Adam
Description: Want to try a ketogenic diet but don’t feel inspired to plan and prepare meals? Well, you are lucky because today we will be talking about eating out when on a keto!
Lately, we hear more about the advantages of low-carb, high-fat diets, and one that sort of stands out as a leader among them is a ketogenic diet. One reason for such an enormous success of this nutrition plan is, we believe, the fact that it is pretty efficient when it comes to weight loss. Besides, some celebrities chose it as their lifestyle and, thus, are promoting it as something that has life-changing capacity.
Indeed, the ketogenic diet comes with a lot of health benefits; weight is just one of them. However, as a nutrition plan that suggests eating exceptionally low levels of carbohydrates and high levels of fat, it is pretty restrictive in terms of what you can eat. Generally, there are variations like a modified keto, for example, that allow you for a bit more freedom, but you still have to plan and prepare the meals carefully.
This can be frustrating if you don’t like to spend or don’t have time to spend in the kitchen. Because of the idea that there are no keto-friendly options, if you want to eat out, a lot of people give up on a diet altogether.
Nonetheless, things are not as dark as they might be, and we decided to share with you some tips on how to follow a ketogenic diet and eat out. Before we go on, if you are following a keto plan, you might be curious to learn about the best keto supplement as well.
Eating Out on a Ketogenic Diet
Choose the Restaurant Wisely
Life became much easier since we are living in the era of the Internet. Many restaurants now have their menus online, so you can investigate and find those that have options following a ketogenic diet plan. Look for those who have low levels of carb and appear to be delicious. When you go to the restaurant, see if you can combine different things to customize your meal the best way possible.
Avoid the Starch
Indeed, most restaurants offer bread, fries, or rice as a side dish. Avoiding them shouldn’t be complicated because they can substitute with salad, grilled veggies, or something similar. If you are in a mood for a burger, you can explain that you are on a ketogenic diet eating out and ask them to replace the bun with lettuce.
Include Healthy Fats
Relatively big problems when you are eating out on a keto is that because you are not consuming carbs, you might still be hungry after you finish the meal. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Our ketogenic diet tips include adding more healthy fats to your meal. What you can do is ask for more butter or more olive oil for the dressing of your salad. You can also ask for heavy cream for coffee, for example.
Avoid Sugar
This might be hard because sugar is everywhere. For example, your friends might be eating a delicious fruit yogurt that can seem like a good option. But it is necessary to know that these, even if they are high-fat, often also contain a high amount of sugar. The safest option for you is to get plain high-fat yogurt, like the Greek yogurt, and if you want to sweeten a bit, you can cut few strawberries or add blackberries or some other berries. Keep in mind that besides berries, you should say goodbye to fruits as long as you are on a ketogenic diet. Of course, also you need to skip on cakes and other desserts. If you cannot resist while your friends are enjoying sweets, you can ask for a cheese plate or heavy cream with berries.
Skip Juices and Sodas
We know it can be hard when you are having lunch with your friends on scorching summer days, and they are enjoying a glass of cold soda or juice. But, remember, sugar is a big no-no. You can satisfy your thirst with cold water with a bit of lemon or iced tea without added sweeteners.
Pay Attention to the Sauces
Do you like to dip? Yes, we do too, but if you are following a ketogenic diet, then you have to be careful about the carbs in the sauces you choose. For example, ketchup is packed with sugar, and you should avoid it. On the other hand, something like Béarnaise sauce contains mainly fat.
Of course, if you don’t know what the sauce is made of, the best thing is to ask to be sure it is safe to eat when on the keto.
Alcohol
Ideally, you should drink only coffee, tea, plain, and sparkling water. But we, of course, understand that adults enjoy drinking alcohol when they go out. So it is okay to drink alcohol, but make sure to choose wisely. For example, the right choices are champagne, dry wine, light beer, or spirits.
Conclusion
Indeed, it is hard to say that a ketogenic diet isn’t restrictive, but it shouldn’t mean that you need to suffer and pretend you have other things to do when your friends are going to a restaurant. It is, as you can see, not difficult to enjoy on a keto as well. You need to take some time to plan it adequately. Have you thought about trying this nutrition plan before?
