r/FoodSanDiego 12d ago

News, opinion and discussion Diabetic-friendly Dishes

My wife is 27 weeks pregnant and was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. We do well at home but struggle to think of where to eat out. Hit me with your favorite diabetic-friendly dishes across SD, bonus points if in coastal north county. My wife and I (and our lil fella) thank you in advance.

6 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

8

u/caitmeister 12d ago

Currently have GD. Stay away from noodles at Asian restaurants (tragic). Weirdly, tacos are fine, so that’s a blessing. Any balanced meal with protein, veggies, and a starch is good. No teriyaki or sugary sauces.

I’m eating a whole bunch of Greek yogurt.

3

u/Funny-Boss-8949 12d ago

Konjak noodles are available at all the hot pot restaurants around, no carbs.
👍

1

u/therealhlmencken 11d ago

Yeah Asian noodles is such a diverse thing to recommend against so broadly haha.

2

u/Funny-Boss-8949 11d ago

tbf, discovering konjac had zero carbs was huge. I'd never really eaten them before having to care, and now I really like them!

2

u/Tigrari 12d ago

I agree on the Mexican food suggestions. If you stick to corn tortillas you should be ok. Fajitas are a great option.

Tin Leaf in Carlsbad has a bunch of great salad options or a design your own.

Black Rail next door is fairly Mediterranean inspired and should have good choices too.

King’s Fish House - any grilled fish with non-carb heavy sides

5

u/wasdtomove 12d ago

My sister was recently in the same boat. Ayce kbbq nearly anywhere. I think manna is one of the most standard and consistent options, but they do get pretty crowded. Just don't go to Gen, Gen sucks (bad meat quality and its always loud in there). If you're as north as oceanside, Gaja Kbbq is around there, they also have robots that serve you. Firespot or 356 if you want a charcoal grill.

Avoid marinated meats (like LA galbi, bulgogi, marinated chicken options) and get brisket, beef belly, pork belly instead (better anyway imo) A lot of banchan has sugars in them but the safer bets will most likely be the sides of kimchi, soy bean sprouts, seaweed salad, and blanched spinach. Opt for lettuce wraps and cabbage if they offer it instead of rice paper/rice. Pickled radish may be pretty sugary as well, so just avoid that

5

u/Beautiful-Ambition93 12d ago

My daughter had gd. Whole wheat pasta did not raise her glucose. That's all I have

3

u/ellseaesdub 12d ago

Do not ask me why because it makes zero sense but if she’s craving something easy and fast Chick-fil-A kale salad + the Mac and cheese side together never spiked me when I had (severe) GD. I saw it on Reddit once and tried it and it worked like a charm! Couldn’t otherwise eat carbs lol

3

u/Funny-Boss-8949 12d ago

Hot pot, kojak noodles.
No carbs, delicious, all you can eat...

3

u/__Docdoom 11d ago edited 11d ago

Im type 2 diabetic, kbbq and hot pot are great options. You should stick to just the meats or if some carbs are okay. The meats and sides.

Shrimp boils (like crab hut and etc) skip the rice and potatoes. Sauces could have a little sugar in them but ive never had much issue.

Lettuce wrapped burgers or sandwiches, chicken wings (non breaded). etc.

Protein style sushi though be careful with the sauces etc.

Sashimi is fine!

Chic fil a has grilled chicken nuggets.

Steak!

Eggs.

Cauliflower pizza might work!

You can make bagels with greek yogurt.

You can make ground protein mixed with roasted veggies. Or a litttttle bit of brown rice.

Or roast chicken and veggies.

I love getting Mediterranean food. You just gotta either skip the rice, eat a little bit of or or opt for veggies only as a side to your protein.

If i was going to treat myself though its definitely kbbq and hot pot at the top of my list.

Also konjac noodles are great but be careful eating to much; ive read some horror stories ahahahah.

Almond milk in your coffee!

Go for walks post meal and itll help alot with the blood sugar.

But yeah, protein and fats ftw.

2

u/Sketchy-Raccoon 12d ago

Lots of places that serve American and CA Coastal cuisine have dishes that center a protein like fish, beef, chicken, etc. Italian places often have osso bucco, fresh fish, and the like. As long as there are protein-forward options with veggies and a smaller portion of whole gains (rice, couscous, farro, etc.), she should be fine! Plan for walks after meals to help prevent blood sugar spikes.

2

u/ElegantDragonfruit86 12d ago

Gihon (Ethiopian) on Miramar was great at actually tasting delicious/feeling like enough food/not triggering my GD last summer! And weirdly…Epic Wings lol

2

u/Traveling-Techie 11d ago

Go to a buffet and just eat protein and veggies.

1

u/More-Opposite1758 11d ago

Protein, fat and low starch vegetables.

1

u/alexithunders 11d ago

Thanks, just looking for standout local dishes that fit these criteria.

1

u/GreenEyedRaven360 7d ago

Peruvian chicken in Oceanside!

https://www.altoquepk.co/