Type 1 Honey and Diabetes Type 1

Toddyboy007

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Hi guys -
Hoping someone can help out & offer some advice. I'm a Type 1 diabetic who carb counts and have reasonable control over my blood sugars but I'm also a bit of a singer. To help my voice through the winter I'm always recommended to drink/take honey in various forms but have always avoided it for the obvious reasons.

Does anyone out there incorporate honey into their diet and if so how do you compensate for this in terms of insulin management?

Cheers folks,
Neil
 

porl69

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Hi @Toddyboy007 and welcome to the forum. I don't often include honey in my diet. Only 1 way for you to find out and that is to have a spoonful and test after to see how it affects you? Say 1/2 h then an hour then 2 hours after and take a look at any elevation on your BG levels
 

NicoleC1971

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Hi guys -
Hoping someone can help out & offer some advice. I'm a Type 1 diabetic who carb counts and have reasonable control over my blood sugars but I'm also a bit of a singer. To help my voice through the winter I'm always recommended to drink/take honey in various forms but have always avoided it for the obvious reasons.

Does anyone out there incorporate honey into their diet and if so how do you compensate for this in terms of insulin management?

Cheers folks,
Neil
I assume honey is recommended for it's healing and antiseptic qualities?
I tend to avoid but in small quantities perhaps agave syrup could provide a sweet and soothing liquid plus some antiseptic mouth spray/whiskey or other low carb spirit!. It is fructose made from a plant so gets processed by the liver just like alcohol but without the neurological effects. It may have less impact on your blood sugars but should be avoided in large quantities because it helps the liver fatten! You can get it in a supermarket.
 

Juicyj

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Hello and welcome @Toddyboy007 :)

A tablespoon of the stuff contains 17g of carb, so as long as you are on a basal/bolus regime and can inject quick acting to cover the carbs then there shouldn't be an issue taking it, only thing to be aware of is that it would be absorbed quickly into your blood so would be an idea to pre-bolus for it, I tend to do mine about 15-20 mins before so the insulin starts working at the point where blood glucose levels are rising to avoid the spike. It would be a good hypo treatment too ;)
 

DCUKMod

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@Toddyboy007 - As a T2 who can't sing and doesn't like honey, I'm not much use to you, but I wonder if @Jaylee is around.
 

Jaylee

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Hi guys -
Hoping someone can help out & offer some advice. I'm a Type 1 diabetic who carb counts and have reasonable control over my blood sugars but I'm also a bit of a singer. To help my voice through the winter I'm always recommended to drink/take honey in various forms but have always avoided it for the obvious reasons.

Does anyone out there incorporate honey into their diet and if so how do you compensate for this in terms of insulin management?

Cheers folks,
Neil

Hi @Toddyboy007 ,

I'm a bit of a singist myself.
I have also heard the recomendations for honey aids vocal performance if hindered by an infection or virus?
If it is some you're looking for regarding the "seasonal" remedies to stop or belay lurgy? Even decongestants tend to congeal or dry mucus & restrict breathing in my personal experience..

Regarding honey. It's not in my diet.
But the advice @Juicyj has given is sound, if you wish to try it out. But I wouldn't suggest "any old" honey?
I think it's called "Manuka?" Which is said to have "properties.."

If you really are struggling in the winter months? A few drops of Olbas oil in hot water & inhaling the vaper can clear the tubes..

@DCUKMod , yep. I'm around... :)
 
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mentat

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Do you have fruit juice or sugary drinks in your diet? Honey is pretty similar. It gets absorbed fast.

The easiest is to add it to a meal, but I'm not sure if that will give you the intended effect?

Otherwise, pre-bolusing is a great idea. Then you may want to suck the honey slowly over a period of time. Perhaps honey lollipops would work?
 

Resurgam

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I don't consume sugar, but I take a flask of good coffee and a bottle of cream to the folk club, even with a cold it seems to soothe the throat.
 

Jaylee

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Resurgam

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Jaylee

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What a load of nonsense - experiments which drown the subjects would prove how bad water is. Caffeine can cause dehydration so drinking coffee is bad for the voice. Lordy lordy - what can't be proven to be bad for us?

Lol, :)
I would totally agree with your sentiment that anything can be convincingly proven one way or the other with the "right evidence."
Our musical repertoire choice regarding performance sounds like it differs too.

Coffee, just might not do performance any favours..

Going on my own experience..
There is ample visual & audio evidence to support where abstaining from coffee prior to a gig & taking simple steps to stay hydrated as well as the usual keeping BGs in optimal safe levels has taken me with the opportunities ;)

By all means feel free to post links suggesting the contrary.. :cool:
 

Marie 2

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@Toddyboy007 Honey can be very soothing for the throat, I am a vegan so I don't consume it. But it is a very simple sugar so it will shoot up your sugars unless you prebolus for it. That seems like it could be an issue with a singer and being able to prebolus and then consume it within a certain time. Might be tricky?

But there is a tea called Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinal Teas that singers use here in the US to sip and soothe the throat and there is a couple of sprays, Singer's Saving Grace by Herbs Etc that was designed to soothe the throat. They have formulas with or without an alcohol base.