Insulin for fruit

[James B]

Hi guy I’ve had an apple instead crisps for lunch the carbs and cal app say there is 13.3 carbs in the apple so I’ve taken insulin to cover the carbs in the apple but vaguely remember the nurse saying you don’t need to take insulin for fruits. Can anyone clarify this? Is this going to cause my glucose to go down?

 

[Thebearcametoo]

You do need insulin for fruit as it’s a fairly fast release sugar. Our dietician suggests not counting veg (except potatoes) although many people do but you will work out what makes you spike and what you can get away with.

 

[nonethewiser]

Strange thing to say.

Like apples pears bananas & have to bolus for them, can get away with eating few strawberries without insulin.

 

[trophywench]

Well James, giving nursey the benefit of the doubt (since all our reactions were immediately 'She said WHAAAAAT?') are you sure it's not your memory at fault here?

Anyway, the truth is there's quite a lot of carb in fruit, and you'd be perfectly correct in thinking the luscious ripe tropical fruits have most and berries (not that much actual 'flesh' in berries, cos there are so many seeds) are about the least.

 

[Inka]

Yes, you need insulin for fruit. Maybe she meant some fruit? I was told a few berries wouldn’t need insulin, but I eat a lot so I do have some insulin.

Apples, pears, oranges, bananas (high carb), peaches, mango, pineapple, etc - they all need insulin. Count the carbs and calculate how much you need. You’ll gradually get used to the carb counts and what works for you 🙂

 

[James B]

Well James, giving nursey the benefit of the doubt (since all our reactions were immediately 'She said WHAAAAAT?') are you sure it's not your memory at fault here?

Anyway, the truth is there's quite a lot of carb in fruit, and you'd be perfectly correct in thinking the luscious ripe tropical fruits have most and berries (not that much actual 'flesh' in berries, cos there are so many seeds) are about the least.

that’s good then! I’ve just dipped down to 3.6 though so this is strange just to confirm count carbs in fruit as normal as though it’s rice. Thanks 🙂

 

[James B]

Yes, you need insulin for fruit. Maybe she meant some fruit? I was told a few berries wouldn’t need insulin, but I eat a lot so I do have some insulin.

Apples, pears, oranges, bananas (high carb), peaches, mango, pineapple, etc - they all need insulin. Count the carbs and calculate how much you need. You’ll gradually get used to the carb counts and what works for you 🙂

I’ll be honest the whole day I got diagnosed is a bit of a blur and I only spoke to the dietician for 5 mins before they let me leave so it’s very possible My memory is failing me there

 

[James B]

Yes, you need insulin for fruit. Maybe she meant some fruit? I was told a few berries wouldn’t need insulin, but I eat a lot so I do have some insulin.

Apples, pears, oranges, bananas (high carb), peaches, mango, pineapple, etc - they all need insulin. Count the carbs and calculate how much you need. You’ll gradually get used to the carb counts and what works for you 🙂

thanks for this 🙂 I’ve bought some scales so I can work out berries carbs I love me some blueberries in a yoghurt

 

[James B]

You do need insulin for fruit as it’s a fairly fast release sugar. Our dietician suggests not counting veg (except potatoes) although many people do but you will work out what makes you spike and what you can get away with.

Thank you

 

[James B]

Strange thing to say.

Like apples pears bananas & have to bolus for them, can get away with eating few strawberries without insulin.

I must be wrong then! Thanks I do rely on the expertise of this group as the nurses are always so busy and I don’t feel I can ask a simple question like do I need insulin for fruit when I kinda just want some fruit lol

 

[Inka]

thanks for this 🙂 I’ve bought some scales so I can work out berries carbs I love me some blueberries in a yoghurt

The scales will be useful for bananas too! I don’t eat them that often but when I last had one, I checked the carbs and what I considered to be a small banana actually worked out as a medium to large one according to the weight/carb list I was looking at! The ripeness of bananas can also affect the carbs.

I find berries more forgiving - ie it’s not like cereal, etc. Weigh the berries but a few 10s of grams out doesn’t seem to matter. I can also eat a few strawberries as a snack and not need insulin and add a few blueberries to my cereal and not bother to count the carbs in them. It’s when you have a fair old bowl, you need to start thinking about the carbs. Even then, err on the side of caution and have less insulin than you’d think to start with. See how that goes, and adjust your dose next time if your blood sugar was higher/lower than expected. From experience, I’ve found that a certain amount of my bowl of berries can be ‘free’ but the rest of the bowl will need a little insulin, if that makes sense?

For veg - I was told to count the carbs in potatoes obviously, and also in parsnips and butternut squash. But that green veg was ‘free’ - ie no need to count the carbs. So a meal of, say, potatoes, salmon and green beans would only need the carbs from the potatoes counting.

The notebook I suggested in another thread really helps. Eat the same meal a few times and you’ll learn what amount of insulin works for you. By “same”, I mean exactly the same (weigh any carbs things and have the same amount). It saves so much time and effort once you know a few meals. Obviously you can choose to vary the meals eg have more pasta some days, but if you just want to save your brain then stick with the same amounts of carby things for your chosen meal and then you can generally have the same amount of insulin without having to work things out.