Nutritional Information?

[lidja]

Hello All,

 

I’ve done a keyword search and haven’t found any information on this topic. Is there any way to get the nutritional information about the food served on board? I will be on the Nieuw Statendam for 14 days next month, and I want  to be able to track calories, sugars, fats, etc. 

 

In the US, the FDA requires restaurants with more than 20 outlets to document their menu items in these ways:

 

• Calories from fat 
• Total fat 
• Saturated fat 
• Trans fat 
• Cholesterol 
• Sodium 
• Total carbohydrates 
• Fiber
• Sugars 
• Protein  

 

I’m wondering if similar numbers are available on board HAL’s ships? I know HAL does not have to comply with FDA guidelines—I’m just wondering if maybe they do?

 

Thanks in advance for your responses,

 

Lidja

[3rdGenCunarder]

If you have specific dietary needs, call HAL's customer service and speak to someone about special needs. 

 

I've never see FDA label information on a cruise ship.

[jkrislc]

I don't believe you'll find any of this information on any cruise line. However, if you have specific dietary needs, call HAL has suggested above and don't hesitate to speak to the head waiter in the MDR for a chef at the buffet for guidance. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will not find all that information you seek on a cruise ship.

 

And I doubt if customer service can answer all your questions.

[Homosassa]

You will have to do it the old fashion way by being aware of the food you eat,, i.e; the food group it is in, how the food is prepared, etc.; and using common sense.

[TiogaCruiser]

A few years back I asked the same question of ship services and was advised it wasn’t available, but I could speak with a specific person in charge in the galley with specific questions. Like homasossa said, you can get a good estimate just like you do when you cook at home.

[lidja]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[calteacher]

I am a new diabetic and learning to plan my food intake, usually based on the evening meal.  Is it possible to get the menu in advance so that I can plan the other meals to accommodate wanting a "nice" evening meal?

[kwb101]

The dinner menus for both Main Dining Room and Lido are posted in the Navigator app and Navigator web page mid-day, usually too late to plan breakfast or lunch. You may want to talk to the front desk to see about getting a copy earlier.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, calteacher said:

I am a new diabetic and learning to plan my food intake, usually based on the evening meal.  Is it possible to get the menu in advance so that I can plan the other meals to accommodate wanting a "nice" evening meal?

 

If you think you might need special meals, contact passenger services now. When people have special needs, they see their menus the night before so that they can plan. You should be able to arrange to see menus the night before if you set that up through passenger services in advance (they won't have the menus, but they will get your request to the ship) or by speaking to the maitre d' on embarkation day.

 

[jkrislc]

1 hour ago, calteacher said:

I am a new diabetic and learning to plan my food intake, usually based on the evening meal.  Is it possible to get the menu in advance so that I can plan the other meals to accommodate wanting a "nice" evening meal?

You can ask the head waiter to see the next day's menu the night before. A family member has to do this in order to preorder her meal as a result of a food allergy. 

[calteacher]

Thanks, I will call passenger services in advance and also talk to the head waiter the first day as i want to be able to plan breakfast and lunch.  I will not require special preparation, but I will have to be selective in what I eat.

[3rdGenCunarder]

51 minutes ago, calteacher said:

Thanks, I will call passenger services in advance and also talk to the head waiter the first day as i want to be able to plan breakfast and lunch.  I will not require special preparation, but I will have to be selective in what I eat.

 

I understand. My uncle was diabetic way back in the days before meters, when diet was very regimented. I remember "exchanges." If he was going to have ice cream for dessert he couldn't have milk with supper. Bread OR potato at a meal, but not both. And green beans were an "unlimited" veg because they have no carbs--I cannot remember a family holiday dinner without green beans. 

 

[kwb101]

My wife tracks her nutritional info using My Fitness Pal (a free web site that also has a free phone app.). They have some info on HAL food, which may help. Unfortunately, it's mixed in with some other foodstuffs, but it's a start.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/search?page=1&search=Holland america line

BTW, I got the best results using just Holland America and just HAL.

Good luck!

[calteacher]

Not quite sure how to use it.  When follow your link, it shows Holland America Line, but then when I try to input a specific food item, it just give many, many choices and I can't seem to find the link to Holland America.  Use HAL gave me nothing.  What am I doing incorrectly?

[kwb101]

My apologies: it's not a good search engine, and i think you'll have to browse the list. I was surprised to find anything from HAL at all. I tried using quotes to search for particular items (strings), but it ignored them. I hope you'll find something useful.

One thing about the site: there are lots of listings for local products and places, so you may be able to find something similar you're familiar with. Good luck! 

[lidja]

3 hours ago, kwb101 said:

My wife tracks her nutritional info using My Fitness Pal (a free web site that also has a free phone app.). They have some info on HAL food, which may help. Unfortunately, it's mixed in with some other foodstuffs, but it's a start.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/search?page=1&search=Holland america line

BTW, I got the best results using just Holland America and just HAL.

Good luck!

Thanks for this! I use FitnessPal a lot, too. Will check for HAL/Holland America in the listings. 

[AncientWanderer]

7 hours ago, kwb101 said:

My wife tracks her nutritional info using My Fitness Pal (a free web site that also has a free phone app.). They have some info on HAL food, which may help. Unfortunately, it's mixed in with some other foodstuffs, but it's a start.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/search?page=1&search=Holland america line

BTW, I got the best results using just Holland America and just HAL.

Good luck!

 Wow..this one really woke me up.

I'm a long-time devotee of The Pal, and I would have never thought to look for HAL things.  I wonder how they got in there...maybe submitted by crew members who were watching their own intake?

Thanks for posting this link, kwb101.

(I could never stick to my Pal Program on a cruise, but fascinating nonetheless!!)

 

Edit to add that I saw the guacamole!  I wonder if it's accurate.  I know the taco bar guac is ready-made and just comes in a big package, so I bet it is correct that it's 45 calories for 2 T.   Now, that's something I needed to know!  😊

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by AncientWanderer

[Tampa Girl]

On 5/26/2019 at 12:55 PM, lidja said:

Hello All,

 

I’ve done a keyword search and haven’t found any information on this topic. Is there any way to get the nutritional information about the food served on board? I will be on the Nieuw Statendam for 14 days next month, and I want  to be able to track calories, sugars, fats, etc. 

 

In the US, the FDA requires restaurants with more than 20 outlets to document their menu items in these ways:

 

• Calories from fat 
• Total fat 
• Saturated fat 
• Trans fat 
• Cholesterol 
• Sodium 
• Total carbohydrates 
• Fiber
• Sugars 
• Protein  

 

I’m wondering if similar numbers are available on board HAL’s ships? I know HAL does not have to comply with FDA guidelines—I’m just wondering if maybe they do?

 

Thanks in advance for your responses,

 

Lidja

 

I have only occasionally seen this info in restaurants.  Which restaurants do you frequent that do this?  This is depressing!

[kwb101]

We've found that My Fitness Pal has info on all manner of dishes from national chain and local restaurants, as well as packaged supermarket and local brands.

You may also want to check Calorie King https://www.calorieking.com. It has info on many products, as well as raw ingredients in various quantities and amounts. Even if you can't find exactly what you want, you may be able to get close just by guessing some of the main ingredients. Good luck!

[lidja]

4 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

I have only occasionally seen this info in restaurants.  Which restaurants do you frequent that do this?  This is depressing!

 

As I understand it, it is a legal requirement for any restaurant that has 20 or more locations in the US.

[kwb101]

37 minutes ago, lidja said:

 

As I understand it, it is a legal requirement for any restaurant that has 20 or more locations in the US.

Of course,  HAL has only 15 ships (14 after Prinsendam departs on July 1), so this requirement probably doesn't apply to them.