Diabetic Menu

Wife just found out she has type 2 diabetes. We are currently booked on the October 29th sailing of Empress of the Seas. Does Royal have a diabetic menu? Thanks for the responses.

Wife just found out she has type 2 diabetes. We are currently booked on the October 29th sailing of Empress of the Seas. Does Royal have a diabetic menu? Thanks for the responses.

No, there is no specific diabetic menu, but you can ask for things to be adjusted anyway she needs. My DH is also diabetic and he just orders from the regular menu.

Has your wife met with a nutritionist yet? My DH and I both went to a nutritionist for diabetic teaching after he was diagnosed. It helps immensely! Once she figures out what she can each and can't and what she should eat with what, she will be able to work any menu. Good luck, it is a scary diagnosis at first.:)

Rccl does not have a diabetic meal; but at lunch and supper you can get sugar free deserts in the dining room & at the buffet.

Thanks for the replies. DW and I are going to diabetes education after we return from the cruise.

Contact the "special needs" dept...call RCI....they will work with her on appropriate foods! No worries!

If you can go to the education class before the cruise you'll make better meal choices. Remember sugar free isn't calorie or carb free. You really need to limit carbs with type 2

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Thanks for the replies. DW and I are going to diabetes education after we return from the cruise.

Hi Pete. As mema said it can be a bit of a scary diagnosis, but your wife will be all the healthier for it. I was diagnosed almost 6 years ago and went to a nutritionist who specializes in diabetic counselling. It changed my life. I lost 45 pounds, my blood pressure dropped, and I started walking in the mornings.

I wonder if there is any way she can go to the class before your cruise? I say this because it will help her to make informed decisions while on board. In my experience, not everyone is proficient in helping you make good decisions - that's why I wonder if you can go to this course as soon as possible. You will learn that it is not specifically the "sugar", per sé but the carbohydrates which turn into sugar in the body. I mean, indeed there are sugar-free desserts on the ship but they still have carbohydrates. A head waiter or maitre' D might suggest she not have the chocolate cake but feel free to indulge in one or two of the sugar-free desserts. This is bad advice, so it's really important that she be in control of her eating decisions.

Don't panic as this is not a death sentence. As I said, she is going to be much healthier from now on and that is a plus. :) Please don't worry.

.

I am an Insulin-dependent Type 2 Diabetic and I find it easy to order off the main menu.

The main thing you need to remember is to use common sense and stay off the breads, soda and fruit juice (both very high in sugar) - the V8 juice they serve is a vegetable juice and has a much lower sugar content. The Diabetic Educator will reassure her that it's not the end of the world. True Diabetic Diets are so boring, it's easier to modify your own normal diet.

In saying that, personally I find Red Wine has no effect on my BSLs - so not all is lost! :p

If she can't get dietary counseling prior to the cruise, find out from her doctor the range of carbs she is permitted each day and have her carry a small carb counter so she can be aware of what she is consuming. It might be best for go with plainer foods - e.g., grilled chicken or steak and steamed veggies and avoid sauces that could contain hidden carbs. She'll do fine and will gain confidence as time goes on.

^ Absolutely. It's easy to order a plain chicken breast and a double portion of steamed veggies in the dining room. I actually find eating in the buffet is easier. A lot of people think I'm crazy, but there I can choose exactly what I want. For lunch I have a big salad with added protein (kidney beans, cold chopped chicken breast, yum!), and I even can make myself a sandwich (1/2 sandwich using one piece of multigrain bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, pickles... yum again!). I choose the unsweetened iced tea and use the yellow sweetener. I feel satisfied when I leave, not deprived. :)

I'm a type 2 diabetic and I eat less than 20 carbs a day. I eat low carb, high fat. I brought coconut oil, and Postum. I added butter and cream and had bullet proof Postum in the mornings and they have an egg station that will prepare custom made omlettes. If you tell the MaitreD, they will show you the menu for the night before and let you prepare a head of time so you can order low carb food. There are a lot of options on board to eat low carb. Here is a website to help you, dietdoctor.com/lchf

I didn't have any issues ordering off menu....also after emailing RCI I was told it is fine to bring things not available onboard such as Ocean Spray diet cranberry or diet tonic. I brought 8 pks of small bottles in a backpack with luggage tag. The bartenders were perfectly generous with giving me shots to add to my diet mixers!

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Consider an app called Carbs Counter. Tracking carbs and calories gave me an awareness that went a long way in helping me to overcome my T2 issues...

Like others have said, order off the menu. Be mindful of carbs in sauces and breads, soda etc...

I always ordered a plate of veggies with dinner. I would tell them what I dont like and they would put together a small plate. On my last cruise, by night 4 (of 9) my family was ordering veggies on the side too

Also, be aware that alcohol is problematic as not only are they sugars but most mixers, especially those in frozen drinks as they are loaded with sugar. If your wife cannot get to a nutritionist before she goes, I will tell you what I tell my patients: two drinks per day max and one or none is even better, drink only when eating, use diet soda (tonic water also has an amazing amount of sugar) or tomato juice as mixers or drink wine or low carb beer. I am realist when it comes to eating, as moderation is easier to do than depravation.

If you can go to the education class before the cruise you'll make better meal choices. Remember sugar free isn't calorie or carb free. You really need to limit carbs with type 2

 

 

Choosing the right foods or amount of food to eat is the important thing. There is no true public diabetic menu any where. I tried a couple of airlines "diabetic" food, if you can call it that, and for me it was as bad for me as Macdonald's french fries.

13 years diabetic. i went to classes. I eat better than I have in years. And

wear a fitbit to keep track of my steps. i exercise every day. The ships has walking /running tracks which would be nice to have hear at home.

I even walked the halls late at night on the ships to get my steps in. Guess what I see others doing the same thing.

I prefer the buffet because I can get fruit and vegs. there . I am not into fancy foods any way.

I use Loseit.com to count my calories and fitbit to keep track of my steps and exercises. Lost 45 pds. She will always be a diabetic but keeping it under control is a must.

have fun on your trip

I'm a type 2 diabetic and I eat less than 20 carbs a day. I eat low carb, high fat. I brought coconut oil, and Postum. I added butter and cream and had bullet proof Postum in the mornings and they have an egg station that will prepare custom made omlettes. If you tell the MaitreD, they will show you the menu for the night before and let you prepare a head of time so you can order low carb food. There are a lot of options on board to eat low carb. Here is a website to help you, dietdoctor.com/lchf

This is how I eat as well. I won't be bringing supplements on my cruise, but I do intermittent fasting at home, so will probably skip breakfast.

Well, if the OP wasn't able to get in to classes yet it's likely too late, but for others in their shoes I would really have recommended getting in to a class.

When DH had his diagnosis I called everywhere and found a local hospital that did drop in classes. They also worked with our insurance for meters; we dropped everything and went there immediately.

It gives you more confidence. I don't know how type 1 people feel, but type 2 seems so impossible at first because it's ALL in the choices. Unless you, like one person on this thread, use insulin, if you make a poor choice you just have to wait out the high blood sugar. If you're like DH you can feel the difference and it's miserable. (Doc thought he had type 1 initially because his sugars were so high when he had never had even borderline before...but it turns out that free 20oz sodas at work were like death for my husband's system, and he found that out inside a few months of indulging)

As you can see from this thread, people's bodies work differently. Two eat a higher fat diet. While a version of that works for DH, if he told his educators that they would faint. His mom has been restricted from fats. (Her diet doesn't work at all but then she forgets what she eats, barely reads English, and only looks for the word "sugar" and can't remember "carbohydrate", so she's in an impossible situation). DH never ate a sugar substitute. He found that certain sugars destroy him and other sugars in moderation are fine. (Can't have anything based on corn syrup, but cane sugar is no issue)

A few years after changing his diet to moderation and eliminating corn syrup based sugars, without taking medication apart from the shot of insulin the diagnosing doc gave him and one week on metformin, he's not diabetic. Not saying that always happens, but he never would have gotten here without the classes.

And for the first month or two we hated food anyway. I was afraid to cook and he was afraid to eat. I can't imagine going on a cruise! I hope you've managed to read enough that you're feeling ok-ish about it.

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This. This is the single most important statement a newly-diagnosed Type 2 diabetic needs to learn and live every day.

 

I remember when I was diagnosed; the nurse practitioner tells me "just eat smaller portions" overall. Since I live on the web (smile), it took less than a half an hour to determine that is incorrect, and the American Diabetes Association is full of ..... Period.

 

Limit your carbs -- which is potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, cereals AND SUGAR. You don't need any of those to exist.

 

Eliminate the sugar. Alcohol. You don't need any of that to exist.

 

Choose lower-carb fruits: strawberries, blueberries, apricots. And Limit the daily intake

 

Choose non-starchy veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans. Spinach. Kale. Lettuce

 

you can actually turn your life around and reverse Type 2. I know, I did it.

 

There's tons of info on the web about this. Note: I'm not a doctor and I know everyone is different, but at the beginning of this process do not rely on what one person tells you!!! Do your own research, figure out what works for you.

 

But don't go the "i'll only have a small piece of cake" route. It simply doesn't work.

 

Laur

Add to your list sauces and salad dressings contain carbs and sugar. OP should request no sauces or sauce on the side to control intake. If fat free sugar free salads dressing aren't available OP should request Olive oil and vinegar or lemon wedges.

Wife just found out she has type 2 diabetes. We are currently booked on the October 29th sailing of Empress of the Seas. Does Royal have a diabetic menu? Thanks for the responses.

My husband's a diabetic. All my siblings are diabetics. Sadly, this is a topic I know.

First, realize that if your wife does absolutely nothing /follows her usual diet for a one-week cruise, it's not going to be a make-or-break thing. No, I'm not saying she doesn't need to learn how to eat for her condition, or that diet isn't important -- I'm just saying that she didn't develop this condition just yesterday, and one week isn't the end of the world.

The people who say you should go to the diabetic eating class are 100% right. That class did us more good than any other single thing. Yeah, it was the same material we'd read ... but hearing it and going through the practice exercises (i.e., comparing half a dozen brands of yogurt to see which was lowest in carbs) really helped. But THE BEST THING about the class was that each individual met with the diabetes educator individually and came away with an eating plan tailored to his or her specific needs. For example, a plan might specify that your wife'll eat breakfast at 7:00 and should have 5 carbs as a part of that meal ... then lunch at 12:30 including 6 carbs ... dinner at 6:30 including 8 carbs ... and a no-carb bedtime snack at 10:00. Once she knows exactly how many carbs she should have throughout the day, she'll find it tedious at first to monitor the carbs, but she'll catch on quickly.

Keep in mind that diabetes is NOT about limiting sugar. It's all about carbohydrates -- bread, rice, pasta, and sugar. Sugar carries more carbohydrates than anything else calorie-for-calorie, so that's why people mistakenly think it IS diabetes. She should eat a bit of carbohydrate throughout the day, but she should keep it in moderation.

With the cruise coming up so quickly, here's a list of quick suggestions to keep things moderate:

- Protein typically isn't a problem for diabetics, so she can have all the meat (and eggs) she wants. She should be careful of sauces and breading, which can add carbs.

- Likewise, she can have all the vegetables she wants. Again, beware of sauces and dressings.

If you remember nothing but those two above rules, she can eat well during the cruise. Just make a plate of meat and vegetable, and all will be okay. Continuing:

- On the other hand, fruit carries a bigger carbohydrate footprint than vegetables. It's okay in moderation, and fruit might be a good dessert.

- A sandwich (or piece of pizza) packs a big carbohydrate punch. Consider half a sandwich or a slim piece of pizza paired with a green salad. Or wrap her favorite sandwich ingredients in a piece of lettuce.

- At home you can experiment with low-carb pastas (Dream-something is a good name brand), but they're more expensive, so I'm sure the cruise line doesn't use them. It's best to avoid big plates of spaghetti or ravioli on board. No pasta salad, no big plates of mac-and-cheese, no bread next to your meal.

- Potatoes -- especially white potatoes -- are absolute kryptonite to a diabetic. While you're learning how to eat, it's best to completely avoid them. This includes french fries and potato chips.

- Beware of casseroles. They can so easily be full of hidden ingredients.

- Deserts are usually high in carbohydrates -- even sugar free desserts. To put it in perspective, a typical piece of cake has 30 carbs, whereas a large green salad has only 2.

- Between meal snacks tend towards carb-y. Nuts and cheese are safe no-carb snacks.

- Be careful not to drink your carbs. Water, of course, is best ... but sugar-free iced tea (okay to use artificial sweetner). Beware of fancy mixed drinks, but white wine or rum-and-diet Coke is low-carb.

Again, you can't go wrong with a plate of meat and vegetables.

If you want to be a supportive husband (and clearly you do), get her one of those counting-carbohydrate bracelets. She can move a bead or a charm around the bracelet so she'll have a visual reminder of how many carbs she's "allowed" to have each day. Or, if she's tech-y, you can find a cell phone app that'll monitor this for you. They also make watches that help you keep up with how many carbs you've had.

You should also get her a subscription to a diabetic cooking magazine -- pick her up a copy or two to read during the cruise. The magazines don't focus on "you can't have this or that"; rather, they show pictures of lovely food that you'll really want to eat.

Last note on diet: It won't hurt you to eat this same diet, but it'll probably help her emotionally.

Note I haven't said anything about blood testing. Yeah, she needs to learn to do it, but it really does boil down to diet, especially carbs. Once she's been at this for a while, she'll develop a sixth sense about her blood sugar and will just "know" whether she's good or not.

New topic: The more exercise she complete, the more carbs she can eat. So if y'all do a walking tour ashore, or if you push yourself for a power walk around the jogging track, she can "earn" a nice dessert or a drink. However, this adds a whole new wrinkle to the whole diabetic eating concept, and you really could be forgiven for ignoring it until you have the diet thing down.

And finally, good luck. You'll make it through this without undue stress. It just seems overwhelming at first.

- Potatoes -- especially white potatoes -- are absolute kryptonite to a diabetic. While you're learning how to eat, it's best to completely avoid them.

^ YES. I also decline white rice. I used to love sushi rolls, now I pass straight on by... it's just not worth it.

I don't think anyone has mentioned fiber? Very important. To this day, I still top my cereal with All Bran or Bran Buds to give me extra fiber. I take it on every cruise in a little zipper baggie. Deelish. :)

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Regarding the potatoes, for a diabetic are sweet potatoes (yams?) OK, or stay away?

This is great to know! My daddy is a Viet Nam Vet and got diabetes as a complication of agent orange. Luckily because of that the VA pays for his treatments. I'm hoping to have a cruise wedding so it's good to know they will accommodate!