Eating Outside Your Home

Although we encourage you to cook most of your own meals at home, there are always going to be times when you choose to eat out at a restaurant instead. Traveling and social engagements are all a part of being in a community, and spending time with family, friends and co-workers is an important part of life.

So how do we eat when we don’t eat at home?

First, when traveling always have lots of healthy snacks with you in your bag or suitcase. Snacks like beef sticks, liver chips, oranges or grapes, bananas, dried fruits and seed-oil free bars should always be in your stash.

Second, be prepared to drink a lot of smoothies and juices instead of “meals.” When traveling on airplanes, choose to go without rather than eat the airplane “food.” Concentrate on drinking lots of fluids and grab a whole fruit smoothie or juice (most airports have places that sell these) with add-ons of whey protein, collagen and Vitamin C. You will feel better, less bloated, and when you arrive you can more easily switch to the new time zone and avoid jet lag by planning your meal to coincide with the local time (for instance, breakfast or dinner), instead of arriving stuffed and swollen.

Third, when going out to eat at a restaurant, try to choose a locally owned business that emphasizes farm to table, organic, grass-fed beef or locally grown produce. The Eater website is a great way to find such places when traveling. The food will be much more fresh and nourishing, you are supporting a local business, and it won’t just taste like expensive fast food laced with chemicals. Also, these types of restaurants will usually be the most responsive and understanding when you are placing your order. 

Speaking of which, how do you place your order?

Tell the server that you are very sensitive to ingredients and would like the chef to not use any oil on your food. Request butter only, and ask for all sauces to be served on the side (most sauces contain seed oils). Most local restaurants will have no problem honoring this type of request. Check to see what type of oil they use in their fryer (it will most likely be soy or canola), and then ask that nothing be fried if they don’t use beef tallow.

We typically stick to restaurants that serve steak or heavy meat dishes, and then we will order baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice as our side with lots of butter. If the place has raw oysters or peel/eat shrimp, even better. If they have a local bakery that makes their sourdough bread, certainly partake. Homemade ice cream or gelato is a bonus!

Even better is to choose your restaurant ahead of time based on the knowledge that they use traditional fats in their cooking. Apps like Seed Oil Scout and Local Fats are great ways to find and support restaurants that are taking a stand against seed oils!

By packing nutrient-rich snacks for travel, embracing intermittent fasting, and selecting restaurants that prioritize quality ingredients, we can savor delicious meals without compromising our well-being. Remember, the power is in your hands to make informed choices that align with your health-conscious values. Cheers to enjoying good food, nourishing our bodies, and supporting local businesses!