Diabetic Eating Out Guide: 10 Ways Diabetics Can Safely Eat Out On Independence Day Review

1. As with every day, testing is today's key. If you use a glucometer, carry your smallest one in a pants pocket or purse. Test in your car before you arrive for a decent baseline and then again before the serious eating begins. When it comes to small meters, One Touch's Ultra Mini is an awesome product. I disliked One Touch's products just two years ago, but the company's Ultra 2 is my favorite meter now. Unfortunately, holidays are days that require multiple finger sticks because you're eating different foods in new settings and have different environmental conditions to deal with. Test pre and post meal, and don't forget any meds you typically take.

2. Grilled meats are usually just fine for folks following the ADA's dietary guidelines. Make sure your host didn't do something silly like marinate the food in oil or coat chicken with multiple layers of barbeque sauce. A little sauce is great, but the carbs add up. Not everyone uses Walden's sauces  although if you have a chance, I think their barbeque sauce is outstanding and has 0 carbs.

3. Potato salad is the enemy.  Forget about the worries of the side dish being toxic in the hot sun.  Worry instead about the nutrition.   If you must have some of Aunt Mary's famous 'taters drenched in sauce, stay aware of portion control. The mix of starchy potatoes and fat-heavy dressing is off the charts. Be mindful as well of regular salads because your host may still vinigarette is a healthy dressing and use a half bottle on a salad bowl for ten. Your host may also have desert plans. You know by now what you can and can't metabolize well. Like most diabetics, you've also kept an informal tally of your carbs and whether you skipped the hotdog roll and can afford some regular desert. Be careful of glazed fruits or well-meaning cooks who sprinkle sugar or other sweetners on everything.

4. Holidays are usually the one day where if you must err because you don't know the recipe, go with proteins and fats first. Raw fruits and vegetables or undoctored lean proteins are great choices. No one will question why you don't have two scoops of ice cream or a hunk of watermelon.

5. Drinking plenty of water is sound advice for any day. During summer holidays, especially those spent outside, you'll want to make sure to stay well hydrated. Being diabetic, extra hydration and heat just may make you sweat more, which causes you to drink more which will send you to the restroom more. That is absolutely okay. Dehydration can cause serious, hidden issues such as gradually dropping blood pressure. A good rule of thumb: if you feel thirsty, start drinking. Lay off the diet sodas if you're outside and go for water. If your plans take you to public parks or similar areas, pick up a liter or two of water before you go. You can skip the fancy vitamin water. Basic tap water that's been treated like Dasani or Aquafina are fine.

 6. Keep hydrating if you're playing in the softball game or simply outside on a hot, humid day. If you are active outside in mid-July, remember to wear good, closed shoes with support. Most sneakers or tennis shoes are fine, but racing around in a pair of flip-flops or sandals in unfamiliar areas is not a way to be kind to your feet. Stash a bandage or two in your pocket if you get a blister, and follow good foot care procedures when you get home. And however inviting that grass or sandy beach looks, now is not the time to run barefoot.

7. Just because exercise helps manage weight and lower blood sugar doesn't mean that you should run around because there is homemade ice cream for dessert. Go ahead and have a small portion if you've balanced your meal that way, but don't try to compensate in other ways. If you are regularly active outside in this weather, go right ahead and party. If not, be careful not to overdo the exertion.

8. The sun can be sneaky, and you can end up with a sunburn even on a cloudy day if you're outside too long. Hats are great protection, but don't forget to slather on the sunscreen. I have sensitive skin and like Aveeno, which never seems to bother me.  Even if you're wearing a hat, don't forget areas like your ears, the backs of your legs and your neck. See a dermatologist for serious sunburn that blisters and cracks, and tell that doctor about your diabetes.

9. Wear a Medic Alert bracelet if you're with a group of people you don't know well.  Being coy around strangers is never a good idea.  Hypoglycemia can be mistaken for intoxication, you don't want someone to think you had one too many beers when you simply need a small glass of fruit juice.

10. If you have been drinking, be aware of how alcohol changes your metabolism. Every person is different and metabolim changes over time so slow down if this is the first time you've had a few adult beverages recently.

Living with diabetes is something anyone can do, but being vigilant is important. The happiness surrounding holidays -- seeing old friends and relatives, parties, special events and more -- all can lead to a "just this once" rationalization mindset. Don't let that happen to you on a holiday like today. While you may have the day off from work, your diabetes doesn't know about holidays. Be safe.