? Shake Shack prioritizes premium ingredients, and those who follow a paleo diet appreciate that focus more than most. Finding paleo-friendly options at a chain that offers fries, burgers on buns, and milkshakes can be challenging. The chicken items at Shake Shack are hand-breaded and fried in soy oil, making these products not paleo. On the other hand, many burgers come on buns and contain cheese and condiments, contradicting the paleo diet. Modify the Avocado Bacon Burger by removing the cheese and ShackSauce. Additionally, order a lettuce wrap sans bun to comply with the low-carb aspect of paleo. Add cherry peppers, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onions to beef up your burger.
Chipotle:
Honestly, Chipotle has probably always been the top option when it comes to fast food that's reasonably healthy and way less processed than is the norm. Chipotle also does a good job of sourcing its food and you can see all the ingredients they use here. At Chipotle, the order opportunities are endless. The fast casual restaurant made it easy to customize your meal, whether inside a tortilla, added to a bowl, folded into a quesadilla, or scooped into a taco shell. Chipotle bowls can be tailored to all taste preferences, allergy needs, and diets. While most Chipotle goers know about its customizable burritos and bowls, most people are not as familiar with the relatively new Lifestyle Bowls. According to the marketing on the Chipotle site, they want you to "match your bowl with your goal." Essentially, no matter what diet you follow or even explore, Chipotle can customize a bowl just for you and your needs.
- What to eat: It's not difficult to build your own paleo bowl, but they've taken all the guesswork out of the equation with their new "Lifestyle Bowls". The Paleo Salad Bowl contains "braised and hand-shredded barbacoa, fajita veggies, green salsa, and our hand-mashed guacamole on a bed of fresh chopped Romaine lettuce." If you still want to construct your own, all meats (steak, chicken, barbacoa and carnitas) and grilled fajita vegetables are fair game. As for other toppings, the tomatillo green chile salsa and fresh tomato salsa are paleo. Pile on that guacamole, too. For this chain, there is no need for modifications. The Paleo Bowl combines lettuce, chicken, fajita veggies, tomatillo-green salsa, and guac.
- What to watch out for: No rice, beans, cheese or sour cream, of course, and no tortillas or chips either, but you can always double up on the avocado if you're feeling decadent. Skip the sofritas, which are made with soybeans. Since corn is not considered paleo, pass on the roasted chili-corn salsa too.*Bonus Chipotle hack: If you want to get more meat in your order, try the 1/2 + 1/2 = 3/5 trick. Basically, instead of ordering double meat, order half of one type of meat and half of another (half steak/half barbacoa). You can also add extra grilled onions, tomatoes, and chilis, depending on how you like your veggies.
In-N-Out Burger:
The West Coast favorite showcases a very simple menu to its guests dining in or in the drive-thru, but frequent In-N-Out goers know that the best stuff is from the secret menu. In the case of a paleo dieter, your options are limited but not impossible. In addition to ordering it protein style, avoid the restaurant's signature spread that does not meet paleo standards. And if you have a big appetite, try ordering a double protein style to get an extra meat patty added to your order. The nice surprise with In-N-Out is that it is cheeeeeaap.
Sweetgreen:
Salad lovers unite. Our next paleo-friendly fast food option that won't ruin your diet comes from one of our favorite salad chains, Sweetgreen. While this chain might be healthy overall, not every menu item fits the bill for paleo eaters. At Sweetgreen, the best idea is to order a custom bowl. To make a custom bowl, you will move through a line similar to a Subway sandwich assembly line. In-store and online, the bowl begins with a base of lettuce and grains, but paleo eaters should skip the grains. The second step is toppings, a great place to load up on veggies. Next, add premium ingredients, aka the expensive stuff, but other than meat, you will need to forgo other options like the parmesan cheese crisps. Finally, the last step is the dressing, which unfortunately does not fit into the paleo diet.
Starbucks:
We all think of Starbucks for its creative coffee and tea creations, and while this chain does not provide the most paleo options on our list, we found a few that fit the diet. Starbucks offers a variety of protein boxes, but we found the Eggs & Cheddar Protein Box to be one of the most paleo-friendly options. To ensure this meal is paleo, consume only the hard-boiled eggs, apples, and grapes from this box. Of course, dairy and bread are not considered paleo, so remove the cheddar and multigrain muesli bread to comply.
El Pollo Loco:
El Pollo Loco specializes in Mexican grilled chicken, making this chain the perfect paleo-friendly fast food option that won't ruin your diet. Like other restaurant chains, El Pollo Loco jumped on the healthy bandwagon by releasing a Pollo Fit Menu. The Keto Burrito contains lettuce, cabbage, chopped grilled chicken, avocado, Pico de Gallo, cotija cheese, and cilantro dressing wrapped in a keto-friendly tortilla. To make this meal paleo, order the burrito without cheese or dressing and simply undo the burrito to create a bowl. If you want to get more out of your meal, the Double Chicken Avocado Salad packs more veggies than the burrito. Although according to its nutrition info, both options offer more than 50 grams of protein.
Panera Bread:
Panera Bread fans live for the bread bowls, pastries, and mac and cheese from the popular fast casual chain, but these popular items won't do it if you follow the paleo diet. Thankfully, Panera Bread offers some menu items that are sans grains, dairy, and processed sugars. To find the best meal just like the caveman used to do it, we grabbed a Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken from Panera Bread. At first glance, this seems like it would not require any modifications. The Strawberry Poppyseed Salad contains lettuce, pecans, strawberries, chicken, pineapple, blueberries, and mandarin oranges. Due to the strict paleo guidelines that discourage processed sugars and oils, followers of the diet will need to remove the pecans, oranges, and dressing. According to Panera's ingredient information, the pecans are roasted with cottonseed oil, the oranges are covered in sugar, and the dressing contains many ingredients that are not paleo-friendly. We’ve highlighted Panera’s paleo options before.
CAVA:
A Mediterranean culinary brand, CAVA is all about making healthy food highly customizable. CAVA started with three friends who took inspiration from their Greek families and the food they were constantly surrounded by as kids (via CAVA). Add in the fact that one friend was a chef, and the magic of CAVA began. CAVA makes it easy to create a paleo-friendly salad. Start with a lettuce base; you can choose from SuperGreens, arugula, spinach, romaine, or SplendidGreens. The next step in the line includes dips and spreads, and this step should be skipped if you want to follow paleo. Next, choose your protein, other than the falafel, which is not paleo. Finally, add your favorite toppings. Be selective with this step as many toppings such as crumbled feta, fire-roasted corn, and lentil tabbouleh are not paleo-friendly.
Jimmy John's:
If you like sandwiches, then you know Jimmy John's. The chain started with only four variations of sandwiches and is known today for its 18 different offerings and insanely fast delivery (via Jimmy John's). We appreciate this, but you may be wondering how sandwiches fit the paleo guidelines. Paleo eaters do not consume grains and bread if you haven't been paying attention. In 2003, Jimmy John's released the Unwich. If you love Jimmy John's but don't mess with bread, the Unwich is basically a lettuce-wrapped sandwich. Now that we ditched the bread, it's time to pay attention to the fillings. We recommend ordering an Unwich Beach Club without cheese and mayo. This sandwich comes with turkey, avocado spread, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato, and it's delicious and filling even without the bread. Jimmy John’s can make any sandwich as an unwich (lettuce wrap, no bread).
Taco Bell:
Next on our paleo-friendly fast food options list, we're diving into the menu at Taco Bell. While your idea of Taco Bell likely correlates with late-night eating or a road trip snack, the chain does provide healthier offerings and paleo-friendly options. You won't find quesadillas or Crunchwrap Supremes in this order. A standard Taco Bell Power Bowl includes black beans, seasoned rice, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, avocado ranch sauce, and tomatoes. Additionally, you can add more beans, chicken, beef, steak, potatoes, jalapeño peppers, onions, fries, or more cheese for various extra charges. To ensure your order remains paleo, order the power bowl, substitute the lettuce for rice, and remove the sour cream, cheese, beans, and avocado ranch sauce. With all these modifications, we recommend also adding chicken, jalapeños, and onions to beef up the bowl.
- What to eat: Steak, chicken, lettuce, pico, guac -- there may not be as many options as at Chipotle, but you can still order several combos of ingredients that fit the bill in a satisfying way. Take their Power Menu Bowl for example. You'll have to replace the rice and beans with extra lettuce, skip the cheese and sour cream (ditto the avocado ranch sauce), but you can add paleo-friendly toppings like sliced jalapenos and extra pico and guac. If you're feeling like red meat, swap in steak for the chicken. Fire sauce is acceptable for spicing it up.
- What to watch out for: The ground beef mixture at Taco Bell is not paleo due to additives (i.e., it's not just pure ground beef). You'll also have to skip the dairy (sour cream and cheese), tortillas and taco shells, and beans.
Five Guys:
Lean meat and fish represent a significant portion of paleo diets, making the high-quality burgers at Five Guys a good choice for paleo eaters. While the fries won't be included in your order at Five Guys, a classic hamburger can provide a paleo-friendly option. Unlike other burger chains that require a ridiculous amount of modifications to stay paleo compliant, Five Guys gives you plenty of topping options. We recommend skipping the condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese, etc.) and sticking with lots of veggies when staying paleo.
Wendy's:
The next paleo-friendly meal on our list may surprise you. While Wendy's is famous for square beef patties and Frosty desserts, it also offers a wide variety of salads. With a few modifications, Wendy's Southwest Avocado Salad can be a great paleo-friendly meal. This salad includes a blend of lettuces, pepper jack cheese, diced tomatoes, avocado, Applewood smoked bacon, and grilled chicken, all topped with Southwest Ranch Dressing. If you have been paying attention thus far in our paleo roundup, we have to remove the cheese and dressing from this salad for it to be considered paleo. Wendy’s doesn't have an obvious gluten-free menu, but there are a few options.Wendy's pilot salad program in Canada:
The salad definitely delivered when it came to the fresh vegetables. There were lots more finely sliced red peppers and tons of edamame. This salad is currently being piloted by Wendy’s in Canada. Soon it will be rolled out in the USA. However, nobody at Wendy’s can give me a concise detailed breakdown of the nutritional content. I mean, I really tried getting access to that info. I called Wendy’s head office and they didn’t have a clue. And, finally I called the local restaurant where I bought the salad, and the manager on duty could only tell me that it is comprised of 380 calories.Wendy's other options:
If you're more strict with yourself than not, there are many other minefields to look out for. For instance, Wendy's has an Apple Pecan Chicken Salad that seems like a pretty good bet as long as you hold the blue cheese. But check that ingredients list and you'll see that it's still not paleo, as the roasted pecans are made with honey and added sugar and the pomegranate dressing has sugar and soybean oil -- even the seemingly innocuous grilled chicken on top is made with potato starch. And yet, this may be another case where you choose not to let perfect be the enemy of good (or at least good enough). The good news is, many of these chains provide pretty detailed nutritional information online and/or on their menus, so you can be aware of net protein, carbs, and so on, and sometimes even find hidden ingredients, which is helpful for anyone who enjoys facing stark reality -- and making healthier food choices, of course.
McDonald's:
Next, we discover what the happiest place on earth has to offer. No, not Disneyland; it's the golden arches at McDonald's. As one of the largest fast food chains in the world, McDonald's is known for its hamburgers, specifically the Big Mac. Unfortunately, the Big Mac's triple buns, sauce, and cheese do not comply with the no grain and no dairy nature of the paleo diet. To find paleo-friendly fast food options that won't ruin your diet at McDonald's, opt for a plain hamburger lettuce-wrapped, aka no bun. McDonald's chicken does come fried, so there are not many options at this famous chain for paleo eaters. You can get a paleo-approved fresh egg at McDonald's -- just order a McMuffin without the meat, cheese, or English muffin. McDonald's will serve you fresh eggs if you ask -- they come standard on the Egg McMuffin, so you can order that and ask them to hold the bun, etc. Or you can try requesting a "round egg" on its own; your success will depend on how draconian the particular laws are at the location you visit.McDonald's Salad Experience:
Two of these are surprisingly McDonald’s restaurants and Wendy’s. So off I went in search of a 24 hr McDonald’s and a drive-thru Wendy’s. I had to see just what all the hype was about. As usual, the picture on the menu item rarely corresponds to the actual thing. I must say I was surprised with the result. The teriyaki sauce was not overwhelming, but the chicken tasted like they just nuked it in a microwave. Unfortunately roughly over 60% of the salad was comprised of iceberg lettuce (boring), 20% shredded carrots, 10% edamame (steamed soy beans) and the rest was comprised of meagre portions of other salad ingredients. I mean you really had to search for any other type of greens. Now to the cashews. Well, where are they? The staff totally forgot to include them in the order. In terms of nutritional content, this salad was small enough to be a good snack but not large enough to be a full meal. McDonald’s was very open with the ingredients and a breakdown of the nutritional information is easily accessible online. With one quick web search I had everything broken down for me. In terms of calories, this salad clocked in at only 300 calories (woohoo), with 13 g of fat, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 550 g of sodium, and only 22 carbs comprised of 5 g dietary fibre and 9 carbs of sugar. The exciting part is that it has a whopping 28 g of protein.
Burger King:
Burger King claims quality and taste are at the forefront of the company's mission. While this sounds great, for paleo eaters, it really comes down to ingredients and how items are cooked. Compared to other burger chains, Burger King's paleo options are more limited. Like other burger chains, getting your burger protein style (aka, wrapped in iceberg lettuce) is the best option to keep your meal paleo-friendly. Burger King flame grills their beef patties and tops them with pickles, mustard, and ketchup. Unfortunately, you will have to remove all those toppings to ensure that this burger stays paleo. We also recommend adding tomatoes and onions to give this hamburger more bulk.
Jack in the Box:
Jack in the Box is one of the most interesting fast food brands in the marketplace. The fast food chain set the standard for things like the drive-thru, breakfast sandwiches, and to-go salads. Now, Jack in the Box features one of the most diverse fast food menus. You can order anything from a burger and fries to tacos and egg rolls. At Jack in the Box, your fast food order options are endless. At Jack in the Box, we suggest ordering Jack's Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. This bowl is made with chicken, veggies, and rice, but you will have to remove the rice to comply with the paleo diet. Ask for no sauce and to add additional vegetables to replace the rice for a filling and low-carb meal.
Subway:
If Subway is your best or only option, you won't have to go hungry. A veggie salad with oil, and vinegar passes paleo muster. Subway: get a salad and you’ll skip most of the worst stuff.
- What to eat: You can order a salad loaded up with extra veggies from their toppings bar, with oil and vinegar as the dressing. You can also add various minimally processed meats like chicken and bacon, but -- to repeat the refrain -- even those less-processed meats may not be strictly paleo due to their cooking methods. The tuna salad is sort of paleo (except for the fact that the mayo contains soybean oil).
- What to watch out for: The namesake subs, of course, because bread. You'll also have to skip the cheese, processed meats like cold cuts, salami and ham,and most dressings besides the oil and vinegar (because even the other vinaigrette options may have hidden sugar and/or soybean oil). Even the “chicken” has 24 ingredients, including soy and MSG.
Additional Tips for Paleo Fast Food Success
- Plan Ahead: If you know you'll be in a situation where fast food is the only option, research menus online beforehand to identify potential Paleo-friendly choices.
- Read Labels Carefully: Always check the ingredients list and nutritional information to identify hidden sugars, unhealthy oils, and other non-Paleo ingredients.
- Don't Be Afraid to Ask: Communicate with your server and ask questions about how the food is prepared and what ingredients are used. More and more restaurants are able to accommodate specific diet requests.
- Pack Your Own Snacks: Keep Paleo-friendly snacks like nuts, seeds, or fruit on hand to avoid making impulse decisions when hunger strikes.
- Consider Local Options: Most cities have at least one local grass-fed burger joint - if you can find this, you’re absolutely in luck! If they’ve committed to grass-fed meat, they probably also use fresh ingredients and don’t throw in a lot of junk. You’ll probably be able to get a lettuce bun and some vegetable sides.
- Be Prepared to Improvise: That said, sometimes there are no other options. You’re dragged to your local takeaway by a friend or you find yourself stuck between places on your way to work. Note that these meals should not be everyday meals.
A Note on Compromise
Because of that processed food restriction, it's debatable whether any fast food ever can or should be called paleo -- but for those times when you just can't resist (or avoid) the drive-through, you can at least attempt to make better choices. Bottom line: If you're actually inside a fast food establishment in the first place, you're probably OK with bending the rules a little bit. If you follow a paleo diet, you'll likely find fast food chains challenging. Fast food meals generally contain a lot of additives, processed sugars, and salt, all of which go against the nature of the paleo diet.