Chickpeas, carbs and insulin requirements

[Amity Island]

Hi All,

Yesterday I had a chickpea and rice curry for dinner. About 50g of carbs in the rice, but didn't add any insulin for the chickpeas. 2 hours later went low (just below 4mmol), took 4 dextrose tablets which pulled me up to 5.5mmol after 20mins, then 2 hours later reading was 16mmol!😡 On the DAFNE course and in the DAFNE book it specifically says ignore carbs in beans,lentils etc. But it turns out, chickpeas ARE high in carbs, slow release, but high in carbs. About 50g of carbs in the chickpeas per portion in a curry. Can you really ignore 50g of carbs? For me I can't.

Does anybody here bolus for chickpeas? and if so, when do you add in the bolus for the chick peas? I'm thinking I should have split the dose for the chickpeas and rice, half up front half after 2 hours. e.g 10 units total, 5 units before and 5 units 2hrs later.

Thanks.

 

[Amity Island]

https://www.botanical-online.com/english/chickpeas-for-diabetes.htm
This link seems useful.

 

[Robin]

I don’t often eat chickpeas, (because OH doesn’t like them) but I find with green lentils, which I do eat regularly, counting the carbs and doing half my bolus up front and half at the two hour mark works for me. If I ignore them, then BG is high three hours later.
I wonder if HCPs tell us to ignore the carbs in pulses because they don’t believe we’d be able to work out how to split the dose. I’ve never met a DSN who has credited her patients with much intelligence. I often sit there thinking, oh dear, do I really look that thick! (no comments, please, people who’ve met me!)

 

[Amity Island]

I don’t often eat chickpeas, (because OH doesn’t like them) but I find with green lentils, which I do eat regularly, counting the carbs and doing half my bolus up front and half at the two hour mark works for me. If I ignore them, then BG is high three hours later.
I wonder if HCPs tell us to ignore the carbs in pulses because they don’t believe we’d be able to work out how to split the dose. I’ve never met a DSN who has credited her patients with much intelligence. I often sit there thinking, oh dear, do I really look that thick! (no comments, please, people who’ve met me!)

Thanks very much Robin for your post, common sense prevails. Again, this confirms to me what is obvious, that there are substantial carbs in chickpeas and that we DO need to bolus for them. I too have had many experiences similar to yours with DSN, they always talk to me like I know absolutely nothing about me or diabetes, like I've just been diagnosed. The nurse who ran the dafne course I attended said ignore the beans, because they have nil effect on blood sugars.

 

[eggyg]

I was also told on DAFNE not to bolus for legumes. I love chick peas, kidney beans, lentils and use them a lot. If I was having chilli and rice I would only bolus for the rice not the beans, I use 1 tin of beans per chilli and it does 4 portions so I am only having about 100 grams of beans at less than 10grms of carbs. Of course everyone is different as we know so do what’s best for you.

 

[Amity Island]

I was also told on DAFNE not to bolus for legumes. I love chick peas, kidney beans, lentils and use them a lot. If I was having chilli and rice I would only bolus for the rice not the beans, I use 1 tin of beans per chilli and it does 4 portions so I am only having about 100 grams of beans at less than 10grms of carbs. Of course everyone is different as we know so do what’s best for you.

Hi eggyg, thanks very much for your reply. 10grms of carbs isn't too bad across 5 hours of insulin, so that would be ok I think. The chickpeas seem to have the highest amount of carbs out of all the beans/lentils etc.

 

[Radders]

When I was on DAFNE they told us not to bolus for any vegetables and that they were so slow release that our basal would cover them. Hmmm.
I always bolus for any carby veg and don’t find any of them particularly slow!

 

[trophywench]

I bolus for the red beans in chilli con carne, lentils in whatever there are lentils in, marrowfat and chickpeas - so yep I need to carb count the onion bhajis (made with basen flour) though being fried it slows the carbs down a bit. Garden peas, flageolets and haricots, I don't need to bolus for.