Hello! What are your favorite “go to” restaurants/on the go food that have some good options, carb counts listed, gluten free, etc… especially in a pinch when running around on a busy day?
Dinners out always seem a little easier, ordering fish or meat with some veggies an salad, but lunches on the run…
I much prefer food from home or packing lunch and snacks, but there are days when that just does not happen.
I like places that will do burgers wrapped in lettuce (Five Guys, Carls Junior, etc.) but what else works when you are out and about and/or traveling…?
Just curious to know what DiaEats are out there that might get me out of my box…
We went to a niece’s graduation in Colorado and afterward enjoyed lunch at Ted’s Montana Grill. First off, really delicious pickles!! But seriously, the menu offers all the main proteins on a salad or with kale salad (and other low carb options) as sides. Gluten-free buns are available on request, too, which made my non-D GF husband happy. The burgers (beef or bison) are probably 8 ounces–big enough to share. Quite a nice experiences.
People might be all over me for saying this but most fast food chains, McD;s, Wendys, BK have pretty accurate Carb listings at least online. I know on a Saturday running errands exactly what a wendy’s single will need as for insulin
That is one benefit to chain food…they are regulated by the large corporation so the packing and labeling does become nicely standardized and consistent…
And now I’m hungry for a burger…!
Panera has some good salads and they have a notebook behind the counter w all the nutritionals. When we used to go into NYC, we’d always have lunch at a Chop’T. It’s a fun place where they make your salad to order in these large bowls w giant mezzalunas. I understand they’ve now opened a few stores in Washington DC.
you can also get the carb counts for chains on the CalorieKing app
Confession time. On the rare occasions that I eat fast food, I don’t consider carb counts as part of the selection process. I choose what I actually want to eat, then look at the carbs and dose accordingly. My bad.
That said, my favorite chains are Arby’s and Popeye’s. Since our town has neither, I don’t get to patronize them very often so it’s pretty much a treat when it happens.
Chick-fil-A is unfortunately regional. We don’t have them here. I do like their calendars, though. Occasionally they come up with some really terrific puns.
If I do chick-fil-a, I go all in with a spicy breaded chicken sandwich! I think it’s about 41 carbs, which is a ton compared to what I usually eat but not terrible.
Chipotle: easy to plan with their on-line nutrtiton data. I get a salad, with meat & beans–no rice. interesting to see the different carb counts for different salsas, dressings.
Even though we do not have Chick-fil-a in our neck of the woods, I had read the name of this fast food restaurant at some point in time during one of my random forays on the internet. I forget exactly how it came up in conversation, but (never having had the pleasure of eating at one of these fine restaurants) I mispronounced it “chick - fill - a” (accent on the second syllable, short a at the end) instead of “Chick Filet”. My daughter and her nanny laughed at me until they peed their pants a little, and they continue to take every opportunity to remind me of my apparently hilarious mispronunciation and to ridicule me…
My meals at restaurants are usually a salad, or occasionally a plain burger with lettuce. It’s near impossible to get anything else on the menu, even if it’s low-carb, because it always contains potato, dairy, or wheat or is cooked using the same oven, grill, or deep frier as those things, making it a cross-contamination risk. On the rare occasions I eat out, our table usually ends up with the manager and chef coming out with the giant allergy binder to figure out what they can make for me. By that point I usually feel so guilty and/or stressed out that I don’t even think to ask about the nutritional information. Diabetes seems so easy that it’s almost a non-issue in comparison to severe food allergies.
As unhealthy as it is, fast food is something I really, really miss. Although I don’t miss all the mystery allergic reactions I had after eating out before I discovered what was causing them.
Same here: bowl or salad at Chipotle, just skip rice. The online nutrition calculator is great! Another reasonably good on the go option is Garbanzo Mediterranean: it’s easy to assemble a plate with next to zero to however much you like carbs - here is their nutritional info page.
Alright!!! So many great ideas…who wants to draft the TuD Dia Friendly Eats list so we can save it as a resource and to share with others who are new to this!?
