Diabetic diet vs Gluten Free

I have been type II diabetic for the last 10-15 years, so I have to avoid white bread, rice & pasta.  Yet, it is probably less than 1 in 20 restaurant menu that makes any effort at accommodating this requirement on their menu.

In comparison, most restaurants offer gluten free options, for an affliction that actually impacts a much smaller portion of the population (I am sorry, I do not count the self-diagnosing crowd).

tomcat said:

I have been type II diabetic for the last 10-15 years, so I have to avoid white bread, rice & pasta.  Yet, it is probably less than 1 in 20 restaurant menu that makes any effort at accommodating this requirement on their menu.

In comparison, most restaurants offer gluten free options, for an affliction that actually impacts a much smaller portion of the population (I am sorry, I do not count the self-diagnosing crowd).

 Restaurants that claim to have gluten free options often are not very careful with their procedures to prevent cross-contamination. I have a wheat allergy. I initially self-diagnosed but some months later, an allergist confirmed it. I am not going to die if I eat wheat, but I will be sick for days. It's over 20 years now. 

Having some options is really special, but like you, I have to avoid pasta, bread, etc. Gluten free choices for them are getting better, but they are not "good." My standard meal when I go to a restaurant is chicken with vegetables. Pretty boring stuff, but what are you going to do? It's why I prefer to eat at home. Eating out is always a crap shoot for me--never know whether I am going to be sick for days. 

And yes, I was that sensitive before I became gluten-free, just didn't know why I was sick all the time, especially around holidays when there was a bounty of baked goods. My family knew that if it was the holidays, I'd be in bed. Am I celiac? I don't know and it doesn't really matter because I am never going to eat wheat again, and that's the only way to test for it. 

You don't need to avoid white bread, rice, and pasta when you are on a diabetic diet.  Everything gets turned to sugar in the body anyway.  The important thing is to watch your calories and eat a balance of starches, fats, and protein so that your blood sugar level remains where you need it throughout the day.  A consult with a therapeutic dietician will help you design the optimum diet for you.  When eating out, portion control is much more important that avoiding starches altogether.

I dated a guy with type 2....never had any problem at any restaurant...he could eat white bread, rice, pasta in limited amounts.  At an Italian place, he would get something like chicken with pasta and only eat a little of the pasta.  I could take the rest home.  You can also ask that they substitute the pasta due to your 'disability' and give you extra vegetables instead.

I eat very low-carb due to pre-diabetes -- almost no bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, desserts, etc. There are a few lower-carb pasta and bread alternatives, but you're right, I never see them in restaurants. (They're not low enough to keep me under my daily limit anyway.) I constantly ask for a salad or extra vegetables instead of whatever potato, pasta or pilaf is offered with my dish, and am almost never refused. 

If I know I’m going out, I contact the venue beforehand and talk with the chef, explaining my challenges. These days most places have some kind of menu online, not always the latest version, so that’s the first thing I check. I explain that I know they’ll be very busy and I don’t want to be a nuisance, however I do react badly to most basic food chemicals. Most grains are out, most plants are out.  Usually we manage to find something simple that can be modified, although I’ve once paid over $20 for 2 eggs scrambled with water and 1slice of GF toast (cousin’s birthday party, had to attend, didn’t know cost until leaving). A few times I’ve had to bring my own food to eat cold (they can’t reheat or plate), or had reactions for a few days when they’ve tried to trick me (I’ve reported back!), but I’ve never had to use my epipen. 

Hubby is on 3x diabetes shots daily and doesn’t manage his diet well. However we’ve always found that, similarly, we mention beforehand he’s allergic to garlic and he’s diabetic, and the kitchen will reduce the fat content of his meal. Where possible, healthier mixes of grains are switched in, smaller potatoes etc. He doesn’t notice, he’s happy with the meal and company. 
We tend to have smaller portion sizes here than in the US anyway. 

Oh, and although they say a menu item is GF, that doesn’t mean it’s served GF: the kitchen is nearly always contaminated, so the best they can promise is ‘low gluten’. Same for those of us with hypo-allergenic requirements. You have a better chance of diabetic needs being met, once they’re mentioned.  

It is not that I can't eat white bread/rice/pasta, but I shouldn't.  And, when I stick to my diet, I can stay off the meds.

• My favorite local sushi restaurant does offer brown rice option.
• My favorite Chinese take-out does too.
• However, very few sit-down restaurants offer whole wheat pasta as an alternative, and forget about the rice.
  
• French Fries are not officially off the list of allowed foods, but I have ruled them out in order to keep the weight down.  It is a surprising number of restaurants, which offer no alternative to the FF.

tomcat said:

It is not that I can't eat white bread/rice/pasta, but I shouldn't.  And, when I stick to my diet, I can stay off the meds.

• My favorite local sushi restaurant does offer brown rice option.
• My favorite Chinese take-out does too.
• However, very few sit-down restaurants offer whole wheat pasta as an alternative, and forget about the rice.
  
• French Fries are not officially off the list of allowed foods, but I have ruled them out in order to keep the weight down.  It is a surprising number of restaurants, which offer no alternative to the FF.

Well, I can't eat wheat bread or pasta. I can't eat Chinese food at all, which makes me sad. I won't eat French fries because they are fried in the same fryer as breaded chicken, etc. It makes me a pathetic dinner guest. I certainly wouldn't want me as a fellow diner. But, I try not to make a big deal of it and if I am with people that don't know, I ask the wait staff very quietly. 

See, to me that’s really interesting: our local Japanese and local Chinese will serve brown rice or quinoa instead of traditional white rice if requested. The Japanese has also a lovely range of traditional soba noodles (buckwheat instead of wheat) and others made of tapioca flour. Lovely in soup with heaps of veg and protein.  Mixing the sources of fibre and starch helps to keep the GI content low while allowing one’s metabolism to handle the energy conversion. 

I’ve been told that one of our local Italian restaurants can serve GF pasta. They’ll also serve prearranged dietetic meals for diabetics and for people with swallowing difficulties, as the owners’ families understand these needs firsthand. 

Many places offer whole wheat and gluten free pasta, they just don’t have it posted online. 

If you avoid grains and stick to protein and vegetables, unless you’re GF like Marylago and I you can probably just ask about the sauce. Haven't been since they moved but Boccone would happily make me grilled or sautéed salmon with spinach or veggies instead of the way it’s offered on the menu. Most places offer a side salad or other alternative to fries. 

It might benefit you to see a nutritionist. there’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding healthy diet for many health issues. I’m sorry you have an issue that you can actually control with proper diet, but to criticize GF people, when some of us can get seriously ill from a very small amount of flour or soy sauce, seems unnecessary. 

shh said:

Many places offer whole wheat and gluten free pasta, they just don’t have it posted online. 

If you avoid grains and stick to protein and vegetables, unless you’re GF like Marylago and I you can probably just ask about the sauce. Haven't been since they moved but Boccone would happily make me grilled or sautéed salmon with spinach or veggies instead of the way it’s offered on the menu. Most places offer a side salad or other alternative to fries. 

It might benefit you to see a nutritionist. there’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding healthy diet for many health issues. I’m sorry you have an issue that you can actually control with proper diet, but to criticize GF people, when some of us can get seriously ill from a very small amount of flour or soy sauce, seems unnecessary. 

 oh, c'mon. GF is largely B.S.,( along with MSG allergies and probiotics).

Sure some people are sensitive or worse (celiac), but I bet more than 90% of the "self-diagnosed" can eat gluten just fine. And frankly, they're kind of annoying.

(sorry - been holding my tongue for days)

drummerboy said:

shh said:

Many places offer whole wheat and gluten free pasta, they just don’t have it posted online. 

If you avoid grains and stick to protein and vegetables, unless you’re GF like Marylago and I you can probably just ask about the sauce. Haven't been since they moved but Boccone would happily make me grilled or sautéed salmon with spinach or veggies instead of the way it’s offered on the menu. Most places offer a side salad or other alternative to fries. 

It might benefit you to see a nutritionist. there’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding healthy diet for many health issues. I’m sorry you have an issue that you can actually control with proper diet, but to criticize GF people, when some of us can get seriously ill from a very small amount of flour or soy sauce, seems unnecessary. 

 oh, c'mon. GF is largely B.S.,( along with MSG allergies and probiotics).

Sure some people are sensitive or worse (celiac), but I bet more than 90% of the "self-diagnosed" can eat gluten just fine. And frankly, they're kind of annoying.

(sorry - been holding my tongue for days)

Then you really (really) don't want to hear about my other allergies... I really (really) wish you were right. I really (really) do. I would love to have a nice almond croissant or a good crusty bagel, but sometimes just walking in the bread aisle makes me a little nauseated. 

marylago said:

drummerboy said:

shh said:

Many places offer whole wheat and gluten free pasta, they just don’t have it posted online. 

If you avoid grains and stick to protein and vegetables, unless you’re GF like Marylago and I you can probably just ask about the sauce. Haven't been since they moved but Boccone would happily make me grilled or sautéed salmon with spinach or veggies instead of the way it’s offered on the menu. Most places offer a side salad or other alternative to fries. 

It might benefit you to see a nutritionist. there’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding healthy diet for many health issues. I’m sorry you have an issue that you can actually control with proper diet, but to criticize GF people, when some of us can get seriously ill from a very small amount of flour or soy sauce, seems unnecessary. 

 oh, c'mon. GF is largely B.S.,( along with MSG allergies and probiotics).

Sure some people are sensitive or worse (celiac), but I bet more than 90% of the "self-diagnosed" can eat gluten just fine. And frankly, they're kind of annoying.

(sorry - been holding my tongue for days)

Then you really (really) don't want to hear about my other allergies... I really (really) wish you were right. I really (really) do. I would love to have a nice almond croissant or a good crusty bagel, but sometimes just walking in the bread aisle makes me a little nauseated. 

 My comment wasn't meant for you. You clearly have issues and I do not mean to diminish them, and I sympathize with what you have to do to deal with them.

drummerboy said:

 oh, c'mon. GF is largely B.S.,( along with MSG allergies and probiotics).

Sure some people are sensitive or worse (celiac), but I bet more than 90% of the "self-diagnosed" can eat gluten just fine. And frankly, they're kind of annoying.

(sorry - been holding my tongue for days)

 Oh really, you know this for a fact? 

I don’t know too many people who would willingly give up gluten for fun or fad. I gave it up over five years ago after having some recurring issues that basically went away. It causes inflammation. So for me joint pain, eczema, other skin issues and more. Recently I discovered I can’t eat cheese either. And I have issues with wine. 

Trust me, this isn’t fun, but it’s not made up and I’d sooner eliminate things from my diet than take anti-inflammatories or any other medication. What you eat has an effect on your overall health. I’d sooner sacrifice what I eat than my health. Ive seen older people’s health decline because they’d sooner take meds than change their diet.