This lesson plan aims to teach older adults with diabetes how to make healthy food choices when dining out. The 30-minute lesson will cover identifying sources of hidden sugars, substituting non-starchy vegetables for starches, and reducing portion sizes. The teacher will use examples like pasta dishes, burgers and fries, and Mexican food to demonstrate substitution options. An assessment will evaluate if learners meet the objectives of identifying ways to increase nutrients and reduce carbohydrates while dining out.

1. Mike Shelby
NUTR 4396
LESSON PLAN FOR
Seniors with Diabetes: Making Healthy Food Choices While Dining Out
Setting: Community or Senior Center
Time Allotment: 30 minutes
Estimated Number of Learners: 15
I. Goals and Rationale
# Goal Rationale for Goal
1.
Learners (older adults with diabetes
mellitus) will understand the process
of making healthy, diabetes-friendly
food choices when eating out at full-
service and fast food restaurants.
Because of the physical and mental limitations that can
result from aging, many older adults seek out convenient
food options, which might include dining out instead of
cooking meals at home. This can be potentially
problematic for diabetics in particular because many
restaurant and fast food choices are not the most ideal
meals for blood sugar regulation. It is therefore important
for dietitians and other healthcare professionals to help
older diabetics when it comes to making healthy food
choices while dining out.
II. Objectives
# Objective
1.
The learner will be able to identify at least one way to increase fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake while
dining out.
2.
The learner will be able to identify at least one source of “hidden sugar/carbohydrate” while dining
out.
3.
The learner will be able to identify at least one way to substitute a starchy food choice for a non-
starchy vegetable.
4. The learner will be able to identify at least one way to reduce caloric intake.
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2. III. Teaching/Learning Procedures
Motivation/
Introduction
Dining out is often viewed as a generally unhealthy food option. For diabetics in
particular, dining out can indeed often have a lot of pitfalls for those trying to
manage their condition. However, dining out can be relatively healthy when diners
make the right food choices. The good news is that there are a lot of relatively easy
and creative ways to select menu items that fit into a diabetic diet plan. In this
presentation, I will provide several tips for making healthy food choices while
dining out.
Teaching/Learning
Activities
(For each of the following food choice tips, I might use food models to represent
each meal. For example, for substitutions I might present a food model plate
representing the initial food choice and then compare that to a food model plate
representing the substitution food choice. If a projector is available, I will also use a
simple Power Point presentation to help learners better visualize meals.)
Substitutions
• While you might feel reluctant to make special order requests when dining
out, substitution requests can be easy for most full service and even fast
food restaurants. These options are not always stated explicitly in menus,
but many food service establishments have no issue accommodating such
requests.
• Substitutions should typically revolve around replacing a starch for a non-
starchy vegetable. This is particularly important to be mindful of when
dining out because a lot of popular dishes tend to be high in carbohydrates
and glycemic load.
• Substitution example 1: pasta dishes
o In addition to being high in total calories, many pasta entrée dishes
are often high in carbohydrates specifically. One way to make these
dishes more diabetes-friendly is by asking for only half a portion of
pasta and replacing the other half with vegetables. Servers can help
by determining which vegetables might be suitable for this
substitution, or you might ask if a specific vegetable side dish can be
substituted for this purpose.
• Substitution example 2: burgers/sandwiches and fries
o Although French fries and burgers/sandwiches can go great together,
these meals tend to be very high in carbohydrates and low in
vegetables and fiber. A better option is to balance the meal out by
substituting a starch for a vegetable. For example, you might order
the burger/sandwich as is, but substitute a side salad for the fries.
Alternatively, you might opt for the fries but order the
burger/sandwich without the bread. You can even request extra
vegetables/toppings for the breadless burger/sandwich so that it can
be eaten like a salad.
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3. Teaching/Learning
Activities (continued)
• Substitution example 3: Mexican cuisine
o Mexican cuisine represents another common example of
carbohydrate-heavy dishes. A typical example of a Mexican dish
might be a tortilla-based entrée accompanied by a side of rice and
beans. This can be a high-calorie, high-carbohydrate, poorly
balanced meal for diabetics. One way to make it more diabetic-
appropriate is by substituting the rice and/or beans for non-starchy
vegetables. Even if it is not stated explicitly on the menu, many
restaurants will have some type of veggie mixture that might include
sautéed/steamed zucchini, squash, onions, and peppers.
Hidden carbohydrates/sugar
• Often nutritionists warn of “hidden sugars” in foods, but diabetics might
want to look for “hidden carbohydrates” in general. When dining out, you
might encounter these hidden carbohydrates in the following places.
• Soups/sauces
o Many intuitively think of soups and sauces as liquid-based foods, but
these foods often contain carbohydrate-based thickeners such as
flour. If you are unsure about a particular soup or sauce, ask your
server about its base. Some meat dishes can be prepared and served
au jus, with only their own juices or some type of broth. Similarly,
try looking for broth-based soups with no thickener (such as
vegetable soups), and be especially cautious of stews, which can
sometimes be surprisingly starchy.
• Dressings
o Some dressings, such as Thousand Island and French, can be packed
with sugar. Even certain vinaigrettes, such as a raspberry vinaigrette,
might not be the best option for diabetics due to sugar content. What
might seem like an otherwise healthy food choice—a salad—can
quickly turn into a high calorie sugar bomb when doused in enough
dressing. Instead, try ordering your salad with a simple vinaigrette,
or even just vinegar and olive oil, the latter of which is full of
healthy monounsaturated fats in addition to being a good alternative
to sweetened dressings.
Other
• Dessert
o Try a fruit-based dessert—such as a sorbet or a bowl of fruit—
instead of a grain- and/or dairy-based dessert. While fruit might not
always have the appeal of, say, the Double Fudge Brownie Volcano
Cake Pie, it can nonetheless help satiate a sweet tooth while
providing nutrients and fiber. Fruit-based desserts also tend to be
served in smaller portions and have fewer calories and a lower
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4. Teaching/Learning
Activities (continued)
glycemic load than more traditional desserts. This makes fruit-based
desserts a better choice for diabetics.
o It is important to note that many restaurants might not list fruit
and/or even sorbets on the dessert menu (or on the menu at all), but
many do have them available upon request, especially for those with
food allergies and sensitives.
• Portions
o Restaurant portion sizes can be excessively large for many people.
While it might seem obvious, it is useful to always consider eating
smaller portions, which can lower caloric intake and often reduce
glycemic load of a meal. One way to potentially avoid overeating is
by asking for a to-go box/container with your meal. This way you
save some of your meal before you even begin eating at the
restaurant.
Closure To summarize, here are some of the key concepts discussed in this lesson:
• When dining out, try to make substitutions for dishes that are both high in
total calories and high in carbohydrates in particular. Substituting non-
starchy vegetables for starchy foods is always a good option.
• Be mindful of hidden sources of carbohydrates. If you are unsure about a
particular sauce or dressing, ask your server about it, or simply err on the
side of caution by ordering safe choices, like oil and vinegar instead of
premade dressings.
• If you choose to order dessert, try ordering one that provides carbohydrates
primarily or exclusively from fruit. Compared to most grain- or dairy-based
desserts, fruit-based desserts tend to be lower in calories and glycemic load,
while higher in fiber.
Informal
Assessment
This will consist of questions asked during the lesson by the learners and answers
provided by me/the teacher. Alternatively, I might pose questions to the learners
throughout the lesson to gauge their knowledge about the topics or their
understanding of what I am teaching.
Formal Assessment This will consist of a single, 10-question test that I will hand out at the beginning
and end of the lesson. The reason for testing learners twice is to determine if they
learned anything new after the lesson compared to what they knew before the
lesson. A copy of the test is attached.
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5. IV. Materials/Media
• Power Point projector
(this is optional, as the
lesson can be conducted
without a Power Point
presentation)
• Package of large
paper/disposable plates (at
least 8 needed) and
paper/disposable bowls (at
least 2 needed)
• Food models
representing
dishes
discussed in
lesson plan
• 1 table
• 15 chairs
• 30 copies of test (two for
each learner)
• 15 pencils/pens
(one for each
learner)
V. Assessment of Participants’ Learning
I will assess participants’ learning with the attached test. They will take this test before and after the
lesson to assess the effectiveness of the lesson. If a learner correctly answers the same question in both
the pre- and post-test, then that answer will be excluded from the assessment data because that learner
presumably did not acquire knowledge about that question from the lesson itself. That data therefore is
not reflective of the lesson’s efficacy.
For the lesson to be considered effective, at least 10 out of 15—or about 67%—of learners must meet
all four objectives for this lesson (excluding the aforementioned correct answers from pre- and post-
tests). Each question in the attached test is associated with at least one objective.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The following questions pertain to making healthy food choices for diabetes management. For each
question, choose the food option that would be best for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels based
on the information you learned about in the lesson plan.
1. Which of the following is the healthiest and most diabetes-friendly way to order typical
Mexican cuisine? (meets objectives 1 and 3)
a) Ordering a margarita without salt on the glass rim
b) Ordering a starchy entrée with non-starchy vegetables instead of rice and/or beans
c) Adding salsa to your burrito, taco, or enchilada
d) Ordering your entrée with nachos instead of rice and/or beans
2. Which of the following is the healthiest way to order pasta at a restaurant? (meets objectives
1 and 3)
a) Ordering a large salad with the pasta
b) Requesting extra sauce for the pasta
c) Replacing about half of the pasta with low starch vegetables
d) Eating the pasta slowly
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6. 3. Which of the following is an effective way to eat fewer calories when dining out? (meets
objective 4)
a) Substituting all carbohydrates in your meal with fats
b) Saving a portion of your meal in a to-go box before you start eating it
c) Drinking more water with your meal
d) Filling up on appetizer foods so that you’re no longer hungry once your meal arrives
4. Which would be the best dessert option for a diabetic? (meets objectives 1 and 4)
a) Chocolate cake
b) Vanilla ice cream
c) A bowl of mixed berries
d) Cheesecake topped with fruit
5. Which of the following is the healthiest dressing for a diabetic? (meets objective 2)
a) A simple vinaigrette made with olive oil
b) Thousand Island dressing
c) A sweet raspberry vinaigrette
d) French dressing
6. Which of the following is the best way to order a sandwich or burger meal from a fast food
restaurant? (meets objectives 1 and 3)
a) Ordering a burger/sandwich with extra pickles to increase vegetable intake
b) Ordering a burger/sandwich with a salad instead of fries
c) Ordering extra ketchup for your fries
d) Adding a side of fruit to your burger-and-fries extra value meal
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7. 3. Which of the following is an effective way to eat fewer calories when dining out? (meets
objective 4)
a) Substituting all carbohydrates in your meal with fats
b) Saving a portion of your meal in a to-go box before you start eating it
c) Drinking more water with your meal
d) Filling up on appetizer foods so that you’re no longer hungry once your meal arrives
4. Which would be the best dessert option for a diabetic? (meets objectives 1 and 4)
a) Chocolate cake
b) Vanilla ice cream
c) A bowl of mixed berries
d) Cheesecake topped with fruit
5. Which of the following is the healthiest dressing for a diabetic? (meets objective 2)
a) A simple vinaigrette made with olive oil
b) Thousand Island dressing
c) A sweet raspberry vinaigrette
d) French dressing
6. Which of the following is the best way to order a sandwich or burger meal from a fast food
restaurant? (meets objectives 1 and 3)
a) Ordering a burger/sandwich with extra pickles to increase vegetable intake
b) Ordering a burger/sandwich with a salad instead of fries
c) Ordering extra ketchup for your fries
d) Adding a side of fruit to your burger-and-fries extra value meal
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