RESTAURANTS! WHERE’S THE CARB INFO!? (Newly diagnosed Type 1)

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

thatlondonboy

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
WHERE CAN I EAT AND REQUEST CARB INFO ON THE MENU?

Hi there my fellow diabetics,

So I was recently diagnosed as type 1, and have been put on the “advanced diabetes” course as I’m now carb counting my meals and snacks.

I’m getting the hang of it but it gets harder when you go out to restaurants.

I live in London, and have been gobsmacked that restaurants usually don’t have any nutritional information at all. They’ve all got allergies listed, but absolutely no nutritional info which as a new diabetic, I’ve come to realise is fairly important!

I’ve been out a few times now as test runs in safe spaces and this one place I ended up going to for a friends birthday last week - I phoned ahead and explained. On the phone they were very kind and said “all staff are briefed and aware, so won’t have any problems getting that info”
I arrive, and get told the chef has no idea and I should phone ahead to let them know!

I started to wonder -

** Are there any restaurant chains or places that you guys have come across around the UK that have the carb content available on request? **

Would really love to go out and not have to be the awkward person having an internal panic at not having a clue about the carbs in front of me to guesstimate how much to inject.

Some apps definitely help, but any places you know that have thought about is that would be amazing to know!

Thanks all
 
Larger chains often do (somewhere on their website), though not in a very convenient form for reading on a phone (often PDF). Otherwise I'm afraid it's a question of estimating and watching what happens. Typical independent places just won't (and I'm not sure I'd trust their estimates that much anyway).

Some may well not have it available in the restaurant, especially with the pandemic. (Once upon a time you could ask and they'd have a glossy printout behind the counter you could look at, but nowadays I doubt they'd consider doing that.)
 
Hi @thatlondonboy
Welcome to the forum.
There is a list of some that do here: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-t...ith-diabetes/out-and-about/restaurant-hitlist

But these are mostly fast food places. As @Bruce Stephens says, smaller places are less likely to have the info and would require some guess work. I find the Carbs and Cals app is quite good for helping with that.

There is also this one: https://t1ramblings.blogspot.com/2013/07/eating-and-drinking-out-who-helps-you.html but Im not sure its been recently updated.
 
Hi. Welcome to the forum. As @Bruce Stephens says, some of the larger chains have it published online but independent restaurants and smaller businesses don't. The ones i've looked at online are sometimes out of date or are so hard to read i've given up. I've also rang in the past, given my menu choice and asked about carb values. Mainly i've been told they'll speak to the chef and call me back but never do.
Personally, i use the Carbs & Cals app, estimate the amount of carbs and monitor, then correct if i've under estimated. At least i'm taking control now rather than relying on someone else. There may be someone on here who has found places who do publish the carb amounts who may be able to help more.
 
Weatherspoons do, It used to be really easy, but I just tried, to make sure they still do, and you have to look hard for it, it appears only to show calories, until you click on the menu item and you get a drop down with carbs and everything else.
 
By law the restaurant has to provide the nutritional value of a meal if asked to do so. If out and I am unsure then I just ask and there's never any problem with the request.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
By law the restaurant has to provide the nutritional value of a meal if asked to do so. If out and I am unsure then I just ask and there's never any problem with the request.
Click to expand...

Do they? I know it's required for prepackaged food, but is it required generally? What law is this, and why doesn't the FSA seem to mention it?

And if it's already required, why do we keep having politicians talk about whether it would be a good idea to have nutritional information on menus? (I guess maybe that's just the question of whether you can ask for the information as opposed to the information being up front.)
 
thatlondonboy said:
WHERE CAN I EAT AND REQUEST CARB INFO ON THE MENU?

Hi there my fellow diabetics,

So I was recently diagnosed as type 1, and have been put on the “advanced diabetes” course as I’m now carb counting my meals and snacks.

I’m getting the hang of it but it gets harder when you go out to restaurants.

I live in London, and have been gobsmacked that restaurants usually don’t have any nutritional information at all. They’ve all got allergies listed, but absolutely no nutritional info which as a new diabetic, I’ve come to realise is fairly important!

I’ve been out a few times now as test runs in safe spaces and this one place I ended up going to for a friends birthday last week - I phoned ahead and explained. On the phone they were very kind and said “all staff are briefed and aware, so won’t have any problems getting that info”
I arrive, and get told the chef has no idea and I should phone ahead to let them know!

I started to wonder -

** Are there any restaurant chains or places that you guys have come across around the UK that have the carb content available on request? **

Would really love to go out and not have to be the awkward person having an internal panic at not having a clue about the carbs in front of me to guesstimate how much to inject.

Some apps definitely help, but any places you know that have thought about is that would be amazing to know!

Thanks all
Click to expand...

Wetherspoons has the.info as a download from.their website i believe. Probably worth looking at other.chains sites for the same.
I noted the challenge myself and hacent yet found a.satisfactory solution. I think.advocacy for.legislation would be be useful. Hint hint diabetes uk.
 
Restaurant chains with central kitchens and strictly adhered to recipes should find it easy to provide this information. Small restaurants that source locally with “informal” recipes, specials boards and where they’d use leftovers for those specials will find it difficult to impossible to provide information - not just carbs, but calories and nutritional values generally. This is why this legislation has never been introduced. It would drive a lot of small restaurants out of business :(
 
HenryBennett said:
Restaurant chains with central kitchens and strictly adhered to recipes should find it easy to provide this information. Small restaurants that source locally with “informal” recipes, specials boards and where they’d use leftovers for those specials will find it difficult to impossible to provide information - not just carbs, but calories and nutritional values generally. This is why this legislation has never been introduced. It would drive a lot of small restaurants out of business :(
Click to expand...
Thats how i understood it too. Theres no way small restaurants and cafes could do it, and would we really want to put local places out of business? While i think it would be much easier for us carb counters (and it is frustrating that they can say how many calories are in a meal but not how many carbs) would we really want someone to do it for us? What if we od'd on insulin because someone had got it wrong, might have a really bad hypo
 
We’ve used the websites of lots of chains, pizza express, Frankie & bennies etc beforehand but it can take some searching. Otherwise it’s carbs & cals or an educated guess. As time goes on you do get better at guesstimating they carbs but there will always be times where you need a correction.
 
As someone who always seems to have problems with data printed on packets ( never even close to accurate for me) I prefer to always do my own estimate from looking at the food anyway.

and as someone who has an interest in an independent food outlet I have to agree that any more regulation and we’ll go out of business. I mean exactly how many different conditions is one supposed to cater for? and can I be bothered any more?

I personally wish to take my own responsibility for assessing what I eat, from my years of carb counting without any figures on packages to help.

i would recommend the carbs and cals app anyway!
 
HenryBennett said:
Restaurant chains with central kitchens and strictly adhered to recipes should find it easy to provide this information. Small restaurants that source locally with “informal” recipes, specials boards and where they’d use leftovers for those specials will find it difficult to impossible to provide information - not just carbs, but calories and nutritional values generally. This is why this legislation has never been introduced. It would drive a lot of small restaurants out of business :(
Click to expand...
It was introduced more than a few years ago.
There was quite a debate on this forum about it.
I've been to local eat places and asked for the carb content of certain meals and the info has been provided without issue and with a smile.
Carb content is not on hospital menu cards but if you ask the staff they will print it off for you again they have to provide the information.
 
Bill’s and wagamamas have always had the info to hand when I have asked for it.

I was also impressed by a local small cafe, where I asked about the carbs for their scones. Their response ‘ we don’t know but we will find out by the next time you come in’ which they did. Funnily enough I tend to go back there.

Otherwise I would use Carbs and Cals app on my phone which has photos to compare to.
 
In the UK we often eat at establishments in the Mitchells & Butlers 'family' owing to the availability of staff discount LOL plus the fact that No 1 stepdaughter is a classically trained chef with an IQ of approx 150 ish and photographic memory, she'll say Tell them you don't want any xxxx on the salad, cos I know you hate aniseedy things and there's only 13g of something in the sauce so when you put that with 65ml of summat else, the overall effect of it won't be massive Jen.

Seriously - over the years, you do get better at eyeballing foodstuffs and as you should NEVER 'pre-bolus' in a restaurant until the plate of it is in front of you so you can do your calculation, if you get it a bit wrong you can always correct later or demand a fullfat Coke pdq to counterract potential disasters!
 
Hi everyone,

A very nice warm welcome! This is so interesting to know and thank you all for your replies and thoughts.

Really interesting as well to see some diverse opinions on if there should be legislation for nutritional info to help us out (I mean there's 4.7 million of us after all!)

I totally take the point on small businesses may struggle with this request and agree they should be exempt from measures. Have to say I do fall on the side of enacting some form of legislation as a rough guide for us and then we can interpret/use the info as we wish; otherwise it's just a constant anxiety of getting it wrong and dealing with the repercussions.

Trying to get my head around it all and I'm sure with practise by getting used to things I used to eat and figuring out a ball park - it will get easier figuring it all out to guesstimate.

Admittedly got a bit flustered earlier. Ordered an Indian curry as a take away and probably went a bit over the top with what I ate.

I had 1 unit of fast acting still in my system & I've rounded down one more in case I messed up to 18 units from 20 units which seemed fairly high, but judging by the research, it sounds about right...

I also decided to split the dose - 10/8. I haven't had the 2nd one yet as I checked my blood after the meal and it was 7.6 (down from 8.6) but know it takes more time due to the fat content in it to have the food absorbed..

Only one thing was on Carbs and Cals app we ordered, so the rest has been frantic googling and trying to figure out approximates... and weighing the food.. I honestly have no idea if i've got this right and waiting for 11pm tonight to retest my levels before taking my 2nd dose to see where I'm at as would really prefer to avoid a night hypo!

Apologies for sounding like a wet blanket, I think it's just because It's all so new still after 2 weeks being out the hospital and feeling sometimes like i'm going into battle doing the equivalent of mathematical jujitsu every time I want to eat something. Can feel draining, but I know I'm not going to get this right and as long as I do my correction later on, I'll be grand.


Anyway, back to the topic at hand!

NUTRITIONAL MENU LIST exc. the hitlist from Diabetes UK

  • Frankie and Benny's - can't find their nutritional menu online, only allergens available.

I'll get doing some more research this weekend and see what else I can find. I'll try to post links to menus of chains if I find anything useful.

Thanks again
 
SB2015 said:
I asked about the carbs for their scones.
Click to expand...

One of my biggest spikes was scones with butter, strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top