Is it possible? Is it really possible? One of the common things I hear from patients over and over again is “I want to eat healthy, but I have to eat out all the time.” What if I told you that there were great options at most any and all restaurants…including fast food!??! Well, its true. There are. Over the course of the next few weeks/months, mixed in with our recipes, we will try to post a few “dining out” experiences & best food choices there.
To kick it off, I thought I would start off with what many consider the toughest challenge to a low carb diet…FAST FOOD. Believe it or not, there are choices at most anywhere you or your family may frequent. Below is a Top 12 list. Check it out!
- Arbys: Chopped Farmhouse Salad with Roast Turkey (8 total carbs- 3 grams fiber = 5 net carbs. Top with Ranch or Bleu cheese & you are on your way to a fast food meal for < 10 net carbs!
- Burger King: Chicken BLT Garden Fresh Salad with Tendergrill (11 total carbs – 3 fiber= 8 net) Again, top with a creamy dressing for a great option!
- Chick-fil-a: Chargrilled chicken sandwich without the bun and instead wrapped in lettuce (6 net carbs). Another option would be to keep Low Carb Wraps in your car & place the chicken inside your wrap.
- KFC: Kentucky grilled chicken & Green beans side ( < 3 net carbs!)
- McDonalds: Double Cheese burger without the bun (< 3 net carbs). Again, you also have the option to wrap in your low carb wrap for an easy “on the go” option.
- Newks: Black & Bleu Salad (19 total carbs – 6.5 fiber = 12.5 net carbs) for an AWESOME salad!
- Panera Bread: Power Breakfast Egg Bowl with Steak (6 total carbs- 3 fiber = 3 net carbs). See…even in a place with BREAD in the name, you can find a GREAT option!
- Pizza Hut: All American Chicken Wings (6 piece) = 0 carbs! Another good option is to just scrape all the toppings off the crust & eat either on top of a salad or again, on top of your low carb wraps.
- Sonic Drive-In: Cheese burger with Mayo but no bun (3 carbs)
- Starbucks: Beware! Many people do not realize that half the reason why they love Starbucks coffee drinks so much is that they are loaded with sugar & carbohydrates. However, if you are going, don’t despair- there is a good option for ya! Instead of the Caramel Macchiato (34 net carbs), Go for Unsweetened Iced Coffee with Whole Milk (3 net carbs)
- Subway: BLT with Avocado Salad with Ranch Dressing (16 total carbs – 9 fiber = 7 net carbs!) In fact, most of Subway’s salads are a good choice (averaging anywhere from 7-15 net carbs) as long as you get the GRILLED meat.
- Wendys: Chicken BLT Cobb Salad (14 total carbs – 4 fiber = 9 net!)
This is just the beginning…so many options, truly! Like I always say, eating out doesn’t have to be hard…it just has to be LOW CARB! =)
Where are your favorite places to eat? Perhaps we can help you think of ideas if you aren’t sure what to order…