Whether it’s a date or a night out with friends, people with type 2 diabetes can enjoy it normally. You can also eat, drink, and dance in the evening as long as your blood sugar stays at a healthy level.
“It’s important to enjoy life and not let diabetes slow you down,” says Janis Roszler, author of Diabetes in Your Own Hands.
Be mindful of maintaining balance and spending your nights with a relaxed mindset. If diabetes is approached with a sense of normalcy, so will your companion, even if you need to test your blood sugar levels before a meal.
Roszler said, “The people who do best are those who don’t make a big deal about it but also don’t try to hide the disease.”
Avoid letting yourself starve during the day and eat too much at night. Roszler recommends not going more than four or five hours without eating, and keeping snacks in your bag or car.
Control portion sizes when eating at restaurants. For example, half of your plate should be a starch-free vegetable or salad, a quarter should be protein, and the remaining quarter should be a carbohydrate such as brown rice or whole-grain pasta. If you want to eat cake or other desserts, you need to eat fewer carbohydrates.
“Ninety-nine percent of restaurants have a healthy eating menu,” says Hope Warshaw, author of the book “The Healthy Guide to Eating Out. Go out and eat well. If a favorite restaurant has a large portion, share a dinner with a companion. There’s no need to shy away from seeking out food alternatives.
Can I drink alcohol? Having type 2 diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with champagne or have some wine with dinner. To avoid spikes and drops in blood sugar, here are some steps you can take.