Eating Out - Indian Food

[PSS]

Indian food is no different from any other when it comes to diabetic control.

My advice is go easy on rice (even though its Basmati), Naan bread - go for plain roti instead. Have starters of meat that are usually cooked in the Tandoor (Oven) as much as you like.

Above all enjoy the meal

 

[srm100841]

Love Indian but don't eat rice, breads, lentils and sweet chutnies. Also avoid 'sweet' types of sauce. My 'can eat' list includes tandoori, tikka, Madras, jalfrezi, achari, garlic chicken/lamb, butter chicken, king prawn curries plus bhindi, spinach, mushroom, cauliflower - starving now!! Practically everything on the menu except passander, tikka marsalla and the like. Love a big dollop of lime pickle too.

 

[Suzannelife]

I don't eat any Indian food, I don't like them.

 

[TyTy]

Indian food is great , just need to have smaller portions than you would usually have, Basamti ric and roti is what i would go for and i tend to go for a jalfrezi , I have acurry most nights as it my culture , BS are not so bad 2 hrs later

 

[Celeriac]

I have a big hefty cookbook for Indian recipes dating back to the 70s which I bought in a charity shop. If you discount the rice, chapattis, naan and poppadums, a surprisingly large number of the recipes are low carb. Maybe it predates the low fat mantra !

 

[britishpub]

I find that if I have a couple of dry vegetable dishes, like Okra (Bhindi Bahji) I don't miss the Rice or Bread.

 

[paula.nolan42]

this thread is a lifesaver - I've just been asked if I want to go out next friday to our favourite Indian, initially I was going to say no, thinking that everything on the menu would be 'bad' but after reading all of this, I can go and make some 'good' food choices and still have a good night out - thanks everyone

 

[Prem51]

Indian breads made with brown wholemeal flour like chapattis, parathas, and rotis don't raise my bg levels as much as naans and puris which are made with white flour.

 

[bulkbiker]

Lamb kebab starter
Chicken Tikka main course
Saag paneer or cauliflower bhaji
My local takeaway does something called a keema saag which I had for the first time last week.
Thought it would be loads of spinach with a little minced lamb but it was completely the opposite.. loads of lamb with a bit of spinach.. delicious .. will definitely be on the list next time.
No breads, rice or papad. under 7mmol 2 hours after

 

[Neohdiver]

This is great to hear, but what about the Ultimate Diabetic Challenge???:
You have been invited to a meal in an expensive Thai Restaurant.
Assuming that you are not going to pretend to be ill or just run away, and that you would like to be able to eat a decent meal without having to drink a vat of red wine to keep your bgs under control, what do you do? (I've only tried the running away option so far)

Most Thai curries are carb friendly. They don't use starch to thicken the sauce, made from a curry paste an coconut milk. Just watch what kind of veggies are on the dish. (I've actually started making them at home, now that I realize they aren't thickened with cornstarch or flour.)

 

[lovinglife]

Most Thai curries are carb friendly. They don't use starch to thicken the sauce, made from a curry paste an coconut milk. Just watch what kind of veggies are on the dish. (I've actually started making them at home, now that I realize they aren't thickened with cornstarch or flour.)

No flour but a shed load of palm sugar - making them at home is fine but I haven't met a Thai chef who doesn't add some form of sugar to everything!

 

[Neohdiver]

No flour but a shed load of palm sugar - making them at home is fine but I haven't met a Thai chef who doesn't add some form of sugar to everything!

None of the recipes I have include sugar (or only include a very small amount - a maximum of 8.4 grams per serving). The very large curry I had the last time I ate out barely budged my blood glucose. It was 6 at one hour after eating & 5.9 at 2 hours. For comparison, starting at around 5.6, my blood glucose goes to about 7 in response to eating about 15 net grams of carb.

(My experience with Thai food is consistent with the responses I received from everyone else on the MFP board in a thread on Thai cooking. Perhaps adding a ton of palm sugar is local to where you live?)

 

[dano17439]

I had indian tonight and its me and my mrs 1st date anniversary (18 years!!)

I had 2 popadums, chicken tikka pathia, mushroom rice, bhindi bhaji. Just done my blood and its 7.5. Not too bad, and plus the meal was delicious. Proper comfort food

 

[lovinglife]

None of the recipes I have include sugar (or only include a very small amount - a maximum of 8.4 grams per serving). The very large curry I had the last time I ate out barely budged my blood glucose. It was 6 at one hour after eating & 5.9 at 2 hours. For comparison, starting at around 5.6, my blood glucose goes to about 7 in response to eating about 15 net grams of carb.

(My experience with Thai food is consistent with the responses I received from everyone else on the MFP board in a thread on Thai cooking. Perhaps adding a ton of palm sugar is local to where you live?)

Sounds like you took my post as a criticism - it wasn't meant to be - I have no Thai restaurants where I live but know lots of restauranters and chefs from all types o cuisine - I love Thai food but I only make my own. I find that Thai food pushes my sugar right up for hours - a bit like the pizza effect - ok for the first 2 or 3 hours but much too high for a long time after.

You are lucky if you can eat it as it's delicious - I can't speak for the MFP board as I don't use it but I know from the past on here that lots have said they can't eat it, was only passing on my experience wasn't meant to offend you

 

[Neohdiver]

Sounds like you took my post as a criticism - it wasn't meant to be - I have no Thai restaurants where I live but know lots of restauranters and chefs from all types o cuisine - I love Thai food but I only make my own. I find that Thai food pushes my sugar right up for hours - a bit like the pizza effect - ok for the first 2 or 3 hours but much too high for a long time after.

You are lucky if you can eat it as it's delicious - I can't speak for the MFP board as I don't use it but I know from the past on here that lots have said they can't eat it, was only passing on my experience wasn't meant to offend you

I didn't take it as criticism - It was just an entirely different reaction than the last discussion I was involved in about Thai curries. I had posted my surprise that I could actually eat it - since most sauces tend to be thickened with starch. At least a dozen other low carb folks responded that it was one of their go-to foods. Since I don't recall a single person who indicated they had issues with it, your suggestion that it might be loaded with sugar was a bit of a surprise.

 

[Dannyb87]

When I go for an indian I usually order either chicken or lamb shashlic which is basically chicken or lamb on skewers with onion peppers and tomatoes. The meat is marinated in tandoori spices. They normally serve them with salad but I pinch a couple of tablespoons of rice from whoever I'm with.

When I was newly diagnosed I spoke to the guy who owned the Indian restaurant where I'd be eating before I went in, we are friends-he suggested the shashleek to me! I had it with a vegetable side dish, nabbed a few chips from my daughters meal too , and I was golden!! I had just had DKA and was a complete newb (family vaca for new year-travelled up morning after getting out of hospital, seeing no diabetes staff or getting any info, Boxing Day) I think as long as you can trust the restaurant or takeaway place then you can ask them and see what they say (they say trial and error but I like to hedge my bets lol). IMO things are made slightly differently wherever you go so best to ask I think!

 

[YorkshireAli]

The last Indian meal I went out for was absolutely delicious, but needed horrifying amounts of insulin to cope with it (I'm talking more than 30 units of insulin) and threw my readings out for the next couple of days, despite more huge correction doses. I have to say it scared the bejasus out of me and rather put me off repeating the experience, unsurprisingly.

However, having read some of the suggestions, I may - one day! - pull on my big girl pants and brave another try.

Wish me luck

 

[Prem51]

@YorkshireAli What was it you ate that affected you so badly? I hope you can find some Indian dishes you can eat from the suggestions on here.

 

[YorkshireAli]

Can't remember now - it was a while ago, but it probably involved a pasanda and rice...poppadoms almost certainly. It was before the days when I had any real idea of carb counting, but that's no excuse really. I pigged out on all the wrong things and paid the price - when I look back at those days I cringe...I used to just accept having to do injections of 20 or 30 units on a quite regular basis. Now I average 10 units of quick-acting a day.

 

[paula.nolan42]

I just wanted to thanks everyone on this thread for the advice and suggestions. I had my evening at the Indian Restaurant and I didn't stress at all about what to eat. I had everything picked out. I think I was very good and even had a glass of red wine.