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Dining out and Diabetes
You might want to begin planning your dining out experience before you even leave the house. Start by choosing a smart restaurant – one that offers a wide variety of dishes. Your restaurant may have a web site. If so, check it out for an online menu. Many online menus also provide nutrition information detailing salt, sugar, fat, cholesterol, vitamins and minerals in each serving. Take into consideration what you’re eating throughout the day prior to your restaurant meal. Why blow your appetite and calorie allotment before you ever get to the restaurant? 
Once you get to the restaurant, drink a large glass of water before eating. You’ll get a feeling of fullness, causing you to eat less.
Focus on animal proteins like fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, lean red meats and game meat. And be aware of how foods are prepared. Stick with baked, broiled, steamed, stewed, grilled, roasted or poached; avoid deep-fried. Select at least two servings of vegetables to accompany the protein entrée. Avoid dishes with these terms – alfredo, au gratin, breaded crispy, French fried, pesto, hollandaise, cream sauce, pastry. These dishes are probably high in saturated fats. Don’t be afraid to ask for special preparation; most restaurants are more than willing to accommodate customers.
Fast Food Eating Fast food is a major convenience, but it’s not known to be a healthy way to dine out. A lot of fast food contains high amounts of fat, sugar and calories, and very little fiber and nutrients. However, these types of restaurants are slowly changing, and you just need to be smart in choosing the right foods when dining out at these locations.
Most fast food restaurants have their menus online or list nutritional values in their stores. Take advantage of the information when planning your meal. Also, you will want to make sure that your other meals of the day contain healthy amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Some of the healthiest ethnic eating can be found at Indian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean restaurants. Many dishes use meat only sparingly and include lots of vegetables with exotic and unusual flavors and seasonings. Chinese food is also good, especially if you choose steamed selections over fried. They do offer several stir-fried dishes, including chicken, beef and seafood and usually include a great variety of vegetables like broccoli, snow peas, green peppers, garlic and scallions. Also, substitute brown rice for white for maximum benefit.
You can eat healthy at Mexican restaurants. Stay away from high-fat hard-shell tacos and crispy tortillas. Instead, try soft tacos and fajitas, and go easy on the cheese, sour cream and guacamole. In addition, look for dishes with black beans, corn tortillas, brown rice, fish, marinated vegetables and salsa. Traditional southern Italian cooking is a good overall eating choice with its emphasis on olive oil, fruit, vegetables, beans, pasta and bread. However, the northern Italian focus on cheese and more meats and breaded items, makes it a less desirable cuisine when healthy eating is the goal. Pizza can be a good choice, but make sure to order thin crust and vegetable toppings. Limit yourself to one to two slices and a salad is always a nice complement and will also give you an opportunity to load up on non-starchy vegetables.
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Protein should make up about one-third of your plate and the vegetables should be about two-thirds. Sometimes this may not be practical, but the closer you can get to this ratio the better.
As you are going through the restaurant menu, be creative in planning your meal. Ask your waiter if you can make substitutions. Pass on gravies and sauces, or ask for them on the side. Get your salad dressing on the side, too.
Try to stick to water, herbal tea or decaffeinated coffee at mealtime. If you like wine, drink it with your meal. If you are going to have alcohol, make sure you limit some of the carbohydrates in your meal.
