Eating Out when on a Low Carb Diet

Who doesn’t love going out to eat? It gives you the night off from cooking and a chance for you to get out of the house and reconnect with friends and family. But for those living with diabetes, it can take a little more planning.

Avoiding rest aurants all together is unrealistic and unfair to you! Being conscious of your needs and knowing some tricks to help you get there will allow for nice nights out that don’t put your health at risk.

It’s important to plan ahead when you know you are looking to dine outside of the home. Here are some tricks from Health.com that will help you pick the right restaurants!

Tips for dining out

Do a little research to find restaurants that have healthy items marked on their menu. Many restaurants promote their heart-healthy menu or display the nutrition facts on their healthier meals. Try and take advantage of that when going out to dinner.

If you are going out for fast-food, you may be in luck. Most fast-food restaurants are following the trend of having pamphlets with their nutrition facts on them. Concentrate on the sugar and carbohydrate levels of the food you are considering.

Review your meal plan so that you are familiar with what you should and should not be eating. By familiarizing yourself with this, you will recognize what foods are okay for you to eat on a restaurant menu.

Take serving size into account. You may choose something that is on your meal plan, but when it is served at a restaurant it could be twice the portion size! Ask if they serve half portions, and if they don’t, ask them to bring a to-go box with your meal so you can wrap up half of it to take home before you’re tempted to eat the whole thing. Another option is asking to split a meal with someone.

Keep courses in mind when you go out to eat. Typically, when people eat at home, they may not have bread, a heavy appetizer, a full meal with sides, dessert, and alcoholic beverages and soda. Try and cut a course or two out, or drink water with your meal.

Avoid foods heavy in fat or carbs and try to order your meals grilled, broiled or baked instead of fried. Stay away from butter or cream sauces and always ask for butter or sour cream on the side.

There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a healthy meal out on the town with your loved ones. Just take into account the little things that will keep you healthy