Sometimes it can be hard to stick with your keto diet or your LCHF diet when eating out. We have all been in that situation when you go out with some friends and you all select a restaurant that you know does not serve keto/lchf food. In this article we will give some guidelines on what are the best alternatives to choose when going to different restaurants and eating out.
Keep in mind that in most restaurants you can actually ask the waiter to have one or two ingredients replaced with something else. As an example when ordering a burger you can usually replace the bun and the french fries with some extra salad. By just doing these small changes to a dish it can go from extremely unhealthy to perfect keto food.
In addition you can also choose the following dishes from different types of restaurants as they are the most keto friendly dishes.
Chinese Food
Chinese food in China is quite different from Chinese food you order in western restaurants. If you are traveling in China you can easily choose dishes depending on the pictures. In the western Chinese restaurants the food contains more sugar and is sweeter. The dishes you can choose are the following.
Chinese Food when eating out
* Pork spare ribs without any sauce
* Roasted duck (be careful with the sauce)
* Egg based soups
* Hot and sour soup
* Dishes with plenty of meat (without sauce)
Indian
Indian food is quite good if you are eating according to keto diet or the LCHF diet. You can eat almost all dishes except Dahl or any lentils. Of course you also have to avoid the rice. Also be careful with many of the curry dishes since they can contain high amount of potato.
Eating out Indian food
* Tandoori chicken
* Saag paneer (spinach based sauce)
* Chicken vindaloo
Mexican
Mexican food is high on rice or bean sauces that are not very good for you. There is also a lot of bread and tortillas included in many dishes which you need to avoid. Instead focus on the dishes that are either high on meat or choose the salad alternatives.
Mexican food eating out
* Chicken or Steak Fajitas, avoid the tortillas and sour cream with guacemole
* Chipotle salads
* Taco salad, but do not eat the shell
Burger places
The burgers you get at burger places are usually quite good. It is of course better if the burger is made locally instead of the fast food places that add a lot of extra things into their burgers. The main enemy for you is the bun that surrounds the burger but now you can in most places replace it with some salad leaves instead. Also completely avoid the fries and try to have them replaced with salad. Extra cheese and bacon is a way to create your own keto burger.
Simple keto burger
Italian Food
The main dishes that Italian food is known for is of course Pizza and Pasta. Both of these are bad for you. Try to avoid them. The good thing with most Italian restaurants is that they usually have very good salads and also some good meat alternatives.
Italian food eating out
* Any meat with marsala sauce
* Italian sausage
* Steaks
* Omelettes
* Any salad with olive oil sprinkled on top of it or with cheese in it
Japanese
The main thing from Japanese restaurants is Sashimi or Sushi. You should avoid the rice in the sushi and only eat the fish parts. You also have Teriyaki which you can eat most from. Always try to avoid the sweet sauces.
Eating out Japanese food
Summary of Eating out article
In most restaurants there are okay alternatives for you when being on LCHF diet or keto diet. It just requires you to know what to avoid and also try to ask the waiter to change a few ingredients. Also sometimes when you know ahead that you will go out to a restaurant it could be good to eat a little more before to ensure you do not end up being hungry at the restaurant and eating things that are not good for you.
Enjoy your time spent eating out at different restaurants
Johan Bengtsson
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I am new to this lifestyle. I have been doing a low carb diet now for just over a month…haha, newbie!, yet I have found this to be a very very easy transition. I woke up one day and said..”no more carbs”. I get easily confused at some of the websites explaining ketosis and macro nutrients and blah blah blah…I just cut out bread, rice, deserts, soda, and anything else with carbs. I mainly eat alot of eggs, chicken breast, tuna fillet, steak, along with my daily chicken salad with spiced coconut vinegar and virgin olive oil. I have my butter and coconut oil coffee, which I really enjoy! I might not be doing all of this in accordance with the book, however I know what I am doing is certainly working. Today, Mothers Day…I was stressed about out outing as we were booked with one of the better buffet’s I have been to.
Round 1 – I requested spicy tuna with no rice….I got served 2 small spicy tuna rolls with seaweed wrapper. Additionally, I had 3 tuna sashimi, and a small serving of fish salad (tuna, vinegar, veggies)
Round 2 – Salad time. Plate full of Romain lettuce with pesto and virgin olive oil dressing. 2 slices of cream cheese and several small cuts of Mozzarella.
Round 3 – Meat time. # cuts of Prime Rib, medium. 2 small cuts of turkey breast…no sauces. 1 1/2 cups of bbq tuna fillet with lemon drizzled over it.
Honestly, I know I completely went overboard, however this is the first time I didn’t feel guilty when I was leaving the place. As much as I love bread, and really fine deserts, it was extremely easy to pass up, as I was totally satisfied with my new caveman style of eating. I feel tho that after this buffet day, it will take me a couple days to get back into the fat burner mode.
Signed,
Content 8)