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Food at the NEC today

These places sell what people want.
Packed lunches are going to be crisps and sandwiches.

If I go out for the day, I don't worry about it.
I know if it's a lot of walking, I will be fine with whatever is on offer, be it rice, noodles, or bread.
My BG will be fine, I'll be burning it as fast as I eat it.
My trick is to eat early as well, so I can walk it off for a couple of hours as well, rather than eat then sit down and drive back.
Also I don't go in for massive meals, something like the burger, or the pork on the roll would have done me by itself, I would have skipped the potato.
 
Completely hear what you are saying @EdMac this is the most difficult part for me. Yes you can take snacks and a packed lunch, but sometimes I just want to go with the flow ....

I attend many trade shows and the choice at these venues is useless. London's ExCel centre is just the same. I wonder what will make the change? Maybe I need to launch a LCHF takeaway food business!

Yesterday I was out most of the day and found picking up food wasn't easy - I ended up going to Nandos for dinner as I could just order chicken and peas.
 
We went there a few weeks ago, and found a wagon selling nice healthy salads as well as sandwiches, also, Subway don't specifically have salads on the menu, but you can have any sub as a 'Salad Bowl' - it's actually a fantastic bargain, you get a huge bowl of really nice salad instead of your bread. A few times though I've found they've run out of bowls. I explain that I can't have the bread option as I'm diabetic and they're very apologetic.
 
My default fuel in such circumstances nowadays is cream.

I can run all day on a series of coffees with cream - literally all day. No hunger, no wilting, just steady fuel.

Not ideal, I will agree, but if there is a Costa or similar I know I will be fine - and it is hard nowadays to NOT find one.

At a pinch, with those options you list, I would have gone for the pork, as you did. Or had a burger or sub, removing the bun. Maybe there were nuts on sale somewhere too.

If walking all day, half a portion chips would have burned off easily, and been nicely filling (for me).

I always carry a 9bar, or a small bag nuts and/or 70% choc because I have a history of hypos - I prefer to prevent them rather than treat them after the event, so keep an eye on bg - but if I'm running on cream they won't happen.
 
EdMac said:
Whetherspoons Pub: lots of sandwiches, all of the hot meals came with chips only, there was potentially 1 salad at c500 cals (so I figured probably had a sweet sauce). Nothing else suitable.
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Maybe next time ask if they would substitute the chips for some extra veg/salad @EdMac
 
I never expect anywhere to have a low carb choices as already said they cater for the majority and what they want not the very small minority of diabetics who want LCHF When I am out for the day say at a show and I fancy a burger or hot dog in a roll I will have it it's all part of a enjoyable day out and I want to forget the diabetes for that day.
 
Pinkorchid said:
I never expect anywhere to have a low carb choices as already said they cater for the majority and what they want not the very small minority of diabetics who want LCHF When I am out for the day say at a show and I fancy a burger or hot dog in a roll I will have it it's all part of a enjoyable day out and I want to forget the diabetes for that day.
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I do that too, but I use the bun as a plate for the burger and then dispose of it (either in a bin or in my husband) :)
 
EdMac said:
I will definitely remember this for next time I'm in that situation, the difficulty is there's always a huge queue - I guess i could have popped to the front and asked.

I think the general food stands are hit and miss depending on the exhibition, for example they appeared to be setting up (or taking down) an exhibition for 'Farm Shops' in an adjacent hall so I'm guessing the range of foods at that exhibition would be pretty good.

I don't have a problem with the food on sale there I was just genuinely surprised. I know the retailers are usually charged an arm and a leg for a pitch so they'll only stock what they can shift in huge volume.
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I would expect farmers shops to sell the things people will buy.
It may be dearer, it may be organic, but it'll be raw, like craft cheeses, or cooked food will still be craft sausage rolls,or pies, or pasties or burgers. But it's still going to have the normal amount of bread, or pastry, or rice or noodles, or potatoes in it.
That's what people eat. It's also what they can only afford normally, prices are dear enough without taking the bulkers out.
 
Steak is always a good lchf option and you can ask for salad instead of chips. There are always few starters which can be low carb. In whetherspoons there are chicken wings and halloumi. There is also mix grill, gammon and chicken.
 
ewelina said:
Steak is always a good lchf option and you can ask for salad instead of chips. There are always few starters which can be low carb. In whetherspoons there are chicken wings and halloumi. There is also mix grill, gammon and chicken.
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Steak is often my choice - also found out if you gently explain you are a diabetic they will swap out anything for you
 
PenfoldAPD said:
Completely hear what you are saying @EdMac this is the most difficult part for me. Yes you can take snacks and a packed lunch, but sometimes I just want to go with the flow ....

I attend many trade shows and the choice at these venues is useless. London's ExCel centre is just the same. I wonder what will make the change? Maybe I need to launch a LCHF takeaway food business!

Yesterday I was out most of the day and found picking up food wasn't easy - I ended up going to Nandos for dinner as I could just order chicken and peas.
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Still a lot of sugar in Nando's normally, it was the McDonald's 'business' lunches that got me.
I try to avoid junk food now, but like you say, sometimes you just have to make the best of it.
 
Yep @SunnyExpat - I was so hungry, lots of other fine restaurants around me but movie starring in half an hour! I'm going to look up carb content later, didn't affect my BG noticeably so maybe got away with it (but no plans to return!)
 
EdMac said:
Yeah I've eaten in Whetherspoons before, although not for a long time and they usually, like most pubs, have a fairly extensive menu. Don't know if it's a specific venue thing but just getting a nice lump of cooked meat was not an option at this one. Although the carton of greasy pig I ended up with went down a treat.
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Order the meal, leave the bits you don't eat.
 
I hold out hope that the situation will change. Attitudes seem to be changing already, I've noticed that lower carb eating is becoming more popular among the general population, not just those with diabetes.
Of course these events will cater for the majority. But I think feedback is important, to raise awareness with event organisers, and if people contact them to say there is a need, maybe they will consider it in the future.
 
EdMac said:
For anyone outside the UK, or just unaware, the NEC is the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. It hosts some huge exhibitions. I went with my wife to a 'Home Improvement Show' today. From what I recalled from past visits there was a reasonable choice of eateries there. I'm following the 16/8 fast so skipped breakfast and our intention was to grab something for lunch at the exhibition.

Around about 12.30 we dipped out to the main hall to get lunch - I had in mind I would get a piece of cooked chicken, this was what was on offer:

A Pasty Company: no surprise they were selling pasties, they also had some cookies and cakes but a little surprised they had literally nothing that wasn't a carb fest.

Whetherspoons Pub: lots of sandwiches, all of the hot meals came with chips only, there was potentially 1 salad at c500 cals (so I figured probably had a sweet sauce). Nothing else suitable.

Subway: I thought they sold salads but the menu was wall to wall sandwiches. You could buy a sandwich with a side salad but no salad as a meal. I'm not sure if this was specific to the smaller Subway sites at places like this as I'm sure I've seen salads advertised elsewhere.

A Small Newsagent: a few packets of sandwiches, lots of crisps, biscuits and chocolate bars.

The 'Restaurant' inside the Arena: (we went back in out of desperation - my wife had had a pasty by this point) they had lots of sandwiches and carb full hot meals. Other than that there was 1 salad in a box for £6.95 but it was feta cheese and I hate uncooked cheese.

A Pork Butty Van: selling pork butties in a big white bun and sauted potatoes.

I ended up asking for pork meat in a tray without the bun hold the apple sauce. This is the first time I've been in a situation where I couldn't actually buy a suitable full meal. I enjoyed the pork but it was literally just greasy pork that I ate whilst watching a man at a stall demonstrate 'Fat Free Cooking' which made me smile to myself.

The NEC is immense and to walk around an entire arena and find almost nothing to eat that wasn't a carb fest was actually an eye opener for me.

This isn't a rant it's literally just an observation (because we're talking about a venue in the 2nd biggest city in the UK) that leads me to ask if many people end up taking packed lunches to things like this ?
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I find that too, ( I'm not type 2) but have coeliac disease, so it can be difficult at times. Most times, when I am out and about, I take my own food, as it's a safer option.
 
EdMac said:
For anyone outside the UK, or just unaware, the NEC is the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. It hosts some huge exhibitions. I went with my wife to a 'Home Improvement Show' today. From what I recalled from past visits there was a reasonable choice of eateries there. I'm following the 16/8 fast so skipped breakfast and our intention was to grab something for lunch at the exhibition.
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I think its all about the profit margin.. carbs meals have cheap ingredients and last for ages .. low carb would usually need more expensive ingredients and cooking fresh. Sad but true.

Also hubby eats all my chips..
 
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