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When looking at a food’s nutrition information and deciding how many carbohydrates you plan to bolus for, do you consider the amount of fiber in the food? Share more in the comments about how fiber factors into your carb counting and insulin dosing.
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I don’t like to use the word “always”, but I always subtract the fibers from the total carbohydrates to determine how many carbs to count and how much insulin I take.
Me too. I eat so many high fiber veggies, etc., that if I didn’t substract fiber, I’d go super low after each meal!
Fiber is not factored into carbs; yet the food usually is preselected because of higher fiber content
We really only have a problem with raisin bran and he rarely eats that.
The fiber to carbohydrate ratio in my food is the main thing I consider. I can eat foods or meals with a 1/3 up to 1/6 fiber/carb ratio with success( blood sugar staying in range) with my usual bolus of 1 unit insulin per 20g carbs. I see that amount of fat seems to effect that as well, but I try to limit that element for my digestive system which has issues. I know every body is different. I am curious to see more comments on this question 🙂
Fat only slows my response. So I now keep my macros in similar ratios per meal, and use the same extended bolus time for each meal. The up front bolus are my net carbs, the protein portion is in the delayed.
Shelly,
I subtract for fibers, and I do extended boluses for fats. Usually, sausages, pizza, pork, etc.
High fiber reduces the uptake of sugars but it does not de
I go too low if I don’t. I rarely eat packaged goods bread 1piece a day.
Sometimes you have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out no set rules that I have found Another reason I do all my own cooking have a lot of trouble when I go out for Chinese though
Absolutely! Almost all fibers have no impact on my BG. I substract the fiber from the total carbs (as well as allulose). Sugar alcohols: I add half to the net carbs, they still have an impact on my BG.
I have found a few fibers that raise my glucose. Inulin and so-called “resistant” fibers…are not. They just have a delayed spike, later than the protein. So, I try to avoid them.
One of the foods that I do pay attention to and subtract some of the fiber content from the total carbs is cereal. I tend to eat the types with the most fiber, and if the cereal has 18 grams of fiber, I definitely have to subtract some of the fiber from the carbs or I will over-bolus and my blood sugar will go too low.
The rule of thumb for fiber content adjustment with carb counting is to deduct anything over 6 grams of fiber divided by two. So if you have 18 grams of fiber, you would deduct 9 grams from total CHO count. If you have 6 grams, it would be 3 grams; 5 grams or less they say leave it alone … and so on. It’s a crap shoot and doesn’t always work the same. In my personal experience it depends on the density of the fiber. I may deduct 1/2 of 4 or 5 grams.
Fiber is a glucose polymer which is not absorbed. I would not count that as a digestible carbohydrate
I was taught early on that the amount of fiber grams would minus out the same amount of carb grams so I always calculate my dose accordingly
In answered “No” for our son. We have over nine years experience with our 10.5 year old. At trading, we were taught to deduct have of fiber grams over 6. This method totally backfired on us multiple times. We dose for total carbs.
Training
Net carbs is a myth at least for me. I count all carbs and base bolus on that number.
I no longer enter carbs or count carbs. I use a DIY closed-loop system that does not require carb entry to stay in-range. My diabetes goal is to never need to bolus or count carbs again.
@Teresa Hastings and other DIY closed loop users – Please tell me more about this no carb counting lifestyle! My understanding was the major challenge with full automation of insulin delivery was food — by the time CGM detects sugar starting to rise post meal and then insulin slowly absorbs from under the skin, you’re facing hours above range. I’m on a Tandem with Dex that overall works well for me, but if I forget to pre-meal bolus, this is a situation I find myself in.
Sounds interesting! What system are you using?
Care to share what your A1c has been doing this? What does your diet consist of? Also, which pump/system are you using? I would not be able to sustain an acceptable A1c without inputting carbs and bolusing from my Tandem T:slim X2 with Control IQ.
I count on the ratios to compensate for the fibers I don’t count.
I only consider subtracting fiber from carbs if grams are over 10 per serving.
I haven’t found the fiber content to make any difference for me. I tested a couple times and subtracting fiber from carbs made my BG go too high.
If we deduct the fiber we go high. High fat we need to do an extended bolus
The only food I consider the fiber in is WASA light rye.
When dx’d T2, I was taught to count the carbs, subtract 1/2 the fiber, and 1/2 the protein if over 5g. Dx’d correctly as T1, the Endo said she’d never hear of any such thing and count carbs, period. Since then, I’ver learned some count carbs and count part of the fat and part of the protein if a high fat/high protein meal (25% and 10% respectively and usually). Seems to vary widely, some to great effect, some to questionable effect.
During the garden of Eden days, all the formulas worked, all the minute calculations seemed to work, and I mostly loved happily ever after.
Then the giant ogre of gastro paresis reared its despicable ugly head saying, “A curse on all your formulae!”
Now, it’s like flinging a net over more or less random numbers, drawing it in, and hoping some kind of pattern emerges. 😫
Aha yes. I am with you. See my comments.
Exactly!
I only consider fiber when something is very high in fiber, like a bran muffin.
I answered other. I was given exchange lists as a child – 1966 – then the Cleveland Clinic high fiber diet, then carb counting when I went on the pump. I had nutrition classes in college. I got into it one day with the Medtronic Representative as she insisted I was not counting correctly( damn youngster). I have a modified way of counting. Yes I count fiber. I also am leery of package labeling as some add or subtract for fiber ( ala an Atkins diet). My husband is a pre-type 2 and I am the cook and grocery getter. I know the ins and outs of several diets helping him. So my method of counting is difficult to explain, and if I am off, I do correction boluses.
My last A1c – 6.4
Good for you, Liz! I was diagnosed in 1964 and was on an exchange diet, then went on a high fiber diet and now count carbs (on a pump!). I agree with you that no matter how you calculate your bolus it will never be 100% right. Too many other factors play into blood sugar for just carb/fiber counting to work!
Yes, I usually subtract the fiber carbs and dose based on this corrected total carb amount to prevent hypoglycemia.
Really fiber counting ? One could do fiber guessing which isn’t much different than carb counting aka guessing. The reality of diet and BS is way too complicated for the human mind to do. Maybe I could put an artificial intelligence to good use and have it do my BS management. LOL Anyone have an app for that.
I look at the amount of fiber and deduct 1/2 of that amount from the number of carbs. So, if there are 6 carbs, I deduct 3 grams of carb. For odd numbers, I round down – – IE: for 5 grams of fiber I deduct 2 grams of carb.
I rarely find the subtraction of fiber from carbs to be worth wild. It might be applicable for some people, but not for me
My husband is on a very low carb diet and always counts carbs and subtracts fiber. He eats a fiber rich diet and while there are too many variables for any system to be perfect, he’d always be overdosing if he did not subtract fiber.
If I eat a LOT of vegetables in one meal I do usually deduct at least half the fiber, sometimes more. I find that those low carb tortillas with a ton of fiber need to be deducted as well or else I’ll crash. If my meal contains just a few grams, especially if they come from multiple ingredients, I don’t bother.
As a pump user, you over bolus if you add anything to the total carb count and under bolus if you subtract anything. It would need to be set up like that at the beginning so the calculations correct for how a person processes carbs. No two are the same, that is what I am told.
On a very low carb diet, but not keto. Use yoghurt not milk. And take 1 TB flax meal at breakfast and another 1 TB at dinner. Veggies at every meal. So I use net grams carbo. 6.1 was last A1c using multiple daily injections, CGM, and doublechecking readings w/ finger sticks before raising or lowering premeal dose (bolus) of fast acting lispro (Humalog brand).
@Wanacure I do similarly, but on a pump. It’s a lot of work, as I weigh out almost all my foods to be precise. But, my A1Cs have been under 5.5 for several years now, low standard deviation. I’m not changing my methods, they’re working!