Mastering Carb Counting & Insulin: The Key to Blood Sugar Control

When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I was prescribed two types of insulin: a “slow insulin” and a “fast insulin.” At the time, this didn’t make much sense to me, but I followed the instructions exactly as given. In the beginning, doctors and nurses usually ask about your typical meals—what you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—to estimate the right insulin dose for each meal. This initial approach makes sense, but in the long run, it’s not the best way to manage diabetes.

Why Carb Counting Matters

Insulin isn’t like a pill you take before bed and everything magically works out. It’s a hormone that plays a key role in metabolism, allowing glucose to enter cells and be used as energy.

That’s why understanding how food affects blood sugar levels is so important. Eating a pizza isn’t the same as eating a chicken salad. Carb counting helps adjust your fast-acting insulin dose based on the food you eat, ensuring better blood sugar control.

Types of Insulin

1. Slow-Acting (Basal) Insulin
   • Examples: Lantus, Levemir, Tresiba
   • Maintains stable blood sugar levels throughout the day and night.
   • Not directly linked to meals but helps regulate overall glucose levels.
2. Fast-Acting (Bolus) Insulin
   • Examples: Novorapid, Humalog, Apidra
   • Covers the carbohydrates consumed in each meal.
   • Taken right before eating, with effects lasting 2 to 4 hours.

Carb Counting in Action

Here are some examples to give you a clearer picture:

• Apple (100g): Around 14g of carbohydrates.
• Chicken breast (100g): 0g of carbohydrates.
• Bread (1 slice): About 15g of carbohydrates.
• Cooked potatoes (100g): 20g of carbohydrates.
• Pizza (1 slice): 35-40g of carbohydrates.

Proteins and fats contain little to no carbohydrates, so they don’t require fast-acting insulin. However, fats can slow down carb absorption and affect blood sugar levels later on.

Personalizing Your Insulin Dose

Insulin sensitivity varies from person to person. Your weight, age, stress levels, and physical activity all influence how much insulin you need. For example, one unit of insulin might lower blood sugar significantly for one person but only slightly for another.

Final Tips

1. Learn the approximate carb values of the foods you eat regularly.
2. Always check nutrition labels. Don’t just look at “sugars”—focus on total carbohydrates.
3. Don’t fall for “no added sugar” traps. What matters is the total carb count, not just whether sugar was added. e.g. 37g per 100g means 3.7 units of insulin if your index is 1 unit per 10 grams.

Example Nutrition Label

If you’d like me to dive deeper into any of these topics, let me know in the comments. I hope this helps you feel more confident about managing diabetes!