We asked our resident paleo experts for their tips on staying paleo when eating out. Here’s what they said.

From Justin Miller – Resident Nutrition Coach

Tell the server you’re on a special diet (gluten-free, no lactose, no peanuts, no soy, etc.) and ask how the food is prepared or if you’re able to ask the chef yourself. Be nice about it.
If you eat out with friends, be the one to suggest where you go. Most people are so passive: “I don’t know. Whatever you want. Whatever is good with me.” Pick a place that you know fits your goals/diet.
Go super plain if you have to. You can essentially hold almost everything in a dish.
Accept that you’ll be consuming a ton of preservatives when eating fast food.
Bring your own condiments if you have to. Check out our paleo recipes for help with making these.
Chipotle is an awesome restaurant to go to because they actually take the time to find properly raised meats.
Use apps to find the closest Whole Foods to you, so you can run in there instead of buying fast food.

From Vic Magary – Online strength, fitness, and weight loss coach

Remember you are the customer. Almost any restaurant can make a salad or steamed broccoli with grilled chicken or steak. It doesn’t matter if it’s not on the menu – order it anyway! Remember that you are the customer and respectfully yet firmly ask for exactly what you want.
Hit the grocery store instead of the drive-thru. Park the car, swiftly walk through the produce section, hit the express checkout, done. I’ll bet you a grass-fed steak that hitting the grocery store with a focused approach is faster than going through the fast food drive-thru at lunch time.
Cut it in half. If you are in the extremely rare situation where there really is nothing paleo to eat, cut the food that is on offer in half. As soon as the plate hits the table, cut the portion in half and either give it to someone else you are dining with or have the waiter take it away. Do this immediately and you’ll save yourself from eating half of the calories you want to avoid. Dawdle on cutting it in half and removing it from your plate and you’ll be faced with the temptation of eating it all. Personally, I’d lose that battle.

Additional Resources

Photo credit: Neil Conway

Paleo Experts On Staying Paleo While Eating Out