Type 1: Eating Out - Nutrition guides

[Kirstine]

Just wondered if any of you has experienced issues with the carb figures quoted in restaurants?
I ask as a couple of weeks ago my family went into our Wetherspoons and checked the nutrition guide. My son had a burger, chips, onion rings and chocolate cake for dessert. The figures they quoted were ridiculously high and I did what I thought it should be (half of what they quoted) - which turned out to be right for my son. I have emailed Wetherspoons and they insist their figures are correct - despite me telling them the serious consequences of what could have happened if I had given injection based on what they quoted. They have sent me a couple of gift cards as a goodwill gesture but I think they are missing the point.
Anyone else had issues like this?

 

[SWUSA_]

Just wondered if any of you has experienced issues with the carb figures quoted in restaurants?
I ask as a couple of weeks ago my family went into our Wetherspoons and checked the nutrition guide. My son had a burger, chips, onion rings and chocolate cake for dessert. The figures they quoted were ridiculously high and I did what I thought it should be (half of what they quoted) - which turned out to be right for my son. I have emailed Wetherspoons and they insist their figures are correct - despite me telling them the serious consequences of what could have happened if I had given injection based on what they quoted. They have sent me a couple of gift cards as a goodwill gesture but I think they are missing the point.
Anyone else had issues like this?

Yes, but here in the USA carbs are reported net of fiber and so I have experienced a larger than expected rise in BG sometimes. So sort of the opposite of your discovery of over assessed carbs I think some here are understated.

 

[azure]

@Kirstine I had a quick look at the nutritional info for a few of those items and yes, they do look high. I don't know how big their portions are though. You definitely did the right thing assessing it yourself.

Perhaps you could ask them where/how they got their information?

I'm going to move this to Type 1 for you in the hope you get responses from people who've eaten there

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Kirstine I had a quick look at the nutritional info for a few of those items and yes, they do look high. I don't know how big their portions are though. You definitely did the right thing assessing it yourself.

Perhaps you could ask them where/how they got their information?

I'm going to move this to Type 1 for you in the hope you get responses from people who've eaten there

Please don't assume that this problem is restricted to Type 1s.

 

[azure]

Please don't assume that this problem is restricted to Type 1s.

I haven't Any Type 2s on basal/bolus who've encountered similar problems are welcome to,comment here

 

[Jaylee]

I haven't Any Type 2s on basal/bolus who've encountered similar problems are welcome to,comment here

In that case I'll tag in @Daibell

I don't do these places to be fair. Not keen on the "atmosphere"..
@Kirstine could it be that your son had a "kids menu?" Thus lower portions of carbs calculated in the general menu nutritional guide...
Fair play on sussing the bolus out for it though!

 

[azure]

Check out the nutritional info on their website @Jaylee The cake (if I looked at the correct one, of course) does seem rather high.

 

[col101]

Had a similar experience in weatherspoons with a gammon meal. My sense is probs vary a lot so where the carbs are easily identified like chips I estimate myself. I find the guides more useful for spotting hidden carbs like soups thickened with flour or potato. Glad you were alert and sotted it though like you say the consequences don't bear thinking about otherwise!

 

[Jaylee]

Check out the nutritional info on their website @Jaylee The cake (if I looked at the correct one, of course) does seem rather high.

Hello!
Thanks I will. But to be honest. I don't do "cake". Lol, not even my wedding cake. though I did have it designed to to my own spec. Basically to look like my Jap import van.. Missing out? Nah, I get to drive the real thing..!

Edit; anyone gotta link to the nutrition value so we're all singing from the same "hymn sheet?"

 

[Daibell]

In that case I'll tag in @Daibell

I don't do these places to be fair. Not keen on the "atmosphere"..
@Kirstine could it be that your son had a "kids menu?" Thus lower portions of carbs calculated in the general menu nutritional guide...
Fair play on sussing the bolus out for it though!

Hi. I've not come across this problem before. I trust the figures McDonalds give and so far seem OK. I'm actually a T1.5 on B/B but this affects all of us

 

[Juicyj]

I ate a pasty today from a Co-op garage, I looked up the nutritional information online as the packet didn't give the weight of the product and I didn't want to guess the carb content for my bolus - I thought this was too high, by about 15g so ignored the advice given, I was glad that I did as I came back down to 6.9mmol/l a few hours later, if i'd taken the full bolus based on the carb content give I would of certainly had a hypo.

I think the nutritional information given by some restaurants/food outlets does need to be taken with a pinch of salt (pardon the pun) and gut instinct needs to tell you if it's right or not - or look up carbs and cals to see what their guesstimation is, when you are relying on this information to administer your insulin it can be like playing with fire.

 

[Jaylee]

I ate a pasty today from a Co-op garage, I looked up the nutritional information online as the packet didn't give the weight of the product and I didn't want to guess the carb content for my bolus - I thought this was too high, by about 15g so ignored the advice given, I was glad that I did as I came back down to 6.9mmol/l a few hours later, if i'd taken the full bolus based on the carb content give I would of certainly had a hypo.

I think the nutritional information given by some restaurants/food outlets does need to be taken with a pinch of salt (pardon the pun) and gut instinct needs to tell you if it's right or not - or look up carbs and cals to see what their guesstimation is, when you are relying on this information to administer your insulin it can be like playing with fire.

My wife works for a pet treat & toy company.. All products are natural & have any nutritional info on the packaging & website..
However, a recent change of "supplier" regarding one particular product has thrown up a slight change in the NV ratio. Which needs to be reflected in a reprint on the packaging &'amendment to the website..
The point is? Not everyone has an ethical keen eye for such things.. These things can (understandably.) get overlooked..

As I found out about her day at work over tea... (Yarp, I listen.)

I'm just glad my "harping on" about too many carbs for dogs has sunk in with the wife too.. Lol

 

[Juicyj]

My wife works for a pet treat & toy company.. All products are natural & have any nutritional info on the packaging & website..
However, a recent change of "supplier" regarding one particular product has thrown up a slight change in the NV ratio. Which needs to be reflected in a reprint on the packaging &'amendment to the website..
The point is? Not everyone has an ethical keen eye for such things.. These things can (understandably.) get overlooked..

As I found out about her day at work over tea... (Yarp, I listen.)

I'm just glad my "harping on" about too many carbs for dogs has sunk in with the wife too.. Lol

There should be a red flag system for reporting these companies who issue incorrect information - human consumption only though Jaylee, wouldn't like to get your wife in trouble !

 

[Jaylee]

There should be a red flag system for reporting these companies who issue incorrect information - human consumption only though Jaylee, wouldn't like to get your wife in trouble !

I would agree.. But as I said it was the same product from a different supplier which due to a different processing at source caused this discrepancy in the NV.
It caused her a headache. But was swiftly amended...
You'd be surprised how many of the customers closely monitor their dogs diet...

 

[noblehead]

The figures they quoted were ridiculously high and I did what I thought it should be (half of what they quoted) - which turned out to be right for my son.

Well done @Kirstine for using your own initiative

The carb value in eating establishments is always going to be a rough figure as it depends on the portion size served, I've eaten in places like Weatherspoons and got more or less chips/potato's than the previous visit so just work out the carb value myself as you did with your son.

 

[rockape37]

Even some shop bought foods can be way out. I had 2 muller rice pots last night and ended up with a high bg of 15.8, i did calculate the 180g pot correctly but ended up doing 2 corrections totalling 13 units. Could be me of course but to save getting a high bg and more visits to the toilet i shall avoid them.

The Toby carvery nutritional info seems to be quite accurate i have to say.

Regards

Martin

 

[TorqPenderloin]

My son had a burger, chips, onion rings and chocolate cake for dessert. The figures they quoted were ridiculously high and I did what I thought it should be (half of what they quoted) - which turned out to be right for my son.

I'm going to be the one to say it...it doesn't matter if they made their food EXACTLY as the nutritional info stated, that meal is going to cause a ton of issues for ANY type 1 diabetic.

I'm curious to know why you'd assume the carb numbers are incorrect?
How many injections did he have to give himself?
What were his 2 AND 4 hour readings?

That meal has to be somewhere around 3000 calories. You can't realistically expect to give yourself 1 injection for a meal like that because it's going to take hours for your body to digest that many calories.


Edited by a mod to amend language

 

[Diamattic]

I typically check for nutritional guides when out (as I am sure we all do) and also do my best to avoid any high carb food due to those guides usually being very LOW.

I have found that whenever i order anything with fries, the restaurant always give you more fries then is quoted in the guides. Same thing for anything that have breading, its always been heavier IME.

I will see fish and chips, the guides will tell me its around 90g of carbs, and it is usually on the low side and I end up injecting a correction around 2-3 hours post meal as my sugars will be higher then I would like had I bolused correctly the first time.

From this, as some pointed out above - whenever eating a meal I did not prepare myself I always do my best to eat as low carb as possible to avoid inaccuracies. If I am only eating 20g of carbs, how wrong can you be? The answer is a lot less wrong then when you're eating 100g lol

 

[Kirstine]

In that case I'll tag in @Daibell

I don't do these places to be fair. Not keen on the "atmosphere"..
@Kirstine could it be that your son had a "kids menu?" Thus lower portions of carbs calculated in the general menu nutritional guide...
Fair play on sussing the bolus out for it though!

He had an adult meal, burger with breaded chicken, fries and onion rings.

 

[Kirstine]

I'm going to be the one to say it...it doesn't matter if they made their food EXACTLY as the nutritional info stated, that meal is going to cause a ton of issues for ANY type 1 diabetic.

I'm curious to know why you'd assume the carb numbers are incorrect?
How many injections did he have to give himself?
What were his 2 AND 4 hour readings?

That meal has to be somewhere around 3000 calories. You can't realistically expect to give yourself 1 injection for a meal like that because it's going to take hours for your body to digest that many calories.


Edited by a mod to amend language

He did one injection after eating, his 2 hours after was absolutely fine and checked again before bed.