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Tui diabetic flight meal

I think education is needed around diabetic dietary choices. There’s quite a few approaches to finding the right choices to manage the illness and it would be difficult for airlines to provide meals to suite everyone’s choice. They obviously get their advice from one source and heck, if even my DN isn’t able to offer objective advice to suit my needs, how are airlines to choose what meal to provide? I think it’s the labelling that is inappropriate: “diabetic”, like one title suits all. I am type 2 diabetic, on insulin, and even with my limited knowledge about diabetes, I know that the given diabetic meal was too carb heavy for me, but that is me personally and airlines can’t offer flexibility, due to price restrictions etc. I would chose to take my own food with me, providing what I needed for the duration of the flight and catering to my needs precisely. But it sucks that we feel not valued enough to be catered for- there’s some stigma attached to diabetes, I believe. I can’t help but think about the girl who recently died on a flight due to her severe reaction to nut allergy. I wonder, if I was that’s girl’s parents, that I wouldn’t carry such guilt for not providing food specifically for her needs, and her sandwich was purchased in the airport terminal and didn’t have “not suitable for nut allergies “ on the packaging. What you expect is not necessarily what you get, i’m saddened to say.
 
Just to add a thought, some people are afraid of flying in a plane, maybe a first trip, or a seasoned traveler but still gets the heebeegeebee's and maybe, they may like some carbs to ease their worry and anxiousness. My daughter has a fear of flying and is so scared :bigtears::nailbiting::nailbiting::nailbiting:
 
dancer said:
Comfort food?
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So psychological not physical comfort? Other ways to relieve stress than food.

To be clear I’m not against carbs being available but would like to see non carby food available too, in sufficient quantities to be classed equally as a meal. They do it for vegans, vegetarians etc. Maybe a more mix and match/build a meal approach would work
 
Not long haul, but just back from Tenerife with TUI and took my own food on the flight out. Small plastic container with a couple of M&S cheese portions, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, and mini M&S dark chocolate bar. The grandchildren have asked me to make them one each next time we fly.
 
An airline meal would be basically impossible for me, as I don’t eat meat, dairy or carbs. Unless they could do a meal of eggs, fish, nuts and leaves...
 
Fruitella said:
Not long haul, but just back from Tenerife with TUI and took my own food on the flight out. Small plastic container with a couple of M&S cheese portions, cherry tomatoes, walnuts, and mini M&S dark chocolate bar. The grandchildren have asked me to make them one each next time we fly.
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Often harder to do on the return leg unfortunately depending on how accessible/understandable local shops and food is.
 
I haven’t got a problem with it but IMO it’s not much different to the standard meal the standard chicken meal was 8.2g carbs the diabetic 7.5g they had the same wholemeAl bread roll same crackers but I had no cheese and the oat bar at 23g of carb I would say would be similar to the very small chocolate pot on the standard meal so as people as said it is designed for type one it was just a trial for me will probs buy something before I go.one problem I have found no one can tell you what they are serving like it’s a secret surely it’s the same meal they serve all year I emailed to ask and Tui passed my email to someone else so will see what the reply is
 
dancer said:
Comfort food?[/QUOTE]

Hi Dancer, that's what I thought, so I asked my daughter, her friend and my older friend, none have diabetes and they choose carb meals. I have read posts on member's eating out of comfort and it hasn't been eggs and bacon, pork scratchings or a salad, even though these are all very nice.
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Elaine p said:
I think education is needed around diabetic dietary choices. There’s quite a few approaches to finding the right choices to manage the illness and it would be difficult for airlines to provide meals to suite everyone’s choice. They obviously get their advice from one source and heck, if even my DN isn’t able to offer objective advice to suit my needs, how are airlines to choose what meal to provide? I think it’s the labelling that is inappropriate: “diabetic”, like one title suits all. I am type 2 diabetic, on insulin, and even with my limited knowledge about diabetes, I know that the given diabetic meal was too carb heavy for me, but that is me personally and airlines can’t offer flexibility, due to price restrictions etc. I would chose to take my own food with me, providing what I needed for the duration of the flight and catering to my needs precisely. But it sucks that we feel not valued enough to be catered for- there’s some stigma attached to diabetes, I believe. I can’t help but think about the girl who recently died on a flight due to her severe reaction to nut allergy. I wonder, if I was that’s girl’s parents, that I wouldn’t carry such guilt for not providing food specifically for her needs, and her sandwich was purchased in the airport terminal and didn’t have “not suitable for nut allergies “ on the packaging. What you expect is not necessarily what you get, i’m saddened to say.
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Elaine, I think you are right. I wonder what the airlines or anyone else thinks is a suitable 'diabetic' meal, I am guessing they think simply of the 'sugar' something contains, it makes no sense to just discount the carbs because carbs ARE sugar as we all know. To produce a 'specialist' meal for anybody with a condition (ie an allergy or gluten issues) they remove the nuts or use non gluten ingredients etc, but what do they discuss when they sit there thinking of a 'diabetic' meal? If they are being told anything with no (or low) sugar then to me, that is not far off from poisoning people or seriously misleading them! Dramatic I know but either produce a proper meal or stop saying here you go, this is suitable for you as a diabetic thus implying the meal is actually good for you. I do NOT believe we all have to be catered for to the extent that a person with a life threatening allergy must but please, can they just stop describing p. poor meals as 'diabetic' and serving them up as though they were some sort of elixir.
 
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