How to Navigate Airports and Client Dinners With Type 2 Diabetes

From everydayhealth.com

When you have type 2 diabetes, diet restrictions can make it hard to manage business dinners and travel. Airports and restaurants offer easy and delicious meal and snack options, but many have hidden ingredients or large portions that can spike your blood sugar.

But if you know what to watch for and how to plan, you can eat well during travel and meals with clients. This doesn’t mean you have to obsess over your diet, says Yoon Kook Kim, MD, an endocrinologist at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Maryland.

“Instead, focus on mostly making the better menu choices the majority of times,” says Dr. Kim. “Allow yourself some wiggle room, some opportunities to treat yourself, but keep your focus on the long game of healthfully managing your diabetes for life.”

Finding Type 2 Diabetes-Friendly Options in the Airport

“Traveling can wreak havoc with your diet, when healthy options may not be as handy or readily available,” says Kim. At the airport, check nutrition labels on snacks and look online before your trip to find healthy food options in your terminal.

“In most cases, these eateries have the nutritional information available for their menu items, and trying to keep the carbohydrate count to lower than 60 grams per meal can be a reasonable goal to meet, even while traveling,” says Kim.

But keep in mind that people with diabetes still need carbohydrates in their diet, says Trudy LeBeau, RDN, a registered dietitian with an advanced specialty in diabetes at LCMC Health in Mandeville, Louisiana. “Choose carbohydrates that are whole grain, high fibre, and contain protein.”

Focus on Fibre and Protein

“When possible, look for less processed options that contain protein, fibre, and healthy fats,” says LeBeau, who recommends these snack choices:

• Boiled eggs
• Unsalted nuts
• Hummus with carrots or celery
• Apple slices
• Peanut butter
• Low-sugar Greek yogurt

“These options will keep you full longer and have less impact on your blood glucose,” says LeBeau. If you grab a salad, be careful how much dressing you use, and check the added sugar content on the dressing label, says LeBeau.

While salted foods don’t cause blood sugar spikes, too much salt in your diet can impact your blood pressure. People with diabetes are at higher risk of high blood pressure, so it’s a good idea to look for low-sodium choices, like unsalted nuts.

Most airports offer healthier choices like these, says Kalyn True, RDN, a registered dietitian at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, who recommends looking for “protein packs” with low-fat cheeses, turkey, and whole-grain crackers or fruits. “Some of the kiosks have apple slices or other fresh fruits available for purchase as well,” says True.

Identify Hidden Sugars

Check all snacks and drinks for hidden sugars by reading nutrition labels and checking sugar content, says LeBeau. “These snack items will increase your blood glucose and overall decrease your energy, making you feel tired and sluggish.”

Anything with added sugars totalling 5 percent or less is considered a low source of added sugar, and a good guideline for making food choices on the go.

Our experts recommend avoiding or minimizing these common snack or drink options:

• Sweet treats: Pastries, muffins, cookies, chips, candy, glazed nuts, granola bars, and candy bars
• Ultra-processed foods: Fast-food style pizzas, fast-food burgers, and hot dogs
• Sugary beverages: Sodas, juices, fruit smoothies, syrup-filled coffees, mixed drinks, sweet wine

“Besides the blood sugar aspect, they are also not generally filling for the long term,” says True. Usually after eating these things, you’ll be hungry again in an hour or two, says True.

Here are some common foods you’ll want to skip, and some that are ideal for traveling with diabetes:

Skip This

Grab That

Candy, cookies, pies, or cakes

Low-sugar Greek yogurt with berries

Canned fruit or fruit with sugar glaze

Fresh fruit

Nuts with a glaze or trail mix with candy

Unsalted nuts or “protein packs” with cheese and turkey

Fast-food burgers or hot dogs

Whole-wheat bread sandwiches with grilled chicken or fish

Sweetened or alcoholic beverages

Water or zero-calorie beverages

Granola bars

Protein bars with under 15 g of total carbohydrates

Tackling Business Dinners With Confidence

Between extra-large portions and hidden sugars, eating out with diabetes can feel like stepping onto a minefield. But by planning ahead, you can manage your diet well, even while eating out.

Choose Your Order Early

Most restaurants have their menus available online, and many also share nutritional information for each dish. If you check out your options before you leave, you can make healthy choices without feeling the pressure of figuring out a new menu with clients across the table.

If the restaurant doesn’t have an online menu or the information you want, you can call them ahead of time to ask about ingredients, dish preparation, and possible substitutions. You can also notify the staff about dietary restrictions while making a reservation.

Know Which Menu Items to Look For

“Try to find meals with the Diabetes Plate for Meal Planning in mind,” says LeBeau.

A meal that follows the Diabetes Plate plan looks like this:

• 50 percent non-starchy vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale)
• 25 percent carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain bread or pasta, corn, acorn squash, potatoes, beans)
• 25 percent lean protein (chicken or turkey, fish or other seafood, lean beef or pork, tofu, tempeh)

As you make your menu choice, avoid foods that are fried or topped with a cream sauce, and choose water or zero-calorie drinks, says LeBeau. Pick baked, steamed, grilled, or broiled foods instead of fried or breaded.

Avoid foods with sweet sauces like barbecue, teriyaki, or anything honey-based. Also be sure to ask for salad dressings or other sauces on the side so you can control how much you use.

“I would also caution people to be on the lookout for the free items that can be dropped at the table,” says True. “Chips and breads can be extra refined carbohydrates and not ideal.”

Kim recommends looking at the menu and weighing out your enjoyment-to-sugar-spike ratio. “If eating even half the portion of a pasta dish will make you feel more satisfied and motivated to work out than eating a whole serving of mediocre salad, the pasta would be a better option in that case,” says Kim.

You can also ask for simple swaps when ordering — such as requesting that black beans be subbed for refried beans.

“To keep from overloading on sugar, skip dessert,” says Kim. “If you’ve got to indulge your sweet tooth, be sure to keep the portion size very small.”

If you know you will be tempted to finish an extra-large portion, you can ask for half of it to be boxed up when they deliver it. You can also build a smaller meal by pairing appetizers or sides.

What if There’s Alcohol Served?

The sugar in many alcoholic beverages can raise your blood glucose. If you’d like to have a drink with your dinner guests, order dry wine, which has a lower alcohol content than sweet wines, says Kim.

Avoid drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, which can actually make your blood sugar too low, says True. Alcohol affects everyone a bit differently, so it’s important to measure your blood glucose before and after you drink to monitor how it affects your sugar levels.

If you want to politely avoid drinking, a simple “no thanks, not tonight” is an easy out, says True. You can also order sparkling water with lime, says True, who recommends avoiding tonic water, which can have sugar in it.

Adding Movement Throughout the Day

Movement and exercise play an important part in managing diabetes, says LeBeau. “When you are active, your cells become more sensitive to insulin, effectively lowering your blood glucose.”

When you build your muscles, they help absorb the glucose in your bloodstream, which can help reduce blood sugar spikes and increase energy levels.

“To help lower your blood sugar more immediately, focus on aerobic activity,” says Kim. “A brisk walk, a bike ride, or climbing the stairs can help you ‘use up’ the higher levels of blood sugar rapidly.”

Walking laps around the airport or marching in place are small ways you can incorporate activity while traveling without a gym.

Kim tells his patients to go for a 30-minute walk after their most carbohydrate-heavy meal of the day. Even doing three minutes of movement every 30 minutes can help your blood sugars stay steady.

The Takeaway

• Managing travel and client dinners with type 2 diabetes can feel tricky, but you can maintain a healthy diet with some planning.
• At the airport, look for snacks high in protein and fibre like Greek yogurt and apple slices, and low in unhealthy fats and added sugars.
• Before a business dinner, check the restaurant’s menu online to plan your choices and substitutions.
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https://www.everydayhealth.com/diabetes/managing-type-2-diabetes-airport-and-business-dinner/