Dining out: Rio Grande Valley style

I have mentioned in previous posts the concept of 'borrowing' protein from one meal so that I can have more flexibility for the next. Generally speaking it's not something which I should be doing often and never with more than 4-6g of protein. There are occasions however, such as when eating out, when this is the only way to go.

Two such dining-out events which would lure me into this breakfast of self-sacrifice are lunchtime trips to two of my favourite restaurants in McAllen: 'Taco Palenque' and 'Kumori'.

Unfortunately, and no doubt very much to the chagrin of the scientist lying beside me, I will be exposing the unscientific nature of my calculations when eating out in these places, and apologise in advance to those of you that thought me completely infallible.

Taco Palenque

Living in the Rio Grande Valley, there are no shortage of taco joints. They are as ubiquitous as you would expect for an area of the US which has an (unofficial) 95% Mexican population. The family are very clear however that none are better than Taco Palenque, and I was lucky to savour the full experience, tortilla and all, in November before I started my wacky diet. A distant memory though that may seem now.

Things are different nowadays obviously, but there are still plenty of elements to Mexican food which  allow me to put together a fairly balanced Tristan-approved meal. I tend to order a sizzling beef fajita  plate or a couple of beef, chicken or 'carnitas' (pork) tacos, which provide me with about 85g of meat and a side plate of guacamole (45g). Though I don't weigh them exactly, I am starting to get an eye for these things and put together a salad from the side bar, made up of lettuce (35g), green cabbage (25g), cilantro (10g) and a few slices of pickled jalapeño peppers (25g). I obviously eat these without the tortillas, beans or rice and drench the salad in olive oil (45g) to bring the meal up to scratch.

fat:  63 g, protein:  25.3 g, carb:  3.1 g

ratio:  2.2:1

Kumori

My visits to Kumori are probably the closest I come to a pure 'cheat meal', in that it is impossible to calculate the precise amounts of the ingredients in the various rice-less 'sushi' rolls on their menu. Yes, 'rice-less' and 'sushi' rolled into one, well rolled into three options actually at this pseudo-sushi restaurant in McAllen which panders to the (un)exotic tastes of Valley diners. 

The 'San Francisco' (pictured at right), 'Golden' and 'Paradise' rolls all contain cream cheese, avocado, spicy crab, salmon, 'fresh' shrimp and white fish in varying amounts, held together by soy paper or cucumber. With only limited amounts of these ingredients in each roll, I feel I cannot be far from the mark when it comes to protein and carb content, and since all three are served slathered with what must be high fat 'spicy mayo', I don't need to go crazy on the coconut oil when I get home. I will say that these rolls are about as far removed from actual sushi as it is humanly possible to produce, however if I close my eyes and dip them into a soy sauce and wasabi mix, I am transported, even if just momentarily, back to my sushi-eating days.

Realizing that there are undoubtedly carbs in home made mayo and the soy paper and also no real way of knowing what exactly Kumori is labelling as 'white fish' or 'spicy crab', I have lately been tempted away from the dark side and have ordered the 'fresh tuna salad', served with cucumber strips and green onion and drenched in sesame oil and ponzu sauce. This seems to banish the raw fish cravings with a more controlled list of ingredients, surely keeping me within the meal's prescribed carb and protein limit. I do, however, still need to supplement the meal with a tablespoon or two of coconut oil when I get home in a bid to hit the required fat levels but consider this just a small price to pay for a delicious raw tuna meal.

Best of Austin Low-Carb

Jimmy John's

I had been long looking forward to arriving into Austin, the first stop on our US road trip. Known for having a large hippie population, and a load of hipsters to boot, there was bound to be plenty of food alternatives for the difficult-to-accommodate diner.

JJ Gargantuan Unwich snatched from www.jimmyjohns.com

First stop Jimmy John's, one of Samantha's favourite sandwich bars and home to the 'Unwich' – essentially all the goodness of any of the bread rolls on the menu, but minus the roll. I had been saving some of my protein up for the meal but, unaware that full nutritional information was available on their website, I went a little overzealous and ordered the JJ Gargantuan unwich which turned out to be a bad decision when I saw that it contained 5.5 grams of carb and and a lot more protein than I had to spare.

Although a teaspoon or so of coconut oil would still be needed to supplement the fat content of this meal, what I should have ordered was the Club Lulu unwich and an extra serving of mayonnaise:

fat:  54.4g, protein:  25.4g, carb:  2.8

ratio: 1.9:1

The nutritional information on this website is fantastic, so try putting together your own perfect unwich!  For instance, the JJBLT unwich is perfect if you have lower protein needs.

Leaf

On day two we were keen to visit a place we had been reading about called Leaf which had been receiving rave reviews for its healthy salads, composed primarily of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. With so many good choices on the menu, it was hard to choose which salad to go for, but I opted in the end for the Capitol City Cob (comprising grilled chicken, a hardboiled egg, blue cheese, roma tomatoes, black olives, bacon and avocado – served with blue cheese sauce), removing the tomatoes and the tasteless black olives, and replacing the blue cheese sauce with a healthy dose of extra virgin oil. Whilst we cannot provide exact figures for the salad, it tasted great and we are sure it could not have been very far off the mark when supplemented with a tablespoon of coconut oil to ensure I hit my 63g fat for the meal.

Leaf menu board

Whataburger: Just Like You Like It

 Samantha had spoken at length about her family's love for 'Whataburger', the local fast food chain which was established in Texas and remains its primary home. McAllen has dozens of these joints and any trip outdoors results in the inevitable drive-by together with lyrical waxings about the craveable cuisine on offer. 

Having missed out on a visit during my first trip to Texas, I suspected that my new culinary limitations would mean that I would never get to sample the gourmet fare on offer at this fine local establishment. Unfazed by the peculiarities of my diet, I decided to join the family for a Saturday evening visit to the 'best burger joint in Texas', opting for a bun-less 'Bacon and Cheese Whataburger' add jalapenos. I asked for my meal to be served with extra lettuce and a tub of mayonnaise to boost the fat content. 

My meal was served on a plastic tray and I was able to make use of the handy plastic knives and forks on offer in the restaurant. I ate a sizeable heap of lettuce and the two slices of tomato with mayo, enjoying the traditional Whataburger patty with a slice of cheese, two rashers of bacon and a generous serving of pickles and mustard. The meal was delicious! Too good in fact, I thought - there must be some hidden carbs in there that I do not know about ... The investigation began …

Good news, actually there weren't ... as the following website demonstrates.

fat:  25.2g, protein:  24.8g, net carb:  3g

Note:  This does include american cheese, so lose the cheese for less protein and doesn't include mayo so load it up for more fat!  Also not included were the add-ons of bacon and jalapenos.  I chose not to eat the included onions and have jalapenos instead.