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Pasta!

LaineyK

Well-Known Member
Messages
153
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello everyone, I'm a new type 1, and I don't think I can live without pasta in my life! I don't have it every day, but once or twice a week, I love making creamy pasta with Philadelphia, cream and mushrooms, onions, peppers and bacon, it's sooo yummy, but I know pasta is a no no, unless I have a tiny amount, has anyone managed to work this one out?, or do I just carb count and add more insulin to my dose just before I eat it? I especially love tagliatelle xxx
Many thanks .
 
you're T1, if you have good BG control, you can have pasta if you want to, ask the clever ones, you may need to split bolus
 
the higher the carbs, the more insulin you need, and therefore the dose you do give becomes a lot more unreliable, especially if just injecting.......

pasta in general for me doesn't take a significantly longer time to absorb than normal, but it would be definitely worth experimenting with splitting the dose,maybe start with 20% of it an hour later.........
 


Keep the portion size low and see how you get on, on injections I would have to split-dose for pasta dishes like the one describe due to the fat content of the cheese, its much the same with a dish like lasagne due to the combination of the cheese sauce and the mince, fat delays the absorption of carbohydrates and can result in postprandial hypo's if you give the full dose upfront, that is why many of us split-dose (injecting some upfront and the rest 2-3 hours after).

But really its trial & error, you may be like Novorapidboi and get away with a single dose, just monitor your postprandial bg and see what happens. Good luck.
 
I have had so much variation in levels with pasta i have just given it up all together at this point. I love pasta but i find its always more work then i would like it to be.

There have been occasions where i would count carbs, bolus, and go low in the first hour, have to eat to get back up and then go really really high like 5 hours later when the pasta decides to absorb, but after my bolus has worn off.

There have been other timers where i have tried to counter act this and split doses and end up going really high in the first two hours and then really low after the second bolus.

The average pasta meal for me results in counting carbs, injecting, eating and having the bolus wear off before the pasta has finished digesting and thus 5-6 hours later i end up being much higher then i want to be, and have to inject again, and watch my sugars all night.

Its doable, certainly more so on a pump with a CGM, but i just have MDI and finger pricks, so to do pasta properly its at least 4 finger pricks, and 2 injections. For 1 meal thats way too much.

If you love pasta that much you shouldn't mind the vigilance though lol Its possible to solve this problem, i think always using the same type/brand of noodles is a big key, because they should always breakdown the same way. After a couple meals you should have a routine down that should really simplify it.

There is nothing a diabetic CAN'T eat, but there are some meals that are more work, which is where the myth comes from. Most T1Ds don't do the work properly and it comes of as "oh, i can't eat that' when really they can, they just haven't figured out how lol
 
Ok thanks guys... I will probably have smaller portion then and split the Novorapid in half, like suggested. My nurse has also just swapped my insulard today for lantus which she says I can take with my last Novorapid dose at tea time and it will see me through 24 hrs as a base, but to still inject my Novorapid three times a day with meals sounds good I reckon, anyone else on same meds?
 
Yup, I am on Lantus and Novo. I take the lantus every night before bed, and then whenever i eat anything i count carbs and inject my novo rapid.
 
Ok thanks diammatic.. It's about 10gms carb
to 1 unit dose is that right?
 
I always buy the one brand of pasta, other than lasagne which I buy fresh.

I'm on novo and lantus too but, rather than split doses when eating pasta, I take my insulin part way through the meal.

It usually takes us about an hour to complete a meal so I take the insulin approximately half way through, works fine for me but we are all different.

I also find I need slightly more insulin for pasta. Normally my evening meal ratio is 10gm:2u but with pasta I have to go with 8gm:2u.

Hope you manage to work it out so that you can carry on with your pasta. I lowish carb most meals but pasta has always been my downfall too
 
Or you may be like me with my curry last night. Broke my low carb for a special occasion, and curry, popadoms, rice and naan plus two beers (carb fest!!!) required a 5u shot ahead of the meal and then a 2.5u shot after an hour and another one an hour later, plus an increase in basal overnight of 4u.

Worked though, if a lot of trial and error to get there!
 
I have pasta a couple of times a week. I calculate the carbs carefully and weigh my cooked pasta before I put it on my plate. Sounds a faff but takes a few seconds. My blood sugar is always fine afterwards.

I'm on a pump, so I bolus one third of the total insulin I'll need as normal, then do an extended bolus for the other two thirds of the insulin so that my pump spreads it out over two hours.

Experiment and see what works best for you
 
I eat mostly pasta. Never had a problem, seems to absorb in a predictable manner
 
I eat pasta more or less 3 times a week and i have absolutely no problem. My portion is not even small, usually 100gr (uncooked ), which is 72 gr of carbs. I think what counts is the sauce you use with pasta as the fatter it is the slowest the absorption
 
Great info all thank you sooo much. Stefan, sounds like a plan, I do like my cheese, so this will help the slow down of the bg. Also, cheeky I know, but the odd glass dry white wine, may keep it low eh?
 

That's really helpful azure, I've not long started on a pump and haven't as yet tried pasta dishes, I have used the extended bolus a few times now and have to say it's a fantastic feature of the insulin pumps
 
I would try and stick with pasta or spaghetti with the lowest GI, weigh the portions, cook al dente, combine with something fatty, limit portion sizes perhaps and check bgs. Ask me if you want any suggestions.
 
Hi jack,
I'm seeing a dietician on Wednesday to help me with my carb counting etc, and my dn is gonna take me through it also afterwards, I'm getting loads support locally, very impressed really, have to say, thank goodness I live in England and have the national health system.
 
Have u tried miracle pasta and miracle noodles. U get them in Holland and Barrett. There made from some kind of fibre can't think of the name now
But they have around 7 call per pack and 0 sugar or carbs. I eat them a few times a week. It's not the proper macoy but the next best thing
 
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