Type 1: Eating out, how to calculate carbs...

[Catherine4188]

Hello all,

I just thought I'd ask people about their experience and opinion of how food outlets give carbohydrate information in store.

The reason I am wondering is after visiting John Lewis coffee shop (a place a visit regularly but for the first time since my diagnosis 12 days ago). I went to buy a ham, chutney and cheese sandwich in a pretzel bun, but it was prepared in store and had no packaging with nutritional info. I asked the staff member but he could not provide the carbohydrate value, only the ingredient list. I therefore had to use carbs and cals app and the internet to work it out. I must have been quite off due for the unusual roll, I has a hypo as a result.

I emailed John Lewis to see if they could provide some nutritional guidance for their regular coffee shop items but they refused to give me any as they say their portion sizes may not be consistent and they didn't want to provide incorrect information. However, I think even a rough guide would be helpful.

What experience have you had with big chains giving info? I know Pizza Hut etc have their info online and available if asked for in store.

Thanks,
Catherine

 

[azure]

@Catherine4188 If I'm going to a chain for a meal, I google,in advance so I can browse through the options and save a bit of time by having an idea what I'm going to order.

For something casual like a roll, I either try to equate it with other rolls I've had at home where I've known the carb quantity - ie comparing size, density, etc, or imagine it as slices of bread.

If in any doubt, I err on the side of caution, then test an hour or so later and have a little more insulin if necessary.

 

[noblehead]

What experience have you had with big chains giving info? I know Pizza Hut etc have their info online and available if asked for in store.

Ask anyone who has been diagnosed a long time and they will tell you that food outlets have come on a long way in recent years by providing the nutritional value of their food, but as you've experienced yourself with John Lewis there's still some work to do.

However Carbs & Cals is great but in time you'll get better at estimating the carb value of meals when dinning out, much like @azure if I'm unsure I always underestimate than overestimate as there's nothing worse than having a hypo when your out enjoying yourself.

 

[tim2000s]

I think it's a tricky one. Where you have "rough cut" sandwiches, I'm not sure we should really expect that the food outlet provide nutrition info, as, as they say, they can't confirm that the values are accurate, and it opens them up to legal action if what they supply results in some form of medical incident.

I tend to work on the carbs and cals bank in my head (all T1s have it, and the longer you are T1, the bigger the database becomes), and it's really something that you'll get used to over time.

Additionally, as you've only been diagnosed for 12 days, it's highly likely that your insulin:carb ratios won't be steady as your pancreas tends to have a bad habit of running like a misfiring engine in this period, resulting in extra "onboard" insulin, as the injected stuff relieves it a little.

 

[db89]

I tend to work on the carbs and cals bank in my head (all T1s have it, and the longer you are T1, the bigger the database becomes), and it's really something that you'll get used to over time.

I read this and thought 'I wish!' - my mind doesn't seem to want to retain carb info so I've been slowly building my own list of foods I eat occasionally and frequently on a note app so I usually have it with me.