Eat out without killing yourself…

Life is crazy and I am busy! I can’t eat Paleo because I have to eat out so much!

Does this sound like you? Falling into the same old I-can’t-change-my-life-because-of-restaurants line? You’d be surprised how accommodating restaurants can be with your new lifestyle if you will only give it a shot! Here are some tips and tricks to save your guts while eating out! 1. Look for a meat entree with veggie sides. Almost every restaurant has some type of meat or fish that is grilled, broiled or baked. Ever ordered a steak with a baked potato? How about an omelet? Then you’ve eaten Paleo at a restaurant. Don’t make it more difficult than it is. Here are some options at local restaurants in Benton County that make it easy to eat Paleo when you’re out and about: • Country & Western Steakhouse AND Catfish Place - Grilled chicken or steak salad, no cheese or croutons - Cajun catfish (C&W) or grilled catfish (CP) with green beans and slaw - Any steak & baked potato, no butter. Sour cream is usually okay in small amounts • Goodwings - Grilled chicken strips • El Vallarta - Shrimp salad with guacomole, no cheese - Steak, chicken, and/or shrimp fajitas, no rice or tortillas. Order corn tortillas for a  splurge. - Steak, chicken, and/or shrimp with side of grilled veggies. Add some guacomole. - Guacomole • Wendy’s - Apple Pecan Chicken Salad - Grilled chicken, no bun - Burger, no bun - Baked potato, bacon & sour cream, no cheese • McDonald’s - Bacon Ranch Salad - Premium Southwest Salad with Grilled Chicken, no tortilla chips - Piece of grilled chicken plus a side salad • Taco Bell - Don’t even think about it. NOTHING with “beef” or “steak”. As established recently in the media, their meat is mostly soy or wheat. When in a larger city, most chain restaurants like Longhorn, O’Charley’s, Outback, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Chipotle have options. 2. Order sans bread, sauce, or shell. Like some of the above options, you can always order your meat or veggies without breading, bun, shell, or sauce. It’s very easy to say “hold the croutons, cheese, etc.”. Ask if there is gluten in the sauce or soup. 3. Order extra meat and/or an extra side of veggies. This is easy to do and won’t cost     you more than a couple of bucks. Plus, it fills you up at places that do not know what a serving of meat looks like. 4. Some foods can slide occasionally. Some non-Paleo foods are alright occasionally if there is no gluten, like sour cream, blue cheese, and white rice. Soy sauce, however, is never okay because of the huge gluten-bomb. 5. Don’t sweat it! Order a gluten-free dessert if you want it! If you mess up, don’t sweat it! Get back on the horse and make good choices at the next meal. Don’t take it as a license to eat whatever you want. All your progress isn’t lost from one meal or one mess-up. What do you order at restaurants? What's your go-to meal? Mine is salmon and broccoli! Comment below!