User guide

Nutrition
Good nutrition and making healthy choices are important for everyone. Additionally, for those with diabetes,
it is more important to know the nutrient content in food, and how the nutrients affect blood glucose.
Carbohydrates have the most effect on blood glucose, notably within a few hours of being eaten. Counting
carbohydrates allows you to match your insulin dose to the food you are eating. This is your insulin to
carbohydrate ratio. Although fat and protein can affect your blood glucose when eaten in large amounts,
carbohydrates affect blood glucose the most.
Consult with your healthcare professional for your personal nutritional guidelines.
Carbohydrate counting
With insulin pump therapy, you must take a bolus for the carbohydrates you eat. You need to count the
carbohydrates you plan to eat to see how much insulin to take.
There are two basic methods to count carbohydrates, and in truth, they are very much alike. Many people
use parts of both of the two methods.
Carbohydrate gram counting
With this method, you add up the exact number of grams of carbohydrate in each meal. Food labels, food
list and meal planning books are great tools for carbohydrate gram counting.
Carbohydrate exchange system
This method uses food groups called exchange groups. One exchange with carbohydrate has about 15 grams
of carbohydrate.
1 bread exchange
1 fruit exchange 1 milk exchange
15 grams carbohydrate 15 grams carbohydrate 12 to 15 grams carbohydrate
Foods with carbohydrates include:
• starches and starchy vegetables
• fruits and fruit juices
• milk and milk products
• sugars and foods with sugar
Introduction to pump therapy 19
Chapter 2