{"id":17470,"date":"2021-11-01T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/?p=17470"},"modified":"2021-12-06T16:44:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T21:44:39","slug":"dining-out-with-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/caloriecontrol.org\/dining-out-with-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dining Out with Diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Robyn Flipse, MS, MA, RDN — <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eating out now has a permanent place in our busy lives. The restaurant industry reports<\/a> 20% of Americans eat out at least once a week, while 45% of us eat out multiple times each week. It\u2019s convenient, offers more choices than what we might have at home, and is a great way to relax and socialize with family and friends without having to clean up afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this can be a challenge if you\u2019re one of the more\nthan 100 million adults in the U.S. living with diabetes or prediabetes. You\nmay be wondering, \u201cHow can I eat out if I\u2019m following a special diet as part of\nmy diabetes care plan?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, the answer is simple. Just as you must make good choices\nwhen deciding what and how much to eat at home, you must also do that when\neating out. Menu options may be different, but your personal meal plan remains\nthe same. Since you are the expert about what should or shouldn\u2019t be on your\nplate, it\u2019s your job to help the person taking your order understand exactly\nwhat you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you\u2019ve probably experienced already, restaurants vary\ngreatly in how well they can meet your needs. Those with standardized menus,\nlike fast-food eateries, can\u2019t make many changes since most of their food is portioned\nand partially prepared in advance. Others places make it clear right on the\nmenu whether they allow substitutions and what special diet options are\navailable, such as low-carb, gluten-free, or vegan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since most people living with diabetes need to control\nthe carbohydrates in their meals, two of the most effective ways to do that are\nto avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and limit servings of bread, pasta, potatoes\nand other high-carb foods. Ordering a diet drink or adding a low-calorie\nsweetener to your unsweetened beverage is possible everywhere. Reducing the\ncarb count of your meal can be done by making requests such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n