Diabetes ?

[catwho]

My dh has recently been diagnosed with diabetes. Currently he does not need to take insulin and has control through his diet. We've never made more than 2 PS's to anywhere for budgetary purposes (we can eat more inexpensively at counter service than sit down) This upcoming trip we have PS's for an AK breakfast. I'm planning on calling ahead of time to discuss the menu. So I'm not concerned with that aspect. My concern is lunches and dinners in the park. (We are staying at HIFS so we will take care of most of our breakfasts ourselves)

I know that I can go and look at the menus at WDWIG, but I thought I would ask for suggestions from others who also follow a diabetic diet what their favorite meals are at what counter services. Have you had any problems finding something to fit into your diet w/o having to make lots of reservations, etc. He needs to avoid pasta. It sends his glucose levels through the ceiling (worse than a bowl of ice cream!!) Pizza is also another thing that doesn't do him well. He has a harder time with starches than with "real" sugars.

We will be visiting all 4 parks so any and all suggestions are appreciated!

TIA

 

[Talking Hands]

There is nothing that a diabetic need avoid including pasta. The trick is portion control. Most restaurants give far too much for a diabetic to eat at any one meal. I often leave food.

No more than 1/2 c of pasta, rice or starchy veggie. And I have been known to tell the waitress exactly that. "Due to my dietery needs please do not serve me more than 1/2 cup of pasta. If you do it will go to waste anyway." Also I share with my dh at times.
One large hot dog cut in half makes a great snack.
Limit starches and eat lots of veggies and salad. Limit meats to 4 -6 oz.

My favorite thing is to get a hot dog and lose the bun. add some fruit. Iced tea or water to drink. (allergic to Nutrasweet so diet Coke is out) An occasional Mickey Bar Not every day. Remember you will be doing a lot of walking which will hold down the blood sugars. TEST TEST TEST.

Have emergency food in case he goes low.

Or I will ask for a burger with no bread and add the fixings. Avoid catsup which is 50% sugar. Mustard is usually sugar free. Dill pickles and onions. Forget the FF. You can ask for it without FF and the price is lower. One order is more than enough for 2 people.

Pizza limit to one slice. Really no fun so I don't usually get it. I want more than 1 slice.

Wait for the Disney trip until he has portion control down in his own mind then leave it up to him. It is his disease not yours and his choice to control it or not. This is really important for any spouse to accept. No one wants their spouse being a constant policeman over their diet like they are a little child.

 

[catwho]

Originally posted by Talking Hands
There is nothing that a diabetic need avoid including pasta. The trick is portion control. Most restaurants give far too much for a diabetic to eat at any one meal. I often leave food.

No more than 1/2 c of pasta, rice or starchy veggie.

Wait for the Disney trip until he has portion control down in his own mind then leave it up to him. It is his disease not yours and his choice to control it or not. This is really important for any spouse to accept. No one wants their spouse being a constant policeman over their diet like they are a little child.

Yes; but I am the family chef so it is MY responsibility to make sure that the foods I prepare are going to meet his needs. I'm also the primary food shopper. I'm the mother. I feed the family even when we go on vacation.

Pasta somehow is just a trigger for him. Even when I have served him 1/2 with a low fat high protein (usually tvp - we eat lots of soy "meats") it will triple his glucose levels. His doctor has been very curious on why it is pasta and not rices or potatoes. Just pasta. Pizza is a bad point because, like you, it is hard to eat just one slice. He finds it better to avoid these foods completely.

 

[Talking Hands]

>Yes; but I am the family chef so it is MY responsibility to make sure that the foods I prepare are going to meet his needs. I'm also the primary food shopper. I'm the mother. I feed the family even when we go on vacation<
Yes you are the mother but NOT his mother. You are his wife and life partner. You need to have food available that meet his needs but that doesn't mean he will eat it or eat the postions he should. You feed the family when you go on vacation. You mean you decide what eat person will eat out at a restaurant or fast food place. If my husband took that choice from me I would go ballistic. I'm an adult and perfectly capable of deciding what I want to eat and I am sure your husband is also. Your husband will never learn to control his diabetes if you make all his decisions.

Btw my husband is the main cook in our house at this point but he asks me my preference on meals. We eat a lot of soy ourselves since both my daughters are vegetarian.

Disney has a great veggie burger.

Diabetes control belongs to the person with the disease. It has to be that way. I've learned this after over 25 years dealing with this and other chronic illnesses. No one can truely make our decisions for us without eventual disatisfaction and resentment. My husband tried to be the controller in the beginning and protect me. Almost destroyed our relationship. Now I control it and quite well with Hb1Ac under 6.0 on last testing. Oh and I do occasionally cheat and eat something I should not but know I have to get back on the program the next day. My downfall is overeating sushi.

If you like miso soup btw the Lounge in Japan has a excellent one. Plus the fast food place in Japan has some great legal food including soba noodles (buckwheat pasta) which may not react the same way as normal pasta. It doesn't with me. Buckwheat has a lower glycemic index than normal pasta. Also more filling than a serving of the same size as regular pasta.

 

[catwho]

Please, I didn't ask for advice on how my dh should handle is diabetes. I asked what were some places that you found meals that work well with diabetes and that you enjoy. How my dh and I have worked out how to handle his dietary needs is up to us. We will work them how we best feel they need to be dealth with. I am just looking for meal ideas from other people who follow a diabetic diet at WDW. So, to get back on what my original question was: What is your favorite meal from a counter service restaurant at WDW?

Thank you!

 

[Talking Hands]

Sorry to offend you with advice from my long years of experience with this disease. Since you don't care for my help I see no point in telling you my favorite meal from a fast food counter as it is as normal as someone without diabetes. Let your husband find his own favoirite meal and figure it out for yourself. Good luck!

 

[BCV23]

Can't help much with counter service ideas as we do full service...it's one of our favorite parts of a Disney trip. Have you checked Deb Will's site for menus for counter service.

Congratulations to your husband for already figuring out that pasta is a trigger for him!

At any rate I'm popping in to your thread for my piece of advice for doing the parks with a diabetic. Always bring some food! My husband and one of our sons are diabetic. My husband never seems to have extreme lows and does not need to be very strict about schedule, etc.. Our son though who developed diabetes as a 6 year old (now 20) is on a strict schedule and twice over the years I've thought I'd pick up fruit at the parks for his mid-morning snack only to find nothing near us open yet. I always carry a piece of fruit now. Little juices or nutrition bars would be easy to slip in a daypack or jacket pocket, too.

 

[Talking Hands]

Oh btw if your husband had asked for help I would have gladly discussed it with him. After all it is HIS DISEASE just as it is MY DISEASE not my husband's.

 

[SueM in MN]

Let's call a truce here.
catwho is trying to make sense of a new situation and Talking Hands gave advice based on long years of experience. You are both trying to do the best, but since catwho only wants advice about food, let's leave it at that.
If you want specific information about food served at WDW, you could try the WDW Executive Chef's Office: (407) 824-5967
They deal with all the menus at WDW (from full service to food carts) and will be able to help with questions about things like breading that you might not think of. Just having a listing of menu items might not help all that much.
In MK, Cosmic Ray's has several counter service restraurants in one place. One serves rotisserie chicken (one of the few places you can get chicken without it being breaded chicken tenders) and you can also find soups and sandwiches there. Also at MK, Columbia House serves soups and often chili. They are served in bread bowls, but he can just not eat that.
A lot of counter restaurants have wraps, which are like club sandwiches served on a thin (like paper thin) bread wrap. He might be able to eat them, since there is very little bread (or he could take them apart and eat just the insides).
At Epcot, The Land is another place that has many counter service places in one eating area. They serve the dreaded pasta, but they also have soups and salads. The Wonders of Life in Epcot has healthy options, so they won't have a lot of things with breading on - they serve turkey wrap sandwiches.

At the Studio, the ABC Commissary serves wraps and chicken yakatori (chicken pieces with vegetables on a wooden stick. I don't know what they marinate them in; could be teriyaki sauce, which would be high in sugar). They also have a vegetabel noodle stir fry that is very good _ I don't know if the noodles are rice noodles or wheat noodles though. Rosies' all American Cafe serves vegie burgers.

At AK, There is a Harambe Fruit market (there are fruit stands all over WDW). Restaurantasoris is basically a Macdonld's with some special menu items. They also have salads. Tusker House has a great rotisserie chicken with garlic masked potatoes and vegetables. They also have vegetarain options. You'll probably want to stear clear of the he Flame Tree barbecue because many of their foods have barbeque sauce.

 

[mamajoan]

Hi, I am insulin dependent and I have only been to WDW once.. hoping to remedy that
However.. I have a few suggestions when "eating out" if that will help.

1. If I use counter service.. I order a kids or reg burger/cheeseburger..no fries. Replace the softdrink with nonfat milk.. that gives me enough carbs. Avoiding deep fried fish and chicken helps me too. Even tho.. I love fish sandwiches...
2. Breakfast at the counter is difficult. No orange juice usually... but I can do the egg sandwich..like a Mc Muffin and coffee.
3. Counter service that has salads are great.. love them. I have to remind myself to get a roll, milk or fruit to get the carbs in the right amount. If I remember correctly MK had a place near Space Mountain that had good salads and soups.
4. Popcorn is a nice carb snack that is available nearly everywhere at WDW.
Remember that he will be using up alot of energy walking so he probably will be able to eat more without shooting his blood sugar up too high.

Pasta's and Chinese noodles will shoot my blood sugars out of whack.. it usually has to do with the amount of fat that is carrying the carb. Over the years I have learned how to adjust my insulin when eating those types of foods. That's how it is with me, everybody is a little different.

Hope I helped a little bit. Have a great vacation!

 

[tink2dw]

You may want to consider Buffet type Breakfast and Lunch that always gave me many more chooses. Testing is a must at WDW. I was a newer diabetic when we went to WDW. Dh was so focused on budget,that he forgot to listen to me when I said I NEEDED to eat.
I had the worst low I had ever had at WDW. I was at 40!

I learn more about Diabetes all the time. I never even thought anything about pasta!! Now I will check myself!! Thank-you for sharing that!!

 

[ReneeQ]

I've been insulin dependent diabetic for 28 years, been to Disney 20 times and been on an insulin pump for 12 years. Due to the insulin pump I have a little more flexibility in what I can eat. But he can find plenty to eat at Disney.

There is fresh fruit available at each park. If you want to keep the carbs down you can order a double hamburger and split it, each getting an opened faced hamburger, and load it up with tomatoes and lettuce, etc. This saves money, too. Most fast food places let you choose fresh baby carrots instead of the fries. As mentioned, there are lots of fast food places that have salads. Some of the ice cream carts also sell a frozen strawberry yogurt bar (though it might have some sugar in it, but it's "better" than a Mickey bar!)

Have a great trip and check sugars often! Take snacks with you into the parks, too.

 

[LindaDVC]

Greetings

I am looking into getting a glucowatch.
My blood always has severe swings especially at WDW due to the extra walking and different routine. I have been told that the watch may not work well in the Florida heat due to perspiration. It supposedly has a sensor that registers perspiration as a sign of BG lowing symptom.

Anyone have more experience with these devices?
If insurance will fund it -- I am ready to give it a try!

When I was diagnosed at age 16 (quite a few years ago) I tried to avoid needing insulin and saw the shot as the enemy! I felt so much better once my dr insisted we needed the insulin but I felt like a failure for awhile............. I just want to share that experience to prevent others from feeling that way if they are not able to control it from diet alone. Now with the pump-- it is so much easier and life is so much more flexible than ever before!

Enjoy the trip !

Linda

 

[aalan]

i'm a type one diabetic who takes 3 shots a day, and have enjoyed many trips to wdw without any major problems. i am sure to always carry granola bars, raisins, or hard candy for those unexpected lows. we do a lot of walking, swimming, and other activities while at the world, so for me i eat more smaller meals more often. i usually split sit-down meals with my wife. i have found also that carbs and over-eating are the enemy, not sugar foods as so many people think.

everything in moderation.

diabetes is different for everyone. what works for one person may not work for another.

i found plenty of good stuff to have at the foodcourts at po and cbr. and all of the parks have good salad, grilled chicken choices, although you may have to search around for them a bit. and you bet i have some dessert occassionally, what the heck, its my vacation!

pass the mickey bar...

 

[sherrie]

I always got a burger or hotdog. I eat 2 carbs at lunch. The cbr has an excellent salad with chicken in it. I am sure there must be carts that have salad items. Don't forget the turkey legs which are everywhere. It's funny about the pizza thing. My Dr. say's it is something about the combination of the ingredients put all together and the sugar in the pizza sauce. I akways take extra insulin on pizza night. Have a great trip. And yes, the walking will definately burn up anything extra your DH consumes. If it shoots high I would take a few extra units. I have been diabetic since I was 4, now 43 and have an a1c of 6.4. Let him cheat a bit afterall it's vacation. Hope this puts you at ease a bit.

 

[catwho]

Thanks everyone for your food suggestions. The other night we were talking about him testing more often (he currently only tests twice a day alternating breakfast/dinner and lunch/bedtime. But we realized that last year (when he may have been diabetic and we didn't know it yet) that he lost 8 pounds in our one week there. So we are going to talk to his doctor before we leave about what to look for.

The meal suggestions are great. I had forgotten about the chili at Harbor house. He loves chili!

Thanks again for the positive suggestions!

 

[BCV23]

I hope you both have a very magical trip!