How to Eat Out with Diabetes: A Restaurant Survival Guide by Cuisine
The real challenge of eating out
Restaurant food is designed to taste good, and that usually means more sugar, more starch, and larger portions than what you would make at home. The challenge is not just the food itself — it is the lack of information. You cannot check the GL of a restaurant dish because you do not know the exact ingredients or quantities.
What you can do is learn the general patterns of each cuisine type and make informed choices based on what tends to be high-GL and what tends to be low-GL. This guide covers seven common restaurant cuisines with specific ordering strategies.
Italian
The challenge: Bread baskets, massive pasta portions, and desserts built on sugar and refined flour.
What to order:
Grilled fish or chicken with vegetables (almost any preparation)
Antipasto platter — cured meats, cheese, olives, roasted vegetables
Caprese salad (mozzarella, tomato, basil, olive oil)
Soup — minestrone is typically low-GL due to the bean and vegetable base
If you want pasta: order a half portion, or appetizer-size, and pair it with a protein-heavy main
What to skip: The bread basket (ask them not to bring it — willpower is finite), risotto (creamy rice is GL 30+), and tiramisu. A shared dessert is fine occasionally, but an individual portion is a full glycemic event.
Mexican
The challenge: Tortilla chips, rice, beans refried in lard, and flour tortillas.
What to order:
Fajitas — grilled meat or shrimp with peppers and onions. Use one corn tortilla instead of two flour ones, or skip the tortilla entirely
Carne asada or pollo asado with a side salad instead of rice
Guacamole with vegetable sticks instead of chips
Black bean soup — whole beans have a low GI of about 30
Taco salad bowl (eat the contents, leave the fried shell)
What to skip: The chips and salsa that arrive automatically (ask the server to hold them or move them to the other end of the table), burritos (the flour tortilla alone is GL 15+), and churros.
Chinese
The challenge: Sweet sauces (General Tso's, orange chicken, sweet and sour), deep-fried dishes, and large rice portions served alongside everything.
What to order:
Steamed fish or shrimp with ginger and scallions
Stir-fried vegetables with chicken or tofu (ask for sauce on the side)
Hot and sour soup or egg drop soup
Moo shu (lettuce wraps instead of pancakes)
Steamed dumplings (3 to 4 pieces, not the whole basket)
What to skip: Anything battered and fried, dishes with sweet glazes (the sugar content is often surprising — General Tso's sauce can contain 15+ grams of sugar per serving), and fried rice. If you want rice, ask for a half portion of steamed brown rice.
Japanese
The challenge: Sushi rice is seasoned with sugar and vinegar. A typical sushi dinner can include more rice than you realise.
What to order:
Sashimi — raw fish without rice. The GL is essentially zero
Edamame as a starter (GL ~1)
Miso soup
Yakitori (grilled chicken skewers — watch for teriyaki glaze, which contains sugar)
If you want sushi: choose nigiri (small amount of rice per piece) over rolls, and limit to 6 to 8 pieces
What to skip: Tempura (battered and fried), specialty rolls with cream cheese and sweet sauces, and teriyaki dishes where the glaze is heavily sweetened. One standard California roll (8 pieces) has a GL of about 17 — mostly from the rice.
Indian
The challenge: Naan bread, basmati rice served generously, and some curries thickened with cream or yogurt and served with potato.
What to order:
Dal (lentil curry) — lentils have a GI of about 29 and are high in fibre and protein
Tandoori chicken or fish (marinated in yogurt and spices, cooked in a clay oven)
Chana masala (chickpea curry — chickpeas have a GI of 28)
Raita (yogurt-based condiment) on the side
A small portion of basmati rice (GL ~15 per cup) — basmati has a lower GI than other white rice varieties
What to skip: Naan (one piece is GL 15+), samosas (fried dough filled with potato), biryani (large rice portions), and mango lassi (essentially a sweetened mango milkshake).
American diner / casual
The challenge: Enormous portions, buns, fries, and refillable sodas.
What to order:
Burger without the bun, with a side salad instead of fries
Grilled chicken sandwich — eat the protein, leave half the bun
Cobb salad or grilled chicken salad (dressing on the side)
Breakfast for dinner: eggs, bacon, and a side of fruit
Steak with steamed vegetables
What to skip: French fries (GL ~22 for a medium order), onion rings, milkshakes, and pie. Drink water, unsweetened iced tea, or black coffee instead of soda — a 20-ounce Coke has a GL of about 26 on its own.
Thai
The challenge: Pad thai noodles, jasmine rice, and sauces sweetened with palm sugar.
What to order:
Tom yum or tom kha soup (broth-based with shrimp or chicken)
Larb (meat salad with herbs and lime — served with lettuce)
Green or red curry with vegetables and protein, with a half-portion of rice or no rice
Satay skewers (watch the peanut sauce quantity — it often contains sugar)
Stir-fried morning glory or mixed vegetables
What to skip: Pad thai (GL 25+ per serving from the rice noodles and tamarind-sugar sauce), fried rice, and mango sticky rice (dessert that combines the two highest-GL ingredients on the menu).
General strategies that work everywhere
Eat protein first. Starting with meat, fish, or eggs before touching starches slows glucose absorption measurably.
Ask for dressing and sauce on the side. Many sauces contain hidden sugar. Controlling the amount you use makes a real difference.
Skip the liquid calories. Water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee. Drinks with sugar add GL without any satiety.
Split dessert if you want it. Two bites of something sweet with three other people is a different experience than an individual slice.
Do not arrive starving. A small low-GL snack an hour before dinner — a handful of almonds, some cheese — prevents the desperation ordering that leads to bread baskets and appetisers you did not need.