Chinese food - advice needed!

[karinagal]

Newly diagnosed type 2 - got a girlie night in tonight at my sister-in-law's house and we're ordering in chinese food. Just diagnosed a week ago so very new to this and the whole rethinking my choices bit.

Now I'm pretty sure that sweet and sour is not one of the best choices and frankly I've noticed in the past that 2 hours later I'm itching like crazy so am happy to choose something different. I usually have chicken fried rice or chow mein as alternatives - can anyone advise me which is best?

Thanks!

Karina

 

[Northerner]

Hi Karina, I think Vhinese food is notorious for being bad for diabetics, as the sauces are often loaded with sugar and the rice can be of the cheaper high GI type.

I tend to make my own sweet and sour, so I know what's going into it, and eat basmati rice which is lower GI than the ordinary long grain type. This site gives advice on selecting low GI from a variety of restaurants, might help a little!

http://www.lowgidiet.net/pages/lowgieatouttips.shtml

 

[am64]

when i was 1st diagniosed and working full time i tried to aviod bread as that seemed to be causing spikes and often had singapore noodles instead...and had no problems withit at all...but we are all different

 

[Steff]

Everything you eat will probably be covered in sticky sauces, and these are the main problem. So things you could order from the menu are chow mein or pancake rolls, anything you know will not be served with anything remotely sticky.also alot of the stuff in done in alot of oil so id be wary, i dont suppose it will harm to have smaller portions

 

[karinagal]

Hi Karina, I think Vhinese food is notorious for being bad for diabetics, as the sauces are often loaded with sugar and the rice can be of the cheaper high GI type.

I tend to make my own sweet and sour, so I know what's going into it, and eat basmati rice which is lower GI than the ordinary long grain type. This site gives advice on selecting low GI from a variety of restaurants, might help a little!

http://www.lowgidiet.net/pages/lowgieatouttips.shtml

Thanks for that - I've bookmarked it for future use as well and decided that Chicken Chow Mein is the dish for me for tonight! I'll take fruit with me for dessert!

 

[am64]

also tell them your a D and ask their opinion re sauces xx

 

[Silkman_Bob]

mmmm chow mein - now there is an idea 🙂

 

[karinagal]

when i was 1st diagniosed and working full time i tried to aviod bread as that seemed to be causing spikes and often had singapore noodles instead...and had no problems withit at all...but we are all different

I've come to love noodles - they were free when I was on the WeightWatchers diet a while back. Cutting back on bread will be hard for me.. but my daughter who now does our main food shopping introduced me to bread with seeds and grains and I'm now addicted!

 

[karinagal]

Everything you eat will probably be covered in sticky sauces, and these are the main problem. So things you could order from the menu are chow mein or pancake rolls, anything you know will not be served with anything remotely sticky.also alot of the stuff in done in alot of oil so id be wary, i dont suppose it will harm to have smaller portions

Why does it have to be that the things that make food taste sooooo good are the things that are really, really bad for you? (in large quantities...) !!

 

[Silkman_Bob]

This is where I get confused as I thought bread is ok (with wholemeal obviously being better than white)

 

[am64]

its called sods law!!!

 

[karinagal]

also tell them your a D and ask their opinion re sauces xx

If previous experience is anything to go with, the girls who take the orders are so harrassed that we're lucky to keep them on the line long enough to get the address out.. not sure they would be very accomodating but will definitely ask at my local chinese restaurant where I have a good relationship with the guys and gals. They're always willing to help!

Gee this diabetes lark doesn't half take the fun out of food..

Thanks to all who have responded, there's a wealth of knowledge and experience here and I'm sure glad I found my way here!

Karina

p.s I take it prawn crackers will have to be limited too?

 

[Northerner]

This is where I get confused as I thought bread is ok (with wholemeal obviously being better than white)

Hi Bob, bread is OK, particularly of the kind Karina describes - seeded, multigrain or oatmeal is the best. Ordinary wholemeal still has quite high GI, so better to go for the seeded/granary breads. A lot of people have mentioned Burgen linseed bread is fine, if you can find it in your local supermarket.

The main thing to bear in mind is that you need to watch portion size with any carbohydrates - you can still enjoy it, but not in huge amounts!🙂

 

[am64]

This is where I get confused as I thought bread is ok (with wholemeal obviously being better than white)

I seem to be ok with bread now aslong its the wholemeal and seedy stuff...the bread i was refering to was those french rolls type thing often baked in store..the suposed whole meal i think was laced with sugar...to make it taste good ..but all a little synthetic with preservatives i guess.
Recently i found myself in contact with an old friend who turns out to be the MD of a bakerey making vogel brands maybe i will quiz him about it all

 

[Steff]

If previous experience is anything to go with, the girls who take the orders are so harrassed that we're lucky to keep them on the line long enough to get the address out.. not sure they would be very accomodating but will definitely ask at my local chinese restaurant where I have a good relationship with the guys and gals. They're always willing to help!

Gee this diabetes lark doesn't half take the fun out of food..

Thanks to all who have responded, there's a wealth of knowledge and experience here and I'm sure glad I found my way here!

Karina

p.s I take it prawn crackers will have to be limited too?

yes id certainly limit them altho they are very addictive there deep fried in oil

 

[am64]

I seem to be ok with bread now aslong its the wholemeal and seedy stuff...the bread i was refering to was those french rolls type thing often baked in store..the suposed whole meal i think was laced with sugar...to make it taste good ..but all a little synthetic with preservatives i guess.
Recently i found myself in contact with an old friend who turns out to be the MD of a bakerey making vogel brands maybe i will quiz him about it all

sent him a message re sugar in breads will let you know what he says if he replies!

re prawn crackers ..i once got the ones you put in mirco wave and they started sparking as if there was metal in them !!
re all food....MODERATION is the best action XX

 

[Caroline]

If you enjoy Chinese, once in a while as a treat probably wont hurt, but you need to experiment and test to see what will cause a spike and what wont. Ask the ingredients and how much the portion sizes weigh, then you can work out carbs and things. A decent place who wants your custom is always willing to help.

 

[Steff]

hey karina how did it go the girly night and what did you have to eat?

 

[karinagal]

hey karina how did it go the girly night and what did you have to eat?

It was a good night overall - I DID go for the chicken chow mein and avoided the prawn crackers.. I also helped myself to some crisps and dip and a couple of maltesers (me bad..). My sister-in-law's hubby is T2 and has been for 9 years - still diet controlled. He told me that in future (it is early days for me yet!) I'm best going for the likes of chicken in black bean sauce with boiled rice as the saturated fat in the noodles will play havoc with my cholesterol..

If that's the best I can do I think I'll pass up on the takeaway and make myself an omelette or something!! I didn't think to test before bedtime, the next morning's reading was 6.3 which is one of the lowest so far..

By the way...... sorry petal but I couldn't even drum up a ?2 win... maybe euromillions on Friday?!!

 

[Steff]

It was a good night overall - I DID go for the chicken chow mein and avoided the prawn crackers.. I also helped myself to some crisps and dip and a couple of maltesers (me bad..). My sister-in-law's hubby is T2 and has been for 9 years - still diet controlled. He told me that in future (it is early days for me yet!) I'm best going for the likes of chicken in black bean sauce with boiled rice as the saturated fat in the noodles will play havoc with my cholesterol..

If that's the best I can do I think I'll pass up on the takeaway and make myself an omelette or something!! I didn't think to test before bedtime, the next morning's reading was 6.3 which is one of the lowest so far..

By the way...... sorry petal but I couldn't even drum up a ?2 win... maybe euromillions on Friday?!!

well the omeltte idea is great bung in loads of good stuff ham abit of mushrooms etc etc

oh dam karina you must try harder and get me this limo hah