As another suggestion, though one I don't have the knowledge to help you with. Before you leave on your trip, have a Spanish-speaking person write out (in Spanish, of course), the limitations of your diet and anything else that you would feel that it would be important for a restauranteur to know. Carry that explanation with you everywhere. That way, even if you're in a situation where the English-Spanish communication is not perfect, they will know what you need.

And by the way, you've been very polite and patient with some somewhat intrusive questions. Thanks for explaining (and as someone with no diabetics in the family, I've learned a lot from this post)!

Sorry, I didn't know if olive oil was OK or not. My bad!

Yes, billbar, confusing ! I thought of 50 grams of potato..no 50 grams of carbohydrate , sorry !! I should have figured out..my grandpa was diabetic, one of my uncles is also on insuline, and my father is also diabetic but he's not on insuline ... so it's my fault

Thanks to everyone for more suggestions.

Bill, we can also get those small sachets of instant potatoes and my wife and I have discussed taking them with us this morning. If we can't find restaurants that serve simple boiled potatoes then I can mix up the instant stuff at the hotel(s), take my insulin and that's then covered. We could then go to a restaurant and I could have a meal with no or little carbs e.g. a salad, red meat or chicken. A great idea. Thank you very much.

Nice to hear from you again milley. Breakfast is fine - I've already got that covered.

Lexma90, I've already got the translations being worked on by my nephew, but thanks for the great suggestion.

I wasn't worried about any intrusive questions. I didn't mention the diabetes to begin with, so folks perhaps couldn't figure out such a strict regime. I smiled at mikemo's suggestion for me to get a second opinion from a reliable gastroenterologist. The one I have is my God at the moment. I'll stick with him.

Mind you, I can easily cope with intrusion. My body has been poked, slapped, and opened in the last few weeks so I'm used to it!!

Again, a big thank you to all my Fodors friends. I knew I'd get help here.

Joe

Hi Joe,

You might want to get a Spanish language cookbook and write out a list of the various dishes that have potatoes.

Best wishes.

Enjoy your visit.

Joe-- I don't have much more suggestions that those so well laid out by previous posters, but want to wish you a speedy recovery and a fabulous trip. I admire your fighting spirit and hope you have a wonderful time in an amazing destination!

An idea is to bring a card with your specific requests written in Spanish and present it when ordering. Post if necessary translation; Kenderina is tops for advice and I am sure she can translate for you really well (right, K? ). Another suggestion is to narrow down a restaurant/reserve ahead of time during the day, and see if they could prepare you the meal for later on. Just keep in mind that Spain dining hours are late (restaurants will start dinner seating after 8:30-9:00 pm). Take this into consideration when planning your medication intake. Have a great time!

Can you substitute milk for part of the carbs? That's what my diabetic sister (brittle) did back in the 60's to keep her from having insulin reaction. Of course, they didn't know much about diabetes then, but it worked for her. My daughter lived in Spain for 5 months last year and even if you thought you were getting something plain, they would pour olive oil on it right before serving. Be sure to tell them no oil if you can't have it.

good point, kybourbon! you can´t imagine how many wonderful desserts i have ordered and then they squeeze this revolting "caramel" squiggly all over it!

they also put garlic in my scrambled eggs in arcos de la frontera.
Gag... ( and i LIVE here.. so no language problem!) things are just DONE as habit and for decoration.. so just say..

"Solo puedo tomar patatas hervidas SIN aceite&quoto.. "nada de aceite, por favor".

patatas hervidas
carne a la plancha, sin salsa
pescado a la plancha SIN aceite adicional

pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken)

hervido ( the boiled veggies kenderina spoke of.. )

a la plancha is "grilled"

Of course !! As Viajero said, if I can help you translating anything you just have to ask, I'd be glad to help you

Thanks to everyone for the advice and offers of help.

I emailed my nephew Friday at his university address to stranslate some stuff for me regarding food and my restrictions. Hopefully he'll get back to me tomorrow.

Thanks licasanova and Kenderina. I'll come back to you perhaps about more translations if I haven't covered them all. Your offers of help are very much appreciated.

rialtogrl, thanks for the tortilla suggestion. They sound really great but, yes, the oil would cause me some problems. But hey, you weren't to know that.

Ira, great idea. After this message is posted I'll go to Amazon and see what I can find.

Viajero2, thanks for your kind comments and the details about late starting times for dinner. That'll be more juggling with the regime but I'll manage.

A bit restless here tonight as the 'heavy duty' stuff starts tomorrow. It'll be early to bed tonight for me.

I'll do my best to keep you all posted.

Best wishes,

Joe

best wishes and hope your treatments are not as heavy duty for too long.

you are quite a sport to continue on this trip if you are not feeling too well.

take care.

m_kingdom, croquetas are not made with potatoes, but with bechamel sauce. A tiny difference ...

Joe, I think it won´t be easy to find plain boiled potatoes. It´s more normal to find them fried that boiled or roasted.

I think your best option will be to carry the cards previously mentioned so they know what to serve you.

Kind regards, Cova

Cova..except cod croquetas, that usually have potato.Maybe m-kingdom only tasted those ones. Nice to see you again round here

Guys

I've been in touch with Joe's wife as Joe and I have exchanged emails a few times about some Greek questions on here.

It seems he isn't so good after his first few weeks treatment. It has been very heavy duty and he hasn't responded too well and is a bit poorly at the moment.

I just thought those on here who helped with their answers might have wondered how he was doing.

I really hope they both make it to Spain as, for a long time, Joe has spoken of little else in his emails but I have my doubts.

I've only known him through email correspondence but he always seems to be pretty strong-willed. So, hopefully if they can't visit this time around he can concentrate, when recovering, on planning a belated trip.

Fingers crossed!

bill

Sorry to hear Joe's not doing very well.. Health is the most important thing, if he finally is not in the best condition for the trip..it's better to delay it..Spain is not going to move and I'd definitely like Joe and his wife to have a good time here not a suffering one !!

here´s hoping that joe gets through the roughest part of his treatment quickly and can feel energized to fulfill his travel wishes.

you are in our thoughts.

Joe,

Sorry you are not feeling well. I like your spirit and I wish I could give you some advise but I have never been to Spain. I hope you get well soon and tell us about Spain when you get back.

Much Aloha,
Maria

m_kingdom2 writes: "I'm curious as well. I would imagine that mashed potato - literally mashed potato minus cream, butter, etc. would be even easier than a boiled one; much the same as a baked potato with the skin removed after cooking."

The Spanish don't do 'mashed potatoes,' they do puree de patatas. My wife is from Spain (Madrid) and it took years to get her to do mashed potatoes. I've had more luck with just boiled potatoes. Many fish entrees are served on a bed of sliced, boiled potatoes.
BTW
Some of the best potatoes in the world are grown in Galicia (NW Spain).

I was wondering only yesterday about Joe as I remembered his message a few weeks ago.

When I found his thread again I am so sorry to read the treatment has been tough. Thanks for letting us know, bill.

He showed us a lot of spirit though and it'll pull him through. I'm with Kenderina! Spain isn't going anywhere Joe and it's best you feel good when there and not sick.

I hope you feel better very, very soon.

Love

milley

From the description of the recommended diet, it sounds like you're talking about glycemic index, i.e., how fast various foods convert to blood sugar. Most diabetics become very familiar with this index. It has nothing to do with how "mild" the foods are, so foods like milk and bread, though equally mild, are not similar at all on the glycemic index scale.

Boiled new potatoes only rate "medium" on the glycemic index scale, while baked potatoes and instant potatoes rate "high". I would ask your doctor before switching instant potatoes in for boiled. It's not always obvious where foods fit in. I suspect you will be becoming very familiar with the index in coming years.