For those on a low-carb or keto diet, there is almost always something you can eat at every fast food place or restaurant. plan ahead. Before entering a restaurant, check their menu and nutritional information online, at home or using your smart phone. It’s always good to know the safe alternatives before being tempted by menu items that shouldn’t be on a low-carb diet.
To make it easy to find a quick keto-friendly option, I’ve put together a list of several restaurants and fast food places and the items I’ve found to be the lowest-carb (and most emotionally satisfying) options. Not all of these are perfect options, but they’ll do in a pinch when you’re stuck with another option due to time or space constraints.
It’s a big help that fast-food places are required to post nutritional ingredients. The keto plan gets easier to follow every day. The carb counts I’m listing are approximate and are net grams.
In general, wherever you are, there are usually some salad options. At burger joints, simply remove the bun, and many offer lettuce wraps instead. Chicken should not have breading.
As a side note, it helps to have a knife and fork in your car or purse. Big, juicy burgers in little pieces of lettuce end up on the table – or in your lap. Small, flimsy fast food plasticware also makes eating difficult. Get out your own sturdy pots and enjoy!
Now about the food choices… here are some clear general rules to follow:
- leave bun or wrap
- skip pasta, potatoes or rice
- Salad – no croutons. Stick with low sugar dressing options – Caesar, Blue Cheese, Ranch, Chipotle. Look at the name that might give you a clue, things like “honey” in honey Dijon or “sweet” in a dressing name – these usually aren’t a good choice. Check the ingredient list for items that have a high carb content.
- Chicken – Choose grilled or sautéed. Stay away from any breaded chicken.
McDonald’s – Choose any burger (zero g) or grilled chicken (2 g) without a bun and top it with cheese, mayo, mustard, onions, etc. No ketchup. Add a side salad (3g). Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken or Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken is 9g.
Burger King – Burger info similar to McDonald’s: Burger without bun (zero G) and topped with cheese, mayo, mustard, onions, etc. No ketchup. The Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich without the bun is 3G. Caution – you may think the veggie burger is low, but it’s 19 grams of carbs, so that’s about a full day’s worth of carbs on keto. Add a side salad (3g). Tendergrill Chicken Garden Salad without dressing or croutons has 8 grams. Tendercrisp chicken salad is not an option. Don’t try
Bonus – Dessert!?! – Fresh apple fries not fried and without caramel sauce have 5 grams of net carbs.
Subway – Maybe skip the subway if you can. Buns and wraps are high in carbs. I guess you could tell them to put the ingredients in the wrapper without the bun, but it doesn’t sound appealing. I have no idea what the carb count will be for each bunless sub, but you can probably figure it out – chicken or pepperoni is fine, but is “sweet onion” chicken okay? no idea. Stick to salads, but realize you’ll only get iceberg lettuce (4g).
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s – This chain offers “lettuce wraps” – your burger wrapped in a large piece of lettuce for an easy low-carb meal. (Like I said, I tried it and didn’t like it. I prefer to carry my own fork instead.) Bunless option – Six Dollar Burger (7g), 1/2 Thick-Burger (5g) , Burnt Chicken Club Sandwich (7g/10g and Hardee’s). Grilled Chicken Salad without Croutons has 10 grams. Side salad is 3g.
Jimmy John’s – The Unwich – a sandwich wrapped in lettuce – fits the bill here. Meat is fine, just make sure the ingredients aren’t carb-laden.
Wendy – Again, you can get your burger in a lettuce wrap or in a box. Any burger with toppings. Mayo contains corn syrup, and has 1 g. Chicken Grill Fillet has 1 gram. It can be ordered in the Chicken Club Sandwich or the Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich. Best Salad: Chicken Caesar (7 g), BLT Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken. The side salad for Caesar is 6g or 2g.
Pizza Hut and other pizza places It is possible to get used to eating pizza without crust. You need to eat twice as much, but if there’s a party or dinner you can’t avoid, instead of pizza, just remove the cheese topping and eat a big, messy pile of cheese and toppings. A side salad is a nice addition. Otherwise, opt for making pizza at home with a low-carb crust.
Mongolian Barbecue – Yes! Load your bowl with chicken, shrimp, onion slices, and mushrooms, then top with Asian Black Bean Sauce. I know beans have carbs, but this sauce label says 1 gram of carbs per ounce (each sauce is clearly labeled). Add some garlic and wait for the griller to do its work. It goes without saying that you skip the appetizers, the tortillas and the rice. Tell wait staff not to bring them to the table.
Italian restaurant – They take a little finesse, but they can be conquered! Ideas: How about Chicken Marsala in an Italian place? Make sure it doesn’t come with pasta. Substitute broccoli or some other keto-friendly side dish — or a big salad. Chicken Piccata is also a possibility.
Mexican and Chinese restaurants are the toughest, since having no low-carb options is the reason to go to the restaurant in the first place. At a Mexican restaurant, I get a large burrito without beans and spread the soft tortilla like a plate. Eat the contents inside and toss the tortilla.
if you want to go chinese buffet (I attended a funeral dinner once), you can find substitutes, but they probably won’t be your favorite General Tso. How about salad bar options? eggs? The inside of the egg roll, and I also only ate the inside of the crab rangoon. Unfortunately, these ideas leave a pile of discarded shells and deep-fried outer pieces on your plate and feel like you’re actually wasting food.
wings anywhere – Standard Buffalo Sauce is usually fine with Garlic Parmesan as well
convenience stores Might be a good option too! 7-11 packs hard-boiled eggs, cheese slabs, Slim Jims, almonds, and pork rinds. The pork loins come in a barbecue flavor and they are zero carbs.
Remember, whatever you choose, have bread, potatoes, rice, noodles, fries, and a tortilla. And watch out for the potential for corn starch, bread crumbs, and other fillers. With proper planning and a good attitude, you can find healthy keto and low-carb options when dining out and stick to your successful keto diet plan.
Source by Katherine Palmer
