Type 1 diabetes and carbs

[Belle4mygrl]

Why won't disney provide carb counts? We have been 3 times since dd5 was diagnosed 12/08. The first time we had one great Chef who came out and followed us around the buffet. She would only tell us what had flour, sugar, and etc. No carb counts for desserts. Other than that nothing. So the following 2 visits we didn't ask for any help.

Who can we talk with about helping get this out there?

Yes, we have been able to wing it but it would be helpful and safer for our kids to have a correct carb count.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I would love to know the same thing. If places like McDonald's, Burger King, Ruby Tuesday, etc can all give carb info, why not Disney?

We survived by guessing, but we did have some wicked highs and lows.

It just strikes me as odd that they can provide info on gluten, nut allergies, and such, but not carbs.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Places like McDonald's have everything arrive from corporate already made and portioned. There is absolutely no variation in portion sizes or amount of an ingredient in any of their foods.

WDW does not work like this. Portions may have variations, especially at buffets or family style dining places where people can dish out as much or as little of a food as they'd like. In addition, chefs have a bit of discression to add a bit more or less of an ingredient when cooking. There's no way to accurately state a portion size for non-packaged or pre-prepared foods. There's no way to accurately state nutritional information when recipes can be changed slightly from day to day.

Knowing if a food contains a certain ingredient or not is a very different thing from knowing exactly how much of the ingredient is contained in the dish.

 

[Ericandjenng]

I'm not diabetic but I've had gastric-bypass surgery which means I eat much different than the average person--very low carbs, very high protein. I was surprised how diificult it was to eat the way I needed to at WDW. I spent alot of time eating sandwiches without the bread and that kind of thing

Have you checked Allears.net to see if they have any additional info?

 

[melancholywings]

IHOP doesn't offer information for their entire menu - and even though I think that sucks because there are so many places with much more complicated menus that offer full information (like Famous Daves and Red Robin) - it's at least something. Disney should add in a few healthier meals that have the information.

 

[SanFranciscan]

Since other non-Disney restaurants have already been mentioned here, I feel okay mentioning a buffet which does tell which foods are low in carbohydrates. I was in Fresh Choice earlier this week. It is self-service with labels over the food saying which are low fat, which are low carbohydrates, and which are vegan. I was impressed.

I do think that Disney will soon be giving out carbohydrate information about its restaurants. With the population aging there are more and more people on low carbs diets that have nothing to do with weight loss attempts for vanity's sake, and Disney theme parks are a popular destination for seniors with or without the children and/or grandchildren so supply and demand forces are taking shape here. Even if diabetes were the only health reason for carbohydrate-counting, diabetics are 8-10% of the population; and that number is rising. Those are not numbers Disney wants to lose while people bring our own food into the park to accommodate our medically-necessary diets.

 

[SueM in MN]

Places like McDonald's have everything arrive from corporate already made and portioned. There is absolutely no variation in portion sizes or amount of an ingredient in any of their foods.

WDW does not work like this. Portions may have variations, especially at buffets or family style dining places where people can dish out as much or as little of a food as they'd like. In addition, chefs have a bit of discression to add a bit more or less of an ingredient when cooking. There's no way to accurately state a portion size for non-packaged or pre-prepared foods. There's no way to accurately state nutritional information when recipes can be changed slightly from day to day.

Knowing if a food contains a certain ingredient or not is a very different thing from knowing exactly how much of the ingredient is contained in the dish.

Those are the reasons that WDW has given when people wrote or called asking for the information.
They did give out carb counts at some point in the past, then people reported that they were told WDW would no longer give the counts for "liability reasons". Not sure if that means there actually was a problem that they decided it was too 'risky' to give out or not, but they stopped.

I'm not diabetic but I've had gastric-bypass surgery which means I eat much different than the average person--very low carbs, very high protein. I was surprised how diificult it was to eat the way I needed to at WDW. I spent alot of time eating sandwiches without the bread and that kind of thing

Have you checked Allears.net to see if they have any additional info?

Allears doesn't have any specific carb counts, but does have a very good information page by badshoe. Do be aware that some of the information is a couple of years old, so some of the estimates they have for carbs may no longer be correct.

 

[Schmeck]

Aren't there little carb-counting books people can get to take with them? I'm sure a dietician or doctor's office would have them.

 

[SueM in MN]

Aren't there little carb-counting books people can get to take with them? I'm sure a dietician or doctor's office would have them.

Yes, there are and there are also apps for iphones and ipods.
But, to use them, you still need to know how big the portion is and if what you have doesn't quite match what is in the book, you have to estimate.

Plus, there may be things added that you are not aware of about the food - like I have 2 loaves of bread in my house right now. One is wheat bread at 15 gm of carb per slice. The other is another type of wheat bread at 18 gms. Both loaves are the same size and the slices are the same size, so there is something else in there that makes the difference.
That won't make a difference to me because I am not diabetic, but for someone with diabetes, that amount might, especially if all the foods for that meal are 'off' by a similar amount.

So, although people can estimate carbs, it's easier to keep track if the carb counts are given.

 

[daneenm]

IHOP doesn't offer information for their entire menu - ...

Have you tried the Restaurant Nutrition App for the iPhone? It is an app with chain restaurant information. We don't ever visit iHOP (not one close to us), but I recall that last week when I updated, iHOP was added to the list. I gave it a cursory glance just now and it looks to have all of the sections that the iHOP menu on-line has.

The app is free, or at least it was when I downloaded it the first time a year or more ago. Hope that is helpful.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Aren't there little carb-counting books people can get to take with them? I'm sure a dietician or doctor's office would have them.

I do have that, and it did help some. However, with Disney, you still have to guess quite a bit. Variations in ingredients can make a big difference.

My son is 2, and we calculate carbs for his insulin rather than any kind of sliding scale. Being off by a few carbs here and there can make a huge difference in what happens with his blood sugar.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Places like McDonald's have everything arrive from corporate already made and portioned. There is absolutely no variation in portion sizes or amount of an ingredient in any of their foods.

WDW does not work like this. Portions may have variations, especially at buffets or family style dining places where people can dish out as much or as little of a food as they'd like. In addition, chefs have a bit of discression to add a bit more or less of an ingredient when cooking. There's no way to accurately state a portion size for non-packaged or pre-prepared foods. There's no way to accurately state nutritional information when recipes can be changed slightly from day to day.

Knowing if a food contains a certain ingredient or not is a very different thing from knowing exactly how much of the ingredient is contained in the dish.

IHOP doesn't offer information for their entire menu - and even though I think that sucks because there are so many places with much more complicated menus that offer full information (like Famous Daves and Red Robin) - it's at least something. Disney should add in a few healthier meals that have the information.

Plus, there may be things added that you are not aware of about the food - like I have 2 loaves of bread in my house right now. One is wheat bread at 15 gm of carb per slice. The other is another type of wheat bread at 18 gms. Both loaves are the same size and the slices are the same size, so there is something else in there that makes the difference.

Looking at all of these responses I also think of Florida's extremely strict Truth In Menus law. One time, a few years ago I was at a large mall food court and noticed a deli had a sign advertising "Hebrew National Kosher Style Hot Dogs" (bolding added by me). I asked the person behind the counter if there was something that had suddenly changed about Hebrew National. He pointed out that since they also cooked other foods, including pork products, on the same grill as the hot dogs, as soon as the hot dogs touched the grill they became (according to strict Rabbinical law) non-kosher and the law required them to be advertised that way.

So, as Disney has many suppliers, and sources do change, as well as the variances mentioned above, posting of carb counts would probably lead to technical violations of the Truth In Menus laws.

 

[Schmeck]

Yes, there are and there are also apps for iphones and ipods.
But, to use them, you still need to know how big the portion is and if what you have doesn't quite match what is in the book, you have to estimate.

Plus, there may be things added that you are not aware of about the food - like I have 2 loaves of bread in my house right now. One is wheat bread at 15 gm of carb per slice. The other is another type of wheat bread at 18 gms. Both loaves are the same size and the slices are the same size, so there is something else in there that makes the difference.
That won't make a difference to me because I am not diabetic, but for someone with diabetes, that amount might, especially if all the foods for that meal are 'off' by a similar amount.

So, although people can estimate carbs, it's easier to keep track if the carb counts are given.

So how is Disney going to be able to count the carbs any better than the person who is eating the food? Assuming everything is made from scratch each time it is made, it's going to be different, so how would they know exactly how many carbs they just put on a plate?

 

[SueM in MN]

So how is Disney going to be able to count the carbs any better than the person who is eating the food? Assuming everything is made from scratch each time it is made, it's going to be different, so how would they know exactly how many carbs they just put on a plate?

That is Disney's arguement.
But, Disney at least has an idea of what ingredients are in the food.
For example, I was reading something from the past where Disney chefs used to go around with diabetic guests and give carb count estimates. The person posted that one food (I think it was a potato dish) that you would nit expect to have sugar did.

I was not aware of the strict Truth in Menus Law that Cheshire Figment posted about, but that might well be the reason WDW no longer gives carb counts.

That is Disney's arguement for not giving carb counts.

I was not aware of the strict

 

[clanmcculloch]

Disney at least has an idea of what ingredients are in the food.
For example, I was reading something from the past where Disney chefs used to go around with diabetic guests and give carb count estimates. The person posted that one food (I think it was a potato dish) that you would nit expect to have sugar did.

I believe if you request it, chefs will go around with diabetic guests and explain things like what kinds of ingredients are included in dishes. Knowing things like which dishes have added sugar or maybe a higher protein breadcrumb (I'm making this up but I do know that some brands can have added gluten which will increase protein and decrease carbs) or knowing that there's a significant amount of lemon or whatever else isn't obvious can help people more accurately estimate their own carb counts because they can increase or decrease the estimates based on this info. Chefs will help out in the ways that they're permitted. They do know ingredients for allergy purposes so they can also easily share ingredients for other purposes. Guests are still responsible for estimating their own nutritional information though.

 

[melancholywings]

Have you tried the Restaurant Nutrition App for the iPhone? It is an app with chain restaurant information. We don't ever visit iHOP (not one close to us), but I recall that last week when I updated, iHOP was added to the list. I gave it a cursory glance just now and it looks to have all of the sections that the iHOP menu on-line has.

The app is free, or at least it was when I downloaded it the first time a year or more ago. Hope that is helpful.

That is good news. I don't have an iPhone yet but I'm glad they are putting the information out there. All these other restaurants in our area give such amazing information - and IHOP is so half hearted. DD loves to eat breakfast there.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

Thanks for the insight.

Ok now I understand about buffets. But what about counter service where items are portioned out?

 

[SanFranciscan]

That is good news. I don't have an iPhone yet but I'm glad they are putting the information out there. All these other restaurants in our area give such amazing information - and IHOP is so half hearted. DD loves to eat breakfast there.

I ate at IHOP yesterday. On the back of the menu there was IHOP For Me, which listed the counts for calories, carbohydrates, fat, and sodium. They had their disclaimer there saying that these were estimates formed in lab testings, but the companies selling in supermarkets would say the same thing about their food. Maybe this particular restaurant is the exception because it is on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco; and I think we attract an older crowd here, who are, of course, much more likely to be on special diets.

 

[knieriem]

Calorie King has a great small book that I carry around with me. Not only does it have a lot of the popular restaurants but it also has basic food items. I know that estimating portion sizes are hard but it gets you closer than pulling a number out of the sky.

Another suggestion I have is eating a lot of low carb items when there. Don't eat fries and things with lots of carbs in them. A lot of times you can get apples as an alternative to fries.

Having T1 and going to Disney is a pain but you can make it work! Have fun!

 

[LisaTC]

Unfortunately without accurate counts, I find my rule of thumb is when in doubt leave it out. No bun, no potatoes, no pasta, no desserts. I get my carbs from fruit -- which is closer to estimate and find data on and whole grains, beans, etc. It's hard when your in your 40's and misery when you are a small child. I have much empathy. I feel for him. If you are even in doubt, use the palm of his hand for things like a piece of bread of amount of pasta to be safe, 4 oz of juice, etc. Good luck! Check out:

http://www.dlife.com/diabetes-food-and-fitness/what_do_i_eat/eating_out/rondinelli_oct06

May be more geared to adults...
Here's one from kids health:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/diabetes_center/diet_nutrition/eating_out_diabetes.html