So Kims post about the article got me thinking about this....I am so irritated with the type 1, type 2 misconceptions. I was at the grocery store the other day and for a special treat for Emmie she picked out some m&m cookies from the bakery. The label did not have the nutritional info, just ingredients so I asked the bakery lady if she had a book, she looked and said "no." I told her why I needed it because my daughter has type 1 diabetes and I need to know the carb content, thinking this would make her put in a little more effort in looking. She looked at me and said "these cookies are not for diabetics they are loaded with sugar." I responded that I knew that but she is a type 1 diabetic and they are allowed to have sugar and asked her to look again. She called her manager who came over and they chatted a minute and then the manager called someone on the phone to see if they knew. Then the manager comes over and says that they do not have the info I need but these are not for diabetics. I thought I was going to loose my mind...I got the mean mom look and asked her if she had a minute so I could educate her on type 1 diabetes. I spoke a little loudly with my daughter standing next to me the whole time and gave her a ear full. And out of the mouth of babes at the end of the rant was my sweet little Emmie who said "Why won't they give us the cookies? I won't let Gram eat them." Gram is a type 2 diabetic.
Emmie did not get invited to a birthday party last year because of her diabetes and ignorant parents, it is just heartbreaking sometimes. Both of these diseases are awful and I really wish people would just keep their opinions to themselves. Thanks for the rant, I feel better!
Meg, your post really upset me when I read it! I cannot believe the ignorance of people. Who are they to say that you cannot buy cookies because they feel that a diabetic shouldn't eat them? You had every right to be upset and they are in the wrong for not having the nutritional information for you. Aren't ALL foods supposed to have that information? I don't know.....something is weird about that. I hope you find another store to shop!! Why are people so ignorant? Sorry you had to go through this:(
Meg, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. At least you took the opportunity to educate. Brandan wasn't invited to a birthday party once because they thought he couldn't have cake and icecream.
One of the most common misconceptions I run into is that people think he can eat all he wants of something sugar free and not get insulin. My mother-in-law has type 2. She pulled out some cookies in front of Brandan and because he was still on shots and it wasn't time for a snack, I gave her the evil eye. She asked me if it was OK to give him some. I said, "Sure, he can have some, but I have to give him insulin." (I told her this because she refused to be in the same room when I injected him and we were in her hotel room.) Her response was, "They're sugar free, he can eat them." I looked at the package and each cookie had something like 10 carbs in it. I explained to her about how sugar free doesn't mean carb free and yada yada yada. So her solution was, "I'll just give him one." Of course, he needed insulin for just one and no child wants just ONE cookie! It was a frustrating day.
i'm so sorry for what an awful experience you have had.. but for future reference they are required by law to tell you the nutritional facts on anything you but that you can eat!
I hate that too. We have well meaning friends that buy her sugar free stuff when we go to parties at their house and think she can have as much as she wants. I use to just gratiously say thank you for thinking of her and take her to the bathroom for a shot. They caught me one time and I had to explain that often times the sugar free stuff is worse than the real stuff because of the sugar alcohols (not to mention all the chemicals!). They still did not get it like your mother-in-law and said how about just one than? Soooo fustrating.
I'm so sorry to digress off the topic, but what ARE those sugar alcohols I've been seeing in foods lately? I carb count them like normal sugar, but was perplexed by them.
When people tell me I can't eat sugar, I go into such a long lecture about short vs. long acting insulins and carb counting (including example carb amounts and ratios, and sometimes using the calculator on my phone for a demo) that I've *never* had them try to push it that I can't eat it after that! (; (;
They're things like maltitol and sorbitol (those are the ones I see most), and they're some sort of "hydrogenated" carb. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_alcohol
I was noticing myself going low after eating sugar free foods, so I checked with my educators and the dietitian said that I should be counting them like fiber when I count carbs... 2 sugar alcohols are only counted as 1 carb. I haven't had a problem since.
Riley reacts the same to sugar alcohols as she does to sugar. My mil seems to think sugar free is still better for her but its not cause she cant eat sugar free stuff it gives her a BAD bellyache and then we all suffer. I cant eat more than one sugar free item either. I just buy the candy from the inlaws (only at Christmas time and Easter) from her and she spends the money on stuff she wants.