What to order at a restaurant if your a diabetic?

My grandmother is a severe diabetic. However, her one joy is to eat out at restaurants. What and where can I take her that she will enjoy and not put her blood sugar through the roof!...

Precious	Is she type 1 .. ( or on insulin) ... or type 2 ? that will make a big difference in how I answer this one
Angie A	Diabetics should stay away from sugar and carbs, so there are a lot of foods out there which don't have these ingredients. She could have a salad, different types of meats (make sure they don't add any sweet sauces into them), also vegetables, and not to mention seafood. You can take her to a seafood restaurant. Also, in terms of beverages, she could have Green Tea, or other teas. My grandmother is a diabetic also, and that's never put a damper in her dining outings.
Pegasus90	Ask at the entrance if the restaurant has a meal guide for diabetics, or if the chef would be willing to speak with you about diabetic choices. You may be surprised how willing restaurants are these days to accommodate the specialty diet - otherwise they would lose a lot of business. They just don't advertise it - because it does take extra time and care in the kitchen.
BAR	She should know what she can eat and how much of it. I am a type 1 diabetic and i can eat almost anywhere. I have yet to go into a restaurant look at the menu and not be able to eat. Try a place that would serve more home cooked food, not bar fried food. But then again anywhere that would be apporiate to take a grandma would be fine.
merrygo9	Someone mentioned meat not affecting blood sugar. Whereas I found it can many hours later if you eat too much of it. But I also agree with the person who suggested let an 80 yr old eat what she wants! However, to avoid any severe high blood sugar, I would suggest the usual balanced type diet- any grilled or lightly fried meats, and vegetables or salads. If she is on medication or insulin she does need some carbohydrates- bread, potatoes, pasta/rice (smallish serves). I found the *worst* things (other than choclate desserts!) is deep fried foods (eg chips) and pasta as it is easy to eat more than you should (amount for someone with diabetes is quite small). Go easy on desserts- fruit is best or lower sugar things. Diabetes should not prevent someone from eating out. There are guides you can get (from a dietitian) on various cuisines and what are the best choices. If she likes to try different cuisines, japanese is a good one as mostly it is rice, meat and veg. I wouldn't worry too much about sauces- except maybe avoid sweet and sour or honey chicken. Other than that most Asian foods are also fairly suitable. As I said given her age I wouldn't worry too much about the salad dressings being low fat. I hope she enjoys her meals out.
ww_je	Unless she has an exceptionally bad case of diabetes (a question for her doctor or dietician), she can eat just about anything. However, because her body is no longer doing it autiomatically, she (or someone) will have think about it consciously. Anything that raises her blood glucose levels (generally this will be carbohydrates in the food she eats, especially sugars and starch) has to be choosen with some awaremness of the effect on her blood sugar. If she takes insluin, she may have to arrange for 'coverage' for the glucose-raising portion of the meal, which implies looking ahead to the amount she'll be eating. Insulins vary in how far you'll have to look ahead, which complicates the planning a bit. On the other hand, exercise is effective as well. If she walks for, say, 1/2 an hour in the couple of hours or so before the meal, she'll need less insluin for the next few hours, as the exercise will help cells absorb glucose from the blood. This will have to taken into account too. In general, portion control is the key. Don't eat lots of (or only) starches, don't eat lots of (or only) sugary stuff, don't drink flavored sugar water (eg, soft drinks or the Gatorade-like equivalent)..., and avoid junk food if possible (typically it has only starch in one form or another, probably sugar, likely salt, and usually one or another kind of fat). No minerals, fiber, vitamins (mostly) or even a variety of carbohydrate. Protein or much of many vergetables aren't very significant sources of carbohydrates, so she needn't worry too much about them. And the vegetables typically have fiber too, which is good. Although, large amounts of oils/fats (especially trans fats -- ask the chef whether the restaurant uses them; New York City has banned them in all eateries in the City after mid-year, and even the fast food chains are beginning to do the same in most places) and large amounts of protein have their own problems. In the first case, there are connections with heart disease and aterial hardening, and in the second, excess load on the kidneys. Beyond the amount needed just now, we don't need and don't use protein. That amount is a couple of ounces a day for most adults (somewhat less for smaller folks, like women) , and anything more is just disassembled biochemically, and passed out by the kidneys (notably as Urea).
Cammie	I would never restrict the food of an 80 yr old. Let her eat what she wants and make sure she covers her carbs with medication. Restaurants that are a bit pricey would be better. Often everything is extra, so she can order what she likes and a veggie.She still needs carbs.Under about 75 per meal.She can use it up for dessert. Family style restaurants often give huge portions and there is a desire to overeat.If you do get a plate with a pound of pasta and two chicken breasts, have one half boxed up right away before it ever comes to the table. Enjoy your grandmother.
huggz	She can eat anything, but should restrict the amount of carbs and sugars she eats. Meat does not affect blood sugar nither do veggies. So meat and veg plus a portion of potato, pasta or rice. Desserts are a dodgy area, as they tend to be loaded with sugar. Maybe a very small portion of ice cream.