Posted by 
An NHS dietician from Preston says restaurants should be obliged to tell customers how many carbohydrates are in their meals so that diabetics can maintain control of their condition while eating out.
Christian Lee – who is himself diabetic – wants the crucial information to be made readily available in the same way that calorie counts now widely are.
Speaking in a personal capacity, he says diabetics who rely on insulin to keep their blood sugar stable often have to take unnecessary risks when going for a meal – or simply stay at home.
Read more: Waverley Park football pitch, skate park and pump track plans faces Sport England objection
“I avoid social situations that involve food,” explains Christian, who works as a consultant dietician across Lancashire.
“I could choose to underestimate how many carbohydrates there are in a meal and then [allow my blood sugar to] go high, because in the short term, that’s less risky than going low, which is potentially fatal.
“But going high regularly can lead to eye damage, limb amputation, kidney failure and peripheral neuropathies. So I’ve chosen not to go out – and it just seems unfair that a hidden part of the population can’t engage in the normal social [activity] of eating with friends and family and be safe in doing it.”
Christian told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that while he would not expect the information to be printed on menus, it should be given to those who ask for it – or just published online. However, he says eateries that provide the details on request are currently few and far between – even though it would be easy for them to do so.
“If there are calorie counts [available], then there’s a spreadsheet somewhere with the carbohydrates on it – because you can’t get to the calories without knowing the make-up of the meal. So they will know the protein, the fats and the carbohydrates – the information actually exists, they just don’t publish it.
“I was in hospital for a week last year with an infection – and even they wouldn’t tell me how much carbohydrate was in a meal,” Christian says.
Food outlets with more than 250 employees have to display calorie information under legislation introduced in 2022 – while smaller businesses are also encouraged to do the same. But there are no such rules for carbs.
Type 1 diabetics like Christian – who suffer from an autoimmune disease – inject insulin on a daily basis to regulate their blood glucose levels. Some type 2 diabetics – whose condition is often the result of obesity or other lifestyle factors – also have to use insulin.
Christian says the only eateries where diabetics can easily obtain carbohydrate counts are the national fast food joints – and he believes fellow sufferers should have a more diverse range of dining out options than that.
“Even with my knowledge, estimating carbohydrates is difficult, because there are a lot of potentially hidden [ones], like sugars in sauce and things like that which you cannot see.
“So [to restaurants] – if you’ve got the carbohydrates, make your staff aware that people might ask for them. And if they do, don’t make a song and dance about it.”
Subscribe: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter. Both free and direct to your phone and inbox.
Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines
