Tips for keeping your glucose steady when dining out

Dining out is a great way to enjoy food and connect with your friends and loved ones. But it can be easy to get off track, overeat, and consume high-sugar foods. These culprits spike your glucose, leaving you feeling low in energy, hungry, and irritable. ¹ And these fluctuations can even affect your sleep quality, especially if you’ve been out later in the evening. ²  

Set yourself up for success and check the menu before you dine out. Plan for steady glucose by exploring in advance what healthy options are available and thinking through what you’ll order.  

When choosing your meal, pick a protein-forward main course like chicken, salmon, or tofu to promote steady glucose. ³ 

Instead of starchy sides (like mashed potatoes, chips, or white rice), opt for salad, vegetables, or low-glycemic carbohydrates (like brown rice or quinoa). These will impact your glucose less. ⁴

Avoid sauces and condiments that are high in sugar. And monitor your alcohol intake, which can cause your glucose to fluctuate, dehydrate you, and disturb your sleep patterns. ^5,6 

When it comes to dessert, plan ahead and share it, or go savory to keep your glucose steady. Make it less about restrictions and more about making healthy choices. 

A final note from Lingo 

Eating out or grabbing food on the go can make keeping steady glucose tricky, but forward planning and making better choices can make a big difference. Aim to consume protein with complex carbs and non-starchy veggies and watch out for high-sugar items on the menu. 

When you’re out and about, you can track the impact of what you eat on your glucose levels with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like Lingo. The personal data they provide could help you work out which foods are better than others for keeping your glucose steady. 

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