bill hopkinson
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Recently disembarked from a two week cruise aboard the Sapphire Princess, Beijing to Hong Kong. Celebrating my other half's 70th.
So, how was a long cruise for a diabetic?
Well, the type 1s on insulin seemed to survive by taking a lot more insulin! For me, type 2 on oral medication and diet, I needed a plan to avoid over-eating.
I made a resolution not to drink alcohol onboard, no potato or rice, and a little bread only at breakfast. That worked apart from the absence of vegetables and pulses on offer anywhere on the boat. One choice of vegetable, thirty choices of cake, and the vegetable would be carrots floating in butter, or beans smothered with white sauce. The answer was to avoid the buffet and go to waiter-service all the time and pre-order a special menu for every meal. Every lunch for nearly two weeks was grilled chicken breast and a plate of steamed vegetables. Evening meals the maitre d'hote showed me the menu for the following day and I could ask the chef to adapt. That worked in taking out the calories and fat but rarely worked in adding in extra vegetables.
For dessert the waiters proudly tried to offer me the special sugar-free desserts, and were surprised that pastry topped with whipped cream was not suitable for diabetics. The alternative was a plate of fruit, but again my rule of thumb is that if I can grow it in UK, I can eat it, but if it grows in the tropics, it probably has too much sugar. I compromised with a little cheese and celery or chicory (every meal).
The best meal was off the boat in Taipei where we had a Mongolian barbecue at a hot spring spa. Choose your meats and veg and have it barbecued on a giant mongolian griddle, no noodles in sight.
Now winding down in Hong Kong where chinese diet is mostly pretty healthy, so long as you leave most of the rice, and I can practice my Cantonese, Chicka how shyur, which I hope means, that tastes good.
So, how was a long cruise for a diabetic?
Well, the type 1s on insulin seemed to survive by taking a lot more insulin! For me, type 2 on oral medication and diet, I needed a plan to avoid over-eating.
I made a resolution not to drink alcohol onboard, no potato or rice, and a little bread only at breakfast. That worked apart from the absence of vegetables and pulses on offer anywhere on the boat. One choice of vegetable, thirty choices of cake, and the vegetable would be carrots floating in butter, or beans smothered with white sauce. The answer was to avoid the buffet and go to waiter-service all the time and pre-order a special menu for every meal. Every lunch for nearly two weeks was grilled chicken breast and a plate of steamed vegetables. Evening meals the maitre d'hote showed me the menu for the following day and I could ask the chef to adapt. That worked in taking out the calories and fat but rarely worked in adding in extra vegetables.
For dessert the waiters proudly tried to offer me the special sugar-free desserts, and were surprised that pastry topped with whipped cream was not suitable for diabetics. The alternative was a plate of fruit, but again my rule of thumb is that if I can grow it in UK, I can eat it, but if it grows in the tropics, it probably has too much sugar. I compromised with a little cheese and celery or chicory (every meal).
The best meal was off the boat in Taipei where we had a Mongolian barbecue at a hot spring spa. Choose your meats and veg and have it barbecued on a giant mongolian griddle, no noodles in sight.
Now winding down in Hong Kong where chinese diet is mostly pretty healthy, so long as you leave most of the rice, and I can practice my Cantonese, Chicka how shyur, which I hope means, that tastes good.
