How to eat out with minimal sugar/simple starch/processed food?

February 14, 2024 2:23 PM

I’m trying to reduce sugar, simple starches, and processed food. I’m good with cooking and snacks at home. But sometimes I want to meet friends for lunch or “let’s meet for coffee” in the afternoon. What are some ways to approach these scenarios?

These are not always at the same restaurants, and usually not chain restaurants. FWIW I don’t actually drink coffee, and - despite trying to reduce my consumption of them - I do like bread and sweets. Lunch is actually not too bad (though I welcome general suggestions here too), but coffeeshops are tough. Any suggestions other than “bring tea in a thermos and nuts in a ziplock and meet at a park or library instead of a restaurant or coffeeshop?” Or is changing the context/location in fact the best approach?

posted by 2 cats in the yard to Society & Culture (17 answers total)

Best answer: Is this more about avoiding temptation? Or seeking options for drinks/dishes/restaurants?

This is perhaps too obvious an answer but most coffee shops have teas, so you could always do that rather than bring your own, and often there's fruit available if you feel like snacking is in order.
posted by wormtales at 2:40 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I generally try to eat like this, and I agree, coffee shops are hard. They all have tea, so that part's easy, but often they only have pastries. Your best bet is going to be spots that also serve breakfast/lunch. Often you can manage some eggs of some form, even if that means you eat them without whatever simple carbs they come with/on. Some of my local neighborhood coffee shops will have one soup of the day, and that can work, or I'll eat a quiche out of its crust. I know you said generally not chains, but the Starbucks eggs bites (even the egg white ones!) are really good and sometimes I will suggest Starbucks solely because I know there's something I can eat there that isn't in the Occasional Treat category.

Also, nuts in a bag in your purse are a perfectly acceptable thing to whip out while you're having your nice tea at the cute coffee shop. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
posted by JuliaIglesias at 2:41 PM on February 14 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Fruit or little packages of nuts are often offered at coffeeshops near the counter, though you should probably avoid bananas.
posted by praemunire at 3:38 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

Best answer: How often do you go out? We eat a strict Mediterranean diet 6/7 days at home, but just eat whatever we want on the (relatively) rare occasions we eat out with friends. (We also eat as we please on Shabbat.) If you go out for say three meals a week, maybe just consider that your chance to enjoy food in community that you don't usually eat? Even moderation in moderation, as they say.
posted by shadygrove at 3:56 PM on February 14 [8 favorites]

Best answer: One thing I am currently exploring options for is taking a fiber supplement on days when I don’t eat at home, because I always feel drastically different in the bathroom on those days and I need to remove any and all barriers between myself and socializing. I am not a nutrition expert but I believe that a good combination of soluble and non soluble fiber can help compensate for the troubles simple starches etc cause our guts and our organs, as long as we don’t have intolerances or allergies to contend with. In the past when I’ve taken fiber supplements I have had to very slowly increase my dose or suffer the consequences, so the trouble is finding something that will play nicely with me when I only take it occasionally. Everyone’s different so you probably have an idea if this would help you or not.

As for coffee shops, there are a few different things you could try. One is to develop a taste for black coffee. Unless you are being Mormon or whatever and denying yourself the joys of caffeine, that should fall under your nutritional umbrella and it’s also just about the most socially acceptable beverage you can get in a coffee shop. Really good coffee and espresso are in fact quite lovely unsweetened, you just need to find the right spot that has the good beans, and expand your palette out a little bit at a time until you can enjoy less amazing beans. You could also use artificial sweeteners and lower the amount a tiny bit each time, but still start with the tastiest base accessible to you.

That said I am definitely more of a tea person and most coffee shops do an okay tea, you just have to know what to order. Because they are probably using water that is waaaaayyyyy too hot, you need to get tea that has a high temperature steeping point. Avoid green and white teas, also avoid oolong. But if a spot has pu-erh, or other classic Chinese black teas, Russian caravan (my favorite smoked blend), or a few different herbals like rooibos, peppermint, ginger, or a “chai” spice blend, those are brewed at a full boil, so if you order them your tea will not suck. Rooibos has somewhat of a natural sweetness so do give that a try if you haven’t already, it plays very well with warm spices without requiring lots of sugar or honey.

Replacements for the coffeeshop experience are difficult to find but depending on your location are possible. One thing in my area, Seattle, that really seems to have a foothold, is board game stores with play areas. Often they have an attached cafe or coffeeshop, but you can just hang and play games without getting food, while your friend gets a pastry or whatever. Another idea is yes, nuts in the park. If there is a good park nearby take advantage of it! Maybe invest in a waterproof picnic blanket and cushions to make the experience pleasant for your friends.

If part of the trouble you are having is one of temptation, try to lower the stakes for yourself. It’s okay if you eat a biscotti once in a while, you know? If you make it less of a thing it won’t be on your mind as much and over time it becomes easier to take it or leave it, because you know if you really want that cookie or whatever, you can have it. Dieting is inherently disordered, though changing what we eat to promote health factors like organ function/blood cholesterol/GI function/good sleep can be important, so it is a very tricky balance to hit in our current food culture. I think most adults are aware of this at least a little, so do be sure to ask your friends to places with menus that make it easier for you to enjoy your time with them, and let them know what’s going on with you. Community support and friendship are some of the best indicators of long term health there are.
posted by Mizu at 4:04 PM on February 14 [5 favorites]

Best answer: For the afternoon "let's meet for coffee", one effective strategy is to eat a substantial snack immediately before you leave for the coffee shop. Then you won't be starving at the coffee shop and can more easily avoid tanking up on sweets.

Similarly, it's not unethical to have a pre-lunch snack before meeting friends for lunch so that you can go lighter on the restaurant foods without dying of hunger.
posted by heatherlogan at 4:28 PM on February 14 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Most coffee shops will give you a cup of hot water. Hot water is actually nice to drink on its own or wirh lemon or you can bring your own tea bag-- if it's not a coffee shop like a Starbucks but more like a diner make sure you bring your own tea bag because othereise they'll give you that Lipton swill. If they have seltzer/plain soda (often they do at the bar) that's refreshing and has the same feel as getting a fancy drink.

If you're thinking you can only drink tea sweetened-- I can tell you it only takes about 2-3 weeks of gritting your teeth through unsweetened and then you adjust and it's like nothing changed at all. Same goes for reducing salt.

Also there's nothing wrong with telling your guests "Hey, I wanted to see you but I'm doing a major diet overhaul so don't be surprised if I don't eat much. I'm fine, just reworking my approach to food." It's also not weird to split a dessert or snack or take half home for later. Restaurant portions are huge, everyone gets it.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:14 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I do keto and don't drink coffee and my go to coffee shop order is some kind of tea - Chai is nice - with artificial sweetener and heavy cream. The heavy cream makes the tea itself kind of filling which removes a lot of the desire to eat baked things.

Do not let them call this a Chai latte because those are usually made with sugary syrups instead of tea.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:55 PM on February 14 [1 favorite]

Best answer: In my experience, coffee shops all have milk - so I usually order a tall glass of milk, plus whatever fruit item they have hanging about - often a banana. That's a good snack and you can join in with all your friends!
posted by london explorer girl at 4:25 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think it's perfectly fine to order just tea and have that. It gives you something to do with your hands but you don't have to navigate food options. My coffee shop drinks are usually mint tea or something else herbal, hot or iced depending on the season. I'm picky about tea, so if I want a black or green or something like that, it has to be a place that knows how to make a good cup/pot of tea. If I'm feeling like I want something that's a bit more of treat, I like steamed milk, but don't add any flavored syrups to it. While this isn't no-carb, some places, especially those that also sell breads or have sandwiches, will do toast. If you opt for something whole-grain, toast with butter or nut butter or cream cheese can be nice. Lunch-y places will likely have fruit, hardboiled eggs, and if you're lucky, salads. Some places are good about having options for getting, e.g. a breakfast sandwich without the roll or a burger without the bun. Rarely will you find a place that will give you steamed or roasted veggies in place of that, but worth checking. Vegetable soups can also be a nice choice if they're primarily vegetables.

If it's a new place, scope it out online: do they have a menu or pictures of the interior that show a menu, what do reviews say about what they have. If I can pick out my order ahead of time, I can usually do better sticking to it rather than deciding at the last minute that I really want a pastry.
posted by carrioncomfort at 5:31 AM on February 15 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yes to tea, but also, please do advocate for yourself when making plans. It's not a bother to ask "can we take a walk or go the lake instead?" When I accept an invitation, I do so because I want to see my friends and catch up, not because I want a coffee/beer/lunch/whatever. I do like all of those things, and I eat lunch every day, but that doesn't have to dictate how I see my friends.

After a while, some of them might even think of this as your preference and offer to go take a walk, visit the museum, etc.
posted by advicepig at 6:43 AM on February 15 [2 favorites]

Best answer: When I did a major food overhaul (a no FODMAP version), I googled any place I’d be going ahead of time and planned. There was rarely food I could have in coffee shops, but a non-dairy tea latte is my favourite. So, oat milk and tea. I eat sugar, so I could have it semi-sweet. I also picked out one meal at any restaurant we go to, or said no to that meal. It was repetitive, but fine.
posted by Valancy Rachel at 1:46 PM on February 15

Best answer: Looks like you are in the US, I have not been to your area of the US so maybe things are different there but I have found it is a very rare coffee shop that doesn't have tea.

A note on regional US usage of the word tea, I use the word to mean a hot beverage that is made with leaves or herbs in water, there might be sweetener available but it is considered optional. I believe some parts of the US call this beverage "hot tea", and that in such areas "tea" is cold beverage with a lot of sugar.

If you want something to eat when you go to meet "for coffee", one strategy would be to check in advance for places near you that have food options low in sugar and simple starches. Suggest it as a new place you have been wanting to try.

I'm assuming that by avoiding "processed food", you actually mean you are avoiding ultra-processed food. If I'm wrong on that and you want to avoid any sort of processing at all, there won't be many options other than bringing nuts or fresh fruit with you. Other than parks, you might be able to do something like meet at a museum and eat outdoors before you go in. I've never heard of libraries where you are allowed to eat in the library so you might want to check on that before going. If you can get your friends to eat at a food hall, it's likely that you can sit with then and eat your food you have brought without issue, but it really depends on how that particular place is run.
posted by yohko at 7:56 PM on February 15

Response by poster: Many thanks for all the replies. This was mostly about ways to avoid or address the tempation of the sweets. Alas, eating at home before I go doesn’t help much - I still want to eat while there. And yes, I meant “ultra processed” food - you are right yohko that “processed” food would eliminate just about all options.

Some of the points or suggestions I particularly appreciated:

- the reminder that coffeeshops often have fruit or nuts.
- the reminder that it’s ok to be less strict sometimes (I usually only do this a couple of times per month)
- suggestions as to which teas tend to be best in coffeeshops
- suggestions for other places to visit, and that it’s ok to ask my friends to meet at these places
- the idea of adding cream to the tea, which is different than how I drink it at home and would make it “special” without being a super-sweat chai latte type drink.
- the idea of ordering a glass of milk, which would never have occurred to me at all and is a fun suggestion for summertime
- checking out the menu ahead of time and making a plan.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 6:11 AM on February 16

Best answer: If you want a hot milk drink, just ask for a steamer, which is simply steamed milk. Usually you put flavoring in it, I like a hazelnut steamer especially, but of course all those syrups are full of sugar and you can ask for it without but then sprinkle the spices on top that they have available, like cinnamon, cocoa, cardamom, or even ginger. Steamers often aren’t on the menu but every coffee shop can make them because they are made of all the stuff they have and are part of learning how to make lattes and cappuccinos anyway so the baristas will know how to make them.
posted by Mizu at 3:58 PM on February 16 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wow, I did not know a “steamer” is a thing. I am totally getting that next time. I might even bring my own little spice pack for flavoring. Thank you thank you thank you!
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 6:04 PM on February 16

Response by poster: Coming back to say that a steamer and (if I want food) whole wheat toast seems to be working perfectly for me in this scenario. Thanks again to Mizu and carrioncomfort for these particular ideas!
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 8:48 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]