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Ice Cream?

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TheClockworkDodo

TheClockworkDodo

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
How does ice cream effect you (especially, but not exclusively, if you are on insulin)?

I've not eaten it since becoming diabetic because of my food intolerances, but I've discovered some hand-made all-natural ice cream which I think I could try - woohoo! :D I'm wondering how much the fat and the cold will slow down the effect of the sugar though - should I err on the side of caution when injecting (especially in view of the fact that I'm currently having about 2 hypos a day anyway), or inject after eating it rather than before, do you think? What does everyone else do?

And any advice about guesstimating the amount of carbs in a helping of ice cream (when buying a scoop in a cone or individual tub out, I mean - I could weigh it and look it up if I were eating it at home) would also be welcome ...
 
It always is a complete guess frankly - but I'm quite happy to try it for you !

The cone is always a danger of course even if not a massive amount of sugar (in whatever form) in the ice cream, Plus on holiday one is usually found taking some sort of exercise when one spots the retail outlet - even walking through the streets of some place or another, and it would probably be hot too - so I over estimate the bolus as often as under. The thick delicious 'artisanal' looking cones have much more in the way of carbs than the wimpy ones such a lot of places in the UK still use. Since I have to eat all those carby cones, I try to ensure I squash some ice cream down the cone LOL

It also depends on how generous they are with the scoop, doesn't it? personally I limit myself to a one scoop serving - after all it isn't a staple!

I'd start off estimating 15g carb for a measly one in a wimpy cone. If you have a flake in it though - you need to add that as well! I probably conveniently forget to include that quite often!
 
Thanks, Jenny 🙂

It's only one brand I think I might be able to eat, and they are local to here, so I won't be getting them on holiday, just whenever I happen to go into Cirencester shopping. No flakes or anything like that, and I'd probably try a small tub before I risk a cone, because I don't know whether I can tolerate the ingredients in a cone and don't want to confuse the issue - need to work out whether I can tolerate the ice cream itself before I try it with anything else!

They are quite generous with their ice cream portions though (judging by the amount they gave R in his tub last week) so I'm talking large scoop of ice cream and no cone, at least to start with. I suspect from what you say that that is likely to be one unit of insulin for me, maybe even just half a unit (currently on 1 unit insulin for 22g carbs at lunchtime), so I should probably start with half a unit and see what happens. If I'm OK with the ice cream I'll then need to remember to inject a bit more if I have it with a cone another time.

The main thing I was wondering, though, is do the cold and fat slow the carbs down enough that I should inject afterwards rather than beforehand?
 
I've not had any since I was diagnosed but I wouldn't imagine the coldness would effect the absorption, cold dessert didn't me at Christmas and new year anyway, as for the fat, do you know what ingredients they use? or can they provide fat content? I only ask as fat content of ice cream can vary widely I've just had a look at tubbed stuff and one is 11.odd g fat per 100g but another is only 5.odd g xx
 
Even the clotted cream variety doesn't seem to slow down the 'sweet' for me Juliet - and yes unless the trip to the outlet has just followed a 10 minute brisk walk from wherever you were, half a unit for you, but with such a walk I'd test it first with Nil I think?
 
Thank you both, that's useful 🙂

Dietician told me cold or heat would slow down carb absorbtion, @Kaylz - that's why a hot cup of tea with sugar in it isn't a suitable hypo treatment for someone on insulin. I tested it by freezing grape juice, which is my usual hypo treatment, into ice lollies, and it worked for me - I can eat the ice lollies (with appropriate amount of insulin) without a spike, whereas I couldn't drink grape juice unless I was hypo.

This is the ice cream - http://dolcetti.net/ - I just looked and there's no info. about fat content on their website, but when we went in we asked them about the natural stabilisers listed in their ingredients (their site lists allergens but only the common ones, which is to say none of the ones I have 🙄 ) and a very enthusiastic, not to say obsessive, ice cream maker came and told us all about them in great detail, so I'm sure they'd be happy to tell us anything we want to know about fat or carb content!
 
Ice cream in general I tend to steer clear of, but there's a couple of brands that seem to do ok with me. Sainsbury's stock a brand called Oppo, which is the lowest carb content of any brand I've seen and is actually pretty good for a 2 scoop portion. Tastes pretty nice too. There's also Halo Top, which Tesco stock, which has a slightly higher carb content but still a lot lower than most brands. Have a good range of flavours and taste really good. The only cons they have is that they've got sweeteners in so you can't have a huge amount, same as anything with sweeteners in, and they're also not cheap. But I find they're great for a treat.
 
Beck S said:
Ice cream in general I tend to steer clear of, but there's a couple of brands that seem to do ok with me. Sainsbury's stock a brand called Oppo, which is the lowest carb content of any brand I've seen and is actually pretty good for a 2 scoop portion. Tastes pretty nice too. There's also Halo Top, which Tesco stock, which has a slightly higher carb content but still a lot lower than most brands. Have a good range of flavours and taste really good. The only cons they have is that they've got sweeteners in so you can't have a huge amount, same as anything with sweeteners in, and they're also not cheap. But I find they're great for a treat.
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As Juliet is insulin dependant she can cover the ice cream, also as she's mentioned she has food intolerances so Halo Top and Oppo may not be suitable xx
 
Ah, fair point. Thanks guys 🙂
 
Beck S said:
Ah, fair point. Thanks guys 🙂
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I hope you know I wasn't trying to be 'funny' with you or anything! That wasn't my intention at all! Sorry! xx
 
No, that's ok. I knew that 🙂
 
Hi Juliet not sure if you can calculate it but I make raspberry ice cream by putting frozen raspberries with double cream and a little sweetener. I know you aren’t quite so concerned about carbs but it’s easy to do at home, without trapping to the shops (I know this is important). I make it quite a bit in the summer as I don’t like the chemicals in low sugar ice cream and it’s very tasty. Hope those neighbours have nearly finished the building :(
 
Thanks for the thought, Sally - I want to try the ice cream from the shop in Cirencester first though, because I don't know if I can tolerate ice cream at all.

Do you have an ice cream maker? I have looked at them in the Lakeland catalogue in the past and wondered whether it would be worth it, if I am OK with ice cream. I don't cook (or whatever the equivalent word is for making cold things!) but could see what R thinks. He doesn't have a lot of spare time, but he does like making things like jam and cakes and crumbles. I wouldn't risk a sweetener but I have no problems with sugar as an ingredient, I don't need much insulin for it.
 
The raspberry ice cream is made by a food processor: should have said. I do have a small Lakeland ice cream maker I’ve never used. Raspberry one is so easy I’ve not bothered. If you do want to try it I got it from ‘Step Away From The Carbs’ website. I always reduce the sweetener though as I find raspberries quite sweet so you may want to reduce sugar.
 
Ah, we don't have a food processor or anything like that - I loathe cooking and R doesn't really have the time (not to mention the space in the kitchen!).

Apologies to you and anyone else reading this who can't have sugar, but I like things sweet! I always sprinkle extra sugar on the fruit when R makes crumble 😳 ... and then I usually hypo, having overestimated the insulin for it (I'm ridiculously insulin-sensitive) 🙄
 
Warning - If you make yourself some real icecream then you might not want to go back to the stuff you buy.
My grandmother used to make 'forget me not' icecream when my dad was young and they ran a shop in Youlgreave, Derbyshire - it was prescribed for children who failed to thrive by the local doctor. It was eggs and cream plus a small spoonful of 'ice cream powder' which was - I believe, vanilla essence absorbed in arrowroot - sugar was added, or not - some people did not like the sugary one. It was made using a freezing mixture of salt and ice, and a lot of muscle power turning the handle on the mixer, as it needs to be mixed to prevent the formation of large crystals. I used to make it with chopped walnuts and a small amount of honey, for the aroma and flavour rather than sweetening. The mixture is made like an egg custard.
 
TheClockworkDodo said:
Sounds lovely, @Drummer 🙂
The shop in Cirencester sounds like your grandparents' shop - all handmade and natural ingredients.
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Sounds good. I make take a look Juliet: what was the name of the shop in Cirencester?. I try to avoid foods with things I can’t pronounce and make most things from scratch anyway
 
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