Current recommendations state that diabetics can eat anything that non-diabetics can eat. It is only necessary that diabetics know what they are eating. With this knowledge, a precise insulin dose can be calculated, which should, in theory, lead to excellent postprandial blood sugars.
When eating at home the carbohydrate content of a meal can be determined by reading the labels on prepared foods, and weighing home cooked items such as rice and potatoes. Unless the fat content of a meal is high, it is not necessary to factor the fat content into the equation for determining the dose of insulin. A meal high in protein does require additional insulin. The algorithms used for determining insulin dose should be discussed with the treating physician.
Now let's consider what happens at a restaurant. The first thing that must be realized is that people go to restaurants for tasty food. Since fat tastes good, and is cheap, restaurant food may contain far more fat than home cooked food. In addition, in many restaurants the chef doesn't know what is in the food he or she is cooking. Last, restaurants change chefs and change recipes, so the diabetic must always be vigilant. We'll examine these problems individually.
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Fat
Ignorance
We have found that it is very difficult to guess the amount of fat in a particular food. Through research and study we have learned that it is often much higher than we would have guessed. For example, a top notch French restaurant prepares mashed potatoes that are very creamy and tasty, and are 50% butter. A serving of mashed potatoes may contain a quarter pound of butter.
That delicious, sizzling steak may also contain up to a quarter pound of butter.
Lobster bisque in a family style restaurant may contain lobster extract, some water and skim milk. However, in a high quality restaurant it will contain approximately 80% heavy cream.
We have learned that it is best to follow blood sugars very carefully after a so-called "good meal." Since high levels of fat are not healthy, we now avoid restaurants that utilize a lot of fat, or we specifically order the food without the "sizzle, accepting the reduction in taste in favor of better health.
I hate to use the word ignorance, but, unfortunately, too many restaurants simply don't know what is in their food. Since it is very hard to estimate the sugar content of a sauce, we often ask the waiter to check to make sure there is little or no sugar in our food. Chefs may tell you that there is no sugar, but when the blood sugars go very high after the meal you may learn that honey or corn syrup was used as a sweetener. Be aware that the first ingredient in Hoisin sauce is sugar, and most Szechuan sauces have a lot of sugar. In our experience, most Chinese restaurants will tell you that there is no sugar in their Hoisin or Szechuan dishes.
While bread crumbs, flour, cornstarch, and other fillers may be perfectly healthy, it may be difficult or impossible to guess the carbohydrate content of foods containing these ingredients. Be wary of commercially prepared tuna fish and hamburgers, amongst others.
In recent years we have relied on "The Calorie King" Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter, to help us estimate the nutritional content of the foods we eat. This book is small enough to fit in a purse or pocket, and has a wealth of information.
Sometimes, to our regret, we forget to ask the waiter how our food is going to be prepared. Once Val enjoyed a grilled salmon at a restaurant. Her blood sugars rose to very high levels after the meal. When we inquired about the recipe, we were told that there was a cup of sugar in a recipe for 6 people. Now we take nothing for granted.