Snacks

[Northerner]

Reading the thread about testing, and how often, I was wondering if people test if they fancy a snack, or if they just inject for the snack?

In my case, because I've always been nervous about injecting insulin between meals (getting it wrong and 'stacking' it), I do a test if I want a snack. If my levels are good, I'll have the snack and not usually inject. If my levels are a bit on the high side, I'll usually just forego the snack or find something non-carby like cheese.

 

[xxlou_lxx]

Depends what it is really, if its something quite carby ill take a unit or 2 depending on my blood sugar...
I have to take 2 with tea only because i have 2 sugar in it as I hate sweetner 🙄
Im quite bad for leaving huge gaps between meals so tend to find ill need a snack to sustain me anyway 🙄 I guess everyone is different!! 🙂

 

[margie]

On the carb counting course we were told that a snack under 10g CHO was OK and would be covered by the previous meal injection. However more than 10gcho and you should inject accordingly. I think this is simplistic and really depends on what your ratio is. If your ratio is 1 to 5 then 10g would be too much.

I generally do not check before a snack but will inject for said snack.

 

[randomange]

It depends on when I last ate. If it's been more than about 1.5 hours, I'll usually test, if it's less, then I don't, unless I feel high/low. I almost always inject for a snack, I tend to find that I can't really have anything carby without it sending my levels up.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Interesting question...

I tend to try to avoid regular snacks as I've found they tend to be more trouble than they are worth, and don't quite seem to obey my usual ratio...

Having said that I will sneak a handful or two of peanuts without worrying about it (since negligible carbs). And on other occasions if I'm at the lower end of 'normal' I can have something around the 10-15g mark without injecting.

On those rarer holiday-type mid-afternoon cream tea/ice cream type occasions, obviously it's injection time, though tbh if we've been wandering around for a while and my levels are behaving I'll often need a little something to keep my bgs up and won't need to inject (or at least not much) even then.

 

[PhoebeC]

Reading the thread about testing, and how often, I was wondering if people test if they fancy a snack, or if they just inject for the snack?

In my case, because I've always been nervous about injecting insulin between meals (getting it wrong and 'stacking' it), I do a test if I want a snack. If my levels are good, I'll have the snack and not usually inject. If my levels are a bit on the high side, I'll usually just forego the snack or find something non-carby like cheese.

See i dont like the idea of injecting more either, If my levels are good i have a snack and not then i forget about it, just like you.

I always test when i inject, so i think if i was injection for a snack id check first anyway.

If its fruit then i just eat it, i know things like grapes are mega sugary so might only have them in the morning or just after dinner. But all others dont really effect my bs , same with cucumber which i love!

 

[Freddie99]

If I'm snacking I do throw in the correct amount of insulin for them. I may also add a correction if I need one but not if my pump tells me that I have a substantial amount of active insulin in me still.

Tom

 

[Monica]

C doesn't usually snack, except near bedtime and usually just after testing. If she just has a handful of nuts (like Mike) - no injection, but if she has something bigger...

If she's out and about walking (read window shopping or just out with her friends) then might have a flapjack or chewee bar without testing and without injection. She never takes her insulin with her. I even have to nag her to take her bag with all the paraphernalia she might need when out!

 

[Northerner]

If I'm snacking I do throw in the correct amount of insulin for them. I may also add a correction if I need one but not if my pump tells me that I have a substantial amount of active insulin in me still.

Tom

That's where pumps can really win - the knowledge of 'onboard' insulin so less danger of stacking...

 

[rachelha]

I test if I am having a snack and depending on what the reading is, how long it is since eating, what the snack is, and whether or not i am about to walk home I may or maynot inject for it.

I just had a tracker bar, but am currently only at 6.7 which is lower than I was at lunch so I am not going to inject for it. If I had been 2 or more units above my lunch time reading I would have injected.

This has just made me think about the thought process involved with every snack, it is no wonder I dont have any brain power left for work!!

 

[bev]

If Alex wants a snack - he always has to test. When he was on MDI he couldnt have the so-called 'free' snack of 10 carbs as it sent his levels up - so we have learnt that every bite of food he has he needs insulin for it. Unless of course he is low and he is about to do some activity then thats a different matter. But if he wants a snack he has to test. I cant envisage a time when he wouldnt test as its seems alien not to!😱🙂Bev

 

[Jules A]

I tend to avoid carby snacks as it's too much trouble trying to work out how much insulin I have on board. It would be nice if someone were to bring out a meter that would do the calculations - it shouldn't be difficult as the software used in pumps could be adapted.

 

[Chrissie]

I always test before i snack & give a bolus of insulin, but i'm lucky being on the pump & having the flexibility to use the wizard which will tell me what active insulin i have & if a correction dose is needed 😉

 

[RWJ]

Snacking

I normally test 3 times a day, missing out lunchtime. However if I've been walking the site in the morning, which is pretty massive with a six storey hospital under construction, I'll normally grab an apple or banana before I head off. I'll then test before lunch.
I tend to keep the site vists to the afternoon when possible and grab another bit of fruit before I drive home.

 

[sofaraway]

I might test if I have a snack, at the moment I am trying really hard to avoid snacks. Generally speaking though I would inject without testing.

 

[D_G]

I can usually get away with a snack 15g or less and i find that i need something mid morning and also mid afternoon otherwise i go low, this is due to my active job and walking home etc...for instance when i left work today i was 8.x and after the walk back home and a detour to tesco i had a 3.6! just shows how much walking can lower your bg so i have to be careful! Usualy i dont inject for snacks unless i am really on the high side and starving!

Also this may sound stupid but i am unfamilliar with 'Stacking insulin' what does this mean?

 

[aymes]

Reading the thread about testing, and how often, I was wondering if people test if they fancy a snack, or if they just inject for the snack?

In my case, because I've always been nervous about injecting insulin between meals (getting it wrong and 'stacking' it), I do a test if I want a snack. If my levels are good, I'll have the snack and not usually inject. If my levels are a bit on the high side, I'll usually just forego the snack or find something non-carby like cheese.

If the snack is more than 5g carbs I'll always inject for it. As to whether I'd test it will usually depend on when I last injected, if it was within the last couple of hours I'd probably not test, I'd just inject and eat. If only really use a reading under around 3 hours as an indication of peaks as I find in me the novorapid does a lot before this point so is less helpful in terms of corrections etc so it's not helpful to me when it comes to snacking etc. The exception to ths would probably be if I'd just eaten something unusual/something I knew caused me problems.

 

[sofaraway]

Also this may sound stupid but i am unfamilliar with 'Stacking insulin' what does this mean?

Stacking insulin means giving doses of fast acting that overlap. As most last 3-4 hours if you snack 2 hours after a meal you will still have some of the meal insulin in you. It becomes important when you want to correct your blood sugar because you have to be aware of how many doses and what amount of insulin left to work there is.