User guide

Other things that affect blood glucose
Fiber may slow down the rise in blood glucose after a meal. Fiber grams are not absorbed. They can be
subtracted from the Total Carbohydrate amount for foods or meals with more than 5 grams of fiber. Fiber is
an important part of a healthy diet. Suggestions for fiber intake are the same for people with and without
diabetes.
Sodium (salt) has no effect on blood glucose. Moderate sodium intake is suggested for people with or without
diabetes. If you have high blood pressure or are affected by sodium, limit the amount of sodium in your diet.
Alcohol can cause low blood glucose by slowing down the release of glucose from the liver. This glucose
release keeps blood glucose in target between meals. Therefore, food should be eaten while having a drink
with alcohol. The carbohydrate content of different types of alcohol can be found in carbohydrate counting
books. Consult your healthcare professional for guidelines on bolusing for alcohol.
Vitamins and minerals have no effect on blood glucose.
Healthy eating habits
Insulin pump therapy gives you the choice of when, what and how much to eat without impacting blood
glucose control. This gives you the flexibility to sleep-in, postpone or skip meals, and eat snacks—the same
as people who do not have diabetes. Be careful to not abuse this freedom and compromise your nutritional
health. All people need to make healthy food choices to be mentally and physically healthy.
It is not an exact science to figure your meal bolus based on carbohydrate counting. Sometimes it takes trial
and error to figure the correct meal bolus for certain foods. If you are unsure how certain foods will affect
your blood glucose, test your blood glucose two hours after you eat. Keep records of foods that you eat on
regular basis. Note the bolus amounts and post-prandial readings for each entry. If your reading is too high
or too low, adjust your meal bolus the next time you make that food choice.
Exercise
Your body needs insulin and carbohydrate to provide cells with energy during exercise. How much insulin and
carbohydrates you need varies with the types of exercise and with how often you exercise. Using an insulin
pump during exercise allows you to reduce your basal rate instead of eating extra carbohydrate. Before, you
needed to eat extra carbohydrate to make up for the glucose lowering effect exercise often has on blood
glucose. It takes trial and error to get the balance right.
Introduction to pump therapy22