Nutrition and Eating
Proper nutrition and eating will help you control your diabetes so you can feel better and live life on your terms. This section shows you how to count carbs, as well as provide you with food lists, high carb meals, recipes, and guidelines for drinking alcohol. Let’s start with carb counting.
What is Carb Counting?
Carb counting is not a diet. It is an approach that optimizes your ability to control your glucose levels. It helps reduce the risk of both high and low glucose levels (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia) after meals and gives you more flexibility because you are able to take the amount of insulin that you need based on what you’re eating at a specific meal or snack.
How Your Insulin Pump Can Help
Insulin pump therapy along with carb counting gives you more flexibility in choosing what and when you want to eat while still maintaining good post-meal glucose control. Knowing how to use the Bolus Wizard® Calculator feature on the insulin pump helps you easily calculate how much insulin you need to best manage your glucose levels.
How A Personal CGM System Can Help
If you use a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device, you can see how food affects your glucose levels in real time on your monitor screen. By observing glucose trends and confirming glucose levels with a fingerstick, you can make timely insulin adjustments as needed.
Online Learning Tools
Medtronic also provides myLearning online courses. Sign up today to learn more about counting carbs by taking “Counting Carbohydrates”, bolus wizard calculations by taking “Calculating Boluses”, and other useful courses to support your diabetes management. Please note that you must have a Medtronic account set up to access myLearning.
Local Events Near You
For assistance with your carb counting skills, check out the local events in your area and register for a carb counting class today.
Online Tracking Tools
With CareLink® Personal Software, you can upload data from your device to see the effects of meals, insulin dosage, and lifestyle activities on your glucose levels. This online tool offers robust yet easy-to-use features:
Upload your insulin pump, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device, and blood glucose meter data to a free, web-based program.
See detailed reports that help you better understand your glucose control and uncover patterns missed by meters and log books alone.
Easily stores your information and allows you to grant your Healthcare Provider access to it.
Log Books
If you prefer using a printed version, you can download a copy here. This document requires Adobe Reader to view or print. (103KB Adobe PDF)
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