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Eating
Out
Eating out
can be fun for you as well as your companions. The difference is that
you, as a diabetic, will want to remember to fit your eating out into
your overall meal plan and allotted exchanges for each day. You will
want to be careful to keep high sugar foods to a minimum and avoid
highly salted foods. Watch portion sizes so that you do not unknowingly
consume too many calories during one meal.
When preparing your meal plan your health care team will ask questions
about your eating out habits and make some general recommendations for
you to use as guidelines when you eat out.
Following are some tips.
• Become familiar with your meal plan. Know it well. If you can't
remember it all, carry a copy with you. Become familiar with foods and
portion sizes on your exchange lists.
• Ask questions about how food is prepared before you order it. Try to
advise your hosts or the restaurants you patronize that you have
diabetes to avoid meal delays and inappropriate meals.
• When you know that there will be a wait for a table in a restaurant or
at a group meal, such as a banquet, carry a snack to eat while waiting
but then plan to eliminate part of the meal to account for the snack in
your total daily caloric intake.
• Ask local restaurant owners to provide more menu variety, more salad
bars, and better beverage choices. Be a strong consumer and make your
desires and needs known.
• Ask for substitutions in restaurants. If inappropriate foods are part
of the meal, ask for another food in their place or simply skip some
foods but maintain the calories and balance of your meal.
• Choose foods that are not prepared with sauces or gravies. Try to
avoid breaded or creamed dishes; they are likely to be higher in
calories than plainer foods.
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