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Fast Food Guide

Whether you’re out and about and need a quick meal, or you want to go out with family to have a sit-down dinner, you will most likely be able to find low-carb and ketogenic friendly foods.

Here are a few general rules of thumb that you can apply to almost any fast food and sit-down restaurant:

  • Stick to meat, cheese, and vegetables. Most fast food and restaurant places put excess sugar and carbs in their ingredients. Stick with the simplest ingredients you can find.
  • Avoid the bun. Whether you’re ordering a burger from a drive-thru or a table menu, you can opt out of the bun. Typically, you can also add in extra sides like avocado, bacon, and low carb sauces if you request it.
  • If you get a salad, read the ingredients. Many salads have leafy greens and berries that are very high in carbs. It’s better to stick with simpler salads that include meat and ask for dressing on the side. Many Greek places offer low-carb gyro salads (make sure their meat does not contain filler). Avoid croutons where possible and pick out excess items that are carby from the salads.
  • If it’s breaded, try to avoid it. Chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, and other fried items will typically have a wheat flour-based breading. If you can, try to order your food with no breading.
  • Be cautious with condiments. While sauces and dressings are a fantastic way to get both fat and flavor into your food – they usually are filled with sugar. Be very careful with any sweet tasting sauces and try to opt for fattier salad dressings (that usually contain no sugar) like ranch, caesar, bleu cheese, or oil and vinegar.
  • Special request. While some people don’t like to ask for particular food, you can certainly do so at higher quality restaurants. The
  • re are so many hidden carbs and hidden sugars in the foods we eat that we truly do have to be careful with what we order. Just a few teaspoons of a sweet sauce can be 15-20g carbohydrates – almost all of your daily allowance.
  • Check online. Many food establishments put their nutritional information online. Some even offer a “build your own” style app where you can choose what ingredients you’re eating. This is a perfect way to see how many carbs are in the meats and side dishes.

If you’d like a detailed list of what to you can eat at some of the most popular food chains, read through our guide to staying on keto when you’re on the go. Or click on your favorite restaurant from the list below to see what you can eat there:

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