No Choice For Diabetics

[SFTrny]

Actually, they do have mention of this, just not in the aggregate data or charts. 0.2% of all people in the "under 20" age group have diabetes. This includes Type 1 and Type2.

I'd post the link here if I could, but since links aren't allowed...

Try a Google search for "National Diabetes Statistics, 2007" and "NIH".

Great info here.

[ToraTory]

Howdy,

My problem with only having diet coke/pepsi as a choice is that 95% of the time it is the caffinated variety. On top of being diabetic I have a heart condition inwhich caffine is a huge no/no. I generally have to drink bottled water the entire trip. I wish diet sprite was an option. At the all stars food courts I can find a caffine free diet option but not at the sit down or counter service food places any place else

[mulderxcoltrane]

It's not just a problem at Disney, it's a problem everywhere. There are very few places where you can get a drink(other than Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi) that is both sugar-free and caffeine free. My husband is diabetic and I avoid sugar drinks also, so we always drink diet, but get a little tired of diet cola. When I was pregnant, I wanted caffeine-free as well and could rarely find both. You can find Sprite or root beer, but they are only caffeine-free, not sugar-free. I am glad Disney has the light lemonade now- not as good as I would like, but at least it's a fairly healthy option.(no bubbles, though!)

[MegaDisney]

We also carry those to-go type packets,but sometimes I just need the bubbles in soda to quench my thirst.

You can add the packets to club soda (available at most fountain locations) or a sparkling water for a fizzy diet drink, I do this all the time!

[PETE FROM NYC]

WOW!!
I did not expect so many replies to this thread.Its nice to see that I am not alone in this.
I recently read ,in Prevention Magazine ,I think, that colas, both diet and regular,have been linked to kidney problems down the road,so now I have another reason to shun colas.
At least there are many more sugar free products in stores now than when I first became diabetic,but ,too many of them are a bot too sweet for my taste.
Also , too many of the restaurant chains do not carry any sugar free desserts.This prompts me to go on their websites and complain.Now I intend to go to the Disney website and voice my displeasure about soda selection.

DIABETICS OF THE WORLD UNITE

[PETE FROM NYC]

Shortly after my last post here on 9/12,I did e-mail WDW about my displeasure of their lack of selection of sugar-free and caffeine free drinks.As of this date,I have not received any reply.Maybe this just takes time considering the thousands of e-mails they probably get each day.If ,and when,I do receive an answer,I will post about it here.
As a side note,yesterday,while on a road trip,we stopped for lunch at an ARBYs, and they did have several diet options:unsweetened iced tea,sugar free lemonade,and diet Dr.Pepper.

[PETE FROM NYC]

The afternoon of my last post I did get a response fron WDW on my voice mail.It was from Darin or Derin,could not make it out.
He said the powers that be are looking into the matter of offering other diet options but he was non-committal.He did mention lemonade light.
We shall see what happens in the future.
Perhaps if many more fellow diabetics would also tell the WDW people ,something may be done sooner.
DIABETICS UNITE!!

[Johnno52]

My DW and I are both type 2 and we look for the diet pops. Most resort re-fill fountains only have Diet Coke however we have found some with Fresca (ASMovies and AKL). As we are from Canada my DW (heart condition) swears the US Diet Coke makes her heart race and has to limit her amounts. Now we look for caffeine free when buying in the US however at WDW it is not offered in the parks or restaurants. Another small problem to worry about is that Fresca is made from grapefruits and many people who use Lipitor (for high cholesterol) are told not to drink grapefruit juice.

[casey@bat]

As we are from Canada my DW (heart condition) swears the US Diet Coke makes her heart race and has to limit her amounts. Now we look for caffeine free when buying in the US .

I know the FDA guidelines are different for the USA than they are in Europe for corn syrup. European countries won't except any products that contain it. And it is in almost everything you buy in the US. So, they probably add more caffeine to get us Americans evern more addicted and our guidelines allow them to!

I think the artificial sweeteners are bad for you too and we just haven't heard a lot about it yet, or enough to convince the FDA to ban them. There are soft drinks made from cane juice but they are hard to find. I don't know how this would affect diabetics.

I would encourage everyone to drink water! But that being said, my DH drinks Sprite all the time! So if I can't convince him........

Good luck! It will be interesting to hear if they change anything.

[Johnno52]

Thanks Pete, if lemon lite is unsweetened then it will work good for us. WDW must realize that many people drink diet pop not just for losing weight, but for health reasons also. I'm sure we get that at the Boardwalk bakery but not at the Allstars.

[luvdiznee]

We were relieved to find diet sprite.

[ElenitaB]

The light lemonade that is served at WDW is made by Minute Maid. It has 5 calories, 2 g of carbs and 0 g of sugar per 12 oz serving.

[disneydeb]

Ellen is that a Cubs insignia on your cruise ship?

The hot chocolate in the parks and food court is really lack luster and heavy on the sugar, so when we go in December, I will take my hot pot and my envelopes of sugar-free hot chocolate.

[disneylovinmom]

A larger percent of the population is diabetic than you would think. The rate for diabetics has doubled in the last 10 years. This does not include the people who are becoming glucose intolerant and who do not have full blown diabetes. My husband has been a diabetic for almost 2 years now and it is tough to find a variety of anything that he can have. Hopefully this will be brought to the attention of Disney and other parks and they will start to offer other choices for drink and food alike. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I know I would enjoy more choices than cola or water and I am not diabetic.

[thumperbug]

That lite lemonade to me is......gross.

I generally use the little flavor packets added to water. I am a type 1 diabetic and granted our choices are less then non diabetics but I've learned to live with what choices are available and be glad there are choices.