Insulin to Carb ratio
- Thread starter ElleDee
- Start Date
mrburden
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 288
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
The insulin-to-carb ratio is different for everyone. It would be a good idea to get on a DAFNE type course where the diabetes specialists will help you work out your ratios and insulin correction doses over a few weeks. It isn't a quick process but it isn't too difficult to learn over a few weeks.
If you are a T1 diabetic on a basal-bolus regime you will know how much bolus insulin you need to keep your blood sugar on target following a meal. What you need to do is work out how much carbohydrate is in each meal that you eat. This is quite easy if you generally eat pre-packed foods, since they will have the "total carbohydrate" figure listed on the pack, either as a per 100g or per item. It becomes a little harder if you eat home cooked foods as you will need to work out how much carbohydrate each ingredient contains. I found that eating out becomes easier once you get to recognise portion sizes compared to those that you would normally eat at home.
Once you learn to accurately calculate your carb intake at each meal you will know how much insulin you need as a ratio to how much carbohydrate you have consumed. You may find that each meal time requires a different ratio. It is most likely that your breakfast ratio will be higher than the other meals of the day. When you have got the ratio sorted you will also be able to accurately work out correction doses of insulin for when you get things a bit wrong.
There are many good books available that will give you the carbohydrate contents of foods. I personally use "Carbs & Cals. A Visual Guide to Carbohydrate Counting and Calorie Counting For People With Diabetes" because it has a very good range of foods and has portion sized pictures. Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956443052/r ... 0956443052
Good luck.
If you are a T1 diabetic on a basal-bolus regime you will know how much bolus insulin you need to keep your blood sugar on target following a meal. What you need to do is work out how much carbohydrate is in each meal that you eat. This is quite easy if you generally eat pre-packed foods, since they will have the "total carbohydrate" figure listed on the pack, either as a per 100g or per item. It becomes a little harder if you eat home cooked foods as you will need to work out how much carbohydrate each ingredient contains. I found that eating out becomes easier once you get to recognise portion sizes compared to those that you would normally eat at home.
Once you learn to accurately calculate your carb intake at each meal you will know how much insulin you need as a ratio to how much carbohydrate you have consumed. You may find that each meal time requires a different ratio. It is most likely that your breakfast ratio will be higher than the other meals of the day. When you have got the ratio sorted you will also be able to accurately work out correction doses of insulin for when you get things a bit wrong.
There are many good books available that will give you the carbohydrate contents of foods. I personally use "Carbs & Cals. A Visual Guide to Carbohydrate Counting and Calorie Counting For People With Diabetes" because it has a very good range of foods and has portion sized pictures. Here's a link to it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0956443052/r ... 0956443052
Good luck.
all excellent advice.
try keeping a diary for a while, noting what you have eaten and insulin taken - you should be able to see a pattern that will give you a clue as to your personal ratio.
Eg to take a very simple example - if your bg was ok before you ate, you had 40g carbs and 4 units fast acting insulin, and at the next meal your bg was still pretty much ok, a 1 to 1 ratio is what's right for you for for that meal. (10g carbs = 1 carb portion).
If at the next meal you were a bit high, try a 1.5 to 1 ratio. So for your 40g carbs you'd take 6 units of insulin. For a 2 to 1 ratio you'd take 8 units for your 40g carbs. And so on.
It's slightly more complicated than that coz you also have to work out if your background insulin dose is right, but that's a good starting point.
try keeping a diary for a while, noting what you have eaten and insulin taken - you should be able to see a pattern that will give you a clue as to your personal ratio.
Eg to take a very simple example - if your bg was ok before you ate, you had 40g carbs and 4 units fast acting insulin, and at the next meal your bg was still pretty much ok, a 1 to 1 ratio is what's right for you for for that meal. (10g carbs = 1 carb portion).
If at the next meal you were a bit high, try a 1.5 to 1 ratio. So for your 40g carbs you'd take 6 units of insulin. For a 2 to 1 ratio you'd take 8 units for your 40g carbs. And so on.
It's slightly more complicated than that coz you also have to work out if your background insulin dose is right, but that's a good starting point.
