So you’re doing great. You’ve been watching your carb intake and steering clear of spikey foods. You’ve pushed through the low carb induction malaise (aka – the dreaded Keto Flu). Your clothes fit better and the scale has been your friend. Yay! Thing is, now you’re looking to go out to dinner. Maybe it’s Date Night or a friend’s birthday. Maybe just lunch with co-workers. Just adapt!
Tonight, Coach Loli and I went to one of our favorite local restaurants. It’s a Middle Eastern / Mediterranean style place. If you know anything about those cultures, you know that rice and bread are the norm. No worries.
We both got a lamb kabob plate. We asked for something green to be substituted for the rice – and the proprietors kindly obliged with a nice green salad. We also asked that they not provide bread for the table. Additionally, we try to keep some small bottles of a quality olive oil on hand so that we can up the fat content of the meal and feel satiety afterwards.
All that said, there was still hummus on the plates. We both indulged to varying degrees (my degrees varied FAR more than Coach Loli’s). The salads had tomatoes – and I had some while The Coach abstained. In the morning, we’ll likely both still have completely acceptable blood sugar and ketone numbers.
Learn how to make the best of a menu and figure out what indulgences you’d like to undertake. Keep in mind how you feel – and if you track things like blood glucose, see how those biometrics track. Enjoy your food and the company it brings! Just be wary that it not turn to license to go off the rails for multiple meals. In time, making these adjustments will be second nature and you’ll be able to stay metabolically healthy with the occasional menu challenge.
