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Turkish food

cally

cally

Well-Known Member
Messages
232
Location
United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Does anyone have any info on the carb contents of foods found in restaurants when on holiday in Turkey?

I have been before but made some big errors last year when trying to estimate carbs/eat low carb.
 
I think it's always difficult eating out abroad. In Turkey, there are obvious things to avoid if you're low carbing like rice which they have a lot of, and breads. They also use a lot of chick peas I believe, which are low GI but quite high in carbs, about 20grams per 100. Hummus is also quite high in carbs; just two tablespoons is typically 5 grams carbs. Not sure about their sauces, but I imagine added sugar. You either need to avoid the obvious, or say "hey, I'm on holiday" and relax a bit. Or have some extra rations of alcohol to cover the carbs!
 
I'm sure they will vary but 'traditional' white Turkish bread had a GI of 87. (17g carb in 30g of bread)Wholemeal Turkish bread was lower at 47 (16g carb in 30g bread)
 
Thank you..
I think maybe the food was so tasty that I just ate far too much of it! Particularly those meze(s)?
I did avoid the obvious things like bread and rice but a lot of things I just didn't have a clue what was in them.
Eating big meals late at night didn't help the situation much but it was too hot to eat much in the daytime.

But you are right and maybe I do need to relax and enjoy the different tastes, after all it's only for two weeks!
and I am sure I will be having some extra rations of alcohol to enjoy with it!
 
Cally, I have been to Turkey and had no problem eating low carb, I ate kebabs without the wrap, they do lots of one pan 'fry ups, eg flash fried meat with peppers, onions and tomatoes, lots of fresh charcoal grilled fish with vegetables, aubergine dishes with that. In restaurants, just ask what there is in the particular dish, explain that you cant eat potatoes, bread, rice or pasta or whatever, if you want to have bread go for the very thin like bread, called lavaş. It depends how low carb you want to go.
You could have a some hummous as well. its low GI. Kebab or koftas, baba ganoush with lots of veggies/salad. YUM in a minute I''ll come on holisay with you :lol:

Just enjoy your holiday, make sure you keep your insulin cool and be prepared for the heat.
All the best x
 
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