You Can Totally Eat At Chili's On The Whole30—With A Few Modifications

Doing the Whole30 is tough enough even when you cook every single meal for yourself for the 30 days. Get stuck at a fast food joint for a meal, though, and it can feel downright impossible.

I mean, with added sugars, grains, dairy, legumes, soy, and junk food all off the table, what the heck can you order?

Eating out while on Whole30 can be intimidating—but it is doable, if you're really, really careful. "You have to be strategic when ordering and have faith that the kitchen will follow your directions,” says dietitian Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy.

First, accept the fact that you're probably (okay, definitely) going to have to make substitutions and special requests to make a Whole30 fast food meal work.

In general, Keatley recommends starting with a protein—and making sure you get it dry, without sauces or seasonings. “Anything with a sauce or a seasoning is most likely using added sugar and/or MSG,” he says.

From there, add whatever veggies you can. Just ask for them dry, too, to ensure they're not cooked or seasoned with any non-compliant ingredients. “Veggies at restaurants tend to have some kind of fat—usually butter—with them," says Keatley. If you can, ask for your veggies steamed—and watch out for soy, grains, or corn, which are often used as fillers in restaurant dishes.

If you opt for a salad, skip the dressing, Keatley adds. (Most salad dressings contain non-compliant ingredients, like sugar.) Ask for olive oil and vinegar, if that's an option.

Yeah, there's a lot to remember when navigating the minefield of eating out on Whole30. Keep your brain from exploding by going for one of the following orders.