Welcome back, everyone! I hope you had a terrific summer, and a lovely Labor Day weekend. I spent most of August on the road. While I had a fantastic time, I’m grateful to be back in New York — and behind my usual desk — just as the sweltering summer weather is cooling down.
It’s also a delight to see that a number of new subscribers joined the newsletter in August — and that several are paid subscribers. While the Gluten-Free Guidebook is a labor of love, it costs time and money to put together, so your support means the world to me. Thank you❤️
While traveling last month, I was preoccupied with finding new restaurants, which led me down a curious rabbit hole. I’ve never tried the keto diet (truth be told, I’ve never followed any special diet except the gluten-free one) but keto kept popping up when I searched for gluten-free dining options. Since there’s some overlap between keto and gluten-free diets, it seemed like a good time to explore what they have in common — and what they don’t.
What Is the Keto Diet?
Keto is primarily a weight-loss/weight-management program that emphasizes whole, minimally processed foods. It’s got specific macronutrient ratios that are quite strict. While different sources take slightly different approaches, the difference in the ranges is small: 70%-80% of a keto diet is comprised of fat, 15%-25% is protein, and the remaining 5% is carbs. The theory behind the diet is that this macronutrient ratio shifts your body into ketosis, where it burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
What’s the Overlap Between Keto and Gluten-Free Diets?
Keto’s ultra-low-carb approach means that carbs are generally MIA from keto plates. In practice, that means no grains, rice, cereal, pasta, potatoes, corn, or legumes. Some of that is good news for celiacs — though we might miss rice, potatoes, corn, and legumes. Still, if you’re gluten-intolerant and like your meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and peppers, there’s often something on a keto menu for you.
But there’s a catch.
The keto diet doesn’t entirely ban those carbs — and there’s nothing specifically banning gluten from a keto diet. That means gluten can show up in sneaky ways. For example, soy sauce is low-carb and low-calorie, making it a keto-friendly ingredient, even though traditional soy sauce is made using wheat, which makes it off-limits to celiacs.
Because the keto diet doesn’t ban gluten, it’s important to recognize that it’s not automatically safe for celiacs. But the good news is that many keto-friendly restaurants have realized they can dramatically expand their appeal either by going gluten-free, or by clearly indicating what contains gluten on their menus and implementing practices to prevent cross-contamination.
Can You Recommend Some Keto-Friendly Restaurants That Are Also Gluten-Free-Friendly?
Absolutely! Here are a few to try (watch for full reviews of some of these spots in future posts, and for additions to this list):
NEW YORK
Friedman’s: While not 100% gluten-free, Friedman’s avoids cross-contamination by having separate fryers, knives, cutting boards, prep area, and grill space; multiple locations in NYC
InKETOble Cafe: One caveat — get to this gluten-free and sugar-free Manhattan spot before it closes on September 28th!
Springbone: 100% gluten-free, with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey
TORONTO
Impact Kitchen: 100% gluten-free with dairy-free and vegan options
Ketodelia: 100% gluten-free; two locations
CHICAGO
Lyfe Kitchen: Most of the menu is gluten-free, with some dairy-free and vegan options
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Caveman Cafe: Located in Vancouver, most of the menu is gluten-free or can be modified to be
Festal Cafe: 100% gluten-free in Squamish with dairy-free and vegan options
Great recommendations - I often get asked for Keto/GF