What can I eat?
When asking yourself “what fast foods can I eat”, it’s best to know the answer ahead of time.
Life is busy. We don’t always have time to plan meals. Sometimes we may be in a new city or we want to meet with friends. When your friends choose fast food, you need to know what to do.
We know we’re not supposed to be eating fast food. Fast food is generally fried, heavy on condiments, and loaded with carbs. Sometimes we have to choose the lesser evil.
If you’re going to eat fast food, you’re going to have to be creative.
Get a lettuce wrap instead of a bun when possible.
Throw away the whole bun to cut down on carbohydrates (carbs). Keep an eye on condiments as some of these can be very high in sugar and carbs. Ketchup has 4.5 grams of carbs per 1 tablespoon.
Avoid fried foods to keep your blood sugar in check. I know the fries are delicious. You can really help your blood sugar levels stay low by not ordering them.
Tip: Do not eat potatoes, just don’t.
French Fries will shoot your blood sugar into the stratosphere. French Fries are from potatoes which are one of the highest carb foods.
1 medium potato has 37 grams of carbs. That’s before frying it!
The potatoes are then fried in oil which adds unhealthy fats. Eating French Fries will elevate your blood sugar and slow down your digestion. The fats these fries get cooked in can cause inflammation and other health problems.
Eating foods high in carbs and bad fats can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
Remember, hash browns, tater tots, and spiral fries are all the same thing when it comes to fat and carbs.
Diet drinks aren’t much better for us than regular drinks. Some people consider them healthier but artificial sweeteners are not very healthy.
Read our article about which sodas are better for you here
Some artificial sweeteners1 can cause high blood sugar in certain people.
It’s best to avoid sodas altogether. Ask for a bottle of water instead. Bring your electrolyte packets with you to add to the water if you don’t like plain water. As your taste for different flavors develops, plain water will taste delicious.
People free of diabetes rarely have blood sugar levels over 140 mg/dl2.
People with Type 2 diabetes will start to see blood sugar levels this high after eating high-carb meals.
A post-meal blood sugar level over 140 mg/dl can cause permanent organ damage3. Yikes!
Tips:
- Bring your store-bought low-carb ketchup or dressing.
- Request a bottle of water instead of soda
- Request no bun, or lettuce wrapped
- Remove the bun or tortilla (shells too) and throw it away if you forget to request no bun
- Do not get the fries or other fried sides
- Ask for no ketchup. Mustard is ok.
These are the best options when you have no choice but to grab some fast food:
Burger King
Burger with no bun.
Grilled chicken
Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissanwich with no bread – remove the bread
Order a side salad and throw out the croutons. Use half of the dressing.
Starbucks
Choose sugar-free drinks
The stevia packets are ok to add
The sugar-free syrups are NOT ok (made with sucralose, can increase your blood sugar)
Add nut milk (their coconut milk has additional sweeteners and is not low in sugar. Almond milk is the best choice. Soy milk is a different issue and is not recommended for most people).
Egg bites
Turkey bacon and egg white sandwich without the bun (remove after ordering)
Creminelli Sopressata Monterey Jack Snack Tray
Moon Cheese
McDonald’s
Breakfast:
Ask for scrambled eggs with sausage only
Sausage McMuffin with no muffin
Egg McMuffin with no muffin
Lunch/Dinner:
Hamburger with no bun (remove, or request no bun)
Classic cheeseburger with no bun (remove, or request no bun)
Quarter Pounder with cheese, choose your option (remove or request no bun
Grilled Chicken
Salad with no croutons
Taco Bell
Crunchy taco (request a fork and eat the innards, not the taco)
Supreme taco (request a fork and eat the inside, not the taco shell)
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos (request a fork and eat the inside, not the shell)
A small bowl of black beans
A steak or chicken bowl with no beans or rice (ask for extra lettuce)
5-layer burrito with no tortillas
Whatever you order, eat the inside, and do not eat the flour or corn shell/tortilla.
Request no rice.
How to make your choices even better:
Walking for 2 minutes4 after a meal is helpful. It lowers blood sugar levels better than walking 30 minutes daily. The people who walked after meals had improved blood sugar levels.
If you’re going to eat fast food or grab a coffee, park your car down the block instead of lining up in the drive-thru.
You can get a nice walk back and forth. This is a good practice to get into. Start with one time. Then you will be doing it all the time.
Walking is also beneficial to your circulatory system. Heart disease is common in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Having high blood sugar levels damages the blood vessels that heart health relies on.
Even one high blood sugar spike can cause lasting damage. Nothing is worth that.
Check the online menu whenever possible and plan ahead. If you know what you can order ahead of time, you’ll make better choices.
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She helped start and managed a supplement company and has consulted on targeted supplement creation.
She has also served for over 7 years as an admin for very large Facebook groups about health and autoimmune issues.
Anna has years of unique experience seeing which protocols and treatments work for which people, having seen hundreds of thousands of patient experiences and testimonials.
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- https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20190108/diet-soda-linked-to-risk-for-diabetic-blindness.
- https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/new-research-on-high-glucose-levels/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CPost%2Dmeal%20blood%20sugars%20of,to%20progress%2C%E2%80%9D%20Ruhl%20writes.
- https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-hyperglycemia.
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/02/health/walking-blood-sugar-study-wellness/index.html.
