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Planning a diabetic meal away from home

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Disease & Illness - Diabetes

Written by Julia Hanf

Thursday, 13 March 2008

The effectiveness of your diabetes management program is largely reliant on how well you plan your diet, given the fact that the wayward blood glucose levels that diabetes brings about are the direct outcome of the carbohydrate content of your meals. Diabetes experts also reiterate the importance of developing a balanced and regulated approach to your meals at the very onset, as wayward food habits and mindless eating sprees are the foundation stones for obesity, which plagues you with a host of complications for years to come. This makes it vital for diabetics to pay attention to not just the calorific content of their meals, but also the frequency of their meal times, to ensure that they a constant watch over their blood glucose levels.

by JuliaHanf

In view of such stringent and often overwhelming limitations, eating out may seem like an impossible feat to achieve, as here, it is not you, but the restaurant that determines what goes into your meals and the amount of food you consume with every serving. Further, most social dos which mandate eating out tend to be very taxing on victims of diabetes, often demanding that they breach their prescribed guidelines under social pressure. This leads many diabetics to avoid such situations altogether, for fear of their regime going haywire.

This stifling attitude towards eating out is rapidly changing to a more flexible one, with diabetes experts recommending the use of exchange lists. This method of meal planning focuses more on the nutritional composition of your meal, instead of the meal in itself, thereby allowing you to make changes and switches as and when you need to. And so, by simply balancing your meal to accommodate your daily nutritional requirements, you can adapt your dietary regime to include more variety making eating out a much more feasible option.

One of the basic rules of the thumb to remember when eating out is 'When in doubtask'. And so, if you are unsure of what the chef's planning to include in your meal or how large the portion size is, ask your server. It also helps to let your server know that you are looking for a diabetes-friendly meal as most eateries now include low-calorie, reduced sodium and high fiber alternatives for a majority of their dishes. Many chefs will also try to customize your food to low cholesterol and low fat versions, if you tell them just what you're looking for.

Portion control is another important aspect you need to pay attention to when eating out. Restaurants often tend to super-size their servings, and you may end up with a lot more on your plate than you deem appropriate in keeping with your diabetic allowances. If your plate is fuller than you want it to be, try sharing your meal with your dining companions or eat as much as you need and take the rest home with you. Make diabetes-compatible swaps as and when possible by substituting white bread with its high-fiber, whole wheat alternative, red meat dishes with white meat delicacies, and low calorie salad dressing instead of dousing your greens with mayonnaise and cream.

When scheduling your medication, remember to make adjustments for any changes that eating out may cause to your meal time. If you think it's going to take a while for dinner to get to the table, you may want to eat your after-dinner snack at your regular mealtime and adjust your medication accordingly. Remember to consult with your physician before making any changes to avoid any unpleasant surprises and try to make reservations and stick to them, so that you don't have to go hungry for indefinite periods. Finally, and most importantly, don't let your resolutions melt away into the sinful recesses of a calorie and fat laden dessert! Stick to more sensible options like fresh fruit, which will keep your calories well within the recommended allowance, while also boosting your diet with a gamut of nutritional benefits.

Once viewed as a forbidden pleasure for victims of diabetes, eating out can be effortlessly incorporated in your diabetic regime if you make sure to stick to these simple ground rules. And if you do happen to go overboard, try to even out the damage done over the rest of your meals, adjusting the calories accordingly. Be flexible and adaptable with your outlook towards diabetes; being too harsh and severe with yourself will only discourage you and lead you to become disillusioned with your condition - letting this disease take over your physical and mental wellbeing.

About the Author:

Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.