Eating Away from Home
People are eating more meals away from home than ever before. Some eat
out because of their work. They eat everyday in the cafeteria at work or
in restaurants when they travel. Some people eat out because it is easy or fast.
What do people worry about when they eat away form home?
It may be harder to follow your meal plan when you eat away from home.
People worry how this will affect their blood sugar. You may have asked
yourself the following questions:
- How do I know how the food is fixed?
- What if I have to eat earlier or tater than usual?
- If I am going to eat at someone's home, should I tell them I am using a
special meal plan?
- Will I be able to get the right foods?
What can help me use my plan when I am away from home?
Here are three tips to help you use your meal plan away form home.
- Plan ahead
- Learn to identify lowed sugar and lower fat foods
- Realize that some times you will have more choices than other times.
At a restaurant you will be able to choose your own food. At someone's
home you may not. You will need to adjust your meal plan depending on
where you eat.
Here is one example. In a restaurant remember that plain meat dishes
such as broiled fish, chicken or beef are lower in fat and calories than if they
were breaded, fried or have a sauce or gravy. If it is a choice between
beef stew and broiled fish, the fish will be easier to fit into a meal plan.
It is hard to know what is in the stew and it may have more fat and calories.
On the other hand, at someone's home the only meet choice may be the stew.
You will need to adjust some of the other foods you have at that meal.
If you use an exchange plan of count carbohydrates, stew can be counted as a
casserole. So, 1 cup of a casserole is equal to two starch and two meat
choices and one fat serving. If you think the stew might have even more
fat then skip margarine or salad dressing.
If you are not sure what is in the beef stew, you might want to
eat a small serving. If you fill your own plate, you could
take a small serving of stew and have more of some vegetables or
salad. If snacks are served before the meal you might have
some fruit, raw vegetables or cheese and crackers and then have a
smaller meal.
When it comes to dessert, think first about your goals. You
might be satisfied with only a bite or two.
Do I need to tell others about my diabetes?
Deciding whether or not to tell your host or hostess that you are
using a meal plan depends on how you feel about others knowing that
you have diabetes. If you are pushed to have extra helpings or
to eat foods you would rather not eat, then a simple "No, thank you"
should be enough, or you might share that you have diabetes.
It is up to you. If you are asked about special foods, you can
tell them that you don't need any. Planning ahead of time what
you will say will help keep social events less stressful.
What are some tips for eating out?
- Choose plain foods, like
- fresh or unsweetened fruit, rather than sweetened canned
fruit
- plain baked or broiled fish or chicken, instead of fried
- baked potato, rather than french fries or au gratin
- Plain vegetables, rather than buttered or creamed
- plain sandwiches, rather than with sauce
- If you can not choose the foods, then
- eat smaller portions
- take off the breading or skin on fried food
- push away the extra sauce or gravy
- Choose items with less sugar and less fat
- diet drinks, low-fat milk, coffee, or tea instead of
sweet soft drinks
- a hamburger instead of a cheeseburger
- salad
- Ask questions and ask for changes
- ask for printed nutrition information
- ask how the food is fixed
- ask for other foods that may not be on the menu, like
fruit, juice, low-calorie salad dressing
- ask to have salad dressings or other sauces served "on
the side" so you can use only the amount you want
- ask for the food to be prepared the way you want it,
broiled or baked instead of fried, even if not listed that
way on the menu
- ask for a to-go box, then eat your usual portion and
take the rest home
- If you are very hungry when you go out it may help to drink
some water or eat a snack of free food before you go.
What do I do if the meal is early or late?
At times you may need to eat earlier or later than your normal
meal time. If you take insulin or some certain pills it is
important to eat about the same time every day or to know how to
change meal time safely. With most other diabetes medications
you can be less exact with meal times.
Early Meals. If you plan to eat just a
little earlier than usual then you can eat as normal. If you
will be eating 2 - 3 hours early then eat your meal and save a
starch to eat at the usual time.
Late Meals. If your meal is 1 hour late,
eat a fruit or a starch at the usual time. Then eat the rest
of the meal later. If the meal is going to be 2 - 3 hours
late, eat a snack at the usual time and a normal meal at the meal
time.
It is important to not go too long without eating. If you
take insulin or some certain pills you could have a hypoglycemic
reaction.