The New Atkins Made Easy (31 page)

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Vet the eatery.
Before you firm up plans or make a reservation, check out the menu online. If you have the Atkins app on your smartphone, use the Dining Out feature. If the low-carb choices are limited, you may prefer not to put yourself in that situation. No menu online? Check the yellow pages under “Restaurants,” where menus often appear. Or do a stroll-by and scope out the menu posted in the window. If it's a takeout place, ask for a copy of the menu for future orders.

• 
Know before you go.
Once you decide on a restaurant (or have been invited by someone else), review the menu online. Then and there, decide what to order. When you place your order, don't be swayed by what others are ordering or the specials that the waiter describes in irresistible terms.

• 
Eat before you leave home.
This may sound like cleaning the house before the cleaning service arrives, but taking the edge off your hunger puts you, and not your low blood sugar, in the driver's seat when you sit down to eat. Half an Atkins bar, a chunk of cheese, a few slices of turkey breast, or another snack with protein and healthy fats is usually enough. However, if you're attending a dinner party where the meal may not be served until well after you usually eat, you might be wise to have a light meal, perhaps a salad topped with a protein source.

Your objective, of course, is to stay in control of the situation and not let such occasions become an excuse for falling off the Atkins wagon.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans eat at least one meal or snack away from home every day. Fortunately, you can eat out almost anywhere, as long as you pick and choose carefully. Regardless of cuisine or price point, all restaurants are in the service business, and making you
happy increases the likelihood that you'll return. To become an informed diner:

• 
Make your wishes clear.
Be sure the waitperson understands any modifications you want.

• 
Take menu health claims with a large grain of salt.
There are no standards for the terms “low carb” or “healthy.” Plus the latter usually refers to low fat, regardless of how much sugar is in a dish.

• 
No sauce, please.
Order a dish prepared without sugar or starches. And steer clear of gravy, which is almost always thickened with flour or cornstarch.

• 
No breading or batter either.
Inquire about ingredients and cooking technique. Make sure the entrée is roasted, grilled, pan-fried, or poached. Breaded or battered deep-fried dishes may contain harmful trans fats as well as mucho carbs.

• 
Downsize supersized portions
. Share a dish or take half home in a doggie bag.

• 
Pass on stews.
They're often full of potatoes or other starchy vegetables.

• 
Avoid temptation.
Ask for olives or cut-up veggies in lieu of bread.

• 
Double up.
Request a side salad or an additional serving of vegetables instead of the usual rice or potato served with the entrée. If your carb tolerance allows, ask for brown rice or another whole grain.

• 
Dress down.
Avoid packaged salad dressings, which are usually full of sugar or corn syrup, and most house dressings. Instead, ask for oil and vinegar (or lemon juice).

• 
Have a fallback.
If nothing on the menu seems “safe,” ask for a large salad topped with salmon, chicken, or another protein source.

• 
End on a low (carb) note
. A dish of berries with whipped cream or a cheese plate makes a great substitute for a high-carb dessert once you're out of Induction.

Eating out is about socializing as well as sustenance. Your pals are there to see you, not to get a lecture on how to eat or be made to feel guilty because they're digging into a humongous plate of pasta. Likewise, you can get information about ingredients and such from a waitperson without needing to expound on your eating habits. Follow these pointers:

• 
Be friendly but firm.
There's no need to tell your companions why you are ordering a Greek salad instead of mac and cheese, but neither must you help them consume a loaf of Italian bread to be companionable. If asked, simply respond that you had a huge lunch, are cutting down on wheat, or are saving room for your entrée. If a friend who knows you're doing Atkins pressures you to share a decadent dessert, remind her that you're watching your weight.

• 
Treat the waitstaff with patience.
Depending on the type of restaurant and the management style, the waitstaff may or may not be well informed about the ingredients in a dish. If you don't get a satisfactory answer, inquire pleasantly if you can talk to the manager or chef. With so many people suffering from food allergies, many restaurants will modify a dish or eliminate an ingredient upon request.

Your objective is always to make the best choices and know what you're eating, not to be cowed into eating something you're not comfortable with. At the same time, the last thing you want to do is make the occasion all about you and your eating habits.

It can be hard to avoid the major chains when you're on the road, grabbing lunch between appointments, or taking the family out without breaking the bank. Yes, fast food is convenient and inexpensive, but most offerings are full of empty carbs: in the bun, crust, breading, and condiments, and of course in the fries. Plus the beverages and condiments are full of sugar and the portions of everything are enormous.

That said, take the trouble to find the options that are more acceptable than others. Some chains boast bunless burgers and other offerings. Almost every major chain, and even some of the regional ones, provides extensive nutritional information on its website so you know how many carbs are in most offerings. Some even allow you to add or subtract the bun or/and condiments and immediately see the nutritional impact. For example, remove the bun and a Whopper goes from 51 to 3 grams of Net Carbs. In some cases you'll have to calculate Net Carbs by subtracting fiber content. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to tell whether sugar is integral or added, or whether there's sugar in one salad dressing but not another. A few general tips:

• As usual, avoid anything battered, breaded, or deep-fried. Most chicken chains now offer a grilled, broiled, or roasted alternative. Pass on buttermilk biscuits, fries, and mashed potatoes as well.

• Watch out for sauces and salad dressings that contain added sugar or corn syrup. Your best bets are usually vinaigrette, ranch, and blue cheese dressings.

• Some chains let you order a burger wrapped in lettuce leaves. If not, simply remove the bun and ask for a fork.

• Most chains now offer main-dish salads with ham or chicken. However, not every salad is necessarily low in carbs. Check the nutritional profile to be sure.

• Select beverages made with noncaloric sweeteners.

Our suggestions on what to order and what to avoid at twelve national chains follow. Again, the best approach is to check the menu online, make up your mind before you go, and stick to your guns.

Arby's
is primarily about roasted meat and poultry sandwiches, so if you order a chicken, turkey, ham, beef, corned beef, or BLT sandwich, you'll have to remove the bun, submarine roll,
or biscuit. Or order the roast chopped turkey salad with ranch dressing, which clocks in at 7 grams of Net Carbs. Website: arbys.com.

A&W
menu items mostly come on burger buns or are breaded. Ditch the bun and have a hot dog, or a burger or cheeseburger with tomato and lettuce. Or order the grilled (not the crispy) chicken with ranch dipping sauce. Again, go bunless. Wash it down with A&W's sugar-free root beer. Website: awrestaurants.com.

Blimpie
is also basically a sandwich shop. Again, make a meal from cheesesteak, hot pastrami, or antipasto sandwich fillings minus the bun. Or have a buffalo chicken or grilled chicken Caesar salad with blue cheese or buttermilk ranch dressing, neither of which has added sugar. Other acceptable options (although not necessarily for all Atkins phases) include tuna salad, chicken gumbo, cream of broccoli soup, beef stew, and Yankee pot roast. Website: blimpie.com.

Burger King.
Again, lose the bun, and most burgers, Whoppers, and the broiled chicken patty pass muster. Salads are usually full of high-carb additions, but two exceptions are the Chicken BLT and Caesar Garden Fresh Salads. Be sure to order either with the grilled (not fried) chicken, remove the croutons, and top with Ken's ranch dressing. Website: bk.com.

Carl's Jr.
actually offers low-carb choices, including the Low-Carb Six-Dollar Burger (wrapped in lettuce leaves) and the (bunless) Low-Carb Charbroiled Chicken Club. Other options minus the bun that pass muster: the Famous Star, Big Carl, Guacamole Bacon Burger, and most other burgers and cheeseburgers. Or order the Charbroiled Chicken Salad but lose the croutons. House and blue cheese salad dressings are sugar free, as are the house and buffalo wing sauces. Website: carlsjr.com.

Chick-fil-A
has some acceptable options once you remove the biscuit or bread on the breakfast egg, cheese, sausage, and bacon dishes.
Or unwrap and discard the tortilla on the sausage breakfast burrito. Skip the breaded chicken and order a Chargrilled Chicken Club or Chicken Salad sandwich (minus the bread) or a Chargrilled Chicken Garden or Southwest Chargrilled Salad. Top with blue cheese, Caesar, or buttermilk ranch salad dressing. Website: chick-fil-a.com.

Dairy Queen.
It's possible to fuel up here with a burger, cheeseburger, hot dog, cheese dog, or grilled chicken or turkey sandwich, minus the bun. BBQ, Wild Buffalo, and ranch dipping sauces are acceptable, as is the side salad. Website: dairyqueen.com.

Hardee's
also has some low-carb specialties. Try the Low-Carb Thickburger or the Charbroiled Chicken Club “Sandwich,” wrapped in lettuce leaves. Website: hardees.com.

KFC
offers at least one acceptable dish, the Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Pass on the biscuits and mashed potatoes; instead, have a side of green beans. Website: kfc.com.

McDonald's
burgers and cheeseburgers are fine “naked,” as is the grilled chicken club, the Premium Bacon Ranch or Caesar salad with or without grilled chicken, and scrambled eggs and sausage patties. Ask for Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing. Website: mcdonalds.com.

Subway
subs can be ordered as a salad (request no croutons), including the cold cut combo, Subway Club, tuna fish, BLT, Black Forest ham, turkey breast, and roast beef. Also okay are the vinaigrette dressing and omelets minus the sandwich. Website: subwayfreshbuzz.com.

Wendy's.
Once more, say bye-bye to the bun and have the rest of any burger or cheeseburger; also okay are the chicken BLT or the Caesar salad (omit croutons) with Ultimate Chicken Grill Fillet and Supreme Caesar Dressing. Website: wendys.com.

When you're not in the mood for fast food but don't want to make a big dent in your wallet, there's another kind of chain restaurant you can patronize. Casual dining restaurants such as Chipotle, TGI Friday, and Ruby Tuesday also offer more choices and opportunities to “have it your way” in terms of sauces, fixings, cheeses, and add-ons for burgers, chicken, steaks, salads, and other entrées. However, you'll still have to be alert for the same minefield of monster portions, sauces and dressings full of sugar, and a bevy of battered and breaded dishes. Most of these eateries have lengthy menus, and among the sea of high-carb options you can find some Atkins-friendly items. You may want to ask that half the meal be put in a doggie bag
before
you begin, so you can have it for lunch the next day. Let's visit a few of the more popular casual dining chains.

Applebee's
has some Atkins-friendly appetizers, including classic wings with classic buffalo sauce. Then move on to New York strip steak or the steak and grilled shrimp combo. You can order any entrée without sides and then add the ones you prefer. How about a topper of grilled onions or sautéed garlic mushrooms and a seasonal berry and spinach salad? Website: applebees.com.

Baja Fresh
offers the option of “bare burritos” served over a bed of chopped romaine instead of in a tortilla. Skip the Baja Bowls, which include white rice, but if you remove the tortillas from any other salad you should be good to go. Or put together a meal from several sides, such as guacamole; salsa; mixed grilled peppers, chiles, and onion; and grilled wahoo (a type of fish). Website: bajafresh.com.

Chili's
has decided that bigger is not always better, and now suggests that a pair of diners share an appetizer and then a couple of entrées. How about grilled chicken salad, grilled salmon with
garlic and herbs, margarita-grilled chicken, Monterey chicken, or Spicy Garlic and Lime-Grilled Shrimp? Website: chilis.com.