Expert Diabetes Dietitian Conquers a SUPER High Fat Fondue Meal with Ease!

Going out to eat with family and friends is a big part of our busy, modern life!

While eating out can be extremely convenient (not to mention enjoyable), many restaurants serve extremely large portions of high-calorie, high-fat, high-carbohydrate content such as Fondue.

When you need to maintain safe glucose levels, these can be difficult to navigate, as you never know what may happen right after the meal or hours later when it comes to your blood sugars.

Still, you don't have to miss out on the celebrations, events, or even the just-don't-feel-like-cooking dinners that happen every day.

There are ways to enjoy eating out while keeping your blood sugar stable. Try these tips:

Treat this meal like any other meal.

Begin by dividing the meal into different courses. If you have fondue, salad, and protein in the form of steak and chicken, for example, you can treat each course separately. Take your dose for each course and keep track of how many carbs you consume each time you load your plate.

Estimate the portion size of the food (especially when it comes to carbs).

Bread and fruit slices are often used as dippers in fondue, and these foods contain varying amounts of carbohydrates. To keep your blood sugar in check while enjoying fondue, you may want to limit the number of carbs you consume in each portion.

When the salad arrives, you won't have to worry about carbs because it's mostly low-carb with a little fat and protein. The same is true for meat. The carbohydrate content is low, and the meat is mostly fat and protein. 

 Pay attention to fat:

While your blood sugar may spike and then return to normal levels in 2-3 hours,  it’s important to note that there may be a second rise of blood sugars and it won't happen right away.  It could happen four, five, six, or even eight hours later, when the meal's fat and protein content begin to affect your blood sugar. Foods high in fat and protein slow digestion and can result in a secondary rise in blood sugar, which is why we suggest paying close attention so you don't wake up with blood sugar in the 300s after going to bed at 120.

Remember, you can still enjoy dining out or attending events while managing your diabetes. If you choose wisely and watch how much you eat, you can have a delicious meal and feel good too.

Do you have questions about how to make eating out even easier? Let me know!