- 7 tips for eating well at the restaurant
- 1. Choose a location with multiple options
- 2. Eat salad
- 3. Choose only one carbohydrate source
- 4. Avoid soft drinks and natural juices
- 5. Avoid sauces
- 6. Prefer cooked or roasted meats
- 7. Avoid desserts
- Tips to keep your blood glucose under control
To eat well outside the home even when you have diabetes, you should always order salad as a starter and avoid soft drinks and sweet desserts at the end of the meal.
In addition, it is also important to look for a place with several options of dishes or that is already known for offering preparations with little fats and sugars.
7 tips for eating well at the restaurant
The following are 7 tips for making good choices and keeping diabetes under control whenever you eat out.
1. Choose a location with multiple options
Choosing a place with several food options makes it easier to make a healthy and tasty choice. Self-service restaurants should be preferred, where it is possible to choose what to add to the dish and how much to place.
A la carte restaurants are not good choices because it is difficult to know how the preparation is made, and it is not possible to choose the quantities to be served.
2. Eat salad
It is important that the diabetic always eat salad for main meals, and whole foods for snacks, such as whole-grain breads and cookies.
The fibers present in vegetables and whole foods will help prevent excessive blood sugar levels after meals, keeping diabetes under control.
3. Choose only one carbohydrate source
You should choose only one source of carbohydrate: rice, pasta, puree, farofa or sweet potato with jacket and wholemeal preferably. It is also important to avoid putting two or more of these foods on the plate, as they favor a rapid increase in blood glucose, and one should always prefer the full version of rice and pasta.
4. Avoid soft drinks and natural juices
Soft drinks should be avoided because they are high in sugar, and the same goes for natural fruit juices, which contain natural sugar from fruits and often bring more added sugar to improve the taste. In addition, juices do not contain the fibers of the natural fruit, which causes blood sugar to rise rapidly. Alcoholic beverages should also be avoided, with the best options being water, tea or coffee after a meal.
5. Avoid sauces
Sauces that contain sour cream, cheese, ketchup, chicken or beef broths or wheat flour should be avoided, as these ingredients are rich in fats and carbohydrates that favor the increase in blood glucose.
Thus, the diabetic should prefer tomato, yogurt, mustard, pepper sauces or vinaigrette dressing, or should season the salad and meat with drops of lemon and herbs such as rosemary, parsley and oregano.
6. Prefer cooked or roasted meats
Cooked or roasted meats, preferably without sauces, should be preferred, and fried foods and breaded preparations should be avoided, as they contain more fats that increase blood glucose and favor cardiovascular disease.
7. Avoid desserts
It is important to avoid the consumption of desserts especially when eating out of the house, as it is common for these preparations in restaurants to be made with excess sugar and fat, ingredients that enhance the flavor and attract more customers.
Thus, one should prefer fruits or fruit salads, remembering to consume only one unit of fruit or a slice at each meal.
Watch this video for more suggestions on how to eat well and keep diabetes under control.
Tips to keep your blood glucose under control
In addition to the tips on the best foods for diabetics when eating out, it is also important to take some precautions, such as:
- Avoid skipping meals because you know you are going to eat outside the home, as failing to snack at the proper times causes your blood glucose to rise even more; if you use fast or ultra-fast insulin, remember to take the equipment to measure your blood glucose and take your insulin before of the meal, following the doctor's guidance; Take the medications according to the doctor's guidance, not increasing the dose for knowing that you will eat more than usual.
In addition, it is important to record blood glucose after meals outside the home, as this helps to understand which foods favor a greater increase in blood glucose and which should be avoided. In addition, taking the meal to work also helps to eat healthy and control blood glucose. See tips for preparing your lunch box here.
Keeping your blood glucose under control is important to avoid diabetes complications, such as diabetic foot and vision problems.
