Oat milk - do you count the carbs?

[PhoebeC]

So I had my usual cereal (Tesco's fruit and fiber) its 26.4g carb, for me that's 2.6 units plus my pump suggested a corrective amount of 1.05 (BG 8.3). Usually this would be fine, I waited about 20ish mins until I ate, again usually this is enough time and I wouldn't get a breakfast spike. An hour later, and I have just had my high alarm at BG 14.7 and going up.

Only difference is I had oat milk, and I didn't even think about the carbs, and I have no idea how much I had, and I added more so likely over 200ml (14g carbs according to carbs & cals). Annoying as I really enjoyed this and now I have a high sugar headache.

Is this my error? Would you carb count?
I don't normally for normal milk, unless in oats. Urgh!

 

[Inka]

I don’t have oat milk anymore, but when I did I counted the carbs or, at least, made an allowance for them (ie added a tiny bit to my bolus without bothering to measure the oat milk precisely) @PhoebeC

 

[SB2015]

Like you @PhoebeC i ignored the milk I put in hot drinks, but when I briefly tried other milks they seemed to be more carby, so then added them in. I was surprised at how many carbs there were in these, and if I added in cereal I spiked so needed a bit more.

I have gone back to cows milk, but as I can drink three (Extremely weak) teas in the morning before breakfast, I now just add in a bit to the carbs for these.

 

[Tdm]

Oat milk in tea or coffee is magically carb free, but would count it in a bowl of muselli...thought i have (no carb) almond milk for that

 

[Newbie777]

Hello there are two types of oat milk, the unsweetened is best for diabetics, I would still advise to check the labels though. I don't count the carbs or calories, I use it for cereal now and then but always for tea everyday.

I also try coconut and almond, but soya, yuk don't like the taste.
In the future will go for cows milk, full fat, but only if can keep my BG stable as like the idea of simple organic stuff, not really happy with all the stuff they put in these alternative milks, but as they say 'needs must'

 

[victorhamesse]

Personally I would have measured everything I eat once and then relied on eyeballing to estimate up/down variations. Unsweetened oat milk seems to contain 6.5% to 8.5% carbs of which 4% to 5.5% is sugar. So, yes, it could make a difference IMO. Fortunately I have some postage scales so it's easy for me to measure stuff.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

We use oat milk for things like white sauces (eg in the cauli cheese we had for tea). I don’t specifically count it, but I am a bit of a guesstimator to be honest, and usually add a bit at the end of a calculation to account for the odd scraps and bits, divided by the number of portions blah blah.

Having said that the Alpro ‘no added sugar’ milk we use (5.8g per 100ml) is roughly the same carbs as regular milk I think?

 

[Newbie777]

Looking at unsweetened almond milk, sorry don't have oat milk at hand, the carbs are a lot lower, so a typical 250ml glass is 1.5g and which sugars 1.3g, so you even if you have 500ml for your cereal and another 500ml for teas and coffees (that's a lot) you are no more than 6g of carbs and 5.2g of sugar.

 

[Newbie777]

Found it, Waitrose unweetened oat milk, it is a whopping 7.6g per 100ml and 4.3g of sugar, so no wonder your BG is going up. Like I said do look at the labels as they vary according to the shop. If you tolerate it go to almond milk.

 

[Inka]

@Newbie777 As Type 1s, we can simply count the carbs and add them to our bolus calculation. The only reason I don’t have oat milk now is because I can no longer tolerate oats not because of the carbs. Carbs are fine 🙂

 

[Newbie777]

Oh okay, do you have alternatives like coconut or almond?

 

[helli]

Hello there are two types of oat milk, the unsweetened is best for diabetics,

With Type 1 diabetes, the diet is the same as someone without diabetes. The phrase "is best for diabetics" does not apply.
Type 1 is managed with insulin not diet. Hence the question posed in the title of this thread.

 

[Newbie777]

Oops sorry, I understand now

 

[Inka]

Oh okay, do you have alternatives like coconut or almond?

I have what I want @Newbie777 Type 1 is nothing to do with diet and all about the insulin. I eat cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, cakes, etc etc. All I have to do (and ‘all’ is trivialising it a bit as it’s not easy!) is calculate the correct dose of insulin.

 

[victorhamesse]

Found it, Waitrose unweetened oat milk, it is a whopping 7.6g per 100ml and 4.3g of sugar, so no wonder your BG is going up. Like I said do look at the labels as they vary according to the shop. If you tolerate it go to almond milk.

If you have a computer to hand, you will find the Nutrition content of all the stuff Waitrose sells on their on-line shopping site. Sometimes the portion content is listed also but I find that misleading, so I always look for the %age figure.

 

[Inka]

If you have a computer to hand, you will find the Nutrition content of all the stuff Waitrose sells on their on-line shopping site. Sometime the portion content is listed also but I find that misleading, so I always look for the %age figure.

Surely the portion size is what you want, if only to adjust and calculate a smaller or larger portion? How do you count the carbs from the percentage?

 

[Proud to be erratic]

I'm sure @victorharnesse can explain for himself - but I immediately recognised how his remark applied to me.

I find some of the "carbs per portion" that appear on packaging can be downright confusing; someone's "standard" portion is frequently not my "standard". Worse you might look at the carbs from 2 similar commodities and find different "standard" portion sizes. I like to look at the carbs per 100 gms for pretty well everything and then apply that % to the portion I'm actually planning to consume. Most of my portions are weighed, but I do have certain volume guaged portions, which I will already know what the contents of my standard cup, scoop or container will weigh and thus the carb content.

But by consistently relating any food commodity back to its carbs per 100 gms, gives me a sense of what I'm counting and in the background gives me an awareness of whether I'm dealing with a food with high GI and thus likely to digest more rapidly, or low GI. I don't specifically set out to take on board whether something is high, medium or low GI, but do subliminally create an awareness of how responsive in digestion a particular food might be. I presume this is just one of the hundreds of D decisions my brain gets bogged down with 365 days per year.

 

[victorhamesse]

Surely the portion size is what you want, if only to adjust and calculate a smaller or larger portion? How do you count the carbs from the percentage?

I have a postal scale. I spent two weeks measuring a portion of everything I was eating and creating a spreadsheet. %age x weight = meal content. Then I can use this data and +- by eye if different. After a while it become routine. It's only of interest to me not a necessity as I don't use insulin, but it helps to understand my body's reaction to what I eat.

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

I have what I want @Newbie777 Type 1 is nothing to do with diet and all about the insulin. I eat cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, cakes, etc etc. All I have to do (and ‘all’ is trivialising it a bit as it’s not easy!) is calculate the correct dose of insulin

I have what I want @Newbie777 Type 1 is nothing to do with diet and all about the insulin. I eat cereal, bread, potatoes, rice, cakes, etc etc. All I have to do (and ‘all’ is trivialising it a bit as it’s not easy!) is calculate the correct dose of insulin.

love that you eat what you want, I thought in the beginning had to cut all the good stuff out. Cut my carbs right down as well, but hospital told me I wasn’t having enough carbs and I could eat the same as person without diabetes just to be mindful. I’m now enjoying my food and few treats again, only thing I’ve not went back to is full fat cola, I was a bit off an addict with it 3 cans a day

 

[victorhamesse]

I'm sure @victorharnesse can explain for himself - but I immediately recognised how his remark applied to me.

I find some of the "carbs per portion" that appear on packaging can be downright confusing; someone's "standard" portion is frequently not my "standard". Worse you might look at the carbs from 2 similar commodities and find different "standard" portion sizes. I like to look at the carbs per 100 gms for pretty well everything and then apply that % to the portion I'm actually planning to consume. Most of my portions are weighed, but I do have certain volume guaged portions, which I will already know what the contents of my standard cup, scoop or container will weigh and thus the carb content.

But by consistently relating any food commodity back to its carbs per 100 gms, gives me a sense of what I'm counting and in the background gives me an awareness of whether I'm dealing with a food with high GI and thus likely to digest more rapidly, or low GI. I don't specifically set out to take on board whether something is high, medium or low GI, but do subliminally create an awareness of how responsive in digestion a particular food might be. I presume this is just one of the hundreds of D decisions my brain gets bogged down with 365 days per year.

Exactly so.