As nice as it is to eat at home, there’s no escaping the inevitable reality of eating out. Whether it be for work, family or friends, or emergencies, dining at cafes and restaurants is a very common part of modern life. Unfortunately though, they’re often the hot spot for poor food choices, causing many of us to break the habit of eating healthy. After all, you don’t necessarily know what goes into the dishes you’re served. How do you know if they’re using real, grass-fed butter or olive oil when cooking, and not industrial seed oils like canola or processed margarine? What about the dressings- do they include the same aforementioned seed oils, or sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives? Are they using plain, mineral-poor table salt? Again, there’s no telling what goes on in the kitchen.
Am I saying you should never eat out? No! We all have at least one favorite place to eat at. It’s nice to have someone else cook something for you (not to mention take care of the entailing cleanup). But there’s a right way and a wrong way to eat out, especially when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Today I’m going to show you some very simple ways in which you can enjoy eating out without having to sabotage your goals. On top of that, I’m going to give out sample recommendations for different diet types. That’s right- I’ll be giving ideas for vegan, flexitarian, and ketogenic diets. Because I think no matter what style of eating you adhere to, there should always be a way for you to stay flexible and enjoy your food without having to worry about breaking your nutrition.
Are you ready? Let’s get to it!

#1: Stick to the Basics
A good idea is to not stress over complicated dishes and focus on the basics. What does that mean? Think of looking for the basic macronutrients: protein, carbs, and fat. Now, in terms of the ratios, this is going to differ ever so slightly. A vegan would definitely benefit from having more carbs, whereas someone on keto would have more leeway to add more sources of fat.
Here are some examples of what a bare-bones, basic template would look like:

Vegans: Beans or Tofu (protein) + Rice (carbs) + a slight drizzle of olive oil (fat) over a basic dinner salad or side of steamed vegetables

Keto: Meat (protein) + steamed vegetables and/or dinner salad (carbs) + olive oil or extra guacamole on the side (fat)

Flexitarian: Meat or Fish (protein) + baked potato and/or side salad (carbs) + a slight drizzle of olive oil (fat)

If you’re determined to be as basic as possible, then this is a good template to work with. Nothing beats a nice serving of protein with a bunch of veggies when it comes to figuring out what to do.

#2: Modify
What if you’re eating a specific kind of cuisine, like Mexican or Italian? Or a burger joint? The keyword here is modify. Don’t be worried about raised eyebrows or the waiter/waitress repeating your request as if in shock. After all, you’re the customer. A paying one, at that. At the end of the day, the establishment wants your business. Don’t worry about making a scene. If you’re truly worried about any potential confrontation, you can always call ahead of time and request a special menu, that way when you show up they’ll already have something ready to serve you. This eliminates any need for explanation or taking a bit of time to modify your order. It’s all streamlined and simple.
But let’s get back to modifying. What might this look like?

Vegans: More and more places are adding vegan options to their menus. If you’re unable to call ahead of time to make a request or if the menu doesn’t contain any vegan sections, here’s what you can do. If it’s Mexican food, ask for the fajitas with no meat, and one to two extra sides of either plain or refried beans (note: if you’re strictly vegan, ask if the beans were prepared with lard; if they are, then stick with plain pinto or black beans). If it’s Italian, go for your favorite type of pasta with a simple marinara sauce. Order a salad with all the fixings like banana peppers, olives, and cherry tomatoes, but be sure to emphasize no meat and dairy. Minestrone soup is also another option that just so happens to be vegan. And if you’re up for it, you can still order a pizza (like a garden style or veggie), but have it made without the cheese. Chinese, Thai and Japanese establishments tend to be easier to navigate around. Opt for a tofu-based dish with steamed veggies, rice, and a broth-based vegan soup (think miso). You can request to have your fried rice without any meat, fish, or eggs. With burger joints, ask for a veggie burger and fries, fruit, or salad. The only downside with this, however, is that the veggie burger may be filled with processed ingredients and potential allergens like gluten, so do your research and decide if it’s worth it.

Keto: You’ll have more leeway in terms of ordering when keto. You can go to virtually any sandwich or burger place and order a meal without the bun or bread. Some places even offer a lettuce wrap as an alternative. Just be aware of any “special sauces” or condiments like ketchup that may contain extra sugar and carbs, which will potentially throw you out of (nutritional) ketosis. The same be done with burritos. Just ask for no rice and beans, and order it without a wrap (if they refuse, just undo the wrap and ditch the tortilla). Then add toppings like guacamole or avocado, peppers, sour cream, a bit of salsa, cheese, grilled or raw onions, lettuce, and cilantro. Or, simply go for fajitas without the tortilla, rice, and beans- it’s basically the same thing. Many places also offer steak, which can be easily be paired with a big garden side and/or side of steamed veggies (tip: to add a bit more flavor, order things like lemon slices, salsa, guacamole, or 0 calorie mustard, which can be used as condiments; even adding chili pepper or black pepper flakes helps). With Chinese or Thai restaurants, just go for plainly cooked meats and steamed veggies (no need for any rice or noodles), and steer clear from things like Honey Glazed Shrimp or Orange Chicken, which can both add significant amounts of carbs. With Japanese/sushi joints, you’re in look. Order your sushi either as sashimi (which is just raw fish without the rice) or in a Naruto roll, which ditches the rice and wraps the fish in cucumber.

Flexitarian: Similar to keto, you have more options. Go easy on your choice of carbs and make some swaps. Instead of white rice, have brown rice, or substitute with quinoa. Instead of hash browns, go for homestyle potatoes. If you see a meat-based dish that comes with veggies and a special sauce, ask if they could remove or put the sauce on the side. With salads, ditch the croutons. And if you’re still a little hungry for dessert, see if they have any fresh fruit.
During breakfast, you can either go for plain oatmeal and fresh fruit (just be sure to skip the brown sugar and dried fruit) or eggs. Eggs are pretty easy- have them poached, scrambled, or made into an omelet. With an omelet, the choices are endless. Something as simple as some veggies and maybe a bit of cheese can quickly turn into a filling but delicious meal.

#3: Research and Prepare
It wasn’t that long ago when we didn’t have any clue as to how many calories were in a restaurant’s meals. Nowadays, plenty of establishments provide a calorie count for all of the dishes that are served. Both online and on site. If you’ve just embarked on adopting a new way of eating, it would behoove you to take into account the usual places you wind up in, and look up the calorie counts for the meals you want to order. See if they contain way too many calories, and what you can do to cut those numbers down. (For instance, instead of ordering a blue cheese dressing, go for plain oil and vinegar.) Conversely, see which dishes they provide that align with or can quickly be modified to your diet of choice. And while you do that, write it all down in a notebook/journal. That way, if you somehow end up ordering out, you already have a “cheat sheet” to help you make wise decisions.

So while I recommend we all try to cook and eat our own food at home as much as possible, I do recognize the reality that not everyone is afforded this luxury, and that there are many of times when we need to be flexible. Instead of despairing over eating out with friends, let’s continue socializing and enjoying our food to boot. Just because you’re vegan or keto or anything in between does not mean you have to live like a monk. It’s not only possible to eat out, it’s doable.
But now I want to hear from you- do you have any tricks or tips for eating out? Let’s share them all together!