If you are newly diagnosed with the disease, Honick recommends that you meet with a registered dietician to learn what you can and can’t eat to ensure your wellness, as this helps you to ‘establish appropriate carbohydrate guidelines for meals and snacks, as well as become familiar with the carbohydrate, protein, and fat content and label reading for favourite foods’. By knowing what you can eat, you’ll be more able to choose them from a menu. When it comes to making choices, you have to make the best possible ones in terms of health. For example, if you’re a woman your recommended carbohydrate limit per meal is 45 to 60 grams, and the limit for men is 60 to 75 grams.
Planning ahead is also a good idea, as choosing the right restaurants, foods, and even time of day in advance can make all the difference to how much you enjoy your dining experience. Many restaurants understand special dietary needs, so even if the menu doesn’t offer you what you require exactly, many chefs will be happy to accommodate you. Honick suggests that in chain restaurants you can find out nutritional information ‘by going online or by request. For the independent restaurants, it’s usually available by request.’
Also, ensure your meals are heart-healthy, as recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Consider ordering your meat or fish broiled without butter or asking that your baked potato be served plain or with a small amount of margarine or low-fat sour cream. Ask for your sauces and dressings to be served on the side, order a salad, or vegetables from the salad bar, as your side dish and if you’re ordering fast food, opt for grilled chicken sandwiches, thin-crust pizzas with vegetable toppings, or bean burritos minus the sour cream, cheese and guacamole.
Finally, make sure you’re eating, rather than seated, at the optimal times by avoiding restaurants at their busiest times, making reservations, telling your companions why it’s so important that you eat on time and adjust your snacks if your meal will be significantly later than usual. Then you can enjoy eating out just like everybody else.