Is there a book about how to match insulin to foods?

[OliverG]

Rapid-acting insulin has its glucose-lowering pattern, so is food. If the two patterns are matched, blood glucose will be steady. I’m looking for a book or other resources about it.

I’ve learned the way to accomplish it, but don’t know how to do, and need a book as a guide.

This is how to match:
Step 1. carb counting
Step 2.calculate mealtime insulin dose according to grams of carbs and ICR
Step 3.figure out the glucose-rising pattern of the food (fast, medium or slow), also need to take protein and fat into account
Step 4.use insulin to match the glucose-rising pattern.

Step 1 and 2 are easy, step 4 is not so difficult.

Step 3 is very difficult. A certain food’s glucose effect is different for different people. But, the problem can be solved by: (1) roughly guessing the pattern; (2) trial and error.

After several trials, the blood glucose will be steady. So, a kind of food is solved. After that, I can choose another food to try. One by one, I’ll be able to eat many foods with relative steady blood glucose.

But, I don’t know how to try. Do I need to count protein and fat by grams, including cooking oil? eat the food at the same time as in previous trials? How to guess the rough pattern of a meal cantaining different kinds of carbs, protein and fat?

I hope there is a book or other resources as a guide.

Thank you!

[Eric2]

This is probably not the answer you are looking for, but the best book for this is called experience.

You can certainly read all the resources that are available. That’s a helpful thing to do. But there is a lot of variability between different people, so it will always come down to learning from your personal experience.

[CJ114]

You may find a phone app to be more useful than any of the books, especially an app where you can make notes so when you eat the same thing at a later date you have a reference from the last time you ate that item. I have not used an app for a while because I am a creature of habit and mostly eat the same set of foods for each meal.

When I was testing a bunch of different foods, I used Carb Manager and it was very useful and very inexpensive. They have a free trial. I know there are others out there as well so this is just a thought you may want to entertain or test and see how it works out for you.

[MM1]

@Eric2

But there is a lot of variability between different people,

And calc for insulin for meal may be impacted by illness, stress, excitement, exercise, menstral cycle for women, and just life.

I make initial guess, and able to adjust with additional bolus, or pump basal suspend to reduce, with CGM use.

Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner is a great book with info on using insulin.

[Jag1]

The best book to learn how to deal with the variability others have mentioned (and you will experience this variability) is Sugar Surfing by Ponder.

[Marie20]

@OliverG
This might be sort of what you are looking for?
They have all sorts of information on calculating doses.

But really an awful lot is based on experience. Go with your gut type of thing… it’s just you have to learn to adjust for all the variables that come into play on a pretty constant basis…

https://dtc.ucsf.edu/types-of-diabetes/type2/treatment-of-type-2-diabetes/medications-and-therapies/type-2-insulin-rx/calculating-insulin-dose/

[OliverG]

I don’t know how to test more scientifically. About this topic, I get information from various sources, piece by piece, not systemically.

For example, I learned from a t1d that, as to variables like seasonal temperature change, if I have a standard (reference) meal, I can test temperature’s influence on timing and insulin dosage, and apply the results to other meals.

And I also learned from another one that it’s better to start from medium GI foods.

If there is a book, things will be much easier.

[OliverG]

Thank you. I just finished reading the book yesterday. It’s helpful, but doesn’t say much about mealtime insulin carb matching. Different from what I thought, I’m a little disappointed. That’s why I seek help here.

[MM1]

@OliverG

I’m a little disappointed. That’s why I seek help here.

Do you use cgm, and if not would you consider trying it. Even if only a short time. It really is the best way to see what impacts your food/insulin plus other factors.

[OliverG]

Yes, I’m using CGM.

[Marie20]

@OliverG
So I’m not completely sure what you are asking? I am going to make a guess here and I’m not sure if I am right. The difference that comes into play effecting carb absorption and the needs of matching insulin dosing per the variables of the carbs and other elements? Are you asking how to tell the difference between a 10 carb pure sugar candy, a 10 carb banana, 10 carb banana with whipped cream, or 10 carb carrots with 40 grams of protein? How those different carbs need to be adjusted for?

Most of us have to learn how and if each of these items effect us individually.
So for example with me

1. 10 carb pure sugar candy…usually only used as a hypo treatment because it’s fast absorbing. But if I were to dose for it, it’d 40 minutes before I ate it as I would want the insulin starting to work as it hit. I guess, as I don’t think I’ve ever purposely dosed for it.
2. 10 carb banana, even though there is some fiber, not that much. But I would dose about 20-30 minutes before I ate one.
3. Awww, 10 carb banana with whipped cream, high fat. Slows down the carb absorption. Still a banana though. It would depend on how much whipped cream. Small amount, treat it as a banana, lots of whipped cream, maybe do some as an extended bolus.
4. 10 carbs of carrot with 40 grams of protein is bordering on high protein, lower carb and I might actually need some insulin for that protein…but a few hours after I ate it.

The problem is ask someone else for the exact same foods and it will be different answers. There are givens, some candy that’s pure sugar, fast absorbing. High fat, slows absorbing, high protein, little carb who knows who does what .Everyone can give you some rule of thumb to start, but it comes down to how you react to what.

In a brief small poll someone did, 50% of blood sugars increased from a hot shower and 50% decreased. I’m of the increased group. But it also matters the time of day I take my shower how bad that increase is. But I’ve never noticed weather affecting my blood sugars, others do.

Exercise helps insulin work better. How much exercise and what kind can make it vary. Plus are you used to that exercise… that changes what happens. How long you do that exercise can also change it.

If that is what you are looking for in a book, see the issues involved? Many many variables. And a lot of people don’t get too technical about it, or don’t even need to get technical, they just dose for the carbs eaten.

I am 96% TIR between 70-160. I sugar surf. Which means I watch on my CGM which way my glucose levels are trending and make judgements of any adjustments I feel are needed as I go. Going a little higher than I like, another dose of insulin…tending downwards, maybe some pineapple, I love pineapple and it’s a good way to fit some in for the day.

I think this is what you are asking about? I’m really not sure, if it’s not, ignore it!

[OliverG]

Yes, that’s what I’m asking for. I want to know more about how to carry out food tests. I just want to balancing the main influencing factors, ie. food and mealtime insulin, and will minimize the influence of other factors.

[Marie20]

@OliverG I don’t think most of us get too intricate about it? And there are those variables that can make the exact same food dosing change on a different day. Sleep can even effect how well your insulin works. And I know for me eating higher fat on a day can influence for the next 24 hours on how much insulin I will need.

I would suppose literally you could do this. Take a measured food. 5 carbs of a swedish fish candy say. Eat it and then see how long it takes for your sugars to rise. Then prebolus 15 minutes and see what the difference is and if needed next time prebolus 30 minutes. That will give you an idea of prebolus timing on a simple quick carb. Then you could add 15 grams of fat and do the same experiment to see the different result the fat causes? Then you could add 30 grams of protein and find out if there is a variable.

Your CGM will show you the timing of food hitting and any spiking that happens.

That would give you a starting point of how fat and protein affects your absorption of a simple carb. You could then repeat that experiment with a more complex carb like a piece of whole wheat bread to see the difference. And then add nut butter on the bread to then see that difference.

Protein really seems to vary person to person. Protein can hits hours later, it’s harder to judge that one. But first drink a high protein shake, 0-2 carbs. No artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols (some have carbs) Stevia would be okay. Then don’t eat anything else for about 4 hours to see if you spike and when you spike. But I have to tell you,I don’t dose for protein if I have a decent carb amount with it. It only affects me if I eat very low carb. That has to do with your body will use the protein for a fuel source if there aren’t carbs available, otherwise it prefers using carbs. And the results seem to vary per person.

Does that help?

[OliverG]

I know a t1d did what you’ve said. She ate the same meal for a month. Everything is the same. Same foods (accurate to grams), same time to begin and finish eating (accurate to seconds), same eating order… She learned a lot from the experiments, and now can eat many foods with relatively steady after meal blood glucose.

But she doesn’t have much time to help me.

[OliverG]

Now I know there isn’t such a book. But I’ll probably begin to test foods in a few months. Thank you all for your help.

[MBW]

Sounds like it could be YOUR book to write

[Lcakes1]

Ginger Vieira wrote Your Disbetes Exprrimrnt on how to study your individual patterns. It is free on Unlimited Kindle

[Tbk]

Have you tried using the InPen? Doesn’t work with a pump though. It breaks down your meal times and you can adjust your carb ratios and other variables. Sounds like you’re pretty advanced yet worth a look?

[Derek_Nunez]

Sorry, but I laughed when I saw this. There are usually too many variables to control for, and I find the best way to improve is by keeping tract of positive results.

Here are some of my positive results that help me to keep improving:

Here is where I’m trying to add a high carb food to my diet. This is a challenge that I continue to work on.

[Penn]

Here is how to collect data. Using a notebook record your starting BS. Record the estimated carb for a single food(only one food at a time). Record in detail your activity levels, and BS rise with time. Make sure to record anything you put in your mouth. Study results show we don’t remember. After 8 hours analyze recorded data.

This is also how to determine (without eating anything) if basal rates are correct.

Nutritional data are estimates. What’s on package are considered minimum by FDA and can vary by 20%.

We prepare all our food and avoid all highly processed foods. We also eat only saturated fats (lard,tallow,schmaltz & bacon fat) and nut oils primarily EVOO. And of course less than 50 G CARBS A DAY.

I have very good results after 15 years and 55 years T1D.