Eating Out and Success.

The Soul30 Journey is more than just white knuckling your way through the Whole30 Reset!  It’s strutting through it with a community of multicultural, food loving, health and wellness seeking soulsters!  (think the George Jefferson Strut) being able to eat out at some of your favorite restaurants is a must!  That’s why we have asked some of our favorite soulster restaurants to add a Soul30 meal/item to their menu’s.   We were met with a very positive response and are hosting our first pop-up at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen this week! Together we determined a Soul30 compliant meal that everyone can eat! 

Most of the time, we are not so lucky to have chefs and restaurants intentionally adding Whole30 items to their menus, finding ourselves trying to figure it out for ourselves, asking a bunch of questions and being that pain in the ass (PITA) that keeps asking the server to modify your meal.  Well, I say be that pain and make sure they get it right.   Here are 5 tips to a successful restaurant trip:

1. Call the restaurant in advance if time permits to ask the Chef if they can prepare one of your favorite dishes Whole30 style.
2. Research your favorite 5, “go to” restaurants to suggest as options that you know, in advance,  serve Whole30 friendly meals.  Google, “farm to table restaurants” or “Paleo restaurants” “healthy restaurants” “keto restaurants” or simply call your favorites and offer to help them create something to add to the menu like we are doing on our Soul30 Journey.
3. Don’t worry about being that PITA!  Go ahead, PITA away, ask as many questions as you need to ensure you get a meal that complies with the program. By now, lots of servers and Chef’s alike are familiar with the Whole30 and will likely be able to modify a meal relatively easy for you.
4. When in doubt, order a grilled meat—salmon, chicken, shrimp, beef, steak.  Just make sure they don’t use a rub that uses any type of sugar—most don’t.
5. Enjoy the company you are in!  Reach deep into your soul and remind yourself that the Soul30 Journey is about resonating LOVE for yourself by ensuring that you are treating yourself like the important soulster that you are and LOVING and enjoying the people you are with.   It’s a journey, enjoy it.