16 Paleo-Friendly Fast Food Options That Won't Ruin Your Diet

If you follow a paleo diet, you'll likely find fast food chains challenging. Fast food meals generally contain a lot of additives, processed sugars, and salt, all of which go against the nature of the paleo diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, the diet mimics a caveman-like eating regime, including foods that could be hunted or gathered. While most fast food places feature countless highly processed foods, there are still some options when dining out.

Paleo dieters focus on incorporating lean meats and fish, fruit, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Everyday Health adds that those who eat paleo can add olive oil, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil in moderation. While we do not always know the oils used by fast food joints, we have compiled a list of recommendations that fit the paleo requirements should you find yourself at a fast food restaurant. Here are some great paleo-friendly fast food options that won't ruin your diet.

If we shared that Shake Shack started as a single hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in New York City, would you believe us? Shake Shack shares on its website that the cart's original mission was to raise money for a public art project. Decades later, the burger joint is more successful than ever, solidifying itself as a fast food phenomenon.

Shake Shack prioritizes premium ingredients, and those who follow a paleo diet appreciate that focus more than most. Finding paleo-friendly options at a chain that offers fries, burgers on buns, and milkshakes can be challenging. At Shake Shack, you have to get creative with your order.

The chicken items at Shake Shack are hand-breaded and fried in soy oil, making these products not paleo. On the other hand, many burgers come on buns and contain cheese and condiments, contradicting the paleo diet. Modify the Avocado Bacon Burger by removing the cheese and ShackSauce. Additionally, order a lettuce wrap sans bun to comply with the low-carb aspect of paleo. Add cherry peppers, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onions to beef up your burger. No pun intended.

Famous for its secret menu, In-N-Out actually features these items on the company website. This not-so-secret menu takes the common modifications made by customers and advertises it for all to see — no secrets necessary.

The West Coast favorite showcases a very simple menu to its guests dining in or in the drive-thru, but frequent In-N-Out goers know that the best stuff is from the secret menu. In the case of a paleo dieter, your options are limited but not impossible. Like other burger chains, In-N-Out offers a protein-style burger that takes the hamburger patty and wraps it in lettuce instead of a bun.

In addition to ordering it protein style, avoid the restaurant's signature spread that does not meet paleo standards. And if you have a big appetite, try ordering a double protein style to get an extra meat patty added to your order. With no fries or milkshake in your paleo order, a single protein-style burger might not do the trick.

We all think of Starbucks for its creative coffee and tea creations, and while this chain does not provide the most paleo options on our list, we found a few that fit the diet. Because Starbucks' pre-made breakfast and lunch sandwiches contain bread and dairy, it isn't easy to modify for someone eating paleo, so we suggest opting for the protein boxes.

Starbucks offers a variety of protein boxes, but we found the Eggs & Cheddar Protein Box to be one of the most paleo-friendly options. To ensure this meal is paleo, consume only the hard-boiled eggs, apples, and grapes from this box. Of course, dairy and bread are not considered paleo, so remove the cheddar and multigrain muesli bread to comply. Additionally, peanuts are considered legumes and not paleo, which means the small package of peanut butter included in the box is also off-limits.

Panera Bread fans live for the bread bowls, pastries, and mac and cheese from the popular fast casual chain, but these popular items won't do it if you follow the paleo diet. Thankfully, Panera Bread offers some menu items that are sans grains, dairy, and processed sugars. We headed to the salad section of the menu to find the best paleo-friendly options that won't ruin your diet.

To find the best meal just like the caveman used to do it, we grabbed a Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken from Panera Bread. At first glance, this seems like it would not require any modifications. The Strawberry Poppyseed Salad contains lettuce, pecans, strawberries, chicken, pineapple, blueberries, and mandarin oranges. Due to the strict paleo guidelines that discourage processed sugars and oils, followers of the diet will need to remove the pecans, oranges, and dressing. According to Panera's ingredient information, the pecans are roasted with cottonseed oil, the oranges are covered in sugar, and the dressing contains many ingredients that are not paleo-friendly. Essentially, stick with the chicken and fresh fruit in the salad to keep this paleo compliant.

If you like sandwiches, then you know Jimmy John's. The chain started with only four variations of sandwiches and is known today for its 18 different offerings and insanely fast delivery (via Jimmy John's). We appreciate this, but you may be wondering how sandwiches fit the paleo guidelines. Paleo eaters do not consume grains and bread if you haven't been paying attention. In 2003, Jimmy John's released the Unwich. If you love Jimmy John's but don't mess with bread, the Unwich is basically a lettuce-wrapped sandwich. It's like a protein-style burger, but the sandwich version.

Now that we ditched the bread, it's time to pay attention to the fillings. We recommend ordering an Unwich Beach Club without cheese and mayo. This sandwich comes with turkey, avocado spread, cucumber, lettuce, and tomato, and it's delicious and filling even without the bread. Jimmy Johns even allows you to add Freebies (mayo, mustard, pickles, etc.) for no extra charge, although onions and peppers are the only paleo-friendly options.

Lean meat and fish represent a significant portion of paleo diets, making the high-quality burgers at Five Guys a good choice for paleo eaters. Unfortunately, while the brand does use fresh ground beef, its fries are cooked in peanut oil, making them off-limits for those on the paleo diet (via Five Guys).

While the fries won't be included in your order at Five Guys, a classic hamburger can provide a paleo-friendly option. Of course, the bun cannot come along, so order this one wrapped in crisp iceberg lettuce instead.

Unlike other burger chains that require a ridiculous amount of modifications to stay paleo compliant, Five Guys gives you plenty of topping options. We recommend skipping the condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, cheese, etc.) and sticking with lots of veggies when staying paleo. If you really like meat, bacon can be an excellent addition to your burger too.

Next, we discover what the happiest place on earth has to offer. No, not Disneyland; it's the golden arches at McDonald's. As one of the largest fast food chains in the world, McDonald's is known for its hamburgers, specifically the Big Mac. Unfortunately, the Big Mac's triple buns, sauce, and cheese do not comply with the no grain and no dairy nature of the paleo diet. McDonald's even discloses that its pickles contain an artificial preservative, so we'll be skipping those too.

To find paleo-friendly fast food options that won't ruin your diet at McDonald's, opt for a plain hamburger lettuce-wrapped, aka no bun. McDonald's chicken does come fried, so there are not many options at this famous chain for paleo eaters. If you want to avoid ruining your paleo diet at McDonald's, order a hamburger and make sure to ditch the bun, condiments, and pickles.

Jack in the Box is one of the most interesting fast food brands in the marketplace. The fast food chain set the standard for things like the drive-thru, breakfast sandwiches, and to-go salads. Now, Jack in the Box features one of the most diverse fast food menus. You can order anything from a burger and fries to tacos and egg rolls. At Jack in the Box, your fast food order options are endless. For paleo dieters, the options are not quite as endless, but Jack in the Box does provide options outside of a bunless burger.

At Jack in the Box, we suggest ordering Jack's Teriyaki Chicken Bowl. This bowl is made with chicken, veggies, and rice, but you will have to remove the rice to comply with the paleo diet. Ask for no sauce and to add additional vegetables to replace the rice for a filling and low-carb meal. Not many fast food chains offer this type of bowl, so we enjoyed the unique dish.