Attack of the Killer Schnitzel

A few weeks back a couple of the Ethos Health team headed to a local watering hole for a drink and a meal. While browsing the menu they were intrigued by the concept of the ‘Diabetic Friendly’ schnitzel, so we took a photo and asked Dr Trent Watson, Ethos CEO and Dietitian, if such a thing can exist! Here’s what he said….

“In short, yes it can, but the menu item in question (shown above) is absolutely not. When it comes to Type 2 diabetes and food choices the most important considerations are:

• Energy Balance (achieving a healthy weight is the basis of good diabetes management)
• Carbohydrate control (to keep blood sugar levels in the ‘right’ or ‘safe’ zones, people with Type 2 diabetes need to avoid large quantities of carbs)”

We are bombarded with other messages about glycaemic index (‘low-GI’), avoiding sugar and so on, but believe it or not, they are far, far less important than the two fundamentals listed above. When we analyse the content of the menu item* we find that:

• Energy content is estimated at 3,000 kilojoules (kJ) representing 34% of the average adult energy requirement (8,700kJ)
• Carbohydrate is approximately 4 carbohydrate exchanges

So, while the ‘diabetic friendly’ schnitzel is a good start towards offering a healthier option, there is room for improvement.

To be truly diabetic friendly, the meal would have a generous serving of beans, ¾ cup of sweet potato mash and 150g of grilled or barbequed chicken (without coating). This would save 1,000 kilojoules (250 calories), provide 2 carbohydrate exchanges, rather than 4, and three times the amount of fibre. Now, there’s a diabetic friendly meal!

*assumptions were made about the serving size and preparation of the food