Finding the Best Fast Food

You are doing the work, adopting Meaty Low Carb habits at home.

You’re feeling so much better since you started the Menopausal Health Reset – sleeping good, a clear head, energy that came from nowhere – and you’re excited to keep this going.

But today you are faced with a new challenge… eating out on the go.

Sometimes you have to make do with what you’ve got. However, this doesn’t mean throw rationale out the window!

Below are some different fast food situations, and some good Meaty Low Carb options to leave you full, satisfied and free of guilt:

🍗 Chicken: Boston Market, Chick-fil-A, Church’s, El Pollo Loco, Popeyes, KFC. Choose broiled or oven roasted, never fried. Avoid the sweet sauces. Boston Market also has roasted turkey, beef brisket and meatloaf entrees.

☕️ Coffee Houses: Stick to straight coffee or with heavy cream. Iced coffees and teas often have sweeteners added so be sure to ask!

🥡 Ethnic: Panda Express offers vegetable and meat entrees. Skip the rice, noodles, heavy sauces and deep fried dishes. You can also try Chinese/wok-style buffets, Mongolian barbecues, Korean barbecues, and express Thai or Japanese for meat and curries. Watch for gluten in the sauces.

🌮 Fresh Mex: Chipotle, Baja Fresh, Baja Burritos, Chevy’s, La Salsa, Rubio’s, Qdoba and other local outfits typically offer a burrito bowl or bare burrito that’s customizable. Get lots of meat, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and veggies. Fajitas or Carnitas are also a good choice. Always skip the tortillas, beans and rice.

🍔 Hamburger Chains: McDonald’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Wendy’s, Sonic, In ‘N Out Burger, Five Guys. Order your burger without the bun, with cheese, bacon and guacamole, if available. Most McDonald’s have a set price for quarter pound patties, so order 4 or so.

🍕 Pizza: Even the gluten free pizzas are too carb dense for our purposes, though you can always scoop off the toppings. Look for antipasto salad or a meat sandwich sans the bread.

🥪 Sandwich Shops: Port O’ Subs, Subway, Togo’s, Quiznos. You can order a sandwich without the bread or get a salad version. Stick with oil and vinegar for dressing.

🥘 Sit-Down Restaurants Chains: Applebee’s, Bennigan’s, Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Ponderosa Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Ruby Tuesday, TGI Friday’s, et al. Request a gluten free menu to start, then search out meat and veggies. See if they will cook your food in butter. Some have decent salads but you’ll need to request olive oil and vinegar and avoid their dressings.

🧃 Juice Bars/Smoothie Shops: Haha, don’t bother. Concentrated sugar in a glass.