Carbohydrate Food Lists
Here are some great resources to help with food lists, high-carb meals, matching insulin action with carbohydrate digestion, and calculating carbs for recipes.
Calorie King – The CalorieKing.com Food Database holds the nutritional information for over 50,000 American generic and brand name foods (including over 260 fast-food chains)
USDA National Nutrient Database – Look up the nutrient and carb content of almost every possible foodstuff on this U.S. government web site
Fast Food Facts – A source of nutritional information on fast foods
Glycemic Index – Not all carbohydrate foods are created equal. In fact they behave quite differently in our bodies. This international database regarding glycemic index (GI) describes the difference by ranking carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels
American Diabetes Association’s Online Store – Diabetes books, diabetes cookbooks, cards & calendars, gifts, and more
American Dietetic Association – The world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals
Additional Reading You May Find Helpful:
The Complete Guide to Carb Counting by Hope S. Warshaw and Karmeen Kulkarni
The Complete Book of Food Counts by Corinne Netzer
The Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating by Hope S. Warshaw
Calories and Carbohydrates by Barbara Kraus
High Carbohydrate Meals
The variable bolus features on a Medtronic insulin pump are designed to better match insulin action to insulin need for certain types of meals or to compensate for delayed digestion (gastroparesis).
The Square Wave® Bolus allows you to select an amount and duration (from 30 min to 8 hrs) over which time a bolus is to be delivered.
The Dual Wave® Bolus simply combines a Square Wave Bolus with a normal bolus and starts them at the same time.
Use variable boluses for:
High Fat Meals (i.e., pizza or pasta)
Gastroparesis (delayed digestion)
Receptions (or when you will be grazing, eating at buffet)
Extended Snacking
Matching Insulin Action with Carbohydrate Digestion
Fat delays the rate that carbohydrate is digested, delaying the post-meal rise in glucose. When high fat meals are eaten, the insulin action of a normal bolus is too quick to adequately compensate for the delayed carbohydrate digestion. Glucose levels go high after the meal.
Using a Dual Wave Bolus (giving part of the bolus right away and given the other part over time), better matches the glucose rise after the meal, helping to keep glucose levels under better control.
For gastroparesis (slow digestion), insulin action peaks before carbohydrate (CHO) digestion occurs and may result in a low BG. Glucose levels run high several hours after meal.
Using a Square Wave Bolus, insulin action matches the carbohydrate digestion of prolonged meals or gastroparesis. Insulin levels remain in target range after meals.
Calculating Carbohydrates for Recipes
Insulin-Pumpers.org has several articles and resources that offer nutritional and carbohydrate information for different types of foods and recipes.
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