As if visiting family and strange cities weren't hard enough on a specialized diet (and explaining to your waiter at your old favorite sushi restaurant that you can't have rice or tempura), airports come into the mix. Prepackaged sandwiches, overly available sugary lattes and pastries, and the odd vending machine can all be passed by. Here's how!
Scenario one:
Your flight is already boarding, and you know it'll be 5 hours til touchdown. If you're lucky, your flight will serve something you can eat, but that's a long shot. What can you grab from that magazine vendor by the gate?
1) Mixed nuts
2) Beef jerky, or beef sticks
3) Sugar free gum
4) Cheese packets (If you're lucky!)
5) Bottle of water - you'll want more water than they serve in those tiny cups
Avoiding the pretzels on the flight may seem obvious, but you may want to check the peanuts, too. Most of them are honey roasted.
Scenario two:
You've arrived at the airport early, or have a long layover. Maybe an hour to burn before boarding.
If it's breakfast time, you're in luck! Most of the restaurant kiosks will serve some combination of eggs and bacon. If it's after 11am, it may be time to get creative.
Subway:
Salads are perfect. Philly cheese melt as a salad is pretty darn good, and can be an easy meal.
Fastfood burger shop:
Order a double cheese burger, no bun.
Japanese/"asian" shop:
-Miso soup, or soup with no noodles + extra meat or egg
-In a pinch, beef and broccoli a la carte. Keep the sauce to a minimum, the soy sauce and corn starch are both hidden carbs.
Prepackaged grab-n-go spots:
Many of these places will have a chef salad that works just fine. Be wary of croutons, or sugary dressings. Sometimes these same spots will eve have hard boiled eggs at the counter.
If you've got plenty of time to spare, find something akin to a Chilli's.
Last weekend, I found myself with an hour+ layover in Oakland, CA, a little after lunch time. Hungry and frustrated with the options, I found a Chilli's in terminal 1, and ordered the bacon cheeseburger. They happily removed the bun, and subbed the fries for broccoli. I was in heaven!
Just want coffee?
If you're used to BulletProof coffee in the morning, like I am, don't be afraid to ask the barista for a packet or two of butter. Some places also have heavy cream if you prefer.
For those of you tracking everything, eating out on the go can be especially tough. It's hard to put everything down on paper when you're rushing to your gate. And remembering what you ate, exactly how much, etc can be nearly impossible and very inaccurate. My suggestion is to take a quick photo of your meal before you dig in. If you don't finish everything, take another photo at the end for a visual reminder. You don't have to instagram it, but if you do, be sure to tag #keepingketo !
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