UPDATE: I have made this post an easier-to-read guide. (Caution, .pdf file, I recommend FoxIt reader)
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Let me start out dispelling the following myth:
You cannot eat out with Diabetes and have any sort of decent food.
THAT IS WRONG!
YOU CAN enjoy eating out with Diabetes. Please note though that I’m not a doctor or a representative from the FDA. These things worked for me, they may not work for you, but should be a good starting place!
Typically, diabetics can have veggies, proteins, SOME dairy products and high-in-fiber products
Typically, diabetics can NOT have fruit, excessive starch (carbs), sugar, etc.
NOTE: If you don’t see what you had in mind, look at the bottom, please read the miscellaneous section for drinks, sides and other menu items.
With that in mind, you should have:
Americana Restaurants (Tuesdays, Fridays, Chili’s, UNO’s, Barley & Hops, etc.)
Just, No.
FISH entrees are very good, both with the vitamins/oils and the protein. Stay away from breaded fish, or eat sparingly. In my experience, tilapia dishes are generally a good non-fishy-tasting fish (Ruby Tuesdays’ “New Orleans Seafood” or “Chesapeake Catch” are good entrees).
STEAK is also a very safe choice with these restaurants. I personally like a medium-well temperature as it still has some juices and natural flavors, but you don’t look like Fred Flintstone (or Barney Rubble) with a freshly killed brontosaurus leg. Look for grilled steak, or steak tips. Avoid country fried steak (as the breading is bad). Fajita platters are good as they give you the veggies and the meat. Taco shells in this form (small, limited) are okay.
CHICKEN is a GREAT food to eat at these places, they usually come prepared decently, and in a multitude of fashions (pan-seared, stuffed, broiled, etc). Once again, avoid fried or breaded. If there is a layer of skin anywhere, peel it off.
AVOID dishes with BBQ sauce, this includes Friday’s Jack Daniel’s entrees. Even a tiny bit will dramatically raise your levels.
“Formal” Italian Restaurants (Olive Garden, Macaroni’s, Carrabas, etc.)
Oh boy, we’re screwed! Italian food was one of my favorite types of cuisine.
SALADS are decent, but dressings can kill you. Olive Garden offers a lite version of their signature dressing. While you can taste a slight difference, it isn’t bad. Check other places for lite versions of their dressings. If they don’t know or hesitate, ask for some olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix your own. Depending on how serious you are and how serious your diabetes is, you might want to avoid croutons and the breadsticks the server will leave. If you don’t want to fully give it up, or don’t feel strong enough to give it up, ask for one breadstick only, or take half of that chunk of bread you get at Macaroni’s or Carrabas and wipe your keys over it; set it aside and pat yourself on your back. If other people stare, just shrug and laugh (or tell them you have diabetes, it’ll help you get over it that much faster, and will put them in their place).
PASTA: is generally a no-no. Even whole grains or whole wheat pastas should be avoided. On a personal note, the whole-wheat pasta Olive Garden serves didn’t affect me TOO badly.
Try soups or salads at Italian places, generally individuals eat far too many carbs at Italian places anyway. If you still cant kick the pasta habit, box half of your pasta and take it home for the next day/someone else.
Once again SEAFOOD and STEAK dishes are okay, just make sure it doesn’t come on a bed of pasta.
“Formal” Mexican Restaurants (Insert your own local chains here)
Another biggie. This would tie Italian cuisine for my top spot. There are only a few tips here:
AVOID RICE! Spanish rice is essentially white rice with a hell of a lot of seasonings in it. NO!
Avoid burritos (or any dish with LARGE tortillas, some tortillas are the same carb-wise as THREE slices of bread!)
CHIPS & SALSA: Really depends on the individual. If even the SMELL of chips shoots you up 20 points, avoid it. If you want, take some of the salsa onto your fork and eat it that way.
SPANISH DESSERTS are generally heavy in carbs, avoid at all costs.
Soup & Sandwich Shops (Panera, Subway, etc)
These places are devils in disguise. Avoid sandwiches and croutons at all costs. Soups are generally okay unless they have a large amount of carbs (potatoes) in them.
SALADS: Greek and Caesar salads are generally okay, as with house/classic salads. Ask to make your own and be charged at the cheapest salad price.
SOUPS: Clam chowder is okay, depending on the potato content, as is a number of “cream of”.
Essentially, these restaurants are geared towards the latest Neo-hippy/liberal (and this coming from a Democrat!) fad. These restaurants should have a nutritional binder with information online or in-store. Check it before you eat it!
Fast Food
Fun times to be had by all! Here are some general guidelines, these stores should have nutritional facts on their Web sites.
AVOID buns, or eat half of a bun.
SNACK-WRAPS are generally decent, if you do get one, go for the grilled.
GRILLED is better than CRISPY
ANOTHER interesting factoid I read is that spicy food burns more calories than “mild” food. While this has little to do with diabetes, it might increase more than the metabolism. If there is a grilled spicy sandwich, it might be worth a shot! Besides, you’ll get some flavor in your diet!
SALADS at fast food restaurants can be proverbial “wolves in lamb’s clothing”. Chipotle’s salad dressing adds TWELVE GRAMS OF CARBS per dressing tub. Skip it and put some spicy (red) or medium (Green) salsa instead. You get veggies and the fiber that counteracts the carbs.
Coffeehouses (Panera, Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, etc.)
Let me start with another myth here. In diabetes-land, skim milk is NO BETTER THAN whole. The pasteurization and other preservative processes add the same amount of carbs whether we keep the milkfat or not.
ADD ALERT!
But… lyke…. what about SOY milk!? -head tilt-
Soy milk is processed from soybeans in some magical transformation (I actually haven’t a clue, so we’ll call it magic) into milk.
Lactose free, it is safe for those with lactose intolerance (those who don’t have the stomach enzyme to break down the fat in milk).
While there is a noticeable difference in taste, soy milk by itself is better than regular milk:
Soy Milk
| 1 Cup of… |
Soy Milk (Silk’s “Natural Vanilla”) |
2% Milk |
| Carbs |
10g |
13g |
| Fiber |
1g |
0g |
| Sugars |
7g |
12g |
Anyway, I still prefer 2% because of taste and price (usually there’s a $0.20 to $0.50 charge for soy at coffeehouses).
SYRUPS: Avoid. Period. Some may have sugar-free syrups (usually caramel, vanilla and hazelnut), but they end up making your coffee taste flat and “fake”. If you can deal with that taste, by all means, go ahead.
ICED TEA: A note here: Sometimes we all have sugar cravings. I hate unsweet tea. I just do. I order it anyway because it gives me some semblance of taste (i.e. I hate water more than tea). With that said, Starbucks’ sweetened large iced tea gives you SIX PUMPS OF SUGAR WATER (otherwise known as “Simple Syrup” to those bar aficionados and “Classic Syrup” to those Starbucks aficionados). When you just CANT STAND IT, go ahead and take a large iced tea and tell them to make it “half sweet”. This still gives the tea some taste, but allows you to splurge a little.
Diners: (IHOP, Perkins, local venues etc.)
I’m not much a fan of diners, despite sometimes needing the greasy goodness of someplace. See my Miscellaneous section below and follow the tips in the Americana section and the Side Dishes section below.
Side Dishes:
95% of the time, side dishes will come with fries. It’s the inevitable part of eating out and fast food.
WHEN EATING AT A “SIT-DOWN RESTAURANT”: Try to replace fries with broccoli (my fav), mixed veggies or a salad (minus croutons). That way you aren’t even tempted. Some places will serve bread or breadsticks with your meal. Typically any starch will screw you over, but Ruby Tuesdays (dark bread they use for croutons) and Longhorn Steakhouse (grained bread) are okay enough for you, just don’t splurge on these.
Miscellaneous
You’ve read my suggestions, and your head is spinning. No problem, let me paraphrase:
- Potatoes bad, bread bad
- veggies good, salad (depending on the dressing) good
- BBQ sauce BAD
- Diners bad
- Proteins are great, cheeses, meat and fish fill you up and don’t spike your sugar
- SUBSTITUTION and MEAL PLANNING!
- If you want to have a burger, have broccoli instead of fries and eat half the bun.
- If you want to hit McDonalds for breakfast, and need everything there, eat half the hash brown and only eat one end of the muffin/biscuit/mcgriddle
- Get a Soup and Salad deals, they fill you up, and some places have never-ending salad.
Finally, bring your meter with you, check before you go eat and TWO hours afterwards. This difference is how your pancreas and kidneys are working. I’ll cover sweeteners in my next post.
GOOD LUCK!
“Trying to manage diabetes is hard because if you don’t, there are consequences you’ll have to deal with later in life. -Bryan Adams”
This post, I want to deal with the phenomenon known as Starbucks and how it affects Diabetics. I have worked with coffee for about four years, and would like to think I know every-which-way to muck up a “caramel latte”.
If you’re like me, and argue with your doctors that there is too much blood in your caffeine system, go for a medium (grande) latte, (18 grams of carbs, 17 grams of sugar). From there, take your cup to the “fixing station” and put in a few dashes of cinnamon, vanilla or chocolate. Unless you’re going heavy-handed, you should be under 20 grams of each, which leaves you anywhere between 10-20 grams of carbs for a sensible breakfast.
Specs:
