Diabetes and hospital food

computerwhizz said:

My name is Vince and Have been a type 2 tablet and insulin controlled Diabetic for about 15 years (I am 55 this year)
I am into my 23rd month of hospital stay, due to now being paralysed from the waist down, but this is not about that.
I have a rant (sorry!) to vent.
We get menus printed for each day and we are allowed to choose foods from a selection.
I get annoyed when there are Vegetarian choices, which are labelled with a (V) to show they are suitable for vegetarians, but there

There are no choices to advise the patients which are best for a Diabetic. I am annoyed because most (not all) Vegetarians are so by choice - Diabetics are not Diabetic by choice at all. I would have expected it the other way around.... Comments anyone? Am I being unreasonable or do I have a point?

Thanks

Click to expand...

Yes you are but they don't understand diabetes so they would label the wrong foods as being suitable. Be careful they don't do more damage.

As long as you know what foods are good, and which to avoid, you should be fine. Hope you get out soon my friend, I know all too well just how much long hospital stays suck!

Unfortunately, I had a five day stay in our local hospital(asylum!)
They do print on the menu which are suitable for diabetics including cereals with skimmed milk or toast with low fat spread or yoghurt for breakfast! Mashed creamed potatoes with some meat or pasta for lunch! Then for tea, a choice of chicken in sauce, or oily fish and new potatoes, all meals served with orange squash.
You could have pudding with every meal or low fat yoghurt!

So I wouldn't worry over not having those recommended diabetic meals!

Hi. The NHS hasn't a clue about the diet suitable for diabetics and will go (incorrectly) for low-fat high-carb (same for airline food etc). So having 'diabetic' meals would make things worse. I can only suggest you use the dietary knowledge on these forums to try to find the better foods on the hospital menus - I wish you luck, however.

Ha, my hubby for just a one night stay had to bring food in to me as the hospital could not cope with a sweetener/preservative free salad.

Do not envy you... But the NHS are still at least 50 years behind in their food and health education... So people don't really stand a chance to make good healthy choices really.

Around six years ago I was admitted to hospital because I developed cellulites and needed intravenous antibiotics. Yes I remember the printed menu bit not really what was on it rather than the chicken casserole which had peppers, courgettes, tomato. It was so so nice that I choose to stay another night so I could have it again!

Why do they give diabetics a small pot of fruit yogurt - and with dessertspoons! lol

computerwhizz said:

My name is Vince and Have been a type 2 tablet and insulin controlled Diabetic for about 15 years (I am 55 this year)
I am into my 23rd month of hospital stay, due to now being paralysed from the waist down, but this is not about that.
I have a rant (sorry!) to vent.
We get menus printed for each day and we are allowed to choose foods from a selection.
I get annoyed when there are Vegetarian choices, which are labelled with a (V) to show they are suitable for vegetarians, but there

There are no choices to advise the patients which are best for a Diabetic. I am annoyed because most (not all) Vegetarians are so by choice - Diabetics are not Diabetic by choice at all. I would have expected it the other way around.... Comments anyone? Am I being unreasonable or do I have a point?

Thanks

Click to expand...

The reason that vegetarian choices are labelled is because they are very easy to define. This is not the case with food suitable for people with diabetes. Take a look at this thread below. It shows a hospital menu with food the NHS considers suitable for diabetics.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/hospital-menu-for-diabetic-person.113763/

See anything you fancy?

My friend is vegetarian and currently in hospital for cancer surgery. Her food so far has been cornflakes with milk for breakfast then baked potato and baked beans for dinner. These would be considered suitable for diabetics if you go by the menu in the link above.

No problem with the food served to me when I was in Glan Clwyd Hospital sorting my T1 out. The only thing I found funny was the trolley full of chocolate and sweets that came round once a day

Try being an anorexic diabetic in hospital! As if hospital food isn't bad enough, they also give you fortisip or fortijuice and wonder why your BGs are wildly out of control lol!

On a serious note, I was advised by the dietician to look at the Balanced Choice options, often labelled BC. If there is nothing on the menu suitable, as if they offer an alternative menu such as a long stay option. My last stay was 5.5 months so this proved invaluable.

One reason choices aren't labelled as diabetic is that needs can vary so much. For example, one meal I was given had pretty much zero carbs, which would have been disastrous for me and calculating my insulin dosage off a sliding scale, but great for the weight conscious low carbing t2 in the next bed.

Portion control was on of my big bugbears, with some staff giving me a normal portion, and others offering a good mountain.

If you have any concerns over a hospital provided diet or food choices, the dietetics team is usually very helpful, or ask the ward staff for advice - usually they will ask someone from catering if it's suitable. Apart from that, common sense is king!