Out with mum for a cuppa question?

[SandrafromOZ]

Hi good people, took my dear mum out this morning to visit doc and do some errands, well we went into local cafe and we both had skim milk latte's BUT we actually shared a date scone with a miniscule bit of margarine...my question is can I still enjoy the occasional half a date scone or are they to be avoided? I find it very hard to believe the things that I used to enjoy are now out of reach for me, do you eventually learn to cope better..dont know what to do as far as snacks especially when I get the kids home from school and they are hungry? I love oranges, apples, yogurt etc what are some good snacks to keep the hunger pangs at bay until tea time?

Thanks again

Sandra
xx

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Sandra,

It's rather grim if you can never have a treat like a scone in a coffee shop, ever again. I know that these things can spike me quite badly, but occassionally share one if I can offset it with some exercise (by walking home afterwards).

For other snacks I use peanuts, drinking yoghurt and meat (meatballs, cocktail sausages).

S

 

[CarbsRok]

Hi Sandra,
Scones are very high carbs so have a treat by all means but scones would be best avoided I would have thought.

 

[Grazer]

There are 2 aspects to this Sandra. The scone will give you a spike in all likelihoods, but you can argue "would an occasional spike harm me"? The answer is probably no. HOWEVER, this is a bit like a smoker trying to give up and saying "would the occasional fag harm me"? Probably not, but one fag becomes 2 and so on.
I think that as diabetics, we need to think like smokers and alcoholics - AVOID the things we like that we know are bad at all costs. Carb addiction is as bad as any other. It's a bit different for people on insulin. One of the only advantages they have is that they can inject to allow for such treats. You can't. Not that I envy insulin-takers.
I try to think like someone with a nut allergy. They aren't allowed to weaken and have an "occasional peanut butter sandwich"
For snacks, I eat a lot of snacks. I have one apple every day. i have one satsuma every day. Sometimes I have some strawberries or raspberries. I OCCASIONALLY allow myself one or two small squares of chocolate - suprisingly, quite low GI. I do this as a reward if I do a lot of exercise. I occasionally have an Atkins daybreak bar. Even if you ignore the "net carbs" hype it's still only about 8 grams carbs for the bar max, and low GI. They never move my BG. Some say the polyols (which are used to replace the sugar) can give you tummy upsets, but I think probably only if eaten in large quantities. never affect me like that, and they are nice. A cold hard boiled egg is a nice snack. As is a few prawns or cockles - do you get cockles? Small clams, often pickled. If I'm out, and in a cafe, I normally just moan and say no, or have a bag of nuts, or my own treat I've bought with me (tell the cafe owner it's for diabetes, they never moan. Too scared to)

 

[lovinglife]

a medium plain scone has about 60g of carb - a date one would be higher because of the fruit content - I have had on a rare occasion a half of the bottom half of a plain or cheese scone with butter - but only if I am planning a walk afterwards.

I always have a small bar of green & black 85% choc im my bag so if I feel like something sweet with my coffee when out I can have a couple of squares of that - I know this maybe difficult for those who love chocolate but I can take it or leave it so its easier for me to just carry a bar about.

I try not to snack but sometimes find around an hour before my dinner I am in the high 3's very low 4's - to avoid going lower or getting a liver dump just before my meal I will have 2 small carrs water biscuits or other small crackers - there are lots of crackers out there that are 2.5g carb each and a slice of cheese.

The only real way to know if you can tolerate any treats is to test before and after and if you are happy with the results then you know its ok to indulge now and then.

I don't have a sweet tooth so never really ate biscuits/cakes/chocolate anyway but I appreciate it must be torture to have to give those up for ever if you loved them before - sometimes a planned small treat cna keep you on the straight and narrow - total abstinance can be a recipe for disaster for some - (me included - I loooove savoury pastry! :lol

 

[WhitbyJet]

Always have cold meats, boiled egg or even a tub of low carb sandwich filler, a lump of cheese, nuts.
You could also prepare low carb muffins or cakes and freezing slices.
The thing is to be prepared for when a snack attack strikes.
Would have thought the latte was quite carby as well, all that lactose in the milk?
Don't worry though things really do get easier as time passes and even cravings disappear eventually.
Just make sure you have plenty protein and fat to help keep you fuller for longer.

 

[hanadr]

Having a share of something tasty is a good way of keeping the carbs down. T1 husband and I share a croissant at Costa Coffee every now and again. Incidentally, I have whole milk latte, because the proportion of sugars is less than it is in the skimmed and the cream is NICE as well as not bad for bg.
Hana

 

[phoenix]

Having a share of something tasty is a good way of keeping the carbs down. T1 husband and I share a croissant at Costa Coffee every now and again. Incidentally, I have whole milk latte, because the proportion of sugars is less than it is in the skimmed and the cream is NICE as well as not bad for bg.
Hana

Though if you're looking at calories the 'small' whole milk latte has 151 compared with 86 for the skimmed, the difference in carbs is 1.3g (11.3, 12.6)
http://www.costa.co.uk/media/22159/Drin ... -Apr12.pdf

I agree sharing is good, we do it sometimes on long walks/rides planned to stop midway at somewhere that does nice home made cakes, BG is normally suitably low and I have the rest of the walk to use up the fuel. (not often though, there aren't any tea shops.. nor coffee shops where we live, bars don't sell food outside mealtimes, the lack of temptation makes things simpler)

 

[Grazer]

You're right of course Phoenix, but as someone on an insulin pump you are in a slightly different situation to the original poster here. Exercise of course lowers the BGs, and on a pump you're base levels of BG are probably pretty good most of the time I would think, but our newly-diagnosed original poster on diet only probably needs the exercise to get BGs down to normal, so sadly I don't think she should be thinking it's ok to eat some cake every time she goes for a walk. I know that's not quite what you said, but us cravers can interpret things in different ways to suit our desires sometimes!

 

[noblehead]

Having a share of something tasty is a good way of keeping the carbs down. T1 husband and I share a croissant at Costa Coffee every now and again. Incidentally, I have whole milk latte, because the proportion of sugars is less than it is in the skimmed and the cream is NICE as well as not bad for bg.
Hana

Don't you find those Costa Coffee shops rather expensive Hana? I stopped in one with my wife about 2 years ago and it was £4 for two coffees :shock:

 

[the_anticarb]

If you want something naughty, I find choux pastry, eg an eclair or a choux bun, is not too bad carb wise. Seems a lot less dense than scone -type things. And the cream is pretty much carb free!

 

[Anonymous]

Don't you find those Costa Coffee shops rather expensive Hana? I stopped in one with my wife about 2 years ago and it was £4 for two coffees :shock:

I think Costa is not too bad - some of the fru fru coffee shops around here are more expensive. Worst I ever had was over £10 in a cotswold tea room / bookshop :shock:

 

[SandrafromOZ]

Hi everyone and thanks so much for your ideas. I do love the cold hard boiled egg, yummy! Grazer, we do not have cockles down here in Australia. Plenty of fresh prawns which I love!

We heading to the UK in late June as my hubby is british (he was born in Derby). We will be visiting his relatives in Chesterfield and Derby area. Can not wait as I dearly love England, we have been twice now.

I have had my cup of tea and think that soon I will be off to bed as it is getting pretty late here. Have a visit tommorow afternoon that has something to do with my diabetes care plan which my doc has to sign of on. Will let u know how it goes.

I dearly love hearing from you all, it helps me alot

Sandra

 

[phoenix]

You're right of course Phoenix, but as someone on an insulin pump you are in a slightly different situation to the original poster here.......

well I thought I was agreeing with Hana about sharing, the difference in carbs between half a croissant and half a piece of cake are negligible but never mind :***:

 

[Grazer]

You're right of course Phoenix, but as someone on an insulin pump you are in a slightly different situation to the original poster here.......

well I thought I was agreeing with Hana about sharing, the difference in carbs between half a croissant and half a piece of cake are negligible but never mind :***:

I wasn't having a go at you. It's the general "eat cake" thing. If you look at this part of the post,

I know that's not quite what you said, but us cravers can interpret things in different ways to suit our desires sometimes!

I was pointing out it's easy for us weak mortals to interpret "a bit of cake is OK" in different ways. Also, the size of some of the portions of cake in these tea shops are enormous. I would imagine half of one of the wedges I've seen would be a lot more than half a croissant.

 

[phoenix]

Thank you for your explanation. I have to say I'm not convinced that you weren't getting at me since I was as I said agreeing with Hana. Maybe I'm just paranoid.
I notice that you say

It's a bit different for people on insulin. One of the only advantages they have is that they can inject to allow for such treats.

I don't take any insulin as a bolus for carbs on long walks and turn right down and sometimes suspend the basal. As I said I use the fuel to walk back again. You may not know that glucose can get into a cell without insulin during exercise.

Also, the size of some of the portions of cake in these tea shops are enormous. I would imagine half of one of the wedges I've seen would be a lot more than half a croissant

I don't know about the slices of cake you see, my visits to tea shops are as I said limited so it doesn't happen often. A normal slice of victoria sponge has 33 carbs which as I said is about the same as a Costa croissant.

 

[xyzzy]

I have to say I'm not convinced that you weren't getting at me since I was as I said agreeing with Hana. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

No don't be paranoid Phoenix its just that sometimes you're very hard to make out. Everyone I hope believes you make a brilliant contribution to this forum except sometimes we T2's think you see things too much in plain "high tech" T1 terms especially with all the exercise and stuff you do. Something simple like cake is a very dangerous subject psychologically speaking for some people. So although I think Grazer was right to call you out on the cake issue I also respect your views and opinions enormously. I can have it both ways and will :lol:

 

[Grazer]

I don't know about the slices of cake you see, my visits to tea shops are as I said limited so it doesn't happen often. A normal slice of victoria sponge has 33 carbs which as I said is about the same as a Costa croissant.

You must have mean cake shops in France. I won't dwell on this any more, but a butter croissant in my guide has 26 grams, and an "average" slice of victoria 33grams. Trouble is, in the garden centres and cafes I go to, no cake is "average" - they can charge more by making them bigger. And yes you can walk them off, but from what I hear, one of your "walks" would be equivalent to a trek over the Andes for some of us less fit mortals. We need the walk we do to get our BGs down without the share of a Shrek style slab of cake.
Shan't say any more - you're too intelligent for me oh great oracle! And thanks for your help on queries in the past. You always have a scientific reference up your sleeve somewhere!

 

[Paul1976]

Don't you find those Costa Coffee shops rather expensive Hana? I stopped in one with my wife about 2 years ago and it was £4 for two coffees :shock:

I think Costa is not too bad - some of the fru fru coffee shops around here are more expensive. Worst I ever had was over £10 in a cotswold tea room / bookshop :shock:

I grew up near the cotswolds and would agree the Teashop prices are sky high but I guess they're marked up for the many foreign tourists that frequent them.
Costa coffee as you say isn't the worst-Starbucks I've found is **** coffee at BIG prices!