Eating Out On A Sugar Free Diet

Sticking to a sugar-free diet when you are out and about can be tricky. But fear not! This guide will help you navigate restaurants, coffee shops and dinner parties so you can enjoy yourself without the sugar rush.

Photo credit: Karrie Zhu / Pixabay

You’ve banished all junk food from the house. The secret milk chocolate stash in your kitchen cupboard is history, the multipacks of fizzy drinks have been replaced with youth-inducing matcha tea and your fridge is stuffed with leafy greens.

You have become an expert at healthy eating at home, but what about eating out?

There is no need to search for sugar free restaurants online (or stay at home because you can't find one).

Here are my tips on how you can eat out anywhere AND stick to your sugar-free diet.

Jump to:

• Be Prepared
• Call Ahead
• Have A Snack
• Drink Water
• Stick To A Flat White
• Choose Your Booze
• Read Between The Lines
• Beware Of Dressings And Sauces
• Make Smart Swaps
• Bring A Dessert
• See The Bright Side Of Life

Be Prepared

Check out the restaurant’s menu online before you set off. This way you can make the right decision about what you want to eat without being distracted by good conversation.

Plus, “I’ll have what he’s having” might not be a good option when you have quit sugar.

Call Ahead

If you are not sure which dish is a good sugar free option, just give the restaurant a call and explain what you’re after. Restaurants are as interested in having contented customers as you are in having a good time. Most will be more than happy to cater for your needs.

Have A Snack

A little something before you leave takes the edge off the hunger and prevents you from devouring the entire breadbasket.

I love these grain free cheese thyme crackers from my blog, but it could be as straightforward as some crudités and a hunk of cheese.

Drink Water

A jug of table water is everyone’s friend. And it’s always a smarter option than soft drinks or juice, which is packed with sugar.

One glass of apple juice contains the equivalent of seven teaspoons of sugar, whether it’s organic or not.

Stick To A Flat White

Milk-based drinks in coffee chains can contain a staggering amount of sugar. The worst offender is the Costa Coffee chai latte massimo with 20 teaspoons.

To stay away from a sugar rush, it’s best to choose a flat white or stay black.

Choose Your Booze

Obviously, moderation is key. Good low sugar choices are red wines, dry white wines such as Chardonnay and spirits with soda water and lime as a mixer.

Stay away from dessert wines, ciders, liqueurs and cocktails, which are most likely high in sugar.

Read Between The Lines

Any dish that includes the words glazed, caramelise or indeed sweet may not be the smart option on a sugar free diet.

Beware Of Dressings And Sauces

Keep it simple! You can never go wrong with a steak, a fish or a generous salad. It’s the sauces and dressings where it can get tricky. Rich tomato sauces, for example, are high in natural sugars.

Ask to have your sauces on the side and opt for olive oil and vinegar to dress your salad.

Make Smart Swaps

Swap your chips for extra veggies, and have a salad instead of the bread basket.

White bread, white rice and white pasta are simple carbohydrates that the body converts into glucose. They significantly raise blood sugar levels, so crowd them out with the good stuff – plenty of fibre, healthy fats and protein.

Bring A Dessert

Dessert is the biggie when you’ve quit sugar. In restaurants, it’s best to stick to the cheese platter or a fruit salad.

If you are invited to a dinner party, why don’t you offer to bring dessert? I like to make this healthy almond berry cake, it's a real showstopper.

Or simply opt for some indulgent dark chocolate (85% or more cocoa solids), which is comparatively low in sugar.

Your hosts would be thrilled about the helping hand – and you don’t have to muster the willpower to say thanks but no thanks, which might by now be compromised by that lovely Chardonnay.

See The Bright Side Of Life

Instead of focusing on what you can’t have, enjoy all the delicious, satisfying and nourishing dishes that are out there. Remind yourself why you don’t want the junk. By waving sugar good-bye, you are doing your body a huge favour.

And if you do cave in and wolf down that triple death-by-chocolate cake before your brain has time to say no, don’t beat yourself up over it. This is real life, after all, and it’s making progress that counts.

Just get back on the bandwagon tomorrow.

This article was first published in 2016 and updated with new images and information.