Provided by Prevention
Let's face it -- eating out is fun! You get lots of delectable choices, cocktails and wine, time to spend with friends or family and good conversation. But restaurant meals can be detrimental to your health if you have diabetes, want to lose weight or are concerned about controlling blood sugar.
"When you eat out, you have no idea of the hidden oils, added
carbohydrates, or quality of the nutrients you are eating, so you are
behind the eight ball right away,” says Francine Kaufman, MD, head of
the Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism at Children’s
Hospital Los Angeles and medical adviser behind Prevention's new Diabetes DTOUR Diet.
Plus, the portion sizes at restaurants are out of control. Not only do
these meals give you too many calories, they’re loaded with simple
carbohydrates, fat, and salt -- a particularly bad combination for
those with diabetes -- or anyone with blood sugar or weight concerns.
Continue reading the story below the gallery.
Click through the gallery below for some specific actions you can
take to have your cake and eat it too, when you dine out. Note: Please
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9 Restaurant Survival Tips
Take a course in food 101
If you don't know the basics of nutrition, figuring out the most sensible choices on a menu can be as difficult as taking a calculus test without studying. The Diabetes DTOUR Diet can help you learn which nutrient-rich foods you need to control your blood sugar and your weight while still satisfying your tastebuds. "Once you know about food, you can even eat at McDonald's or Burger King because you will know to order a salad or a BK Broiler," says Donna Rice, RN, CDE, past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "It is all about the decisions you make -- you are a product of what you eat."
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Eat out for special occasions
If you go to restaurants often for business or convenience, you can't splurge every time, says Cheryl Marco, RD, CDE, a registered dietitian in the weight management program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. If you dine out often and can control yourself in front of a menu, fine. But if you can't shake the "What the heck -- I'm out for dinner!" mindset, then limit yourself to a few outings a month.
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Choose only one carbohydrate
From the moment you sit down at a restaurant, you'll be tempted by simple carbohydrates -- a full basket of bread and butter, oversize sides of rice and potatoes, heaping plates of pasta, and so many tempting desserts they require a separate menu. To avoid sending your blood sugar through the roof, limit yourself to just one carb -- and make it high in fiber, Marco says. If you're partial to bread, have it (make sure it's whole grain!), but skip the rice, potato, and dessert. "If you love sweets, then have a protein [chicken, lean meat, or fish], double up on your vegetables, and save your carbohydrates for dessert. Create a balance," Marco advises.
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Buy one, get one free
"Many meals at restaurants are 1,600 calories or more in and of themselves, and that doesn't include a beverage or dessert," says Alan Marcus, MD, a private practitioner in Laguna Hills, CA, who specializes in diabetes management and endocrinology. Turn your meal into dinner and lunch for the next day. Ask the server to wrap up half of your meal immediately for no-willpower-needed portion control.
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Beware of buffets
"Studies have shown that when people go to buffets, they eat more than they would if they were sitting down and being served," says Barry J. Goldstein, MD, PhD, director of the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolic diseases at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. If you do find yourself faced with an endless array of options, start by piling your plate with salad so there's very little space left for other foods. Filling up on low-calorie greens will make you less likely to overeat. A good rule of thumb: Fill half your plate with greens or vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with carbohydrates.
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Dress for success
If you top your salad with a vinegar-based dressing, you'll be in even better shape. "Having some kind of acid, such as vinegar, with a meal slows gastric emptying and lowers the glycemic index," says Ralph Felder, MD, PhD, section chief for cardiovascular nutrition in the cardiology fellowship program at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix. Order or place dressing on the side so you can control how much goes on your greens.
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White out your omelet
"If you love eggs, egg whites are a great option, and most restaurants will make egg white omelets," says Edwidge Jourdain Thomas, Dr NP, assistant professor of clinical nursing at Columbia University. Not only are egg whites low in carbohydrates and cholesterol, they are high in protein and can easily be mixed with other flavorful, nutrient-rich fillers. "If you can't get past the idea of white eggs, ask the restaurant for a three-egg omelet -- one whole egg and the rest whites," she says.
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Keep the water pitcher close by
Not only will drinking lots of water at a restaurant keep you hydrated -- which is important if you have high blood sugar or type 2 diabetes -- it will make you full faster. "Sensors in your body let your brain know that you are full and tell you to stop eating," Thomas says. "Water helps activate those sensors."
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Watch the predinner cocktails
"Alcohol is not your friend, calorie-wise, when you are watching your weight, and it lowers your inhibitions so you eat more," Thomas says. "If you are on medication, alcohol will compete with your liver as far as metabolism is concerned." If you want to have a drink with dinner, keep it to an absolute minimum -- one if you're a woman, two if you're a man.
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Rein in Blood Sugar When Eating Out
"You can’t live your life to manage a disease, so don’t stay away from restaurants completely -- you'd be missing out on a huge part of life," says Martha Funnell, RN, CDE, a clinical nurse specialist and co-director of the Behavioral, Clinical, and Health Systems Research Core at the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center. "You just have to make the right choices."
The key is education, so following a plan like the Diabetes DTOUR Diet can help. DTOUR's breakthrough plan helps you focus on what you can eat, as well as helping develop a sense of healthy portion sizes. If you know what -- and how much -- you should eat at restaurants, dining out won’t undermine your efforts to control diabetes or lose weight.
