Matching
insulin to carbsIf you take insulin, it’s
important to match your
insulin doses with the
amount of carbohydrate you
eat. You may be taught to
adjust your insulin dose to
the amount you eat, or you
might be recommended
a set dose of insulin along
with a certain amount of
carbohydrate to aim for with
each meal. Being able to
match your insulin to carbs
gives you more flexibility
when eating out as you
can adjust your dose to
accommodate meals with
more or less carbs than you
usually eat. If you are on set
doses of insulin you will need
to look for meals that provide
the right amount of carbs,
or you could ask your
diabetes team if you can
learn to adjust doses when
eating away from home.
W
O
RD
S^ D
R^ K
AT
E^ M
AR
SH
PH
O
TO
G
RA
PH
Y^
G
ET
TY
IM
AG
ES
choosing what to order. This
information has to be displayed
at the point of sale, but is also
usually on their website.
You might want to take a look
before you head out, to help
decide what to choose and to
work out the carbs in advance.
That way you can relax and
enjoy your meal, rather than
worrying about carb counting
when you arrive. Or, you can
look up the carbs instore or
on your smartphone when
you place an order.Don’t forget sauces
and dressings
It can be easy to overlook the
carbs in sauces, marinades and
dressings, particularly when
your homemade varieties are
often carb-free. But, just
because you don’t add sugar or
other sweeteners, that doesn’t
mean a restaurant won’t.
In Asian cooking, in particular,
sugar is often added in cooking,
so you may need to add this to
your carb count.It’s not just the carbs
While carb counting is
important, we now have
research to show that fat and
protein can also affect blood
glucose levels and insulin needs.
This is more likely to be an issue
when eating out, as meals are
often higher in fat and protein
than those we eat at home.
So, if you’re confident in your
carb counting but still end up
with higher blood glucose levels
every time you eat out
(particularly the following
morning), speak with your
diabetes team about whether
you would benefit from learning
to adjust your insulin doses for
meals higher in fat and protein.
Remember, carb counting
isn’t easy, particularly when
you are away from home. So, if
your blood glucose levels don’t
end up where you expected
after enjoying a meal out, you
can always correct (with extra
insulin or food) and use this
information to make a different
decision next time around. ■living well
diabetic living JULY/AUGUST 2019 93