There's a large variety of popular fish and shellfish at Red Lobster, as well as plenty of "land" fare, including steak, chicken, and pasta dishes. Whether you're eating out or at home, a variety of seafood can be a healthy lunch option. On the Red Lobster menu, you'll find some healthy alternatives, but you'll want to keep a check on portion sizes if you're watching your blood sugar intake to manage your diabetes.

If you visit Red Lobster frequently, you may use an interactive online menu to check nutrition data for all menu items or combo meals, which can help you keep track of calories and macronutrients. Before you go, look up the nutrition on the Red Lobster menu and estimate the calories in your order to help you plan a meal that meets your dietary needs and preferences.

What can you eat at Red Lobster if you have diabetes?

The good news is that Red Lobster is a better option than other restaurants like Olive Garden or Pizza Hut, for example, simply because it focuses on seafood, which is naturally low in carbs. But even though the menu of Red Lobster is not very difficult to navigate if you have diabetes, you still need to pay close attention to the items high in carbs and sugar.

Here are some of the best diabetes-friendly dishes at Red Lobster.

Signature Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail

Start with the trademark jumbo shrimp cocktail, which has 130 calories, 11 grams of carbohydrate, 0 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, and 1,070 milligrams of sodium. This appetizer comes with chilled shrimp and cocktail sauce in a smaller quantity. To reduce your sodium intake, skip the cocktail sauce.

New England Clam Chowder

A cup of New England clam chowder contains 240 calories, 11 grams of carbs, 15 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 7 grams of protein, and 680 milligrams of sodium. The cup-sized quantity of the chowder is the lowest-carb and lowest-calorie soup option on the Red Lobster menu, despite the fact that there are only two types of soup on the menu.

Classic Caesar Salad

The traditional Caesar salad from Red Lobster includes 520 calories, 18 grams of carbs, 46 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 10 grams of protein, and 1,050 milligrams of sodium.

You may quickly cut calories, fat, and hidden sugars by ordering your salad without dressing, cheese, or croutons. If you pick a salad dressing at Red Lobster, ask for it on the side because it can easily add 100 or more calories and over 20 grams of carbs per serving.

Simply Grilled Rainbow Trout

The simply grilled rainbow trout classic meal is certainly the most nutritious on the menu, with 490 calories, just 1 gram of carbs, 22 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 67 grams of protein, and 170 milligrams of sodium. You can increase the nutrient content of this dish by serving it with vegetable sides.

Create Your Own 7 oz. Wood-Grilled Sirloin and Broiled Bay Scallops

Red Lobster offers a Create Your Own (CYO) feast option, allowing guests to customize their meal by selecting two proteins and two sides. The 7-ounce wood-grilled sirloin and broiled bay scallops have 540 calories, 22 grams of carbs, 19 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 72 grams of protein, and 2,740 milligrams of sodium. This surf-and-turf combo provides a good source of protein and is quite low in carbs.

Broccoli

A side of broccoli adds 40 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 8 grams of carbs, 3 grams of protein, and 270 milligrams of sodium to your meal. This low-calorie side dish not only has no fat and little carbohydrates but also has heart-healthy ingredients.

Drinks

Whether you're dining out or at home, the healthiest drink to complement a meal is always water. Other beverages, such as hot coffee or tea, are available at Red Lobster and will not add calories or carbs to your meal.

What to avoid at Red Lobster if you have diabetes?

All desserts are off-limits at Red Lobster because they contain high amounts of sugar. For example, the key lime pie has 70 grams of carbs per serving, while the chocolate wave has no less than 134 grams of carbs per serving. It would be best if you also avoided all deep-fried shrimp, clam strips, scallops and whitefish because the breading or batter is high in carbs.

Bottom line