Vacationing in Europe

[rama]

Hi, I am new to this group. We are going to be vacationing in Paris, Freiburg, Germany, and Prague. I am Type 2 diabetic and therefore follow a low carb, high fiber, low fat diet plan. We will have an apartment so we will be able to make breakfast and do some cooking. I am wondering about the availability of sugarfree and lowfat foods in these cities. Can anybody offer some advice or help? Thanks!

[tashinpa]

Well, Germany is not technically a city ;-) ...

However, if you are there during May/June, asparagus (the white kind) should be in season which is absolutely delish -- I really miss it here), and as far as I know, both super lowfat and lowcarb. Prague may be a bit of a challenge foodwise, though I hope you'll be able to have some of their beer (it is great, but I don't know whether you can have it as a diabetic?).

I still think you'll be able to find plenty of low carb & low fat food in all countries you are travelling. Most European cities have markets on the weekend or during the week where you can buy anything from fresh produce & meat to fish and fruit. I wouldn't worry, and enjoy the experience. You will miss it once you're back in strip mall country U.S.A.

[rama]

Freiburg is the city in Germany that we are going to, my stepdaughter lives there.

Yeah, the beer could be an issue, but since I control with diet and exercise, I will just have to exercise it off. I am sure it is very high in carbs, no low carb beers in Europe. You are right, I plan to enjoy the trip and just hope we walk enough to burn off all those extra carbs. I am hoping to be able to buy some stuff that is sugarfree though, or at least be able to use aspartame for my coffee and tea. I am used to fatfree milk - also not available, I am betting.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Monika4]

Hi Rama, my husband is a diabetic and we used to live in Germany just fine.

Try Vollkornbrot - high fiber whole grain bread available everywhere. There is quite a tradition with whole grain - while here, you buy 7 grain hote cereal that "keeps" for month, there you can go to a bakery, buy the 7 grains, and have them grind it to the coarseness you like. THey claim the good stuff is gone after 2 weeks, so they only grind on the spot.

The open air markets are also great.

Stay away from the famous German sausages - actually much of the meat is high fat. Typically, there is low fat cold cut . Tasha's asparagus idea is great. But white asparagus needs to be peeled and cooked a bit longer - you can't eat it straight like green is eaten here.
If you were thinking of strictly made for diabetics things, like chocolates, jams, cookies, your best choice is in a drugstore-like place (Drogerie).

[rama]

Thanks Monika. The whole grain bread and cereal will fit perfectly into my diet plan, I will ask my stepdaughter about where to find them. She has lived in Freiburg for over 2 years now. I use a few sugarfree items, like jams, syrups, sodas, and Splenda and Equal to bake and sweeten coffee with. Mostly I eat "real" food and just choose carefully. I don't eat sausages at all, stick to lowfat chicken, pork or fish entrees.

Any information on Paris? Are they as health-consious as the Germans? At least I can read and speak a little French and my stepdaughter can help with German. have been to Prague before and know I will have to be very careful when eating out there, plus I don't have any knowledge of the language. Maybe I will buy bread and cereal in Germany to take with me to Prague, since you give these items the thumbs up!

[InMyTree]

rama you won't have any problem finding healthy food in europe. we are much more conscious about health than most americans, so you'll find all kinds of lowfat products. when i went to the usa for the first time i found it so difficult to eat healthily...

the only problem is you need to look for them in speciality stores -ie they're not available in the supermarket as they are in the usa, that's why you may have no found them before... although some supermarkets cary a small selection of dietary food.

lowfat yogurt, low surgar biscuits, whoolegrain/saltless/cereal bread and high fiber cereal are considered as "common food" and you should find them anywhere. you'll notice we don't have as many sauces, dressings and pastries here, so obviously, there isn't a low carb/sugar version of them because we simply don't market them.

as for eating out, we are very conscious about diabetes here so if you point that out to the waiter, they'll be able to help you choose a menu suitable for you. don't forget to bring your diabetes card and a bracelet/pendant with all your medical information!

all in all, i don't think you'll have trouble since 1) europeans are generally against anything low-carb and most products have a lowfat/lowsugar version and 2) everybody will be willing to help!

have a nice time!