Eating Out with Diabetes

How can meals outside of your home be fit for your diabetes.

What if you eat out and have diabetes?

Eating outside is a pleasure. The food comes out of your order, without preparing them yourself. It is quick, easy and fun, an occasional indulgence indeed. Either it is just a pizza after work, a business meeting, a fast-food meal with family, barbecue at your friend’s house, food court at the mall, eating outside the home is part of social life. However, having diabetes and eating out makes you out-of-control of the food to eat.

You surely do not want to miss these activities just because you have diabetes. You can still be in control with self-discipline and a high sense of self-care and responsibility. Just keep track of the food you eat in moderation.

When eating out, patients with diabetes still have to watch what they eat. They most of the time, prepare their own food. Eating in restaurants, can spoil or enhance their meal plan. In short, they still can take charge. They are the ones who order the food, after all.

Plan for the occasion

As much as possible, know when are you eating out and what restaurant would you go to. If you have the information, you can research ahead of the menus and meals in that particular restaurant, check on the nutrition values of the restaurant and the food available in there, meal options and portion sizes. Nowadays, most restaurants and establishments have websites for your convenience. When you plan to eat out even with diabetes, it gives you more chances to do research ahead of time. Many of them already offer “healthy food”, as more people, not just you, are becoming health-conscious.

When eating out

Restaurants usually offer large portions. It might be tempting to avail of it but if it will not benefit you, you might as well think twice. Healthy plan for diabetes usually talks about moderation. Never forget to control your portions even in a place when large portions is a common thing. Choose the smallest size if you can, or maybe share meals with a partner or decide to take-home some of the food.

Save some room for desserts, which means, if you plan to eat desserts when you eat out, adjust the portions of your meal to avoid going beyond the diabetes healthy portion sizes of carbohydrates, calories and fats. Avoid or never have alcohol drinks at all.

Eat-all-you-can

Eat-all-you-can or buffets are good but not so for diabetes. With large options in hand, it might be quite hard for your to resist overeating. Even a little-bit-of-everything can give you an over-count of calories.

Rules of thumb

A healthy plan requires you to eat on time, take a variety of healthy food, keep good healthy portions, limit fats and salt. Follow your health plan wherever you eat. Eating at home or eating out shall not be a problem.