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The restaurant challenge
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Wining and dining with diabetes. How to eat out, stay healthy and keep your friends
Synchronize watches
Timing is everything if you take diabetes pills or insulin shots and need to keep your blood sugar level steady. Plan ahead and avoid peaks and valleys. First, figure out when you usually eat and aim to actually have food on your plate at that time. Then make a reservation for half an hour to three quarters of an hour before your food’s Estimated Time of Arrival.
Be sure to allow extra time according to how trendy the restaurant is (the more avant-garde the place, the longer the wait) and how indecisive your dinner companions are (the dither factor).
Bribe maitre d’ if necessary to make sure you get seated on time.
Go on slow nights, so they’ll pay more attention to you.
Ask whether the slow-cooked cassoulet will take more time than the pan-seared salmon.
If the chow time has to be later than usual, eat a fruit or bread serving from that meal at your usual mealtime.
And if it’s going to be really late, eat your bedtime snack at dinner, although you may need to adjust your regular insulin doses to get it right.
The fast food jungle
Who says you have to drive by the drive-thru? Your doctor or dietitian is your spiritual diet guide, but here are a few fast food survival techniques.
Yes, it’s a meal. The average fast food combo clocks in at about 685 calories, so don’t use fast food as a snack.
If you hit the fast food track for one meal, replace the balance of your other meals with healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
Chicken, even skinless, and fish are not your friends if they’re breaded and/or fried.
Breakfast fast food good guys are bagels, toast, english muffins (regular muffins, even bran, are oozing with fat and sugar), cold cereal with skim milk, pancakes with no butter and plain scrambled eggs. Bacon and sausage, however, top the delinquency list.
Tacos, tostados, bean burritos and soft tacos are non-fried and get the Mexican green light. Detour around refried beans, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.
Pizza gets good marks. Go for thin-crust pizza with vegetable toppings.
We have the technology! Sugar-free nonfat frozen yogurt or a small cone of nonfat yogurt are diabetes-friendly treats. Ices, sorbets, and sherbets may have less fat and calories than ice cream, but they’re full of sugar.
Mixed drinks
The bar is open, but alcohol and diabetes can be a dangerous cocktail. Here’s what you need to know.
Talk is cheap. Ask your doctor, nurse or dietitian about alcohol and diabetes. They can make sure alcohol use won’t interfere with any medications you take.
It pays to advertise. Alcohol use can cause hypoglycemia and a low blood sugar reaction looks a lot like you’re drunk. People may just assume you’ve had a few too many and not give you the help you need. Make sure at least one person you’re out with knows that you’re diabetic and knows what a low blood sugar reaction looks like and what to do about it.
About that champagne chin … Alcohol has extra calories and who needs those? A shot of tequila’s about 100 calories, a beer can deliver up to 170 calories and you don’t even want to know what’s in a Singapore Sling.
Is it feeding time? Diabetes is easier to manage if you keep to a schedule of meals and snacks. If you know you’ll be hoisting a few, it’s even more important, especially if you take insulin. Eating less earlier in the day doesn’t mean you can eat more later.
Check please. Take your blood sugar reading before you go out, so you’ll have a better sense of what you can drink and when.
Eat and drink. Have sushi along with the sake or park yourself next to the breadsticks before dinner. Food helps slow the alcohol absorption and helps avoid sudden ups and downs in your blood sugar. Remember to include the food you eat before or with your drink as part of your meal plan.
High sugar drinks like liqueurs and sweet wines should be included in your meal plan. Ask your dietitian about how to tinker with your meal plan to make room for the after-dinner Bailey’s.
Put the brakes on your alcohol consumption by alternating your Bloody Mary with a Virgin Mary. Even better, spell off with sugar-free pop or soda water.
Gotta dance? Remember that being active (dancing, skating, playing Twister) will use up extra energy and lower your blood sugar. If you are taking insulin, you might need extra food.
No sleeping in. Check your blood sugar before you go to bed so you’ll know if you need an extra snack. Don’t forget to set your alarm clock for the usual time in the morning, so you can drag yourself out of bed and take your insulin. And no hitting the snooze button either. You need to eat your usual breakfast, before you fall asleep under the morning paper.
Need more information? Call the Canadian Diabetes Association. Adapted from information provided by the Canadian Diabetes Association.
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