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

[freesia]

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

• Bills - March 2020 (PDF)
• Wagamamas menu - nutritional info displayed under each dish selected
• Pizza Express - MARCH 2020 (PDF)
• Wetherspoons
• Weatherspoons - Menu via another site (easier to check)

• 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

I'm 2 years diagnosed and still trying to get my head around things. We can only do the best we can and we're not going to get it right all of the time. The forum has been great for me,answering questions or supporting when i've had a bad day.

 

[trophywench]

You could try the Collins Gem Carb Counter book

Carb Counter: A Clear Guide to Carbohydrates in Everyday Foods (Collins Gem) : Harper Collins (UK): Amazon.co.uk: Books

Carb Counter: A Clear Guide to Carbohydrates in Everyday Foods (Collins Gem) : Harper Collins (UK): Amazon.co.uk: Books

www.amazon.co.uk

Yours for the princely sum of £5.29. and when matched with a good set of digital kitchen scales and a calculator it should help. but not when eating out particularly.

Thing is we are all so different in our eating habits and geographic areas - dunno where I'd be likely to find a Wagamamas around these parts though I have heard of it and I doubt very much whether you've ever been down the Ladypool Road in Brum or had a Balti around there.

 

[thatlondonboy]

Thing is we are all so different in our eating habits and geographic areas - dunno where I'd be likely to find a Wagamamas around these parts though I have heard of it and I doubt very much whether you've ever been down the Ladypool Road in Brum or had a Balti around there.

Thanks for this @trophywench , I'll definitely look into that book tomorrow! Trying to just absorb as much info as I possibly can. You're so right and I know it's going to be about knowing my body, and figuring it out.

I travel a lot around the UK for work (self employed!) and I've definitely been to Ladypool Road to the Balti triangle! As a local, which place is your favourite? When you go - do you use the book to help when you're there for a bite as being the best to guesstimate?

@freesia that's very true too, I think it's just a down day, I'm normally very chipper and positive, but just got the better of me today!

T

 

[trophywench]

Blimey - been years - Saleems was our original favourite from about 1980 something - tandoori chicken portion, veg Balti (mainly diced white cabbage and fantastic) and a dustbin lid sized naan between the 4 of us after that we'd swap about. Hadn't written the book way back then, just used to ask Indian or Pakistani friends where they recommended usually. That street and Varna Road were both originally much more infamous for housing local Ladies of the Night, than Eating establishments! Just a different sort of night out, eh?

 

[SB2015]

One of my biggest spikes was scones with butter, strawberry jam and Cornish clotted cream!

The clotted cream should have helped to slow things down!

I limit myself to half a cheese scone with butter. That’s 25g of CHO OH gets the other half when I get home. Their scones are absolutely delicious. (Before Covid) I ordered it before I went to Pilates, it was set aside for me, and I can then prebolus straight after my Pilates session, walk the 5 minutes to the cafe, and then sit down to a delicious scone and coffee. Mmmmmmmm. AND I can then walk home to find a nice flat line on my Libre.

 

[SB2015]

Blimey - been years - Saleems was our original favourite from about 1980 something - tandoori chicken portion, veg Balti (mainly diced white cabbage and fantastic) and a dustbin lid sized naan between the 4 of us after that we'd swap about. Hadn't written the book way back then, just used to ask Indian or Pakistani friends where they recommended usually. That street and Varna Road were both originally much more infamous for housing local Ladies of the Night, than Eating establishments! Just a different sort of night out, eh?

We went to Salem’s in the days of taking the school canal trip. Our treat at then and was Salem’s. Also went there after the big Fencing competition in Birmingham. That was a proper curry ( and many years before my Dx)

 

[SB2015]

Hi @thatlondonboy , you are absolutely right to say we are not going to get things right all the time. As @freesia says all we can do is our best.

I am now sat here with a level of 13 having had a steady rise over night. 12 years in and D still decides to play nasty sometimes, or just mucks around for no obvious reason!!

Enjoy your meals whatever you choose and do the best you can with info available.
You will get to know what your body can and can’t tolerate. Splitting doses is a good plan and through trial and improvement you get to a plan for you about how long to leave it for the second dose. (That is one advantage of a pump you can deliver your insulin automatically in a vairety of ways over a time period set by you.)

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @thatlondonboy

I would thoroughly recommend developing your eye-balling skills, as to will help enormously in the years ahead (carbs and cals can really help with this).

I have always taken the view that since I dont eat out all that often that SWAG estimation is more than adequate, especially since the meals will generally have a higher carb load, less predictable dose/meal absorption profiles and generally be ‘higher risk’ in terms of Bg outcomes - so there is always a lot more juggling and double-guessing involved. Sometimes it works brilliantly... other times not so much! But I’ve had as many disasters from prepackaged big chain lunches as I have perfect BGs from wildly estimated independent eatery blow outs. I just try to relax and enjoy it whatever the BG outcomes, because overall a few wobbles here of there aren’t going to make or break anything for me, as long as I’m staying safe 🙂

 

[freesia]

I am now sat here with a level of 13 having had a steady rise over night. 12 years in and D still decides to play nasty sometimes, or just mucks around for no obvious reason!!

That it certainly does. I had the same breakfast today as i have had before with same bs level to start. Less activity today than last time and i had a hypo when before i haven't!! Thats what confuses me more

 

[trophywench]

That it certainly does. I had the same breakfast today as i have had before with same bs level to start. Less activity today than last time and i had a hypo when before i haven't!! Thats what confuses me more

Thing is, were you hooked up on a permanent basis to every single piece of useful electronic wizardry known to man, then I daresay there absolutely WOULD actually be a reason for it. However, I have to say that Shirley Conran's book title from way back when, actually exactly describes the attitude I have to some of these diabetes mysteries. MY life really IS too short to stuff a mushroom sometimes!

 

[mikeyB]

McDonalds print the nutrition info on all their packages. Black type on a red background, so easy to miss. Mind you, I don't fancy a candle lit dinner in McDonalds. Don't much fancy a McDonalds, either🙂

 

[HenryBennett]

McDonalds print the nutrition info on all their packages. Black type on a red background, so easy to miss. Mind you, I don't fancy a candle lit dinner in McDonalds. Don't much fancy a McDonalds, either🙂

Can‘t say I’ve ever noticed the nutrition info.

I love the idea of taking the tray of food over to a table, wife takes candle out of handbag, puts it on the table, I light it and we enjoy a candle lit dinner. lmao.

 

[DaveB]

What you need to realise is that the whole world is, wrongly, obsessed with Calories and until this subsides nothing will happen to move Carbs up the agenda for listing. I complained to McDonalds when they removed Carbs from their burger packs and they said they were following EU/government guidelines. Do what I do and comment every time someone mentions calories!

McDonalds print the nutrition info on all their packages. Black type on a red background, so easy to miss. Mind you, I don't fancy a candle lit dinner in McDonalds. Don't much fancy a McDonalds, either🙂

I think you will find they don't. They used to and when they stopped mentioning the carbs they gave me the reply I posted. They do list everything on their tray sheets which great but not on the individual food packs; have look next time you eat there.