Dining Out with Diabetes: Be Prepared 

Learning to live with Diabetes can be challenging. Learning to live happily with Diabetes can be even harder. 

One of the first and most important things your doctor will advise upon diagnosis is a diabetic diet. This isn’t a “diet” per se, but a total overhaul in the way you eat, how often you eat, and what you eat. Having finally mastered the art of planning three balanced meals a day, plus snacks, you may think you’ve got it all under control. 

And then someone invites you out for dinner. Or your coworkers decide to go out for Happy Hour. Or you’re running late and have to grab lunch on the run. 

Suddenly, all the meal planning and organization in the world escapes you as you try to figure out how to manage your Diabetes when eating out.  

But there are things you can do to be prepared for eating out. Start thinking about it now and you’ll know just what to do when the time comes! 

Planning Ahead 

One of the easiest things you can do to help you manage your Diabetes when eating out is to plan ahead. It doesn’t have to be complicated. By spending a little time each evening running through your plans for the following day, you can get a “heads-up” on whether a restaurant meal is in your future.  

If you know eating lunch out is on the agenda to celebrate an office birthday, talk with the person in charge of coordinating the event and see if you can make a suggestion for a restaurant. This allows you to suggest a place that you know will have healthy food choices – not just for you, but for anyone watching their diet for any reason.  

Planning ahead can also mean something as simple as packing a healthy, well-balanced snack. Having a good diabetic snack at the ready shouldn’t only be reserved for times when you know you might eat out. In fact, it’s a good idea to have a snack handy every day. It’s just not always possible to know in advance how your day will pan out. Especially when eating out, any number of things can delay your next meal – a reservation that runs late, traffic, or an extended meeting among them!  

By having a portable snack handy you can eat something before you become too hungry and start experiencing the shaky feeling that often goes along with hunger and diabetes. Arriving at the restaurant with your blood pressure in check will also make it easier to choose something healthy, instead of the first thing that “sounds good” (but might not be good for your Diabetes) on the menu.  

Visualization 

Believe it or not, visualization can have a profound effect on your ability to manage temptation while trying to adhere to a diabetic diet. And best of all, it’s something you can do even on short notice when someone springs an event on you for which you were not prepared! 

And it’s easy! Simply close your eyes for a couple of minutes and imagine yourself in the coming situation. Try to “see” yourself in the restaurant, pub, or relative’s house. Imagine all the choices on the menu or table. Visualize the waiter coming to ask you what you would like to order. “Hear” in your mind the people around you ordering the tempting the dishes that you love. 

Now see and hear yourself ordering something delicious and healthy – salmon with a soy glaze, chicken with a lime marinade. See yourself enjoying it and imagine feeling the steady energy that healthy food gives you for hours after eating. Imagine ordering a small dessert – coffee with biscotti, a bowl of sherbet, or sharing a dessert with a friend. 

Most importantly, see yourself having fun, talking to the people around you and enjoying your meal every bit as much as you would if you ordered the deep fried burrito or chicken fried steak! 

Eating out with Diabetes doesn’t have to be a chore. With just a little thought you can have your cake – and eat it, too!