Quinoa?

[Kaylz]

Anyone used quinoa? I was looking at it in Tesco last night, nutrition states19.1g carb per 100g (cooked), I just wouldn't have a clue what to do with it xx

 

[Matt Cycle]

I've used this for a number of years. It's another 'superfood' as it features lots of protein molecules and comes from Bolivia or somewhere. I remember reading that technically it's a seed rather than a grain but you boil it until they split. Taste wise I find it's a bit bland but will have it sometimes instead of rice or pasta etc. Supermarkets seem to use it added to speciality bread, prepacked salads, cereal bars etc.

 

[Matt Cycle]

I used to call it Kwin-oah but found out it's pronounced Keen-wah.

 

[Kaylz]

@Matt Cycle I know how to pronounce it lol, so in what way would you suggest I bolus for such a thing? xx

 

[Matt Cycle]

@Matt Cycle I know how to pronounce it lol, so in what way would you suggest I bolus for such a thing? xx

At one stage as it started to become popular they started putting on the packets 'pronounced keen-wah'. Probably for idiots like me who never did Spanish at school. For bolus I'd treat it the same as rice. It lists it for cooked weight but it's only cooked in water.

 

[Kaylz]

At one stage as it started to become popular they started putting on the packets 'pronounced keen-wah'. Probably for idiots like me who never did Spanish at school. For bolus I'd treat it the same as rice. It lists it for cooked weight but it's only cooked in water.

Haha that's not much help at all, I haven't eaten rice since I was diagnosed! lol, I eat jumbo oats for breakfast, could I treat it the same as that? xx

 

[Matt Cycle]

Haha that's not much help at all, I haven't eaten rice since I was diagnosed! lol, I eat jumbo oats for breakfast, could I treat it the same as that? xx

I guess so as it's described as a wholegrain. It's never an exact science - or do as I often do and make it up as you go along.

 

[christophe]

What do you mean exactly? When you are saying treat it like and bolus as if for..? Sorry to jump in, it got me interested because for anything I guess I would take its carb value per 100g, weigh out the amount I would eat and do the maths.. the thing that would be bothering me, and makes me stay on what I know rather than eat outside of my comfort zone, would be how fast it got absorbed.. what anyone does from there I just don't know!

 

[Kaylz]

@christophe I'm not quite sure I get what your trying to ask? I'm just talking about pre-bolus etc xx

 

[christophe]

I think the problem is I am not sure what I'm trying to ask!

What got me was .. treat it like rice or treat it like jumbo oats. This was for the bolus right? I am treating each food item on its own carb content, and I guess I haven't noticed if some come out similar or not but of course some must do..

 

[Kaylz]

@christophe well things like rice and pasta etc may have the same profile than say a completely different food item like a potato, so I would adjust timing on my injection if I knew what kind of food to treat it like, sorry I don't think I'm putting this across very well am I ? xx

 

[christophe]

There you go..
You are timing your insulin based around a food's profile.. absorption rate I guess?? (That is going to be the next step for me I think to break away from same old for each meal. )
So is pre-bolus simply the time between the insulin going in and the food going in..
sorry I have derailed where this was going, apologies for that

 

[Robin]

So is pre-bolus simply the time between the insulin going in and the food going in..

That's exactly it, Christophe. I know if I have some foods that my body will convert to glucose so fast, that I need my insulin to be up and running by the time they hit, so I will do my injection at least half an hour before I eat. Other foods, particularly with ones that are high in fat and protein, I know will take longer for my body to digest, so I don't want the insulin getting there before the food, so I hold off, or even split the Bolus in two. I did this for a wodge of Christmas pudding and rum sauce I had yesterday, I knew I needed 8 units to match the carbs, but I knew 8 units would get into my system faster than the pudding, (especially as I was having meat and green veg with no potato for first course) so I did 5units before the meal and 3 just after. It seemed to work. It's taken me years and lots of testing to accumulate this knowledge, though, so give it time and experience and you'll get there.

 

[Kaylz]

@christophe yes that's exactly it, some people find that they are most insulin resistant in the morning for instance so inject say 30 minutes before they eat breakfast where by tea time (sorry you may work on lunch and dinner times lol) so by 'dinner' they only need to inject 5-10 minutes before eating, it also depends where you inject too but this isn't important right now if your not yet doing things this way, I wouldn't suggest in anyway you attempt to go straight to a half hour wait in any event between injecting and eating by the way, you just have to find for you the time that stops the 'spike' so say adjust by 5 minutes at a time xx

 

[christophe]

Thank you!
For once I am ahead of the game but not quite fine-tuned enough.. I already do wait for as long as I can ,up to an hour, because fast acting doesn't appear to mean that to me..
Just to confirm the prejudice.. @Kaylz breakfast, lunch and dinner for me! But I am flexible on these things, you'll never find me licking the foil from a yoghurt pot though..
@Robin ... why did you do that to me??! Christmas pudding..I hadn't realised how much I want these things..

 

[trophywench]

These are the 'Advanced' stage in the 'learning to carb count and adjust doses' course Christophe!

But there is a diabetes term used for the effect of especially fat, slowing the absorption of carb in a meal down - doesn't actually matter what the exact food happens to be , it's called 'the pizza effect'. Pizza is basically 'bread' with a shedload of melted cheese - ie more fat than protein or anything else - on top of it. Pizza is actually one of the most marked culprits of doing this and when I eat it if I just read the packet and jab that amount of Novorapid (which starts working in MY body within approx. 10 minutes) then I'll be hypo before I've finished eating it, so I have only half the amount of insulin upfront. However sometimes - the carbs don't actually 'hit' me up to 4 or 5 hours later because of the fat slowing them down!

Everyone differs as to exactly how we each need to deal with it, but if it's a food we like, the only thing to do is experiment using our BG meter to guide us to see the best way of coping with it.

Incidentally because of the fast uptake of Novorapid for me, I don't need to pre-bolus for anything I've eaten so far! Never tried quinoa though, never appealed to me in the slightest!

 

[christophe]

It isn't so much as advanced or not for me.. just something I noticed after eating and monitoring, giving time for something to work is kind of usual.
I had been told about pizza.. I suggested eating it upside down..
Just bought bean sprouts.. they seem to be a whole load of nothing so perhaps quinoa would be more appealing than those?!

More good things learned, thank you so much

 

[Kaylz]

Just bought bean sprouts

Personally I love bean sprouts, haven't had them in a while though! xx

 

[christophe]

The beans sprouts are going to go in a kind of stir-fry to imitate the noodles that I have left out.. unless there is a better use for them @Kaylz ??

 

[christophe]

And, you know what? I was rude to butt in on this thread and all the while I had an answer to give you.. I have used quinoa in a risotto/paella style, it not as absorbent as rice so you have a heavier end result. Worked well with chicken and olives, I imagine beef and olives and tomato would be really good. . I didn' t buy it again but I might now, same with the part cooked lentils you can get in plastic pouches, these are 20% carb or less and bulk out soups and salads.
Tried to be helpful in the end..