Grocery Shopping
To eat PV, we must cook PV. And to cook PV, we must first shop PV. Again, unless you are a junk-food vegetarian (you’re not a junk-food vegetarian, are you? Please tell me you’re not), your Paleo Vegetarian shopping list isn’t going to look dramatically different from your prior list—minus a few grains, of course. Curious about what to buy and what to leave behind? Below are some tips to guide you through the grocery aisles and ensure you fill your cart with healthy, hearty PV staples.
PRODUCE
Here’s where you’ll spend the bulk of your time and your money. You know the drill here—choose a rainbow of colors and go heavy on the greens: rainbow chard, collards, kale, spinach. Grab handfuls of onions, peppers, and tomatoes, as these will be the base of a lot of your recipes. And cauliflower. Oh Lord, will you go through some cauliflower. Able to be transformed into rice or potatoes, it’s like this cheap, magical food staring you in the face.
Ask questions and don’t be afraid to try new things. It took me three years before I learned how to cook an eggplant dish that didn’t cause an involuntary gag reflex in my spouse. (See page 97 for the recipe.) But eggplants just look so big and beautiful and purple that I kept putting them in my cart each week, much to the dismay of my husband.
Figure out what you like and then eat it like it’s going out of style. I personally am a brussels sprouts whore. Can’t get enough of them. I have been known to literally wipe out a store’s brussels sprouts allotment in one trip. I throw them in salads, eat them for breakfast, and snack on them. If your thing is beets or asparagus or radishes, don’t hold back. It’s a vegetable. Now is not the time for restraint.
SHOP THE PERIMETER
It seems like a different lifetime when “going to the store” meant slowly pushing my cart up and down every single aisle, pausing every few feet to toss another box of pasta or bag of cereal16 into my cart. People, I can’t even remember the last time I went down the cookie aisle, and they could have relocated the bread and cracker aisle to Cambodia for all I know. Eating PV means eating real food, whole food, recognizable food, and very little of that is found in the center aisles of a grocery store. Spend your time in the outer perimeters and shop yourself into a happier, healthier life.
Remember, if you’re looking to lose weight, go light on the fruit. It may look healthy to load your cart up with apples, bananas, kiwi, pineapple, mangos, and melon but that’s a whole truckload of sugar just waiting to be converted into fat. If you’re shedding pounds, stick with berries, as they have lower sugars and are also filled with antioxidants.
WHAT’S IN THE ATHLETE’S PV PANTRY?
Vegetables like squash, yam, beets, and sweet potatoes are all Paleo-approved and damn tasty to boot. Even if you’re not an athlete, you can still feel free to enjoy these foods, but as in everything, moderation is the key. A sweet potato a day? Not if you want to lose weight. A serving of spaghetti squash with a vegetable marinara after a challenging workout? Yup.
DAIRY
Depending on if you want to go hardcore Paleo or the gentler Primal will determine how much time you spend in the dairy section. Let’s talk about the two things you (may) be buying there: eggs and cheese.
Eggs
Sadly, my friends who had the chickens moved away, so I was once again left to turn to commercial establishments for eggs. I take the time to seek out pasture-raised17 eggs. As my folksy egg carton says, “That means raised on grass, y’all.” I like pasture-raised for several reasons. One, it means the chickens who laid the eggs are allowed to roam free, eating happy-chicken things like bugs and grass and plants. The second reason is that pasture-raised eggs have been shown to be more nutritious, with significantly higher levels of vitamins A and E, and omega-3s. Do I cringe a bit inside every time I pay close to $9 for a carton of eggs? Yes. Do I cringe more every time I eat a conventional egg at a restaurant or a friend’s home or at my mom’s? (C’mon Mom—get with the program!) You bet.
Think about the circle of life when buying eggs. Conventional chickens—aside from never seeing the light of day—are fed a grain-based diet sometimes supplemented with animal byproducts and food from GMO crops. Many are injected with hormones. All that nasty stuff that goes into the chickens is going to come out at least a little bit in their eggs.
What about all the organic and omega-3-enriched eggs? Organic eggs at least have the no antibiotics or hormones thing going for them, although organic and even “cage-free” doesn’t mean these chickens are living a happy life. (“Pasture-raised” is no guarantee either, but there’s a much better chance of it.)
Entire books and websites are devoted to the different kinds of eggs, how the chickens who produce them are raised and cared (or not cared) for, and the different nutritional value of each. I understand $9 eggs may not be in everyone’s budget, especially if you’re feeding a family. But if you’re able to afford them, I do believe that since you’re expending all this energy to eat and live healthy, you should strive to put the healthiest foods into your body, as your budget allows. And to quote Forrest Gump, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
Cheese
Ah, cheese. Hard chunks, ooey-gooey stringy, served over crackers, or melted on top of a casserole…it’s hard not to love such a versatile, tasty food.
Hardcore Paleo says no cheese. (I think of the soup Nazi from Seinfeld, only instead of “No soup for you!” it’s “No cheese for you!”) But Primal allows for the occasional treat of cheese. Grass-fed cheese is ideal but trust me on this—waiters are going to roll their eyes at you in most restaurants or give you a blank, non-comprehending stare if you ask them if the feta in your salad is “grass-fed.” Let’s just assume all cheese you would eat at a restaurant is not.
Let’s also take a moment to discuss what is meant by “occasional” and “a treat.” You may do well to decide up front what your own rules will be around handling cheese, if you choose to eat it. My “rules” are that I’m okay with goat cheese and feta crumbled in salads, although I do ask for it on the side and usually end up sprinkling on only about half of what they bring me. If there’s a cheese tray at a party, I enjoy a thin slice or two of Gouda or any good, aged cheese. I do not keep cheese in the house and I only order it on my salads if I really, really want it. If I’m feeling “eh” about it, I skip it and save it for a day when I’m having a real craving.
Unless I’m on a cheat day (more about that later), a big slice of pizza dripping in melted mozzarella or a pot of fondue cheese is not considered “a treat.” That’s called gorging, people. Don’t do it. And especially don’t eat that cheap, crappy fast-food pizza cheese. If you want pizza, make a white bean crust (see page 88) and buy some organic, non-homogenized dairy at a specialty store and really indulge in the taste of a good and flavorful cheese.
As a Paleo Vegetarian, you might indulge in cheese a bit more than meat-eating Primal dieters, as most cheese does pack a wallop of protein. Just remember to keep portions small.
Other Dairy
Coffee lovers take heart. Going PV does not mean you are resigned to a lifetime of unsweetened black drudge. While Paleo bans all dairy, a Primal diet allows for some hacks, including a tiny bit of heavy cream in your coffee. Make sure it’s heavy cream, as it’s free of most lactose and casein. Is it super high in fat? You bet, but it’s good fat that fills you up. Just don’t go overboard.
I went to Starbucks a while back and ordered a coffee with just a tiny bit of heavy cream. I believe the words I used were “a smidge.” I happened to watch them make my coffee and the barista must have poured almost a quarter cup of cream into my small coffee. Now when I go to Starbucks or wherever, I ask for a tablespoon of heavy cream in my coffee and then I make eye-contact with the barista and stress, “And I mean, literally, a tablespoon of heavy cream. No more.” You have to be proactive.
What other dairy is tolerated? A staple in my life is grass-fed butter (usually available at Whole Foods) or ghee which I use to sauté vegetables and spread on toasted Paleo Bread (recipe page 90).
FROZEN FOODS
Along the far perimeter of the store you’ll find the time-crunched PV eater’s best friend: the frozen food aisle. Do yourself a favor: Grab a second cart and load up. Most veggies are frozen at their peak so the nutrients are locked in, plus it’s often cheaper to buy frozen rather than fresh produce. And the convenience factor can’t be beat. I keep bags—bags—of frozen veggies in the freezer in my office break room at work. I’m a stress eater, which means I pretty much have the urge to eat all day, every day. Instead of hitting the vending machine and flinging myself into a sugar coma, I toss a bag of mixed veggies in the microwave, add a dash of red pepper flakes and munch on that.
What frozen vegetables should you buy? Any and all so long as they are vegetables only. Avoid any vegetables that come covered in cheese, sweet-and-sour sauce, or butter (it won’t be the good, pure butter we’re after). Watch out for mixed blends that contain corn (a grain), potatoes, black-eyed peas, and chickpeas.
CANNED GOODS
It’s time to venture down an aisle. Canned goods aren’t always as healthy as fresh or frozen options (there are more preservatives and it seems like they’re sneakier about adding in extra sugar and salt) but they’re still a good option for a number of foods. Here’s a list of canned items to stock up on, keeping in mind to buy low-sodium and organic when possible:
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Any type of Paleo-approved vegetable (no corn, peas, or potatoes) that floats your boat
Water chestnuts
Olives18
Artichoke hearts (plain, not marinated)
Low-sodium beans (black, white, pinto, kidney, chickpeas sparingly), if you’re using in moderation
Sun-dried tomatoes (either dry or in olive oil only; sprinkle in with scrambled eggs and in salads)
Coconut milk—read the label and look for low sugar and no additives
Applesauce, no sugar added, and watch for additives
Canned pumpkin. Pumpkin is a cooking staple in many Paleo kitchens. It can be high in sugar so don’t go eating it straight from the can (I’ve never done that) but Google “Paleo pumpkin recipes” and you’ll find everything from muffins and pancakes (grain-free, of course) to soups and chili. Pumpkin is a great natural sweetener in recipes, and for people who work out a lot and need more energy, pumpkin, along with other squashes or yams/sweet potatoes, is a great source of carbs.
For the pescatarian Paleo Vegetarians:
Water-packed tuna
Wild-caught salmon
Sardines
What about soups? Sorry—most canned soups are decidedly non-PV-friendly, containing sugar, dairy, corn, rice, soy, and a long list of unpronounceable additives and preservatives. Soup is a great Paleo option if you make it yourself, which is why we’ve included a few yummy options in the recipe section. When you make soup, triple the recipe and freeze it in quart-size bags. Then, on days you’re stressed for time, it’s a matter of just pulling a bag out of the freezer and letting it thaw until lunchtime at work for a healthy, delicious, PV-approved meal.
OILS AND DRESSINGS
Embrace the reality that there is no ready-made dressing on the shelf that’s PV-friendly. The sugar content of most salad dressings is high enough that your average honey mustard ought to be considered a viable treat to give out on Halloween, right next to the Snickers and peanut butter cups. (Good luck explaining that to a five-year-old, however.) Either make your own dressings, or if you’re lazy like me, carry around extra-virgin olive oil packets and just use that, sometimes with a little balsamic vinegar as well.
Given all the cooking you’ll be doing, it’s wise to stock up on Paleo-approved oils and fats. These include:
Coconut oil—Great at high temperatures, and life opened up for me once I had my first taste of fresh-from-the farm green beans roasted and drizzled in coconut oil. YUM.
Olive oil and extra-virgin olive oil
Macadamia oil—A fun alternative to coconut oil.
Avocado oil—If you don’t like the taste of avocados, don’t do this diet. (Kidding. But no, seriously…)
Grass-fed butter or ghee
DRY AND BAKING GOODS
Now that you have so much open pantry space having cleared out all those bags of rice, barley, spelt, and oats (you did toss them, right?), you’ve got plenty of room for the good stuff, such as:
Almond meal
Coconut flour
Coconut aminos19
Vegetable stock (read the ingredient list again to avoid sugars and additives, or make your own)
Nuts (almonds, macadamias, cashews, hazelnuts… no peanuts!)
Coffee and tea
Beans (if you’re using in moderation)
Maple syrup—the real stuff. Just say no to Aunt Jemima.
Applesauce with no sugar or additives
Herbs and spices
BECOME A LABEL READER
Actually, become a label scrutinizer. There are so many foods out there that at first glance appear to be Paleo-friendly but upon a closer read, turn out to have vegetable oil or soy or sugars. Just because a product touts itself as “All Natural!” on the label doesn’t mean it’s true. Even things like “artificial colors and flavorings” are reason to pause before purchasing. Do you know what ingredients go into “artificial flavors”? I don’t. But I’m guessing they’re not Paleo.
What follows is a short, non-comprehensive list of some of the more common ingredients that indicate the presence of wheat, soy, sugar, or corn. As always, a good rule of thumb is that if you don’t recognize it and can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it.
Barley malt syrup
Bleached flour
Cane crystals
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup
Dehydrated cane juice
Dextrin
Dexatrose
Evaporated cane juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Malt or malt syrup
Maltodextrin
Miso
Modified food or gum starch
Monosaccharide
MSG
Polysaccharide
Rice syrup
Sorbitol
Tamari
Tempeh
Textured soy flour (TSF)/textured soy protein (TSP)/textured vegetable protein (TVP)
Tofu
Wheat protein
Xantham gum
Also, don’t get thrown by items labeled “gluten-free.” Remember, you’re entering a grain-free world. The majority of the gluten-free items on the market are still rice or oats based and most of them contain an appalling amount of sugar, sodium, and a list of ingredients that requires a masters in chemistry to decipher.
PREPACKAGED “PALEO” FOOD
Now that Paleo has gone mainstream, there are industries being built around providing would-be Paleoists (or Paleo Vegetarians) with either quick-and-easy Paleo foods on the go or food replacements for the items people tend to miss most, like snack bars, cereals, breads, pancakes, brownies, etc.
Most true Paleoists come down on the side that the whole point of eating Paleo is to eat clean, whole foods and that if you’re having to rely on these prepackaged items, you’re not truly Paleo and it’s unlikely you’ve fully converted to a fat-burning rather than sugar-burning machine.
I agree with this camp. Based on my experience, I gained weight when I added prepackaged Paleo foods to my diet. However, I went overboard. I was so excited to find bread and cereal and brownies that I thought were “safe” that I ended up eating those foods to the exclusion of most everything else. I’ve learned to cut back and now I don’t see anything wrong with having an occasional Paleo bar or cookie, so long as the majority of my diet remains strong in vegetables and other whole foods.
I will say that I am a loyal consumer of the Paleo bread found at JulianBakery.com. Sometimes you just want a sandwich. Or toast. This is just my experience, but I find that when I eat the bread on a daily basis, I start to gain weight. If I limit myself to a couple of slices a week, I’m happy and I don’t notice any negative effects.
I’d suggest you hold off on ordering or experimenting with any of these prepackaged foods for the first 30 days after you transition to PV. Get a handle on eating PV the way it’s meant to be eaten—lots of veggies and some beans, and colorful whole-food flavor combinations. Then if you find you’re really missing a certain something and having a Paleo option for it available would help keep you on track, go ahead and try it. Do monitor your weight and how you feel when eating the item and pull back if you notice either a) you have a sudden sugar craving after eating the food, indicating it may have hidden sugars, or b) your weight starts to creep back up.
WHAT ABOUT ORGANIC?
Should you be buying organic foods? Lord, I don’t know. Kidding. Well, only kind of kidding. There’s so much vitriolic discussion these days about the benefits/pseudobenefits of organic that it can be hard to know where to come down on the issue.
What remains steadfast is that it’s always good to buy the “Dirty Dozen” foods organic. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) at Ewg.org/foodnews puts the Dirty Dozen together, and while most items on the list remain consistent, there are occasional substitutions. The most recent 2014 list of the most pesticide-laden produce on the market includes:
apples
celery
cherry tomatoes
cucumbers
grapes
nectarines (imported)
peaches
potatoes
snap peas (imported)
spinach
strawberries
sweet bell peppers
The EWG also releases the “Clean 15” list, those foods with the lowest pesticide ratings. These include:
asparagus
avocados
cabbage
cantaloupe
cauliflower
eggplant
grapefruit
kiwi
mangos
onions
papayas
pineapples
sweet corn
sweet peas (frozen)
sweet potatoes
Given my druthers, everything I eat would be organic. However, that’s rarely practical from both an availability and monetary standpoint. Do I think one salad of nonorganic spinach is going to harm me? Nah. But given that I eat a—what’s the scientific term for it? Oh yes—a butt load of spinach each week in salads and stir fries, yes, I try to buy organic. I do think quantity counts.
If you can’t buy organic, a really good rinse of your vegetables will help at least cut down on the pesticides present. And I still think a pesticide-laden cherry tomato is still better for me than a bag of Doritos, any day.
I’m a big fan of buying food from my local farmer’s market as well. It’s almost always healthier, fresher, and cheaper than the stuff at the grocery store, and personally, I like supporting local farmers.
Dining Out
Does eating PV mean you never get to dine out again? Not at all. With a little planning (and willingness to be that person at the table who special orders), you can eat everywhere from fast food to Mexican restaurants, Indian to Chinese eateries.
That being said, please understand that even though you can find options at many of these restaurants, they’re typically less than ideal. You may have to sacrifice perfection and eat vegetables that are cooked in non-PV-approved oils, or eat beans as your primary protein source, or even (gasp!) break code and eat a baked potato. So long as you’re not eating out constantly and making these choices a consistent part of your life, one or two servings a month of close-but-not-quite PV food from restaurants is not going to ruin you.
Obviously (and especially if you’re following a PV diet in order to lose weight) the healthiest option is always to prepare your own food at home. That way there’s no question what oils were used, that no hidden sugars were added, and that the food wasn’t loaded with enough sodium to choke a camel. (Just saying.)
Still, if you have kids or a job or, I don’t know, a life, it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to be dragged out to McDonald’s or find yourself seated at a birthday luncheon at a Mexican restaurant while your coworker wears the birthday sombrero and is serenaded by staff who keep bringing chips and salsa to the table. In times like these, it will serve you well to know ahead of time what you will and will not eat.
If possible, try to limit your eating out the first month or two you’re following the PV diet. The way of eating will still be new to you, and it’s easy to get frustrated or tempted by all the delicious-looking “but-I-can’t-have-it” foods in restaurants that you used to enjoy. Change is coming though. America is awakening to the fact that sugar is making us fat and—quite literally—killing us. The hidden menu at Panera Bread is surprisingly Paleo-friendly (although, unfortunately, given all the steak, chicken, and turkey options, not PV-friendly) and a number of other restaurants are slowly following suit with hidden or “alternative” menus. Why healthy, delicious choices must be hidden from the public view is beyond me, but that’s a discussion for another time.
So let’s dig in. What can you eat and where, and is there any chance at all it will come in a Happy Meal box? (Answer: negative.) Obviously we can’t cover every restaurant, but what’s here can serve as a guide for those times you find yourself staring at a menu and debating whether sweet potato fries can be considered Paleo.20
The smartest thing you can do to ensure you stick to the PV diet when dining out is to look at the menu ahead of time online and decide, from the safety of your home or desk, what you’ll be eating. Willpower weakens at the moment of decision but having a predetermined path seems to keep many people on the path. Good luck, and happy ordering!
MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
Thanks to America’s love affair with fajitas, Mexican restaurants have an abundance of fresh veggies on hand, not to mention they’re rolling in black beans. Ask for a fajita salad (not served in the fried tortilla bowl unless you have more willpower than me), have them bring you black beans on the side to sprinkle on top of the salad, and ask what type of oil the veggies are cooked in and if there’s any chance they could specially prepare some for you in either butter or olive oil. Also be sure to load up your salad with avocado and even some of the salsa, especially if it’s fresh, with big chunks of tomatoes in it.
CHINESE RESTAURANTS
You can eat PV at most Chinese restaurants, but you’ll most likely need to bid the buffet—and all the fried goodness on it—good-bye. Instead, ask for steamed vegetables. It’s okay to indulge in a little white rice if this is going to be a main meal (or, even better, if you’re eating right after a workout). Just make sure you ask that anything they prepare for you be made with no MSG. As for soups, egg drop and hot and sour soups are okay options as long as they’re not made with cornstarch—and good luck getting a server who has any idea if they’re made with that or not.
INDIAN RESTAURANTS
Indian food is traditionally predominantly vegetarian and therefore offers a wider array of vegetarian options than most other cuisines. But what, you may ask (or at least, I ask) is the point of eating Indian food without naan bread to sop up the remnants of your meal? Well, the point is that even without the bread, Indian food is very tasty, very healthy, and typically cooked to order. Indian chefs also do amazing things with cauliflower and spices that will leave you drooling and completely happy with your meal.
ITALIAN RESTAURANTS
Eating out Italian can sometimes feel more challenging just because it was likely your go-to place before with friends who wanted to make sure their vegetarian friend had something to eat. Since you’re no longer filling your plate with pasta, what next? Depending on the restaurant, eating PV at an Italian eatery is either difficult to impossible (Pizza Hut) or pretty easy (mom-and-pop authentic Italian spots). There are also in-between places like Olive Garden that, while far from ideal, can get you a meal. My favorite trick at Italian restaurants is to get the pasta toppings I always have (marinara sauce with grilled veggies, for example) and ask for it over grilled eggplant or zucchini. Asking for toppings over wilted spinach is another option. I’ve been to a few places that have a steak-and-veggie kabob that I’ve asked them to make for me, hold the steak, extra veggies.
STEAK HOUSES
Surprisingly, I’ve found steak houses to be the most accommodating to the PV diet. You can order a plate of vegetables that includes a baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, sautéed spinach with roasted garlic, and vegetables of the day. They usually have exceptional salads with all the good stuff—radishes and carrots and cucumber and noncandied nuts like pecans or walnuts. If you eat dairy, ask for a little goat cheese on your salad. Steak houses also use real butter, so ask for some in a side dish and dunk your veggies in it or pat some on your sweet potato, pop open a bottle of red wine with friends, and enjoy.
BREAKFAST PLACES
Breakfast places like IHOP and Denny’s are some of my favorite restaurants to eat at. Nothing says Paleo Vegetarian like an omelet the size of your face. I ask what the eggs and vegetables are cooked in—requesting if need be that they replace the canola or vegetable oil with butter—and then go to town. My omelet orders are legendary among friends. Reminder: Do not order the egg-white omelet. Yolk is healthy fat and it’s filling, so go whole-egg. Then pile in all the fresh veggies you love—broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, jalapeno, avocado…the list goes on. If you’re eating beans, do a Mexican omelet with black beans and salsa. A small side of blueberries or strawberries (it won’t be on the menu, but ask for them—they use them to make pancakes and can stick them in a dish for you) is a sweet tooth–satisfying dessert.
FAST FOOD
For better or worse (and no question it’s for worse), fast food is a part of most of our lives. Our coworkers eat there, our kids beg us to eat there, and even our spouses put in the occasional plea. While eating at the places below should not become a habit, there are workarounds.
Chipotle
Friend of both Paleoists and vegetarians, Chipotle offers one of the easiest and tastiest ways to eat out and stick to the PV diet. Go for the salad bowl and load it up with veggies and guacamole. Add in black beans for protein, but avoid the pinto beans as they’re cooked with bacon. Technically, the fajita vegetables aren’t Paleo as they’re sautéed in soybean oil, but unless you’re eating Chipotle every day for most meals, one serving of these vegetables for a lunch out won’t do you in. Skip the vinaigrette as it’s made with honey and rice bran oil, and instead use one of the fresh salsas as a dressing.
Panera Bread
Often touted as “healthy” fast food, it’s actually pretty hard to find PV food at Panera. That’s due to a high amount of sugars and oils in most of their foods, including the “healthy” soup options. Panera’s hidden menu does offer some great options for Paleoists that can be modified for PV. They have a number of healthy salads that can be made PV-friendly by asking to hold the meat (and egg, if need be). In that case, you’re paying close to $9 for pretty much lettuce, onion, cucumber, and half an avocado, but at least you’ll have something to eat. If you do eat eggs, ask them to skip the meat but give you an extra hard-boiled egg. For breakfast, I’ve asked them to give me just the egg (or “egg-like”) patty they use on breakfast sandwiches as a side.21 The other good thing about Panera’s hidden menu is that it comes with a small, self-contained packet of extra-virgin olive oil. Sometimes I’ll order the Greek salad (which does have feta cheese—Primal, not Paleo) and have them hold the non-PV Greek dressing22and give me the little packet of the EVOO instead.
Cracker Barrel
I’m not sure what their vegetables are cooked in, but at least you can get a plate of nothing but vegetables at Cracker Barrel. If you eat fish, the spicy baked (not fried) catfish is an option, and if you eat eggs you can get a big ol’ plateful of fried or scrambled eggs with a side of collard greens or fruit. Cracker Barrel also offers steamed broccoli and a baked sweet potato that can make for a filling meal when combined with a side salad. Pull up a chair, y’all.
Taco Bell
Eat anything you want. Ha ha! Yeah, there’s nothing here for us, people. Move along.
McDonald’s/Wendy’s/Burger King
I love a challenge. Okay, really the only remotely PV items you’re going to find at these places are the salads. The chicken salads, if you’re willing to pay more and pick the chicken off, typically have more good stuff on them like cucumber and carrots and tomatoes. Just make sure to avoid the croutons and, again, you’re way ahead of the game if you bring your own dressing. Unfortunately, eating these salads with no protein isn’t going to be filling but if you HAVE to eat at one of these venues, at least you can appear not to be antisocial by eating a little something with the group. McDonald’s offers apple slices as a kid’s side that you can order. Also, a baked potato from Wendy’s with broccoli (no cheese) is another decent option. White potatoes are one of those foods that waver on the Paleo line. They’re a dense carbohydrate source and they do spike blood sugar, but they’re more nutritionally empty than they are nutritionally harmful. When baked not fried, they’re an acceptable option if there’s nothing else to eat.
GENERAL TIPS FOR EATING OUT
That’s pretty much it for the restaurants. Now let’s look at a few notes on eating out in general that will make your life easier.
PAY THE EXTRA CASH. Those huge omelets I get? The first three ingredients are free and after that it’s 50 cents a veggie. Restaurants may also charge you extra for special orders (not usually, but some do). You may have to order three grilled chicken salads at a fast-food place to pick off chicken and have enough lettuce left to make one decent meal. It’s not fun, but I pay it. Wouldn’t you rather be out an extra $6 and have a meal you enjoy?
BE ASSERTIVE. This brings us to the not-so-fun part of dining out. You get to be “that guy” or “that girl” that takes an hour to order as you drill the waiter on what’s in the food, how it’s cooked, where it’s sourced, and if there’s any chance it may have come in contact with a peanut (kidding). It takes some chutzpah. But stick to your guns. That doesn’t mean being rude. I typically joke with the waitstaff before I place my order that I get to be their challenging diner of the night and wish them luck. It lets them know that I’m aware I’m a pain in their arse, but I also don’t let them off the hook.
DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR PV DIET. Waitstaff see it all: nut allergies, food sensitivities, Weight Watchers, vegans, fruititarians, calorie counters, people who only eat white food, etc. They don’t have the time during a busy shift to stand there and listen to the details of what you can and can’t eat on your diet in an all-encompassing overview. Simply look at the menu, figure out your best options, ask some questions, and provide general guidelines as necessary, such as, “I’d prefer not to eat anything cooked in vegetable oil—is it an option to prepare some vegetables in butter?”
ASK ABOUT OFF-MENU ITEMS. The waitstaff know the menu inside and out. Ask for their help. “I’m trying to piece together a meal of just vegetables but I’m tired of salads—what do you suggest?”
SUBSTITUTE. Substitutions are the name of the game. Look over the menu and notice what ingredients are used in what dishes. For example, maybe there’s a fish served over a bed of rice with sautéed spinach. Boom—now you know they have sautéed spinach. Look over the steak, fish, and pasta options just to see what ingredients are being used. You know the restaurant has them in-house and you can ask for them as sides. I’ve created my own meals, like asking for the veggie marinara from a pasta dish to be served over the baked cauliflower from a steak dish and served with a side of artichoke hearts and olives I saw as a topping on a fish dish. Yum.
TIP WELL. Make no mistake. You are a hassle. You will be polite and considerate, but chances are you’ll still have your server running in and out of the kitchen at least twice to check on how certain foods are prepared. When your waiter delivers the food, your friends will hear “Enjoy,” while you will hear, “Did I get that right?” Behind the scenes, the chefs are griping to the waiter about having to specially prepare your handful of veggies. Be considerate and tip well—very well. Especially if the waitstaff went above and beyond (which I’m surprised how often they do) to accommodate your “weird” dietary needs.
I’m also a fan of calling the manager over at the end of a good meal to call out the wonderfulness of my server and the chef. Kind words go a long way and will make your waiter or waitress’s night, their manager’s night, and hopefully the chef’s night. They may also remember you when you return and be more inclined to be helpful once again.
RESEARCH AHEAD OF TIME. The best defense is a good offense. If you’re going out with friends or family, check out the online menu of the place you’re heading prior to being seated. If you’re not sure there’s something for you there, call ahead of time. Even for Wendy’s, Burger King, or McDonald’s, look the menu over ahead of time and have a plan about what you can order or—even better—if you know you’re going there, bring a few extras of your own, like a bag of sliced veggies you can pour over a salad to make a meal.
AVOID BUFFETS. Most buffets are fried-food and sugar havens. Indian, Chinese, pizza, or breakfast bar, your best bet for getting a PV meal will always be to order off the menu.
SAVE THE “I’M ALLERGIC” PLOY FOR ONLY THE DIREST CIRCUMSTANCES. I’m not proud of this, but most Paleoists I know have, at one time or another, pulled the “I have allergies” claim on why their food had to be prepared a certain way. Do waiters and chefs believe people are actually allergic to canola oil? I have no idea. But they do take gluten allergies seriously and will work with you to avoid any form of gluten in your meal.
Note: Use discretion with this tactic. You shouldn’t have to lie about your dietary choices, and you also may have the experience I did where I was in an upscale Italian restaurant with friends, lied and said I had a gluten allergy, and watched the well-trained staff go into a three-alarm alert. All my food was prepared in a separate kitchen they had set up just for gluten-free cooking, the waiter told me about her sister who had similar issues and wanted to compare notes with me on how I discovered my allergy. Needless to say, I felt guilty and foolish for the ruse. The only reason to pull it out is, well, probably never. Maybe if the waitstaff is resisting you, but it’s probably better to just eat a little non-Paleo food that night and make a note not to return to that restaurant again.
SALADS ARE YOUR FRIEND. You may have noticed that a lot of what you’ll be eating out is salads. It sounds boring, and in cases like fast-food joints, it is. (I don’t know about you, but I’m at a point in my life where I find iceberg lettuce insulting.) But—and as vegetarians you probably already know this—salads can be some of the most inventive cuisines out there. Think BAS: Big Ass Salad. Throw vegetables on in different combinations and the tastes change. Make it a challenge to take a nonhealthy restaurant and see what flavor combinations you can come up with there. It doesn’t happen often (because I’m surrounded by meat-loving friends), but there have been times when everyone at the table oohs and ahhs as my meal is set before me, my healthy sea of greens and vegetables a delicious contrast to the piles of greasy food congealing on their plates.
EAT NON-PV. What is this? Blasphemy? No, it’s reality. Eating out is not going to be an everyday occurrence, so why not enjoy the occasional times you do go out? I don’t mean you entirely go crazy, but if you eat a meal that’s 80 percent PV perfect, that’s close enough. Maybe your cheat is some steamed white rice to go under your veggies, or a baked Idaho potato because a sweet potato wasn’t available. Or you went for the Indian buffet even though most of the vegetables are cooked in soybean or sunflower oil, and you ate the rice. Again, as long as this is an occasional occurrence (maybe once a month or once every couple of weeks), it’s not life shattering. Food is a social aspect of your life. Don’t get so uptight over what you can and can’t have that you forget to enjoy the experience of eating and spending time with the people you’re with.
SEEK OUT LOCAL. As time goes by, you’ll come to know which restaurants in your area are more PV-friendly than others. Your best bet is almost always nonchain restaurants where managers and staff work a little harder to accommodate guests. Does this mean you can never eat at Olive Garden or Red Lobster again? Nope. But local restaurants in general are usually more accommodating as they’re seeking to establish relationships and attract loyal customers—which you’ll soon become if they deliver a fantastic PV meal.
16Why yes, generic fruit loops were a large part of my vegetarian diet, thank you very much for asking.
17Don’t confuse pasture-raised with “pasteurized.” Pasteurized means heat has been used to eliminate things like the salmonella bacteria so that the eggs can be eaten raw. A lot of liquid eggs are pasteurized, whole eggs less so, but they can still be found. Note that this has to do with heating the eggs to make them safe and nothing to do with nutritional content or how the hens are raised.
18A fruit, but a healthy one low in sugar. Olives are high in sodium, so eat in moderation and double check the label to make sure they’re free of additives. Greek olives are usually a safe bet, but explore black and green options. Avoid pimento-stuffed, but a few blue-cheese stuffed olives occasionally are delicious.
19Coconut aminos is a Paleo-friendly alternative to soy sauce. It’s made from coconut sap with a little sea salt added in. Great for Asian dishes and stir-fries.
20Sorry, no. Most sweet potato fries are prepared in vegetable oil and dusted with cinnamon-sugar.
21Note: It will take two Panera workers and a manager seven minutes to figure out how to ring this up.
22Now’s a good time to mention that you should get in the habit of carrying olive oil and vinegar with you when eating out at fast-food restaurants. You can get a salad almost anywhere but none—repeat, none—of the dressings, including the vinaigrettes, are PV.