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Ensuring diet soda is REALLY diet soda?

Postleneo

Well-Known Member
Messages
293
Location
West Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi guys... Will be going on my holidays in next few months... Where....As of yet don't know but was wondering about how to ensure diet soda served at bars is really sugar free... Was thinking if I could use my blood sugar reader but not tried as worried if it could harm the meter in any way. When abroad any suggestions how to saftley test my dinks? ... Dont really want to just drink water all holiday.
 
Fron my own personal experience - you need to be the one to go to the bar. Don't trust your health with anyone else. Always ask to see the bottle/can your drink comes out of and NEVER drink anything out of those bar tap thingies. Don't trust the bar staff when they say its sugar free because they don't understand how important it is that it REALLY is sugar free - they just think you're being a fussy customer. Once again ALWAYS check the bottle or can yourself.

As you can tell, I've had a bad experience with a bar staff person telling me my drink was sugar free and it turned out she'd given me two bottles of full sugar tonic.
 
I think the urine testing sticks are cheaper than blood test strips, plus you only need to dip into your drink rather than check with monitor. That's what I've done in the past :) Any change in the colour will indicate the presence of sugar!!! You can then show the bar staff if it's positive, before you drink any.

Amazon - £5.39 / 100 test sticks :)

Also, always get your drink in a bottle and pour into glass yourself so you know what you are getting. As @Chook suggests, get your own drinks and not from the mixer things.

Have a great holiday :)
 
Hi guys... Will be going on my holidays in next few months... Where....As of yet don't know but was wondering about how to ensure diet soda served at bars is really sugar free... Was thinking if I could use my blood sugar reader but not tried as worried if it could harm the meter in any way. When abroad any suggestions how to saftley test my dinks? ... Dont really want to just drink water all holiday.

Always get a bottle not anything on tap. That's good advice whether you're abroad or in the UK. That way you know for sure what you're getting.

If you're in a restaurant, ask them to bring the bottle to the table so you can serve yourself. I do that now having been given full sugar Lemonade once (luckily I spotted it from the taste).
 
Apart from pubs, the biggest providers of the wrong thing , in my experience, is fast good outlets, especially McDonald's.
 
Hi guys... Will be going on my holidays in next few months... Where....As of yet don't know but was wondering about how to ensure diet soda served at bars is really sugar free... Was thinking if I could use my blood sugar reader but not tried as worried if it could harm the meter in any way. When abroad any suggestions how to saftley test my dinks? ... Dont really want to just drink water all holiday.

I'd be happy going with either of the suggestions here, although probably the urine sticks give you more options; particularly if you usually go all-inclusive. I Imagine the all-inclusive drinks would be local beers and spirits, and soft drinks from the pumps.

The urine strips do well for those.
 
Cheers guys much appreciated will definitely take advice on board especially the drinks from draft... Been a couple of times over here asked for diet pepsi and even double checked with bar tender then about an hour later wondered why my BS shot to over 20!! Good advice thank you
 
You can use your meter to test drinks without any problems - just dip it in the drink. No liquid enters the meter, just the test strip. If it gives a 'hypo' value, then it's diet; if it give a 'hyper' value, slap the barman.

The only meter I've not been able to do this with is the Accu-Chek Mobile, which has a cassette instead of strips.


Edit: actual physical violence not recommended - perhaps a polite word instead...
 
You can use your meter to test drinks without any problems - just dip it in the drink. No liquid enters the meter, just the test strip. If it gives a 'hypo' value, then it's diet; if it give a 'hyper' value, slap the barman.

The only meter I've not been able to do this with is the Accu-Chek Mobile, which has a cassette instead of strips.


Edit: actual physical violence not recommended - perhaps a polite word instead...

Agree use your meter as suggested and it works well.
 
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