Diabetes and Food

Since When Did Restaurants Become Dictators?

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It really annoys me how arrogant restaurants are getting these days. Gone are the good old days where you could ask for what you wanted and businesses would happily cater to you. Here in Canberra, and even more so back home in Perth, the culture seems to be more and more of “this is what we’re giving you, take it or leave it.”

Hell, some of them don’t even seem to care whether you stay or leave. And a lot of them seem keen to kick you out the minute you’ve finished eating, quickly whisking away the plates and asking if you want to order desert. 

And last night’s dining experience in Canberra would have to top them all. The restaurant where we went for dinner with the family was one of the most bizarre places I’ve ever eaten in. Some of the things I had to hear in that restaurant were beyond a joke.

We wanted to order some bruschetta for a shared entrée, and my brother asked the waitress how many serves came on the dish. “It doesn’t really come in pieces. Its just one big piece, it’s not meant for sharing,” she replied. We got it anyway, figuring that we could just cut it up.

I overheard the large table behind us requesting a jug of soft drink, to which the waitress replied “we don’t do jugs, we only serve soft drinks by the glass.”

My sister also ordered a Pasta dish, and specifically requested it without Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, as she normally does. “Is that because you’re allergic?” The waitress asked, to which my sister replied “No, I just don’t like it.”

When I thought about this bizarre question my sister was asked, I remembered something odd that I had seen on the front page of the menu. I had struggled to understand what it meant up until then. It read something like:

“We will cater to allergies, but otherwise menu dishes cannot be changed.”

I could really empathise in this situation. I don’t significantly restrict my diet choices when I eat out. And I think a big part of that reason is because there aren’t a lot of restaurants that make me feel comfortable enough to ask for special requirements. It’s a big part of the reason why I’ll opt for table water rather than asking if there is a sugar-free beverage other than diet coke. And it’s a big part of the reason why I’ll shy away from sandwiches rather than asking if I could have multigrain bread.

Look, I’m not asking for a huge diabetes-friendly-carb-free-sugarless menu here. Part of the reason I do go out is to enjoy some of the foods I don’t get to have on a daily basis. But it would be nice if they could make an effort with some of those smaller things. Things that I know other health conscious people would appreciate, too. It would be nice if I could just ask a simple question without getting the third degree.

Melbourne seems to have the right idea. Walk into any of their laneways. Walk onto Lygon Street. You’ll quickly be greeted by a sea of restaurant owners vying for your business. They’ll ask you what you like, and they’ll make you some of those too-good-to-refuse offers. Like a free glass of wine, or a three course meal for $30. It’s a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. I feel comfortable, I have a great time, and I actually want to go back there.

But when I see restaurants who make a big deal over silly things like dinner condiments and drinking glasses, it makes me more inclined to stay home. And if that’s what eating out has become, then I’m sorry but I’ll have to leave it.

Friday Feelings

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I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Fridays.

Its my favourite day of the week, obviously. Waking up to my 6am alarm one last time followed by my speedy 40 minute routine of making the bed, getting dressed, having a slice of toast, a quick coffee and a brief catch up with the Twitter world before heading out the door by 6.40am. All to be followed by two days of being able to sleep in, take my time at the breakfast table and enjoy a leisurely morning.

I also look forward to Friday because its the day I normally deviate from my small home coffee with Equal sweetener and my semi healthy lunch of toast, fruit, nuts and tea. On a Friday its a large cappucino with 2 sugars from the coffee shop near work. At lunch time I’ll head to the food court where it’ll be something like coffee and a muffin or a burger and chips. If I’m feeling really generous, I’ll also grab an Iced Coffee, Boost Juice or Marvellous Creations chocolate bar. But it never seems to be able to end at the food court.

When I get home in the afternoon, I go through my usual motions of opening the cupboards and fridges. I don’t often have anything to eat in the afternoons these days. I’ve been eating junk food in the afternoons for most of my life, and I guess opening all the doors is just a habit that’s stuck with me. However, when I do this on a Friday, I can still taste the salt in my mouth or sugar on my tongue. Its a lasting reminder of the temptation that I indulged in today. A reminder of how I’ve thrown today out the window. Its justification enough to indulge in whatever is lying around in the cupboards – potato chips, lollies, chocolate or biscuits. I’ll think to myself, “why not.” I’ll think to myself, “the diet starts tomorrow.”

The worst part about all this is that I usually spoil my appetite for dinner (and probably Saturday morning brekky too), and I pay the price for it when I wake up and check my blood sugar levels on Saturday morning.

So, after indulging in some tempting food choices today, I’m sitting here at my desk this afternoon with my semi healthy coffee and nuts, writing about it. I’m hoping that today will be a better Friday, and a better start to the weekend.

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A Day’s Worth of (Healthy) Drinking

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I’ve developed some pretty healthy drinking habits since I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. AND I’ve maintained them. Carb loaded drinks rarely tempt me in the same way that food does. And my favourite thing about healthy fluids is that they help me to bridge the gap inbetween meals when I am tempted to snack.

My day has to start with a coffee. I’ve become a bit of a coffee snob since purchasing a coffee capsule machine a few months ago, and this is now the only coffee I will drink. A single shot of espresso topped with around 200ml of Reduced Fat Milk and 1 equal sweetener tablet.

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Most days I stick to one coffee, although on Fridays I am frequently found guilty of buying a large cappuccino with 2 sugars. It also doesn’t help that the coffee shop outside work is currently doing happy hour free coffee from 2 to 3pm this month!

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I used to drink Cordial before I was diagnosed with diabetes, mainly because I didn’t really like the plain taste of water. However, now I only drink water with my meals. The purpose of a drink at the dinner table is to wash down my food, rather than for the taste. And I usually go through 2-3 glasses at dinner, which adds up to a lot if its got carbs in it too. I figure that if I’m going to have a flavoured drink, I’ll do it at a time where I’ll be able to enjoy it. I also have a water bottle on me throughout the day to keep me hydrated, although I find I am drinking less now that its Winter.

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I usually drink tea throughout the day, particularly as a distraction when I’m feeling peckish. Which is pretty ironic, considering I used to make fun of Mum and Dad for always having cuppas. It went something like “How can you feel like having a scathing hot cuppa when you first wake up?” And now I’ve become the biggest cuppa person. I drink Lipton black tea or Twinings English Breakfast, with 1 equal tablet and some milk.

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For the occasional afternoon treat it’s usually a can of Coke Zero. I wasn’t a huge soft drink person before diabetes. But funnily enough, Coke was one of the first things I demanded after I was diagnosed with diabetes in hospital. At most I might have it once a week, maybe more often during the Summer and when I eat out. The best thing about Coke Zero is that I can drink the whole can and not feel guilty about all the sugar. And, I’ve converted the family over to the dark side too! I can hardly notice any difference with regular Coke, although many (non-diabetic) people disagree, telling me they need the full sugar hit. And yes, I’ve heard all the horror stories about Coke. Believe me, in moderation you’ll be fine.

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And finally, alcohol. I hardly drink any alcohol compared to other people my age. Probably just a glass of wine or shot of liquor on special occasions. My drink of choice would be a glass of white wine with dinner and a shot of Baileys Irish Cream with dessert. I only wish my doctors would believe me.

Doctor: “Do you drink alcohol?”

Me: “No, very rarely.”

Doctor: “I can ask your Mum to step outside and you can tell me the truth.”

Me: “Really, that’s the truth.”

Doctor: “I’ll just put down a glass of wine with dinner.”

I know its hard to believe, but this is really all that I drink on most days. Now if only I could be this good with my food…

Diabetes and Vices

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Last Thursday morning, I finally willed myself to set the alarm for 4am and join in the Great Britain Diabetes Online Community Twitter Chat (#gbDOC). And I gotta say I wasn’t disappointed.

The topic was diabetes and vices. When I think of a vice, I instantly think of a bad habit. Something I use as an outlet to let off steam. Something that’s hard to break away from. Something that’s not good for me. So what is my main vice? Emotionally fuelled comfort eating. On a day where my diabetes management isn’t going well, my emotions take over my rational thinking. And I’ll eat. And eat. And eat.

The thing that fascinated me most was just how many other people’s vices were also food related. So why do I turn to food as my main vice? I think its a simple case of not being able to have those treats all the time with diabetes. It makes you want them more. Its like saying to a child ‘you can’t play with that toy.‘ They’ll end up wanting it more. They’ll chuck a tantrum. They’ll tell you they hate you. And they might even plan a rebellion to take it from you when you’re not watching. So bad blood sugar levels will give me the perfect excuse to turn towards those treats. Chocolate, potato chips, ice cream, lollies and biscuits. I’ll think to myself, ‘I’m trying so hard not to eat those foods and I’m still high – so what’s the point?’

Someone suggested that we weren’t being open enough about our non-food related vices. Well, that was an easy answer for me. Short answer: anger, shouting, slamming and punching. Long answer: read my post last week on Three Stages of Dealing With Hypo Grief (and trust me, its a good read!).

I think that if I didn’t have diabetes, my vices would be completely different (and perhaps not so food-related!) They might be things like drinking. Smoking. Gossiping. Swearing (well, I still do that sometimes…) But diabetes is such a big part of my life. I deal with it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. I think about it when I wake up. When I’m at work. When I’m eating. When I’m sitting in front of the telly. Even when I stir in the middle of the night. So, naturally, I have vices against my diabetes rather than other aspects of my life.

And, if my blood sugar levels were perfect 100 per cent of the time, I don’t think I would have any vices at all!

Join the Great Britain Diabetes Online Community Twitter Chat every Wednesday night at 9pm (GMT+1) by following the #gbDOC hashtag on Twitter.

Recipe: Chunky Steak Pies

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Today’s post is inspired by the Foods on Friday prompt during Diabetes Blog Week. It was one of my favourite topics to read and write about, and yet I’m disappointed that I haven’t included more food posts on this blog. Food is actually quite a big part of my life and my diabetes management, and I do cook often at home.

With Monday being a Public Holiday, I volunteered to cook lunch at home. It was a pretty quick decision, which is very unusual for the indecisive person that I am. But I felt like having pies, so that’s what I decided to make.

I made these using Pie moulds, and to be honest that part of the recipe is damn time consuming. If you want to save yourself a lot of time, you could probably just line a baking dish with Shortcrust Pastry and pour the filling into there.

The filling has a beautiful sweetness from the tomatoes, savouriness from the steak and bacon and a nice thickness thanks to the flour – it was just perfect if I may say so myself. It does have a rich flavour, so I don’t recommend going overboard on the Salt.

This recipe makes 15 individual pies, which will probably give you enough for leftovers (and hopefully a break from cooking) the next day.

The pastry does contribute a significant proportion of carbohydrates and fat towards the pie, so I would recommend sticking to a serving of one with a side of salad or vegetables. There’s also a good source of protein and iron from the meat, for sustained energy.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 can diced or crushed tomatoes (approx. 400g)
  • 2 rashers bacon, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1kg rump steak, diced
  • 2 cups water
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 tsp fresh Thyme leaves
  • 3 sheets Pampas 25% reduced fat frozen Shortcrust Pastry
  • 3 sheets Pampas 25% reduced fat frozen Puff Pastry
  • 15 pie moulds or a medium baking dish

Method:

  1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over high heat and fry onion and bacon for 3 minutes or until softened.
  2. Add steak and cook for 5 minutes or until well browned.
  3. Add tomatoes, water, flour and thyme and bring to the boil.
  4. Reduce to a medium low heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes or until sauce thickens.
  5. Place Pastry sheets on the bench to thaw for 5-10 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
  7. Cut rounds from the Shortcrust Pastry to line the Pie moulds.
  8. Divide steak filling evenly between Pie moulds.
  9. Cut rounds from the Puff Pastry to cover the Pie moulds. Pierce the edges with a fork to seal.
  10. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Nutrition Information:

(estimate per pie)

  • Carbs: 36g
  • Fat: 10g
  • Glycemic Index Estimate: Medium