If you are one of the millions having a break up with the New Year’s resolution you made for yourself at the beginning of the year to eat cleaner and watch your waist line, you are not alone. Have no fear. We are here to help you get back on track. Below, we’ve provided a list of restaurants at Destiny USA that offer diet-friendly options, including Keto, Weight Watchers (WW), and even vegan choices.
Keto-Friendly Options:
Arby’s: Roast Chicken Salad
While you can grab a burger without the bun, Arby’s also offers a salad with roasted chicken, pepper bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, green leaf lettuce, iceberg lettuce, and chopped tomatoes.
Nutrition Facts: 250 calories, 14g fat, 8g carbs, 25 g protein
Beef Jerky:
Looking for a quick snack? Stop by Beef Jerky Outlet for their Biltong jerky. The jerky is air dried beef, making it high in protein and low in sugar. The Biltong is available in 4 flavors.
Nutrition Facts: 190 calories, 5g fat, 1g carbs, 36g protein
Burger King: Whopper
Did you know you can make any Whopper keto? That’s right – just skip the bun and substitute the ketchup with mayonnaise (mayo has no carbs or sugar)!
Nutrition Facts: 320 calories, 24g fat, 1g carbs, 24g protein
Panera Bread: Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken
Many of Panera Bread’s salads can be keto-friendly. The Green Goddess Salad has good fats from the avocado and egg. To lower the carbs, replace the creamy dressing with olive oil and vinegar.
Nutrition Facts: 550 calories, 32g fat, 25g carbs, 43g protein
PF Chang’s: Asian Caesar Salad with Salmon
The Asian Caesar Salad has romaine, parmesan, toasted sesame seeds, wonton croutons and is topped with salmon. This salad has a healthy dose of protein that’ll keep you full.
Nutrition Facts: 650 calories, 46g fat, 20g carbs, 37g protein
Starbucks: Creminelli Sopressata Monterey Jack Snack Tray and Bacon & Gruyere Sous Vide Egg bites
If you’re looking for a zero-carb bite, this snack tray is it. There are no veggies in this snack, so be sure to get them in somewhere else. This classic snack combo will help keep you full, without ruining your daily macros. Egg bites are perfect for breakfast on the go and have tons of flavor.
Snack Tray Nutrition Facts: 220 calories, 17g fat, 0g net carbs, 15g protein
Egg Bites Nutrition Facts: 300 calories, 20g fat, 9g carbs, 0 g fiber, 19g protein
Taco Bell: Power Bowl
Taco Bell’s menu is highly customizable, so get creative with your order! One standard menu item that is keto friendly is the Power Menu Bowl. This bowl has grilled chicken, season rice, black beans, real cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, reduced-fat sour cream, avocado ranch sauce, and guacamole. The bowl can be customized to give you exactly what you’re craving!
Nutrition Facts: 470 calories, 19g of fat, 50g of carbs, 26g of protein
The Cheesecake Factory: Pan-Seared Branzino with Lemon Butter and Skinnylicious Grilled Salmon
This dish is a mild, sautéed white fish served with fresh vegetables and lemon. If the calorie count and macros are higher than you’re aiming for, simply eat half and take home the rest. Head to the Skinnylicious menus for the keto-approved grilled salmon.
Branzino Nutrition Facts: 1,130 calories, 93g fat, 17g net carbs, 50g protein
Grilled Salmon Nutrition Facts: 590 calories, 8g fat, 16g carbs
TGI Friday’s: Million Dollar Cobb Salad with Grilled Chicken and Bacon Cheeseburger
Go for the lunch portion, it’s smaller than the full-sized salads. Ranch dressing is only 2g of net carbs; other keto-friendly dressing options include blue cheese and Caesar. Craving a burger? Order the Bacon Cheeseburger with lettuce as the bun.
Cobb Salad Nutrition Facts (with ranch dressing): 520 calories, 37g fat, 8 g net carbs, 34 g protein
Bacon Cheeseburger Nutrition Facts: 580 calories, 43g fat, 12g carbs, 35g protein
WW Friendly Options:
Panera Bread: You Pick Two
WW members can customize point-conscious meals with the restaurants soups, salads, and sandwiches. The best soups are Bistro French Onion Soup (six SmartPoints), Black Bean (one SmartPoint), or the Turkey Chili (two SmartPoints). For salads, opt for the Seasonal Greens Salad (three SmartPoints with dressing), or the Caesar Salad (five SmartPoints with dressing). Finally for sandwiches, choose from the Turkey Breast Sandwich (seven SmartPoints) or the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (six SmartPoints).
TGI Friendly’s: Grilled Menu Options
TGI Friday’s has a few SmartPoint friendly options for guests. One option is the Glazed Salmon with Super Veggies (13 SmartPoints). A house salad can be added to any meal with the restaurants low-fat balsamic dressing for two SmartPoints. Treat yourself to some of the restaurant’s most popular appetizers including BBQ Boneless Chicken Bites (four SmartPoints) or the Cheddar and Bacon Potato Skins (six SmartPoints).
The Cheesecake Factory: Skinnylicious® Menu
The menu at The Cheesecake Factory can be quite overwhelming, luckily the restaurant has created a Skinnylicious® menu which features over 50 choices that are 590 calories or less.
Vegan Friendly Options:
Our Neighborhood Chef offers a vegan menu with soul food, Mexican, desserts and more. Our Neighborhood Chef is located on the Second Level, in The Canyon.
Tips for Eating at Restaurants:
- Plan ahead! Check the menu online ahead of time. You can also ask for nutrition information when you arrive. By law, restaurants are required to have that information available.
- Meat and veggie options are your friends, these will typically be the best options for low-carb and protein-rich food.
- Condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce, and honey mustard tend to be high in carbs. Yellow mustard, ranch dressing, hot sauce, or butter are recommended if you feel like you need to add flavor.
- Opt for a side salad.
- Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter or waitress about keto friendly or low carb options.
- Get creative!
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