Big question –They can eat or not?
Answer –Yes
What is type 1 diabetes?
Your body gets energy by making glucose from foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. To use this glucose, your body needs insulin.
Insulin is a hormone that helps your body control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce insulin. If you have type 1 diabetes, glucose builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy.
The cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown. However, it is not preventable, and it is not caused by eating too much sugar. The body’s defense system may attack insulin-making cells by mistake, but we don’t know why. People are usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the age of 30, most often during childhood or their teens.
Whether you are eating in a fancy restaurant or at the drive-thru, it is important to make healthy food choices when you have diabetes. Picking the right amount and type of food can help you manage blood glucose levels and maintain your weight
1. Watch out for large portions
Restaurant portions have grown larger over the years. If you are served a big portion of food, you will probably eat more than you need to. This can affect your blood glucose level. Monitor your portion sizes! For balance, your plate should look like this:
•Half the plate should be vegetables
•One quarter of the plate should be grains (like pasta, rice or potato)
•One quarter of the plate should be protein (like lean meat, poultry, fish or tofu)
•Fruit and milk can be on the side
2. Choose healthy foods most often
Scan the menu for fibre-rich foods. Fibre slows the rise in blood glucose levels and helps you feel full. Choose items made with:
•Whole grain bread, bulgur, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa or oats
•Vegetables and fruit
•Legumes: Beans, chickpeas and lentils
Choose fewer high fat foods that are deep-fried, breaded or battered. Instead, choose items that are poached, baked, steamed, grilled or roasted. Try to have some protein with every meal. Choose lean meat, poultry, fish, tofu or legumes.
Here are some better-for-you restaurant meal choices. Be mindful of the portion sizes:
•Grilled fish with vegetables and potatoes
•Bean burrito in a whole grain tortilla with tomato and lettuce
•Stir-fried vegetables with beef, tofu, shrimp or chicken on steamed noodles
•Vegetarian pizza on whole grain thin crust
•Grilled chicken kebab, salad, hummus and whole grain pita
•Plain single hamburger with salad
•Turkey and vegetable sandwich on whole wheat bread
•Sashimi, brown rice and seaweed salad
3. Know what to ask for
Don’t be shy! Ask your server for information about ingredients and cooking methods. If you know how your food is prepared, you can make changes so your meal will meet your needs. You can also look on the restaurant’s website to see the nutrient content for some restaurant items.
Most restaurants will help with your special requests. You can make your food healthier by asking for:
•Half-portions of large orders
•Sauce or dressing on the side (then dip sparingly)
•Salad or steamed vegetables instead of French fries
•Brown instead of white rice
•No added salt during cooking
•Olive oil instead of butter
•Whole wheat pasta or pizza dough
•Tomato sauce instead of cream sauce
•Less cheese
•Baked instead of fried options
•Leftovers in a to-go container (instead of eating the whole meal)
•Low fat milk instead of cream for coffee
These options may not be on the menu. Ask your server anyway!
4. Limit drinks with extra calories
Many restaurants offer pop with free refills. Remember that regular pop, juice, iced tea and fruit drinks provide sugar and calories, which may make it difficult to control blood glucose levels. The more sugar you consume, the higher your blood glucose will be. Limit regular pop and fruit drinks. Enjoy water or sparkling water instead.
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