• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Soft Drink Blunders

mrburden

mrburden

Well-Known Member
Been out for meals a couple of times recentlywhich is a rarity for me really. I've been carb-counting for quite a while now, so don't have any problems with working out my intake yet coincidently, two days on the trot and at two different places I was given standard cola after asking for diet.
The first time it happened I thought it tasted odd, but put it down to the fact the drink was served from a multi-tap pump, but realised a couple of hours later that my blood sugar of 16.7 was probably due to the drink.
The next day the same thing happened again. I took a sip and it tasted odd, so I used a test strip to check for sugar in the drink, the meter proved me right. I wonder if the problem is that the multi tap dispensers still contain a pipe-full of the previous drink that was poured, or whether the staff just don't worry about which cola they serve?
What ever caused the problem, I've decided to ask for a bottle in future or just have water.
 
Hello. I read anther post on here a coule of weeks ago where the same thing had happened but she had had to be taken home and it had made her quite ill.
 
I suppose the problem can be made a lot worse if you are served more than one glass of the stuff, or if you are only having a drink and not eating and not taking any insulin at all
 
I have taken a sip of a drink before, and noticed it tastes different to what I expect. I ask them I double check it was definitely diet or to pour me another drink and this time ensure it is diet. Perhaps people think 'oh that person only ordered a diet drink because they are watching their weight' when actually it's important diabetics have a sugar free drink if we asked for that. Always ask them to check or re pour your drink! (:
 
Avoid drinks from these pump dispensers, I've heard the lines often get attached to the wrong product so you could be getting full-sugar drinks. The best bet is to buy drinks from bottles, can or cartons labelled diet or sugar-free.
 
I can tell pretty confidently the difference between diet and regular soda. Generally speaking diet drinks smell less than regular ones.

Failing that after 1 sip I can tell the difference.

But yes it does happen relatively regularly.
 
Yep it happened to me a few weeks ago and I was quite ill!! I was served normal Pepsi from a tap thingy instead of diet and because I never drink Pepsi I couldn't tell! I asked the girl behind the bar 4 times if it was diet (it wasn't) and she said it was!!!
 
Tried something out today.....

Sure fire way to check....

Test it on your glucose meter

Normal soda comes up as Hi
Diet soda comes up as low or error

Foolproof :)
 
You could inform environmental health on the subject of cross contamination or trading standards if the labelling of the pumps is wrong. Having been type 1 for 20 years I just explain that I'm diabetic if I get any questions from staff in the establishments that sell these drinks. Never had a problem yet to my knowledge! :)
 
Can you really test if its full sugar with your meter? Ive been out countless times and have been given full sugar instead of diet. Im pregnant at the moment so have to be really careful with my control so Ive just been sticking to water, but its a bit boring! I find it difficult to tell the difference just by taste.
 
kproctor said:
Can you really test if its full sugar with your meter? Ive been out countless times and have been given full sugar instead of diet. Im pregnant at the moment so have to be really careful with my control so Ive just been sticking to water, but its a bit boring! I find it difficult to tell the difference just by taste.
Click to expand...

Yup works a charm if you do not believe me give it a go with a can of coke :)

Diet will give you a Low reading might even error and coke will give you a High reading.
 
I rarely drink Coke/Pepsi so can't always tell straight away if I've been given the wrong one. However, after a few mouthfuls, I've often had suspicions and gone back to bar and asked for another, explaining that I'm diabetic. They'll always apologise and give me diet Coke/Pepsi. However, the mix-up shouldn't happen in the first place. I think many bar staff simply think it's a weight loss thing and have no idea about diabetes and sugar. Time to educate!
 
I don't drink fizzy drinks (hate the bubbles, feels like acid burning my mouth!!!) But I have had similar things happen in Starbucks as they do sugar free syrups, so in the summer I will get a sugar-free vanilla syrup iced latte rather than their frappés.
I try to always double check my order or say something like "please ensure it is the sugar free syrup" to make sure they've taken my order properly but I've still had a few times where they have used the regular syrup. I find that sweeter has a different kind of 'sweet' taste to sugar so I a couple of times I have taken just a sip and had my suspicions and then gone to check what they made it with or asked them to make it again, but one time it was only after I'd finished the drink and left the café and felt a bit 'swirly' that I realised the error.
I wish other high street cafés had the sugar free syrups though, I usually wouldn't go to Starbucks but I am not aware of any others that have them.
 
It is slightly better these days but for decades if you want a diet drink that is not water your only "go to" drink was diet coke. SO over the years I have become quite used to it. I always find drinking a hot drink with food to be a little weird and squash to me always tastes like it has been left out and gone a bit manky.
 
I have had it happen several times, so have my chilldren (who are also both type 1). I have found that it has been mainly from people who are not quite fluent in English. Its' a shame that most bars etc. think that the only diet drink we like is coke!!
 
day007 said:
I don't drink fizzy drinks (hate the bubbles, feels like acid burning my mouth!!!) But I have had similar things happen in Starbucks as they do sugar free syrups, so in the summer I will get a sugar-free vanilla syrup iced latte rather than their frappés.
I try to always double check my order or say something like "please ensure it is the sugar free syrup" to make sure they've taken my order properly but I've still had a few times where they have used the regular syrup. I find that sweeter has a different kind of 'sweet' taste to sugar so I a couple of times I have taken just a sip and had my suspicions and then gone to check what they made it with or asked them to make it again, but one time it was only after I'd finished the drink and left the café and felt a bit 'swirly' that I realised the error.
I wish other high street cafés had the sugar free syrups though, I usually wouldn't go to Starbucks but I am not aware of any others that have them.
Click to expand...

Costa Have sugar free Caramel Syrup
 
mrburden said:
Been out for meals a couple of times recentlywhich is a rarity for me really. I've been carb-counting for quite a while now, so don't have any problems with working out my intake yet coincidently, two days on the trot and at two different places I was given standard cola after asking for diet.
The first time it happened I thought it tasted odd, but put it down to the fact the drink was served from a multi-tap pump, but realised a couple of hours later that my blood sugar of 16.7 was probably due to the drink.
The next day the same thing happened again. I took a sip and it tasted odd, so I used a test strip to check for sugar in the drink, the meter proved me right. I wonder if the problem is that the multi tap dispensers still contain a pipe-full of the previous drink that was poured, or whether the staff just don't worry about which cola they serve?
What ever caused the problem, I've decided to ask for a bottle in future or just have water.
Click to expand...

In My Experience a lot of staff just dont care and pour normal coke, this has happened to me so many times now its exhausting, ive complained to a few places about it and you tend to be given a free meal. but my trick for this is see what they serve in only diet.

for instance (not a good example of a place to eat but still) mcdoanlds only serve 7up Free now. so your garenteed not to get a sugary 7up.

Ive grown to notice the sugar in the drinks, unless they serve off brand cola, my local bar give you the option of glass bottles it means i dont get the drinks promotions and it costs a little more but i prefer it for the peice of mind​
 
Back
Top