Hospital Menu for diabetic person

[Bluetit1802]

Well I would eat the turkey salad! Everything else is filled with carbs

and I hate turkey! It would have to be omelettes for me for all meals, every day.

 

[walnut_face]

I think I am right is saying that is many countries food is not provided, you either get your own, go to the cafeteria or, if bed bound, said found from caf is served at your bed, but you still pay.
So if you want choice, you need to put your hand in your pocket. Look around your local hospital surrounds, bet there is a fast food outlet not so far away

 

[serenity648]

It depends if you want to switch your 'one size fits all' for the NHS's I guess?
I'd just give people their own choice, rather than insist they were all good for one small group of patients.
But it does seem to have got some on here very irate I must agree.

It is the idea that the food items labelled D are suitable for all diabetics, which is the problem. It creates the impression that all diabetics are the same, and that refusing those specific foods, because one is a diabetic, is wrong. It makes it harder to stick to ones guns, and introduces potential conflict, at a time when one is already weaker. If there were no D before a food it would help, as the diet controlled type 2 like me is not going against an NHS recommendation for our condition.

I do not see anyone here being irate. I see people, quite rightly, pointing out something of concern to some type 2 diabetics, as a problem they may need to address if they are admitted to hospital. I am finding the suggestions and comments for ways to deal with this informative and helpful.

 

[serenity648]

Going private is not an option for many, myself included.

And, as my dietary needs are part of my treatment, why should they not be addressed? I do think that some people, even some non-diet controlled diabetics, are not taking on board that how vital the right diet is for the health of some of us. It is not a fad, being fussy, asking for special treatment for the sake of being difficult or on a whim.

and it saves the NHS a lot of money in other ways, by reducing or eliminating our drugs costs and treatment for avoidable complications if we have access to our diets which will work for us.

 

[douglas99]

Going private is not an option for many, myself included.

And, as my dietary needs are part of my treatment, why should they not be addressed? I do think that some people, even some non-diet controlled diabetics, are not taking on board that how vital the right diet is for the health of some of us. It is not a fad, being fussy, asking for special treatment for the sake of being difficult or on a whim.

and it saves the NHS a lot of money in other ways, by reducing or eliminating our drugs costs and treatment for avoidable complications if we have access to our diets which will work for us.

You're kind of stuck then, as I for one would be embarrassed as a diabetic to complain about the food, on the grounds I want more than one choice a meal of low carb food.
As to labeling, if we're bright enough to know what choice we want, I'm not going to dictate the NHS use our choices instead of their's for those that aren't, which is what is being said.
Particularly as I eat them, as do many more.
And there's more to life than type 2, I'm go even going to attempt to speak for type 1's.
So I wont be signing up I'm afraid.

It looks good to me, and the labeling isn't offensive either.

(Maybe some of us need to see places where you don't get hospitals, before complaining the choice of food isn't varied enough, or the labeling isn't to our personal agreement in ours?)

 

[Chook]

Last time I was in hospital as a patient was when I had just stopped using insulin and had recently started low carbing. I found it best to chose what I could from the menu and then ask friends and family to bring me in suitable food parcels. I had eight days in hospital and didn't have to inject insulin once.

 

[CarbsRok]

And, as my dietary needs are part of my treatment, why should they not be addressed? I do think that some people, even some non-diet controlled diabetics, are not taking on board that how vital the right diet is for the health of some of us. It is not a fad, being fussy, asking for special treatment for the sake of being difficult or on a whim.

Try having type 1 diabetes and coeliac then see how you fare in hospital as a late admission. I went without food for 40 hours due to surgery and no g/f food being available. So just contending with diabetes really should not be a problem, just use portion control.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Try having type 1 diabetes and coeliac then see how you fare in hospital as a late admission. I went without food for 40 hours due to surgery and no g/f food being available. So just contending with diabetes really should not be a problem, just use portion control.

Same here, type 1 and Coeliac. With an operation for a detached retina, my BS was high anyway, I stayed overnight, the dinner was okay, but breakfast was a big bowl full of free from cereal, which I never eat, as it so high in carbs, I ate a couple of
spoonfuls and that was it, no more, but at least Southampton General catered for Coeliacs.

 

[ickihun]

nothing's free, so maybe we need to raise income tax to fund the menu budget, as well as staff wages, and building new hospitals. It's not like the NHS is awash with spare money.
Individual multiple choices for every patient is going to be expensive.

We are already accused of breaking the nhs so I don't know who will authorise more money spent for diabetics!

 

[azure]

I didn't even notice if the menu was marked with Suitable For Diabetics on my last visit. I just chose what best suited me. I found that the food people were very helpful in accommodating any requests for extra veg/less potatoes, etc

 

[noblehead]

TBH I've not had too many issues with hospital food when admitted as an inpatient, if anything the quality could be better but the food is often made off-site and is warmed up so it's never going to a 5 star restaurant quality

 

[serenity648]

Try having type 1 diabetes and coeliac then see how you fare in hospital as a late admission. I went without food for 40 hours due to surgery and no g/f food being available. So just contending with diabetes really should not be a problem, just use portion control.

excuse me??? where did I say anyone was in hospital due to only diabetes? This is getting ridiculous. I wasnt aware that us mere type 2's who control our diet by food restrictions (which isnt easy) were in some sort of competition of how bad our condition was compared to anyone elses.

It was important for your health to have suitable food. The consequences of being given the choice between harmful food or no food is just as important for diabetics in my situation.

And not all of us (I, for one) have people to come and bring food in.

 

[serenity648]

TBH I've not had too many issues with hospital food when admitted as an inpatient, if anything the quality could be better but the food is often made off-site and is warmed up so it's never going to a 5 star restaurant quality

is anyone asking for 5 star quality? Again, putting words in that arent . I am arguing there should be a menu available which supplies nutritional needs for people like me, with sufficient choices to eat an adequate amount of food which wont harm me. Not for some extra special gournet meal service. If the NHS can provide for vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs etc, then diet controlled type 2 diabetics should be treated on a equal footing.

Nothing expensive or fancy. Simply an equal amount of food suitable for my needs.

 

[noblehead]

is anyone asking for 5 star quality? Again, putting words in that arent . I am arguing there should be a menu available which supplies nutritional needs for people like me, with sufficient choices to eat an adequate amount of food which wont harm me. Not for some extra special gournet meal service. If the NHS can provide for vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs etc, then diet controlled type 2 diabetics should be treated on a equal footing.

I wasn't replying to your post @serenity648, merely offering up my own experience as a inpatient with regards to the food on offer

 

[serenity648]

I wasn't replying to your post @serenity648, merely offering up my own experience as a inpatient with regards to the food on offer

sorry, didnt mean to snap at you. . I think I need to go and eat, I missed my lunch as the electrician came and pronounced my oven dead, three weeks after the guarantee ran out, so i have been upset and am hungry.

I swear i get ratty when I am hungry.

 

[noblehead]

sorry, didnt mean to snap at you. . I think I need to go and eat, I missed my lunch as the electrician came and pronounced my oven dead, three weeks after the guarantee ran out, so i have been upset and am hungry.

I swear i get ratty when I am hungry.

They don't make ovens like they did, we've gone through 3 in the last 10 years.

The subject of food is always going to be an emotive subject on the forum as we all follow various diets and have different dietary needs/ tastes, hope you enjoy your meal and I wasn't offended btw

 

[psignathus]

OK my last post was deleted by a moderator so I will try again. If you have certain religious beliefs then your dietary requirements are met. With this in mind I do not see why LCHF cannot also be catered for in a far more nutritious way than eggs and turkey. I spent 3 months in hospital after a bike crash and the constant arguing to get a decent meal (bed bound so no option to get to the cafeteria) was a constant drain. You cannot get your friends to feed you twice a day for that length of time. For a couple of days I would have no complaints but long term you are surely knackered!

 

[CarbsRok]

excuse me??? where did I say anyone was in hospital due to only diabetes? This is getting ridiculous. I wasnt aware that us mere type 2's who control our diet by food restrictions (which isnt easy) were in some sort of competition of how bad our condition was compared to anyone elses.

It was important for your health to have suitable food. The consequences of being given the choice between harmful food or no food is just as important for diabetics in my situation.

And not all of us (I, for one) have people to come and bring food in.

No idea where you got the idea about only being in hospital due to diabetes as I didn't mention it.
Personally I think you are going a bit over the top with your outlandish statements. There was plenty of food available on the menu shown for you as a low carber to choose from. Just be thankful for a hospital bed and food handed to you on a plate, even if in your eyes there were too many carbs, short term it wont hurt you and as already mentioned try portion control as that will lower the carbs anyway.

 

[navigator]

My Brother is type 2 for several years, and has a mental capacity problem, Due to various "emergencies" he has been admitted via the A&E process, to the same hospital every time. He is often in for more than 5 days so I have seen a variety of menus and meals served to him. The hospital staff know he is T2 as quite often the diabetic care support team visit him each day!
A few years ago the menus were printed on coloured paper, to be issued to patients with specific diet needs.
This changed to plain paper with no diet issues highlighted. My brother cannot read properly or understand the differences so care assistants "helped" him choose. At no time did the diabetics team visit when the menus were issued.
And now the menu system is digitised. The care assistant stands next to the bed/ patient and reads off the menus asking the patient to choose their lunch and the evening meal and the breakfast. No paper is provided.
When the meals trolley arrives the food is handed out by the CA, according to the terminal readings for that patient. At no time is the menu and food issued compared with the patient's needs. And yet with the ability of the system to be fined tuned by the care team, there is every opportunity to "control" the menu choices for the "customer" in line with their needs. But then that is not what the system is used for. Silly me thinking that technology is used to help deliver a better service!!

 

[douglas99]

My Brother is type 2 for several years, and has a mental capacity problem, Due to various "emergencies" he has been admitted via the A&E process, to the same hospital every time. He is often in for more than 5 days so I have seen a variety of menus and meals served to him. The hospital staff know he is T2 as quite often the diabetic care support team visit him each day!
A few years ago the menus were printed on coloured paper, to be issued to patients with specific diet needs.
This changed to plain paper with no diet issues highlighted. My brother cannot read properly or understand the differences so care assistants "helped" him choose. At no time did the diabetics team visit when the menus were issued.
And now the menu system is digitised. The care assistant stands next to the bed/ patient and reads off the menus asking the patient to choose their lunch and the evening meal and the breakfast. No paper is provided.
When the meals trolley arrives the food is handed out by the CA, according to the terminal readings for that patient. At no time is the menu and food issued compared with the patient's needs. And yet with the ability of the system to be fined tuned by the care team, there is every opportunity to "control" the menu choices for the "customer" in line with their needs. But then that is not what the system is used for. Silly me thinking that technology is used to help deliver a better service!!

Posters have argued on this very thread an unmarked menu is better.