Diabetes Diet - Diabetes Diet Issues
A diabetes diet can be difficult to adjust to, especially if you are dining out at a restaurant. When you are in your own home, you know what food you are eating, the preparation, and the serving size that is just for you. With the out of control over proportion serving sizes of the foods in the popular restaurants today, you never know what you are getting yourself into. So, if you are planning a meal out, practice these guidelines to ensure that you good time does not go bad with your meal choices.
If you do not know what is in a dish, or the serving size of a dish, ask. It may be better to try to eat an appetizer rather than an actual entrée, because the portion is smaller, and a bonus for you is that it is generally easier on the wallet, too. If this is not enough food to fill you up or you still have requirements to fill, add a salad to your low-fat appetizer choice.
Order your foods with dressings, sauces, and things of that sort on the side. Coating your food in them will add calories, fats, and all the stuff you are aiming to stay away from. Even better, ask for low fat dressings and such, even though the restaurant may not have them present on the menu. Chances are they will have something for you anyway. Having them on the side will allow you to better judge the portion and how much of the extras you can have. If your diabetes diet mandates that you lower your sodium intake, ask that your meal be prepared without the salt.
Do not order fried foods, as the breaded coatings add fats that you do not need. If a dish comes with a breaded coating, peel it off. Ask for low-fat substitutions. In place of a pile of French fries, ask them to pile on another vegetable. In the few cases that it cannot be done, ask that the high fat side item be left off your plate all together. You are the customer and in most cases, the restaurant staff will do whatever it takes to ensure your satisfaction. You can eat the foods required by your diabetes diet, without suffering a setback.
Just because you have to follow a diabetes diet, does not mean that you have to cook every meal you eat for the rest of your life. Knowing what limitations you have, you can prepare yourself for better meal choices, and never be afraid to ask about anything. In fact, you may find that you can safely eat frequently at many of the restaurants you loved before your diagnosis, even after the diagnosis.