Being on a keto diet can be challenging enough for people used to high-carbs diet! When dining out comes into the picture, it becomes even more difficult to stick to the low-carb, high-fat diet. There’s also the matter of most restaurants either being dismissive or misinformed about the keto diet and the challenge continues.
Then again, there’s no reason to skip dinners with your family and friends just because you’re on the keto diet! You can keep these two fairly easy-to-follow rules when dining out.
Skip the High-carb Foods
This rule is a keto no-brainer because being on a keto diet means keeping your carbohydrate intake as low as possible, nutritionally speaking. You will likely find it difficult to resist the temptation since most restaurants serve carb-rich dishes and desserts. But if you want to stick to your keto diet, you should avoid these food items.
- Grains like rice, millet, barley and couscous
- Noodles including whole grain noodles and soba
- Tortillas and chips (But you can enjoy guacamole with salad and perhaps some celery with it)
- French fries and other potato-based dishes
- Pastries, breads, cakes and cookies
- Sweet sauces including ketchup (Cream-based sauces and gravy should be okay)
- Sweet potatoes, onions and carrots, among other side dishes made with root vegetables (Eat fennel and radish instead)
You may be so tempted to eat one of these carb-rich foods that you will eventually do so. Don’t beat yourself up about it because a single bite of, say, a cookie shouldn’t put your body out of whack.
Enjoy the Fat- and Protein-rich Foods
You will want to order fat- and protein-rich foods, however, since these are highly recommended on the keto diet. But eat them in moderation, too, since too much of them will affect your body’s ketosis.
A few examples of the keto-suitable foods that you can order at a restaurant:
- Meats like chicken breasts, steaks and pork are excellent options. Just skip the sweet sauce and other unsuitable foods on the keto diet.
- Seafood including shrimp, mussels, crab, and squid as well as fish are allowed. Plus, you will get heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids from these foods.
- Vegetables are generally allowed on the keto diet but skip the starchy ones, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes. You can also order salads but don’t put on the dressing.
- Eggs are great choices, too, because you can have these in dozens of ways.
- Cheese and cured meat appetizers should be a great start to your keto diet in a restaurant.
If you want less temptation to indulge in carb-rich foods, you should consider eating out at buffet restaurants like the Golden Corral. You can pick and choose based on your keto preferences from the buffet selection, especially since there are plenty of keto-suitable dishes. Your choices usually include grilled fish, roast turkey, and steamed vegetables.
You should eat out at restaurants once in a while even when you’re on a strict keto diet. Life is too short to keep yourself away from your family and friends just because you have different lifestyle preferences.