5 Tips for eating out on a Lectin Free Diet.
How can you eat at a restaurant and stay on the lectin-free diet at the same time? Lectin Free Wife has you covered with five tips to help you stay on track while eating out on a lectin-free diet.
Everyone knows, preparing food yourself is the only way to know exactly what is on your plate BUT, what about when you can’t eat at home?
Is eating at a restaurant and staying on a lectin-free diet possible? Hi there, I’m Brie, and I’ve been lectin-free for over 4 years. Here are the five tips I’ve learned when it comes to eating at a restaurant and staying on the lectin-free or lectin-light path. Use these tips so you can enjoy eating out, too.
Preparing food yourself is the only way to know 100% what is going into your meal. This is true regardless if you are on a lectin-free diet or not. If you’ve been on a lectin-free diet for any amount of time, then you’ve probably already figured that eating at home is the best way to control what you are putting in your body. But, hey—Sometimes eating at home isn’t always possible. I get it; our life is busy, and we can’t always be in our own kitchen.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are trying to choose quality lectin-free options, but you are conflicted because you know the selection that is available isn’t 100% compliant with your lectin-free preferences?
You may have the option for a salad with salmon, which seems a healthy solution, but after closer inspection, you learn the salmon isn’t wild-caught. So what do you do when you feel like you are picking between the lesser of two evils?
For me, I like to give myself grace in these kinds of situations. If you are making healthy choices 95% of the time and 5% have to eat what is available. Then that’s what you have to do. The important part here is to not beat yourself up for things that are out of your control and place priority on that 95% that you can control.
Know what you can eat with these Phase 1,2,3 Food Lists
This advice isn’t a “get out of jail free card” or a suggestion to go crazy ordering desserts and lectin-heavy dishes. Instead, use what you have learned about lectins and make choices that are close to lectin-free options, and give yourself grace when you only have the option of farmed salmon.
Dr Steven Gundry suggests, “Do the best you can with what you have.” I think this advice is the perfect way to look at it because, as much as some of us love to control everything, some things are out of our hands.
Here are 5 tips to help you stay on track when eating at a restaurant while on a lectin-free diet, from a lectin-free expert!
Prepare.
✓ Prepare. When the question comes up about where to eat, be prepared with restaurant suggestions that you know have lectin-free options.
Research.
✓ Research. If the restaurant has already been chosen, go online and look up the restaurant’s website and menu. Check out the menu ahead of time to find options that work with the lectin-free diet.Call ahead.
✓ Call ahead. If you have questions about cooking techniques, products, or if the restaurant offers substitutes; call the restaurant ahead of time to ask whatever questions you may have. (For me, this is always easier than asking in person, especially if you have a large group.)
Look for gluten-free options.
✓ Go gluten-free. If you get confused or can’t remember if it is on the YES/NO List, look for gluten-free options. Use this as a starting point to investigate other ingredients.Warning: This technique isn’t foolproof because all lectin-free items are gluten-free, BUT not all gluten-free items are lectin-free. It’s confusing, I know, but Dr. Gundry says, “Do the best you can with what you have.” Gluten-free is usually the lesser of both evils.
***While this technique is a good starting point, if you are eating at a restaurant, you don’t want to use this technique if you are buying packaged foods. Often, gluten-free packaged foods add other harmful ingredients like sugar or preservatives to make them taste better. BE CAREFUL.
Back-up plan.
✓ Back-up plan. Anytime you are eating away from home, whether it is at a restaurant or someone else’s home, I suggest taking two of Gundry MD’s Lectin Shield with a large glass of water 15-20 minutes before you eat as a backup plan.
In conclusion, use these tips when eating out at a restaurant, and remember to give yourself grace. Focus on the 95%. Please consider buying me a coffee if you find this kind of blog post helpful or if you want to support this page. Let me know in the comments if you have any other suggestions you use when eating out.
If you would like more tips on lectin-free living and travel tips, check out our blog posts.
Summer Road Trip Guide and healthy snacks.
