Eating out can be tricky if you have diabetes. There's no way you can calculate nutrition levels while ordering meals at restaurants specializing in American cuisine. Well, many restaurants in the United States have addressed this issue. Today, most restaurants in the United States offer healthy diabetic American meal options for their customers. You can also choose the items from the menu based on the nutrition information per serving mentioned besides each item.

You can easily choose the food and the portion size based on the nutritional facts and make healthy decisions while dining at your favorite restaurants. Most US restaurants serve large portions and hence it is crucial to cut down your portion sizes while ordering at the restaurant.

You can either ask the waiter or the attendant to offer a smaller portion size or share a meal with a friend or work colleague. You can also request the restaurant to provide a take-home container so you can eat as much you normally and take the rest with you. Try focusing on salads or soups or an appetizer to compliment your meal. Most importantly, avoid the “All You Can Eat" buffets at all costs.

Here are few tips to make a diabetic American meal of your own at your favorite restaurants:

• If you order a sandwich, request the waiter to remove the high calorie stuffing and substitute them with health options.
• Avoid French fries and instead opt for diabetes-friendly side salad
• Instead of regular salad dressing, go for lemon juice, flavored vinegar, or salsa on your salad.
• Choose salsa or uncooked salsa over the shredded cheese and sour cream on your burrito.
• Avoid breaded or fried food and instead choose broiled, roasted, grilled, or steamed food.
• Ask the restaurant prior to visiting, whether the foods can be prepared with less fat, sugar, or salt.
• Always ask for egg whites or low-cholesterol egg substitutes instead of whole eggs.
• Prefer whole-grain bread
• Order skinless chicken
• Always order thin crust pizza covered with veggies.
• Avoid sugar-sweetened soda or other beverage as complimentary to your meal.
• Avoid alcohol as it is just another accessory to fill you up with empty calories.

11 Best Restaurant Foods for Diabetics

If you don't want to make things complicated while dining out, then here are few healthy diabetic American meal options for you. If you have diabetes, you can simply pick any of these American meal at your favorite restaurant.

Plain Egg Whites, Cheddar, & Avocado on Skinny Wheat Bagel

Egg whites are always better over whole eggs if you have diabetes. Try plain Pain's Egg Whites, Cheddar, & Avocado on Skinny Wheat Bagel for a healthy meal. The breakfast meal offers 360 calories and constitutes of 23 g fat, 25 g carbs and 19 g protein. A healthy meal is crucial for diabetics as they require the blood glucose levels to shoot up after the fasting state in order to prepare the body for the daily chores. Besides diabetics, this healthy breakfast is a great option for people without diabetes as well.

Applebee's Green Goddess Wedge Salad

Enough with the non-veg options! We present a pure veg salad option for diabetics by Applebee's. The Applebee's Green Goddess Wedge Salad is made of a heavy wedge of lettuce. Lettuce is known for its health benefits with respect to its low glycemic index. Low glycemic index means lesser impact on your blood glucose levels and diabetics must include such low glycemic foods regularly in their diet. The Lettuce Wedge Salad by Applebee's also include squash, kale, spinach, or fruit.

Denny's Fit-Fare Loaded Veggie Omelet

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast is a must for all, including the diabetics. You must try Denny's Fit-Fare Loaded Veggie Omelet as your breakfast meal. The whole meal is perfectly balanced with ideal quantities of all the three macronutrients essential for the body. The Loaded Veggie Omelet offers 470 calories which are adequate to remain active whole day. It contains 16 g fat and offers 26 g protein and 60 g carbs in one serving. 60 g is the peak limit of carbs intake for diabetics. So, if you have doubts on the carbs content, then relax as the meal is purely diabetic-friendly unless you opt for a second serving.

Red Robin's Sear-ious Salmon

If you are fond of fish, especially Salmon, then we will like to present you Red Robin's Sear-ious Salmon. Packed with Omega-3, Salmon is considered one of the healthiest sea food or fish globally. The whole meal offers 450 calories consisting of 34 g protein and 35 g fat. It contains 7 g carbs and 760 mg sodium. Ensure that you limit your protein intake to nil for the day once you consume Red Robin's Sear-ious Salmon.

Olive Garden's Chicken Margarita

Maintaining your protein intake is very crucial while cutting down on carbs and sugar if you have diabetes. Ordering Oliver Garden's Chicken Margarita will help you gain 37 g protein. A serving of this exciting lunch meal consists of 370 calories constituting of 22g fat, 700 mg sodium and only 8 g carbs including 3g sugar. Excessive protein can lead to kidney failure or kidney disease in diabetic patients. Hence, if you are consuming Oliver Garden's Chicken Margarita, you must make sure that it is the only meat you will consume that day.

Boston Market's Rotisserie Chicken with Fresh Steamed Veggies

Amazingly low in carbs, Boston Market's Rotisserie Chicken with Fresh Steamed Veggies is an ultimate combo of veggies and chicken. The skinless grilled chicken constitutes of only 210 calories with 5g fat. The chicken element offers 40 g protein and adds only 1 g of carbs and sugar. Additional or side veggies adds up 60 calories with 3.5 g fat and 7 g carbs and 2 g protein. You can also add corn to compliment the dish. It will be an extra 130 calories consisting of 21 g carbs and 9 g sugar.

Being diabetic isn't a crime. Don't be harsh on yourself and enjoy healthy and tasty meals like everyone else. Just be careful and limit the intake of fats, carbs and protein to the optimum levels. Our body needs 0.8-gram protein for every kg of body weight. So, if you weigh 70 Kgs, then you can consume a maximum of 56 grams protein each day. Keep the carbs and fats intake as low as possible and avoid high glycemic foods. That's it. Follow these simple tips and you can still enjoy tasty food despite your diabetic condition.