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Table of Content Don t Let Eating Out Sabotage Your Success Don t Show Up Hungry (Or Worse Starving!) Stay Hydrated All Day Know What You re Eating Plan Ahead Sample Paleo Restaurant Meals Pg 1 Pg 3 Pg 4 Pg 5 Pg 7 Pg 8 3
Don t Let Eating Out Sabotage Your Success It s a scenario that so many of you likely have faced you ve been disciplined, you ve followed the paleo diet strictly, prepared your own food and had great success. In fact, you re probably really starting to like the paleo diet and you re seeing not only weight loss, but also increased energy, clearer skin and better overall health. This is great! But then you agree to a dinner with friends at a popular bar or restaurant, or an intimate date night with your significant other at the hottest new bistro in town Then you re likely faced with that basket of bread your waiter just brought to the table, or you aren t really sure how to select a paleo option from the menu, or maybe you re too intimidated to ask the waiter exactly what ingredients are in the soup of the day. It s at this point you may find yourself feeling defeated and wondering why you agreed to eat in a restaurant in the first place. This is a common situation for many paleo followers.. You can have great success when you re in your own home and responsible for preparing your own meals, because you have total control over everything you re eating. You know just what ingredients are being used to prepare your meals, and you have confidence that everything is 100% paleo friendly. However, while it may be more challenging, with a few tips and guidelines you can also feel a similar sense of confidence in the foods you re eating while in a restaurant. It may take more planning and self- control on your part, but in the end you can enjoy a great paleo meal in a restaurant nearly as easily as you can if it s a meal you prepared in your own kitchen. 1
Eating paleo in a restaurant also doesn t mean you have to eat a bowl of lettuce while your friends enjoy the tasty stuff. You can also enjoy great paleo food just like you do when its prepared at home. The key to success is: 1. knowing what to look for on the menu 2. how to avoid temptation, and.. 3. what questions to ask both yourself and the restaurant staff The following chapters in this ebook include a few guidelines for eating out, as well as a few sample restaurant meals you can order that are not on the menu and will be versatile enough to work for you in a variety of restaurants as long as the chef is able. By following the tips and sample menus you ll get the luxury of eating out, without the worry that you re sabotaging your paleo lifestyle. 2
Don t Show Up Hungry (Or Worse Starving!) You ve probably had the feeling of going food shopping when you haven t eaten in what seems like forever You find yourself walking down the aisles, taking the food in longingly and often filling your cart with foods you know you shouldn t eat or that you wouldn t normally eat purely because your hungry and everything looks appetizing. Well, it s the same idea with eating out.. If you know you re going to have a meal at a restaurant later in the day, eat properly throughout the day, because you want to avoid going into the situation with a completely empty stomach - it generally will lead you to being more likely to fall victim to temptation. Often, if you re feeling ravenous, you re more likely to give into the idea of just eating anything to satisfy hunger. Prior to going to a restaurant, have a small snack. Almonds and other nuts/seeds are always a great snack, or even just something as simple as a few raw vegetables or a small salad. By having a small snack you ll send the message to your brain that you re not so hungry that you ll just eat any food that comes within arm s reach. Eating at a restaurant isn t going to make a difference long- term in your health or your success on the paleo diet if you ensure to be as paleo friendly as possible, but oftentimes, just one time of eating a non- paleo meal may lead to future problems Because just one slip can change your mentality and lead you back into old eating habits that you worked so hard to break. By following the paleo diet consistently, you re- train your brain and your body. 3
Stay Hydrated All Day We all know the health benefits of drinking lots of water, but it can also have an impact on how much you eat, particularly when you find yourself in a tempting situation. If you know you re going to a restaurant for dinner, make sure you drink water throughout the day, as well as have another glass around 10 minutes before your meal. A big glass of water before a meal is going to make you feel fuller, which in turn will make you feel more willing to make positive paleo food choices. Often, we mistake thirst for hunger as well, so drinking a glass of water before a restaurant excursion is a great way to buy yourself the time you need to discern whether or not you really are as hungry as you think you are. Drinking water will also help you slow down before you make a food choice in a restaurant and think about what you re eating, rather than rushing into a food decision that might not be for the best. Choose the Order in Which You Eat Your Food Wisely If you re following the paleo diet, it s likely that you ll order items that are primarily protein and vegetable based anyway, but eating protein based foods first is an important way to keep your cravings under control and avoid temptations later in the meal. This is particularly relevant if you re ordering a green salad or fruit salad prior to a meal. If this food is without protein, you re going to continue to feel hungry even after you eat it, which will make you more likely to choose more foods unwisely as the meal continues. If you re going to order a salad, choose one that includes a protein source or ask for an add- on. Protein is great for your metabolism and blood sugar levels which means your brain will feel more satiated with the food you ve eaten. This is also a great way to avoid the dessert menu! 4
Know What You re Eating Beyond the temptation aspect, one of the most difficult parts of eating out for many paleos followers is that they don t really know what they re eating when they re eating in a restaurant. Oftentimes, foods that may seem safe, like steak or chicken breast are cooked in and/or with foods that aren t paleo, such as cooking in butter or having a coating of flour. Soups may seem like a good option, but they can be full of cream and/or other dairy products. Scrambled eggs, which may always seem like a safe paleo bet, are often prepared with milk, cream or cheese. A paleo dieter may also run into similar problems with foods like bacon. Bacon is a processed meat with preservatives and additives, and although you can purchase bacon that is nitrate, soy and gluten- free, this isn t likely what you ll be eating in a restaurant. Often restaurants are going to choose the foods that help them keep costs down, so keep this in mind as you select certain foods. While certain foods you buy at home may be a good paleo option, what you re eating at the restaurant may not be so suitable. Another common and often hidden preparation technique, besides using butter, is to coat meat such as seafood or chicken in flour prior to cooking. This is something to watch for if your goal is to remain 100% paleo. The best idea is to ask your server if this is something they do in their restaurant during the preparation process. Sauces added to foods can be another concern. Sauces may seem safe but many contain dairy products or other non- paleo ingredients. If you re unsure of the ingredients, make sure to ask, or just ask to leave them out of your meal entirely. 5
There are ways around these concerns and the number one solution is to ask your server. If you aren t sure how a food is prepared or what mystery ingredients may be lurking within your meal, just ask. Many servers know the detailed ingredients included in the meals at their restaurant. If the server isn t sure, you can always request he or she consult the chef, or you could ask to speak to the chef yourself. People will often avoid what they see as the embarrassment of asking too many questions at a restaurant, and then put themselves at risk for eating something they re not comfortable with, but in fact servers and restaurant staff are use to these questions. They encounter numerous customers with food allergies, specific food needs based on religion and customers on various dietary plans all the time. They aren t going to be upset by your questions, and will likely be glad to do what they can to let you know just what you re eating. Just as you shouldn t be afraid to ask questions, you also shouldn t worry about making special requests. For example, if you find out your omelet is going to be prepared with butter, just ask for olive oil as a substitute. Restaurant employees have hundreds of requests for substitutions, so don t be afraid to speak up and ask for your food to be prepared a little differently. 6
Plan Ahead One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself when it comes to eating out and staying paleo is to plan ahead. When you re faced with an overwhelming menu full of temptations, or you feel intimidated by a situation, it can become easy to push the paleo diet aside. But this doesn t have to be the case because you can prepare yourself for the situation ahead of time. A great way to plan ahead before a meal out is to check the menu before you ever step foot in the restaurant. Most restaurants offer online versions of their menus, so prior to going to the restaurant go over the menu and decide what you ll eat. This way, you don t even have to go through the struggle of browsing a tempting menu and being unsure of what to order. If you have a set idea of what you ll be eating you re less likely to make a poor choice. If you do find items on the menu that you aren t sure about, simply give yourself time to call the restaurant and speak with someone about the ingredients in a particular meal. This is a good way to avoid any intimidation factors of doing the questioning in person. If you find yourself eating out a great deal for work or social gatherings, research restaurants in the area and select a few suitable paleo options from each menu so that you re always prepared with a meal choice, regardless of the restaurant your coworkers may choose that day plus if you re a regular they may be able to remember your special requests! By having a ready- made resource of meals that are paleo- friendly at a large variety of restaurants, you re taking the guess work out of eating out and reducing the risk that you ll make an unwise choice. 7
Sample Paleo Restaurant Meals If you come across a menu that has nothing paleo friendly, or the only paleo friendly option requires you to make several alterations (for which you may still end up paying full price), see if you can make a meal up from foods on the menu. This is generally easier for breakfasts where the menu will usually include an extras section. For example Instead of ordering the Big Breakfast without bread, the potato rosti or the sausages (which likely have a binding ingredient of flour).. order.. A meal of sides 2 poached eggs, bacon, steamed spinach and sautéedmushrooms I can t tell you the amount of times I have ordered a meal like this in restaurants, and not once has it been a problem with the server or the chef. Here are some more options and ideas for you, to get your head around this simple but hugely beneficial concept! 8
Breakfast I generally find that breakfast is one of the easiest times to eat out and stay paleo. I put this down to the fact that a lot of the foods are simply cooked by themselves. For common breakfast meals that will meet with the paleo guidelines, look more towards the big breakfasts, meals with eggs and meals with vegetables. If there is nothing on the menu that can be altered slightly, for instance, by simply asking to not include the bread on serving, look to find paleo friendly ingredients within the menu then come up with the combination that you can order. Generally, the 'extras' are a perfect place to look. 9
Off- The- Menu Suggestions & Ideas Poached eggs with a side of steamed spinach and mushrooms (Ask to confirm if the mushrooms are cooked in butter, and if they are ask if they can instead be cooked in olive oil) Scrambled eggs with bacon and steamed spinach (Ask for the scrambled eggs to be dairy- free) Poached eggs with half an avocado and steamed spinach, tomato or mushrooms Steak (possibly one of the foods in the big breakfast) with vegetables of choice Bacon with poached eggs and vegetables of choice If you don't see fruit salad on the menu but you're feeling like something light, see if a fruit salad is part of the muesli on the menu or any other option on the menu - then ask if you can order it separately as a meal in itself 10
Lunch & Dinner Often the lunch menu will be similar to the dinner menu, so I'm combining these together in regards to possible meal orders you can make that are off the menu. One of the common problems with lunch and dinner meals is that most of them have some form of grain along with them. However, as gluten intolerance is becoming a big issue a lot of restaurants and cafés are making grain- free meals available, but you may go to a restaurant where it becomes difficult to find anything other than the salad to be grain- free - such as an Italian restaurant. One of the main things that often makes paleo ordering difficult is the fact that although there are many paleo friendly ingredients on the menu, most of the meals are preprepared in advance, and most of these pre- prepared meals include things such as marinating the chicken in non- paleo ingredients, coating the fish in flour (or seasoning which contains flour), having the beef already in the curry sauce. This is one of the many reasons why being prepared helps immensely, especially if you are prepared enough to call up the restaurant or café the day in advance after looking through the menu and asking them prior to the chefs preparing the food for the following day, to ensure your meal is prepared (i.e. not coating the fish in flour) and ready for you to order when you sit down. 11
Off- The- Menu Suggestions & Ideas A lot of menus will have grains placed to the side, if there is something on the menu that would otherwise meet with the paleo guidelines, simply ask for the grains (such as rice) to not be included in the meal Ask if you can order a simple panfried or grilled piece of chicken, steak or fish with a side of salad (Be certain to ensure that the protein source is not lightly coated in any form of grain or seasoning that contains grain) If the restaurant or café you are eating at is also open for breakfast and you re unable to order anything off the lunch/dinner menu, see if they have any breakfast foods available such as eggs, steak or bacon that can be your protein source along with either vegetables or a salad Consider combining ingredients from a couple of meals on the menu, such as the steak from one meal combined with the roast vegetables from another 12