Carb Counting: Putting It All Together

Learn how to use a sliding scale to determine the insulin you'll need to account for the number of carbs you're eating in a meal.

Transcript

Carb Counting: Putting It All Together

In this sliding scale, the correction factor is half a unit will lower the blood sugar 25 points, and the insulin to carb ratio is half a unit will cover 10 grams of carbs. Use this sliding scale to work through the following example.

Remember, it’s important to read the food labels and measure out portions. This breakfast consists of one-and-a-half cups of Cheerios, one cup of skim milk, and one small banana. A total of 64 grams of carbs.

At breakfast, you check your blood sugar and it is 300. You are going to eat 64 grams of carbs.

Looking at the sliding scale, you can see you’ll need four units for a blood sugar of 300 and three units to cover 64 grams of carbs.

In total, before breakfast, you will need seven units. Four units for a blood sugar correction and three units to cover the carbs in breakfast.

Topics Covered: Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis-related Diabetes

Related Centers and Programs: Diabetes Center