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Since being diagnosed in January, I have come to realise how difficult it can be to navigate a menu when eating out. There are always vegan, veggie and gluten free options but these are not always low carb. Wondered if there had ever been any campaigns to have diabetic options included on menus? Just having fruit and cream options on the desert menu would be helpful!
Since being diagnosed in January, I have come to realise how difficult it can be to navigate a menu when eating out. There are always vegan, veggie and gluten free options but these are not always low carb. Wondered if there had ever been any campaigns to have diabetic options included on menus? Just having fruit and cream options on the desert menu would be helpful!
Trouble is there are no foods which would be suitable as everyone manages their condition differently. The best you can do is not have things with chips, rice or pasta and choose salads, steaks, chicken, fish and some places offer a mini pudding with coffee.
There isn’t really such a thing as a diabetic option, you sometimes see them on planes and they never are suitable. You need to assess what’s on offer and learn to assess what’s being served. I rarely eat out in the UK, it’s not something I enjoy doing, but do sometimes when abroad. Meal sizes vary enormously but I just leave what I can’t eat. I’ve left huge plates of pasta in Italy much to the concern of the staff but they always serve more than I can eat and sometimes the portions are vast. On rare occasions I have had to ask for bread and that can be an approach if you can order dishes without any carbs.
It takes a while to work it out. I would just order what you want and eat as much as you are comfortable with. If you overshoot occasionally it’s not a disaster. You can try asking for smaller portions but I find it often doesn’t compute.
What would a diabetic option look like @Sweetmadriana ? I have diabetes and I eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, ice cream, desserts, etc. There is no one diabetic diet. More than that, a menu implying there is, can spread ignorance about the condition.
@Sweetmadriana I sympathise with your issue. My wife and I often meet with one or other of our wider families and end up going out for a meal. My standard approach is to eat things that I know won't upset me based on my past experiences either by cooking it at home or having had it in another restaurant. There are something I know I cannot eat, for example anything that involves bread including sourdough or things covered in batter that has some grain flour in it. Meat and fish dishes are normally fine and I know I can tolerate small portions of potatoes and rice. Pasta can be a bit hit and miss.
I also find that if I ask nicely most restaurants will swap out the potatoes for more vegetables.
I can also recommend Cote restaurants, if you look at their online menu, they include nutrition data (select read more for each dish) which lets me see what the carb count is for each meal. That I think is something that would be a helpful approach from restaurants.
There was a time when omelettes featured on most menus and I'd ask for salad instead of chips. Nowadays, it's just salads, or HM soup (no bread or potatoes, and no price reduction) in British restaurants. I find Indian or Chinese easier. Tandoori chicken with salad, something in black bean sauce, or ginger and spring onion sauce, with beansprouts instead of rice, or stir fry vegetables with cashew nuts.
Carvery is good as you can just pile your plate with lots of veggies and avoid the high carb foods if that is how you manage your diabetes. Or ask to swap chips for salad and coleslaw or more veg if you have steak or chops or whatever or as others say, leave the high carb elements of a meal and choose something where they aren't all mixed in together like pasta dishes or perhaps casseroles.
I usually have a cheese board for afters and I just eat the cheese and leave the crackers or ask for half an apple sliced instead of crackers. I very rarely get the chance to eat out anyway, but if it is a special occasion then I might share a dessert with my partner/sister/friend. A chocolate eclair or profiteroles are not too carb heavy or a scoop of ice cream.
Sometimes if it isn't a carvery I have two starters instead of a main course and just limit any carbs like bread that I have with them.
Carbs are probably the cheapest element of any meal, so most cheaper end eateries will pile your plate with them and of course most non-diabetic people are very happy with that situation, so we do have to pick and choose and perhaps be prepared to ask for substitutions. Higher end restaurants focus more on smaller portions of higher quality food and are less likely to drown your meal with carbs. So a taster menu at a posh place will likely be relatively low carb just by the nature of the food they serve and the portion size.
What would a diabetic option look like @Sweetmadriana ? I have diabetes and I eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, ice cream, desserts, etc. There is no one diabetic diet. More than that, a menu implying there is, can spread ignorance about the condition.
But you’re type 1, maybe the poster is a type 2 who needs to reduce their carbs. I never eat rice or pasta, maybe a little bread or potato. Usually eat meat or fish with vegetables or salad Often if I say no potatoes, the server will give me extra veg
Since being diagnosed in January, I have come to realise how difficult it can be to navigate a menu when eating out. There are always vegan, veggie and gluten free options but these are not always low carb. Wondered if there had ever been any campaigns to have diabetic options included on menus? Just having fruit and cream options on the desert menu would be helpful!
I only eat 60g carbs a day. I usually eat meat/fish with salads or veg and then I can have a bit of desert. Or with chinese I have bean sprouts and pak choy instead of rice. Indian, I usually have saag aloo instead of rice or bread. Luckily I love veg and salad and never ate many carbs before being diagnosed.
That’s the whole point @Inka was making. Asking restaurants to provide a 'diabetic diet' just isn’t feasible when different types of diabetes need different diets! I think the best solution is for restaurants to be flexible, I know whenever we stay in a Premier Inn, their restaurants give the option to swap out chips for salad, etc, on a few of their options, maybe more of that would be helpful.
But you’re type 1, maybe the poster is a type 2 who needs to reduce their carbs. I never eat rice or pasta, maybe a little bread or potato. Usually eat meat or fish with vegetables or salad Often if I say no potatoes, the server will give me extra veg
Yes, I know I’m Type 1. My point is that a Diabetic Menu would be impossible - because people with diabetes eat a wide variety of foods. I think you missed my point. I listed all the carby foods I eat to show that this would be a ‘diabetic menu’ for me but would be unlikely to suit the OP.
That’s the whole point @Inka was making. Asking restaurants to provide a 'diabetic diet' just isn’t feasible when different types of diabetes need different diets! I think the best solution is for restaurants to be flexible, I know whenever we stay in a Premier Inn, their restaurants give the option to swap out chips for salad, etc, on a few of their options, maybe more of that would be helpful.
But you’ve only got to ask, I’ve never had a problem with restaurants being flexible. I usually find more expensive restaurants don’t load your plate up with loads of carbs, so I can eat a small portion of potatoes gratin for example and they often have low carb starters and mini deserts
But you’re type 1, maybe the poster is a type 2 who needs to reduce their carbs. I never eat rice or pasta, maybe a little bread or potato. Usually eat meat or fish with vegetables or salad Often if I say no potatoes, the server will give me extra veg
Much as I love salad, if I'm eating out I want something really special as I only do it once or twice a year. Low carb options can be very limited especially if on a budget.
Carveries can be very versatile. Luckily last year when we went for a "joint 18th & 78th birthdays plus Mother's Day x3" meal, the soup of the day was mushroom rather than something really carby like the parsnip they'd had previously.
I'm more used to takeaways, last time we had curry so I had a fish tikka main which came with salad and no sauce, and cauliflower and spinach sides. It really depends on what you like to eat and how much carbs you’re willing to go up to on a special occasion.
I always look at the menu online beforehand if I can, and look at any nutritional info provided. If there's something I definitely don't want to eat, like bread or chips, I request a substitution or just ask not to have it.
I do think there should be more low carb options as it's not just for diabetics, and it's easier to add a carby side to one than to remove carbs from a "normal" meal.
There are always vegan, veggie and gluten free options but these are not always low carb. Wondered if there had ever been any campaigns to have diabetic options included on menus?
To someone on mixed insulin a low carb meal marketed as “suitable for diabetics” could kill them, as their insulin dose is calibrated to expect a certain amount of carbs, and they may just assume that “suitable for diabetics” means it’s fine for them. So I’m not sure a campaign that can potentially kill people is that great an idea.
