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Eating outand diabetes
Eating away from home is one of life’s great pleasures. By understanding howto make healthy food choices, you can select a suitable meal when eating outwithout compromising your overall diabetes control. Consider the frequency of which you dine out. If you dine out regularlychoose healthy items. If you dine out less frequently, the occasional splurgeshould not affect your control. There is no need to go to a special restaurant if you have diabetes. By makinginformed choices you can make healthier selections which are more in linewith the Dietary Guidelines for Australians. These recommend:
• A diet low in fat and particularly low in saturated fat.
• Eating plenty of breads, cereals (preferably wholegrain), vegetables(including legumes) and fruits.
• Eating only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing addedsugar.
• Choosing low salt foods and using salt sparingly.
Here are a few ideas to help make the most of eating out and enjoying it!
Insulin and eating out
When eating out your meal may be served later than usual. To avoid hypos,take your insulin with you and give your injection as the meal arrives. Be sure to choose a meal with adequate carbohydrate. Ask for extra bread, rice,potato, fruit or fruit juice if there is inadequate carbohydrate in your meal.
If you are having a bigger meal with more carbohydrate than usual, you maywish to increase your insulin dose prior to the meal on that special occasion.Discuss this with your doctor or diabetes educator if you are not confident todo this by yourself.
Drinks
• Ask for a jug of iced water to quench your thirst before ordering other drinks.
• Drink water: plain, mineral, or soda.
• Low Joule/Calorie soft drinks.
• Coffee, tea, herbal tea.
• Don’t drink too much fruit juice.
Eating at a friend’s house
This can sometimes be a difficult situation as food choices are usually beyondyour control. Don’t worry - the occasional special meal out should not affectyour overall control. Don’t be afraid to ask for a carbohydrate-containing snack such as a bread roll,crackers or fruit juice if you have had your insulin and the meal is delayed.
Restaurants
Many restaurants serve food that easily fits into a healthy eating plan. Most also value your patronage and are more than happy to oblige should you not find a suitable menu choice. So, feel comfortable in asking restaurant staff forinformation about the menu and to make simple changes if required.
Type of restaurant - Tips for healthier food choices
Italian Choose minestrone/vegetable soup rather thancreamy soups. Choose grilled fish or other seafood.Choose pasta with tomato or vegetable based sauces. Choose lean meat or chicken.
Greek Choose yoghurt or bean based dips. Choose grilled marinated meat on skewers or inLebanese bread with salad. Choose felafel, kibbi, tabouleh and bean salad.
Mexican Choose tostadas, enchiladas, burritos or tacos. Choose less meat and more beans. Ask for less cheese, sour cream and gaucamole. Ask for extra salad as a filling or side dish.
Indian Choose oven baked samosa, lean meat/chicken/fish incurry sauces, herbs, spices or tandoori. Choose curried vegetables, steamed rice, naan,chapati, roti. Limit curries based on cream/coconut milk/coconutcream, rice pilau, poori (deep fried flatbread).
Asian (Chinese, Thai, Malaysian) Choose noodle/vegetable soups. Try steamed entrees instead of fried. Choose steamed, braised, curried, or barbequedseafood/lean meat/skinless poultry. Choose stir fry dishes with leanmeat/fish/poultry/tofu and vegetables. Choose steamed rice or noodles. Limit dishes containing coconut cream/milk. Limit deep fried or battered dishes. Fill your plate with rice/noodles and vegetables, and use the meat/fish/poultry as the flavouring.
Other tips
Ask for an entrée size meal as a main dish.
Choose clear soups, consommés or light vegetablesoups rather than cream soups.
Limit dishes described as au gratin, creamed,battered, crispy, pan fried.
Try a crusty roll without butter or margarine.
Request sauces or dressings to be served separately, soy ou can control the amount you use.
Order extra steamed vegetables without butter, or a salad without dressing to help fill you up.
Share a dessert or ask for a small serving.
Have fresh fruit salad or sorbet instead of rich desserts.
Beware of extras eg butter with bread, chips withmeal, chocolates and cream with coffee.
If the meal is low in carbohydrate, it’s usually easy toask for some extra bread.
Choose salads based on rice, pasta, potato or beansfor additional carbohydrate.
If choosing from a smorgasbord,
try not to overeat.
First start with three or four choices, and then go back if you are still hungry.
Eat slowly and talk a lot!
Takeaway ideas
Hamburgers Ask for extra salad. Request a wholegrain or wholemeal roll. Ask for no butter, margarine or mayonnaise on the roll. Choose meat, cheese or egg (not all three). Choose a lean meat, chicken or fish patty.
Pizza Ask for a thin and crispy base instead of a thick panfried pizza base. Choose low fat toppings like mushrooms, pineapple,capsicum, onion, eggplant, tomato and seafood. Limit high fat toppings like extra cheese, salami and peperoni.
Chicken Choose barbecued chicken rather than crumbed or fried chicken. Remove the skin and limit the gravy. Have salads, bread rolls, mashed potatoes, corn or peas instead of chips.
Fish and chips Ask for fish to be grilled if possible. Choose thick/straight cut chips or wedges instead of French fries and ask for a small serve.
Stuffed potatoes Ask for toppings of salad, baked beans, creamed corn,tuna/salmon, low fat cheese like cottage or ricotta. Limit high fat toppings like regular cheese, sourcream, ham, bacon, butter or margarine. Eat the skin for extra fibre.
Sandwiches (fresh or toasted) Ask for wholegrain bread with less or no butter/margarine. Include salad. Choose low fat fillings like: baked beans, low fat hardcheese, cottage/ricotta cheese, leanham/turkey/chicken, hommos, tuna or salmon.
