If you have diabetes, you are already well aware you need to plan your meals and snacks wisely. Foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can make your blood glucose levels spike too high, while fiber-rich items can stabilize your levels. Eating out at a restaurant can be a huge challenge, as not all dining establishments are diabetic-friendly. A few tricks can help you make good choices to keep your blood sugar levels and weight management on a steady path.
Do Your Homework
Research the restaurant at which you will be eating before you go. Many sit-down restaurants and fast-food chains offer nutritional information on their websites. Choose what you will eat, or at least give yourself a few options to work from ahead of time so you can plan your day's worth of calories and carbohydrate exchanges. If your restaurant of choice does not provide information either online or on the printed menu, look for keywords once you are sitting at the table that will help you decide how to eat right. Avoid foods with words like "fried," "breaded" and "sauteed" in their descriptions as they add calories and fat to your meal. Similarly, cream-based sauces will also likely contain too many carbs for a diabetic. Instead, look for "whole grain," "multigrain" or "steamed" as go-to words for healthier menu items.
Practice Portion Control
Restaurant meals often contain many more calories that the average person needs in a single meal, and sometimes in a single day, regardless of whether or not the diner is diabetic. The American Diabetes Association suggests ordering a small appetizer as your main meal, along with a fruit side dish, as a way of practicing portion control. Divide an entree and side dishes in half and place the leftovers in take-out containers before you begin eating to ensure you will not exceed your allotted calories for the meal. If you are eating at a fast food chain, order a kid's meal. The smaller size is usually more in line with the amount you normally eat for lunch or dinner, and kid's meals at most fast food establishments offer a healthier choice instead of fries, such as applesauce or another fruit option.
On the Side
Eating right in a restaurant can be difficult when you are constantly offered "more": butter and sour cream on a baked potato, several choices of salad dressings, grated cheese on a pasta dish. These are all areas in which you must proceed with caution when you have diabetes. The sensible way to handle these offerings, if you cannot refuse them all, is to ask for everything extra on the side. Roasted turkey that arrives to the table drowning in gravy is no longer the lean protein you imagined, but encased in fat. However, if you ask for gravy on the side, you can control the amount of fat you add to your meal more easily.
Speak Up
Just because you do not see an item on the menu does not necessarily mean the restaurant can't help you make your meal more diabetic-friendly. Ask your server if whole grain varieties are available for pastas, rices and breads. Request a sweet potato instead of a baked white potato. Explain that your dietary needs require you to eat foods that are baked or broiled instead of fried, or that breading adds fat and too many carbs to your meal. Waitstaff and kitchen staff at most full-service restaurants are happy to help you order a meal that pleases your palate and your health. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need; have a backup option in mind however, in case the restaurant cannot accommodate your request.
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