Airline meals for diabetics?

vit90

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Might be flying long haul in a couple of weeks and although I am an experienced flyer this will be the first time since diagnosis. Would be interested to hear about experiences with airline meals for diabetics - do they cater for both T1 and T2 needs, is it any good, do you have to pay extra, how much in advance do you need to order? Tickets not yet ordered but probably flying Singapore Airlines; one of my favourite airlines it has to be said. Am actually ending up in Thailand (northern not the touristy south) so unless I am magically in remission by then it will be a bit of a challenge avoiding noodles, rice and all the lovely fruits they have there :( My next surgery check up is due after I get back so no doubt all my BG figures will be out of whack as a result!

Edit: I see Singapore Airlines can offer a 'No Carb' meal. They also do a meal without sugar but that probably has other types of carbs. I flew short haul with BA last month and they had nothing to offer me - not even a bag of peanuts; it was a sandwich or nothing :(
 
Last edited by a moderator:

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,320
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Sometimes I do have the diabetic meal, and others not. In my experience, it's diabetic, without any further filtering. The meals have mirrored the NICE guidelines, to include plenty of carbs (pasta, rice, potato, bread), but no cakes. Fruit instead. To be fair, breakfasts have been marginally better, with a traditional cooked breakfast, rather than continental option. Mine thing in favour of the food is the portion sizes are pretty modest, if you can trough as I can, so that's damage limitation in itself! The further up the seating classes you go, the better the options, in my varied experience.

If I am travelling alone, I might choose the diabetic option, but if I have company, I won't. "Special" meals are always served first land I couldn't start eating if my OH hadn't been served his ( or vice versa). I don't feel qUite so precious about a stranger.

Enjoy your trip.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

Ian DP

Well-Known Member
Messages
712
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Chips
I have been on singapore airlines and Cathy Pacific to Australia in the last 15 months. Both times i chose the diabetic meal. As said, it is lowish carb, probably 30% carb. Did not see the no carb choice, must be new.... I would have chosen that if I had seen it. I left a lot of the food given to me (bread rolls, potatoes ice cream etc). But was ok with my peperami sticks that i took along to supplement the lack of low carb food.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

vit90

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Booked my flights to Bangkok via Singapore with Singapore Airlines - and chosen the No-carb meal option, so will let you know how it turns out. I have not yet requested this for the return flights just in case :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

vit90

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Slight aside - are there any rules regarding bringing your own food into the cabin re allergens? One fallback food I'd like to bring with me is nuts but I vaguely recall reading somewhere a while ago that this is not allowed on some airlines - I could have imagined it though... will do some googling...

Edit: OK looks like nuts are served in-cabin on Singapore flights so it should be OK. Thinking hard I may have recalled a TV interview with a dad whose son has peanut allergy and he wanted nuts to be banned in airline cabins, let alone the food.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

AndBreathe

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
11,320
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Slight aside - are there any rules regarding bringing your own food into the cabin re allergens? One fallback food I'd like to bring with me is nuts but I vaguely recall reading somewhere a while ago that this is not allowed on some airlines - I could have imagined it though... will do some googling...

Edit: OK looks like nuts are served in-cabin on Singapore flights so it should be OK. Thinking hard I may have recalled a TV interview with a dad whose son has peanut allergy and he wanted nuts to be banned in airline cabins, let alone the food.

My little bag of salted nuts are my equivalent of the T1 glucose tablets; they go everywhere with me!

I haven't seen any notices prohibiting nuts on planes, but I don't know of any airline still serving them with drinks. Most now seem to have migrated to pretzels or rice cracker snacks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

vit90

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Here are some photos of the three "No Carb" meals Singapore Airlines came up with today. The first was salmon, the second white fish, probably cod and the third was chicken. The last was a bit tasteless but the other two were ok. All were served with carby bits like fruit juice, bread or rolls.
 

Attachments

  • WP_DS20150325.jpg
    WP_DS20150325.jpg
    124.5 KB · Views: 526
  • WP_DS20150325(1).jpg
    WP_DS20150325(1).jpg
    82.6 KB · Views: 461
  • WP_DS20150325(2).jpg
    WP_DS20150325(2).jpg
    110.7 KB · Views: 756

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Here are some photos of the three "No Carb" meals Singapore Airlines came up with today. The first was salmon, the second white fish, probably cod and the third was chicken. The last was a bit tasteless but the other two were ok. All were served with carby bits like fruit juice, bread or rolls.

How many meals do you get on one trip????? Lol!:)
 

donnellysdogs

Master
Messages
13,233
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
People that can't listen to other people's opinions.
People that can't say sorry.
Here are some photos of the three "No Carb" meals Singapore Airlines came up with today. The first was salmon, the second white fish, probably cod and the third was chicken. The last was a bit tasteless but the other two were ok. All were served with carby bits like fruit juice, bread or rolls.

If airlines can do that, why can't hospitals?
 

phoenix

Expert
Messages
5,671
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I agree on the budget. .Here's a FOI answer from one health authority as to what they spend on food
"2. How much does your Trust spend on ingredients (i.e. cost of food ingredients only and not other catering costs e.g. labour, equipment and management costs) for each patient per day

£3.50
"

http://www.heartofengland.nhs.uk/foi-2559/

Interesting take on 'no carbs'. The only thing that I can see in any of the meals that has no carbs is, unsurprisingly, the meat/fish.

(edit, apart from the small size of the veg portions , the addition of some pasta/rice etc and probably cheaper types of fish, those meals look very like the ones I get at my local hospital; but there is also a board and lodging charge)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people

vit90

Well-Known Member
Messages
843
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I was a bit worried that I would be deluged with food I should not be eating while here in Thailand but I think my information that I am diabetic has flummoxed everyone here so I have only had a small breakfast and no lunch and now my tummy is feeling rather empty :D

Maybe my diet only suffered a temporary blip so far!
 

Blessedarethecheesemakers

Well-Known Member
Messages
161
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Those airline meals looked surprisingly acceptable. I flew long haul fairly recently and didn't bother with ordering a special meal as I was flying with a 2 year old and a 6 month old so my focus was elsewhere, but i just ended up eating the meat and veg and cheese and avoiding the other stuff. It helped that the 2 year old got a full meal most of which he didn't eat so I had his carb-free bits. Am flying home again soon and will take some almonds and dark chocolate for the flight but will otherwise make do with what is there. As what Andbreathe says, the portions are so small that so long as I don't eat the bread or fruit/pudding I'm safe. I then fill my boots at the stopover. I actually cope with flights so much better now that I low-carb. This was the only long haul trip when I didn't get swollen ankles for days afterwards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people