7 Tips to Eating Paleo While Eating Out


As much as home cooked meals allow you to control your nutrition and calories to a large extent, eating out sometimes unavoidable. Eating out is a bit challenging when you are trying to eat healthy. The food can be a bit expensive, sometimes the ingredients are not paleo and finding a restaurant with a paleo-friendly menu isn’t always easy. Here are a few tips for helping you stick to a healthy paleo diet when eating out.

Choose Green Healthy restaurants

One good thing about Google is it allows you to research restaurants and narrow it down to your type. While doing this Google will provide a few addresses when you include ‘near me’ in your search e.g. paleo restaurants near me. Browse these options and check out which menu is most suitable for your dieting choice. Be sure to check out restaurant reviews on sites like Yelp.

Ask about the cooking oil

Many restaurants use corn, canola or vegetable oil. It is hard to have a restaurant change their cooking oil just for one person so you have to decide whether this is a big or small compromise. Ideally, olive oil is what you want to hear.

Keep away from sauces

When ordering meats, instruct the server not to put any source on it. Many sources contain non-paleo ingredients and flavors like MSG. You should ask for the sauce on a side dish. When ordering seafood ask the waiter to keep off the creamy based sauce that usually comes with seafood.

Let them know you are gluten sensitive or have allergies

Many restaurant managers are increasingly becoming aware of gluten sensitivity and certain allergic reactions people have to foods. If you inform your waiter that you have gluten sensitivity, they will provide appropriate suggestions.


Stay away from potato side dishes 

It is common for meats to be served with potato dishes like french fries or baked potatoes.  Instruct your waiter to remove the side dish and serve more vegetables instead.

Treat yourself to Mexican dishes

Mexican dishes are pro-paleo if you leave out the tortillas. Fajitas can be a good choice if you are out with a friend. Offer your tortillas to your friend while you enjoy the extra servings of vegetables and meat.

Be specific on seafood preparation

Deep frying seafood is the most popular method of preparing seafood in many restaurants. Breading is also a commonly used technique to keep delicate seafood intact while deep frying.  You can instruct the waiter that you want your seafood non-breaded and prepared as a grilled option or baked.

While eating out can tempt you to stray from a healthy diet, there are plenty of healthy and delicious paleo choices if you are willing to experiment.



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