Enjoy food

Eating out with diabetes
Meals and snacks out
may often be higher in salt,
fat and sugar than those you
make at home, and the portion
sizes may be bigger, too.
Whether you grab lunch on
the go, enjoy a Friday night
takeaway or celebrate a special
occasion at a restaurant, it’s
great to eat a meal that you
haven’t cooked yourself – and
diabetes is no barrier to that.
The key is to think ahead and
be conscious of your choices
and portion sizes, while still
enjoying your meal. It’s OK to
have the occasional treat but it’s
important not to do this regularly,
especially if you’re trying to
manage your weight.
LUNCH
✔ In meal deals that include
fried crisps or sugary drinks,
choose healthier options like
fruit and bottled water.
✘ Watch those ‘super-sized’
triple-decker sandwiches –
they can contain as many
as 700kcal, which is around
a third of your recommended
daily intake.
✔ Choose filling and healthy
pre-packed salads with lean
protein, vegetables or pulses,
and seeds.
✔ Go for sandwiches made
with wholegrain bread or
wraps with chicken, turkey
or fish, and salad with low-fat
mayonnaise or yogurt dressing.
HEALTHY SNACKS AND
SNEAKY SMOOTHIES
✔ Vegetable cruditiés and
fruit can help you meet your
five-a-day target.
✔ Low-fat yogurts are a good
choice for kids, as they’re
an easy way to add bonestrengthening
calcium.
✔ Go for oven-baked or lowerfat
crisps, or even air-popped,
sugar- and salt-free popcorn.
✔ A handful of nuts, a packet
of raisins or dried fruit is a
great snack.
✔ Choose fruit loaf or tea cake
instead of ‘skinny’ muffins and
‘healthy’ cake bars, which can
pack in more calories than
a chocolate bar.
✘ Avoid fruit juices, juice drinks and
smoothies, which are often high
in calories, not to mention the
sugar, which counts towards free
(or added) sugar (see page 7).
Terry Schooling, 75,
Cambridgeshire,
diagnosed with Type 2
in 2010
“Don’t stop taking the family
for meals at restaurants.
Just make sure unhealthy
food is substituted with
healthy food and bulk out
on vegetables. A good
restaurant will provide salads
and vegetables in place of a
Yorkshire pudding or chips.”
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www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood