And I assume you wouldn't need a top up of insulin for that?
No Conrad - no extra insulin required for nuts or cheese. Some nuts have more carbs than others, though, so better to go for the lower carb ones (I think peanuts are relatively high, almonds and walnuts relatively low
🙂). I usually go for cheese myself - a couple of slices of Double Gloucester with chives and onions, yum!
🙂 Some people can get away with small amounts of carbs without needing extra insulin, so things like Wotsits, Quavers, small apple etc. are OK - usually around 10g carbs is given as a limit, but it's worthwhile testing blood sugar before and an hour after to see how they affect him as an individual - people's tolerances can vary widely, so important he learns his own as this will make life easier in the longer term
🙂 High cocoa-content dark chocolate is also low in carbs, so a couple of squares of that can satisfy a craving
🙂
Something else to watch out for is a possible 'honeymoon' period - sometimes a recently-diagnosed person's pancreas recovers a little after they start receiving insulin treatment, and novorapid doses may need reducing. Doesn't happen to everyone, but it can make things a little unpredictable, and it's very important that he always has some fast-acting sugar to hand in case of a hypo (low blood sugar, below 4.0 mmol/l). I use jelly babies - between one and three is usually sufficient to raise levels again - but many people also use full-sugar Coke etc. The recommended treatment is around 15g sugar to raise levels without sending them sky high!
🙂 One of the problems with a low blood sugar is that the brain thinks you need lots and lots, so sometimes you need a bit of discipline and know when to stop - preferably before you've emptied the fridge!
😱 😉
Really, the key with snacks is to do lots of testing and try and build up experience of how they affect you - doesn't take that long to get used to what works well for you (him!)
🙂
