Going Paleo Part 4: Seven Tips for Dining Out

Halt your thought process right now and look at this:

Look again at an individual portion: 

Yes, you're looking at a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream bar. Yes, it's paleo, yes, I made it (down to the chocolate chunks) and yes, it was really freaking delicious. I LOVE those crap chocolate chip and M&M ice cream sandwiches from the gas station and these brought me right back to that place, except with natural, clean, unrefined, paleo ingredients. I cannot claim credit for this recipe, find it here and if you want to make your own chocolate chunks, I used this recipe and will try it out with carob next time. Since I have a problem with sugar (see almost every previous post for an explanation), I used only half the sweetener at every step and they were still delicious with the added benefit of my not housing the whole recipe. If you have self-control, go ahead and use the full amount. 

Now - dining out on paleo. You can and should eat out; cooking every meal is exhausting and if you don't give yourself a break, you will resent your new eating style. Plus dining out is one of the most fun ways to hang out with friends and family, to celebrate special occasions and life in general. Sure, use it as an excuse to gorge on non-paleo foods - that is, if you want to ruin all the good work you have been doing to improve your health - OR make smart choices about where you are going and what you are eating. Here are 7 tips for dining out: 

I talked to my waiter and got
this off menu beauty at
Blu Stone Bistro in Albany, NY

1. If you're in the driver's seat, choose a place with paleo friendly options. Look up restaurant menus online and choose accordingly. Look for baked, broiled or grilled protein with vegetable and salad options for sides. Even better, look for farm to table or organic-focused restaurants to ensure you are getting quality ingredients in your dishes. Chipotle, seafood restaurants and steakhouses are always safe bets. Many chain restaurants even have a separate gluten-free menu now, find links here and here or just do a google search and you will be rewarded.
2. If someone else has chosen the restaurant, call ahead or ask your waiter about gluten/dairy-free options on the menu. Gluten and dairy intolerance is no secret these days and restaurants don't want customers crapping their pants in their restaurant, therefore almost any restaurant can hook you up with compliant choices. Those who have chosen cooking as a profession want you to enjoy their food and are usually even happy to make you something off menu; nice restaurants in particular won't hesitate. It really isn't a big deal - see the email I received back from Red Rooster in Harlem. 
   
3. Still seems like a hassle? Then choose the "best" option off the menu. White rice and white potatoes are fair game to me when dining out, they have little nutritional value, but are safe starches and open up a world of options on a menu. However, I will eat everything else on my plate first before touching the rice or potatoes. At that point, I'm usually too full to eat them anyway. Same with corn tortillas at Mexican restaurants, I will usually have one of my tacos corn tortilla on, but then just eat the fillings and if i'm still hungry, turn back to those corn tortillas with extra guac. Here's my personal order of avoidance:
• Dairy
• Gluten
• Refined Sugar
• Soy
• Legumes
• Gluten-Free Grains (including corn) 
• White Potatoes
4. Swap your side. Look at the menu as a whole rather than just the side dish section and ask your waiter to swap your onion rings for the sauteed spinach or roasted squash that comes with another dish. 
5. "There's an app for that!" HealthyOut lets you filter restaurants nearby for dietary preferences including paleo. FindMeGlutenFree will pull up gluten-free restaurants for you and even a simple search on Yelp will get you results. 
6. If all else fails, get a salad, no cheese. add protein and ask for olive oil and vinegar for dressing; more often than not, restaurant dressings are full of sugar. 
7. Make a paleo treat (like the ice cream bars above!) and have it waiting for you at home so you aren't tempted by the dessert menu, but also don't feel deprived of a sweet ending to your meal. If eating out with friends, invite them over for wine and dessert and impress them with how delicious paleo can be!