Restaurant Tips for Diabetics (Part 2)

Restaurant Tips if you have Diabetes (Part 2)
by Roberta Kleinman, RN, M.Ed., CDE September 4, 2013

In continuation from last week's newsletter I wanted to add more useful restaurant tips. If you plan ahead, think of reasonable food choices prior to arriving at the restaurant and you and your diabetes will be pleased with your dining experience.

We are all human; try to enjoy the meal as a social experience without feeling guilty or deprived. Remember, if you do mess up one time, immediately recognize that you should and can return to healthier eating at the next meal.

Consider the way the food is prepared. Try raw, broiled, baked, steamed, grilled or sautéed. Stay away from fried foods as much as possible. Ask for food to be sautéed in olive oil instead of butter. Ask for sauces on the side and dip instead of having the food smothered.

For breakfast, substitute egg beaters or egg whites if you have high cholesterol, and eat only 3 regular egg yolks a week. Order grits or oatmeal instead of hash browns. Replace bacon with Canadian bacon or turkey bacon and eat only occasionally. Use sugar free or fruit only jam on your bread. Use sugar free syrup on waffles or pancakes (these sugar free products may cause gastric distress, so watch portion amounts). They usually keep it on the side. Skip the bagel which counts as 4 servings of a carbohydrate. Eat whole grain, rye, sourdough or pumpernickel bread.

Order skinless chicken to avoid eating the skin. Ask for steaks to be grilled without butter or heavy sauces. See if they can trim the fat off the meat before it is cooked and served to you. Include 3 fatty-fish meals a week and try not to order farm raised fish.

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