To eat well outside the home even when you have diabetes, you should always ask for salad as a starter and avoid sodas and sweet desserts at the end of the meal.
In addition, it is also important to look for a place with multiple dishes or is already known to offer low fat and sugary preparations.
7 tips to eat well in the restaurant
Following are 7 tips for making good choices and keeping your diabetes under control whenever you eat out.
1. Choose a location with multiple options
Choosing a place with several food options makes it easy to make a healthy and tasty choice. One should prefer self-service restaurants where you can choose what to add on the plate and what amount 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 in the main meals, and whole foods in the snacks, like breads and biscuits integral.
Fiber in vegetables and whole foods will help prevent exaggerated increases in blood glucose after meals, keeping diabetes under control.
3. Choose only one source of carbohydrate
One should choose only one source of carbohydrate: rice, pasta, puree, farofa or sweet potato. It is also important to avoid putting two or more of these foods in the dish, because they favor the rapid increase of blood glucose, and you should always prefer the full version of rice and pasta.
4. Avoid soft drinks and natural juices
One should avoid soft drinks because they are high in sugar, and the same goes for natural fruit juices, which contain the natural fruit sugar and often bring in added added sugar to enhance the flavor. In addition, the juices do not contain the fibers of the natural fruit, which causes the blood sugar to increase rapidly. Alcoholic beverages should also be avoided, with the best options being water, tea or a coffee after a meal.
5. Avoid sauces
You should avoid sauces containing sour cream, cheeses, ketchup, beef or chicken broth or wheat flour because these ingredients are rich in fats and carbohydrates that promote increased blood glucose.
Thus, the diabetic should prefer tomato, yogurt, mustard, pepper or vinaigrette sauces, or season the salad and meat with lemon drops and herbs such as rosemary, parsley and oregano.
6. Prefer cooked or baked meats
Cooked or baked meats, preferably without sauces, should be preferred, and avoid frying and breaded preparations as they contain more fats that make the blood glucose rise and favor cardiovascular disease.
7. Avoid desserts
It is important to avoid eating desserts especially when eating out, as it is common for these preparations in restaurants to be made with too much sugar and fat, ingredients that enhance the taste and attract more customers.
Thus, one should prefer fruits or fruit salads, remembering to consume only one unit of fruit or one slice at each meal.
Tips to keep your blood glucose under control
In addition to the tips on the best foods for the diabetic while eating away from home, it is also important to have some care, such as:
- Avoid skipping meals because you know that you are going to eat out of the house, as you stop snacking at the appropriate times, the glycemia increases even more;
- If you use fast or ultra-fast insulin, remember to take the equipment to measure your blood glucose and take insulin before the meal, following your doctor's advice;
- Take the medicines as directed by the doctor, not increasing the dose by knowing that you will eat more than usual.
In addition, it is important to record your blood glucose after meals outside the home, as this helps you understand which foods favor a greater increase in blood glucose and should be avoided. In addition, taking the meal to work also helps to have a healthy diet and control blood glucose. See tips to prepare the kettle here.
Keeping controlled blood glucose is important to avoid complications of diabetes, such as diabetic foot and vision problems.
