Yes, you still can … with a conscience!
Chinese Food: Shrimp, chicken, pork or beef with vegetables. Do not get breaded or fried choices. Ask for your food dry, with little sauce or get it steamed with the sauce on the side for dipping. The sauce has hundreds of calories, lots of salt, sugar, fat and cornstarch. Get white rice (or brown when available) and don’t eat more than 2/3 cup (cooked). Each 1/3 of a cup of cooked rice is about 80 calories and four teaspoons of sugar (and that is for steamed rice not fried!) Eat the inside of the egg roll and watch all the extra sauces like duck sauce (sweet) and soy sauce (salty) that you add. Have the soup, but only have a few fried noodles if you must. Refrain from the ice cream most of the time, have pineapple and/or a fortune cookie, if necessary.
*Think: What is affecting my blood sugar from this meal?
Hint: Rice, sauces, noodles, egg roll, wonton wrappers and dessert.
Italian Food: If you have veal, chicken or shrimp Parmesan, do not get the cheese on top! This saves an easy 500 calories. Besides, the cheese the restaurants are using has a lot of sodium, fat and artery-clogging saturated fat. You can also choose a dish that is not fried or soaked in butter or cream sauce like a broiled piece of fish, etc. Have your side dish of pasta and one roll or forego the pasta and have a double order of vegetables. Have a salad with the vinaigrette on the side. The soup has additional carbohydrates/sodium so you need to decide where you want to “spend your carbohydrate budget”. If your meal is large, bring some home! Learn to consume smaller portions and then your calorie consumption will be lower.
*Think: What is affecting my blood sugar from this meal?
Hint: Breading, bread, pasta, sauce, beans and dessert.
Mexican Food: Forego the nachos most of the time or share them with friends. Try to limit cheese dishes and fried dishes. After all, full fat cheese is 100 calories per ounce with sodium and saturated fat. Choose shrimp, vegetable or chicken fajitas. Ask them to leave off the sour cream and provide only one or two tortillas instead of 4 (then there is no temptation). You may have guacamole but not the sour cream (artery clogging!) Instead of refried beans ask for black beans. The cheese, meat, avocado and sour cream have many, many calories. The avocado (guacamole) is the healthiest of the choices therefore enjoy it without all the rest.
*Think: What is affecting my blood sugar from this meal?
Hint: Nachos, tortillas, beans, chips and dessert.
Japanese Food: Have sushi, sashimi (even better without the rice), steamed dumplings, and teriyaki dishes (sauce on the side). Do not overuse the soy sauce or any sauces. Remember that sauces carry the majority of fat, salt and/or sugar. Have a miso soup or a salad and an entrée. Japanese food is usually one of the lower-calorie choices you can make (but watch the salt)!
*Think: What is affecting my blood sugar from this meal?
Hint: Rice, dumplings, teriyaki sauce, noodles and dessert.
Continental Cuisine: Always have a salad to fill up on. If you have a piece of bread or a roll, do not eat your potato. Order your protein with a double order of vegetables and make sure they are not swimming in butter. Do not have dessert just for the sake of having it. After a full meal, you should not be hungry! Therefore, there is no need for dessert! Get out of that habit. Have coffee or a skim-milk latte instead.
*Think: What is affecting my blood sugar from this meal?
Hint: Bread, potato, pasta, rice, corn, peas, beans, soups with beans or rice or noodles and dessert.