pasta counting

8 posts, 5 contributors

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paulj DAFNE Graduate
Northumbria Healthcare Trust
36 posts

i had 220 grams of pasta last night with my spaghetti bolognaise and with being on a one to one ratio for my CP S injected 22 units of quick acting insulin for the totral meal consumed (including pudding) the pack of pasta said it was 78carbs per 100 grams consumed. one and a half hours later my blood level was 3.4 and i had a hypo. anyone got any thoughts on the above?

i have just finished a DAFNE course last week and look forward to hearing from anyone who is interested in the future

cheers
paul

JayBee DAFNE Graduate
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
587 posts

Did you get the weight before it was cooked or after?

Pasta is one of the foods where the CP amount changes due to water being absorbed... The best thing to do is get the pre-cooked/raw weight and then you know for sure what you're working with before the weight shift.

Other foods like this to watch out for are jacket potatoes (tend to lose water) and rice (tends to gain water). I'm sure others can think of more to be wary of. Smile

Best wishes!

Carolin DAFNE HCP
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
83 posts

Hi Paulj

JWo is right, it's about going off EITHER the dry (uncooked) value, OR the cooked value.

For example, pasta is approx 70g (7 CP) per 100g dried, but 30g (3 CP) per 100g cooked. So if your 220g was dry pasta that would be around 15.5 CPs. However, if the 220g was the cooked weight, that's only around 7 CPs.

Hope this helps?

Carolin

JayBee DAFNE Graduate
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
587 posts

I didn't say either because post-cooked weight isn't as reliable as pre-cooked.... Hence the explanation about water shifting the weight. :/

How long it was cooked for would matter a great deal really, especially with water absorbing foods.

HelenP DAFNE Graduate
Queensland Diabetes Centre, Brisbane, QLD
218 posts

On the subject of pasta...my d-i-l picked up some "Slim Pasta" for me. It is made from Konjar (?) and has no carbs! It does have "energy" of 47 kj for 100g and a ton of fibre. i have not tasted it but she has fed it to the kids with good results. She did say you needed a flavoursome sauce to stir through but that it was quite good. Anyone heard of i?. Easily purchased here at Woolworths!

HelenP DAFNE Graduate
Queensland Diabetes Centre, Brisbane, QLD
218 posts

Update: it tastes like nothing but it looks enough like spaghetti on the plate and judging by BGs it was carb free. I also think it fills you up.
Helen

Mark Wilcox DAFNE Graduate
Royal Glamorgan Hospital Diabetes Centre
6 posts

Helen, we haven't got Woolworth's in the UK any more.

They do, however, have a website at www.eatwater.co.uk, which lists the few stockists plus an online retailer.

HelenP DAFNE Graduate
Queensland Diabetes Centre, Brisbane, QLD
218 posts

Hi Mark,

I went down to Coles (our other big supermarket) and they have a version called "Chang's Super Lo Cal" they have "wok ready noodles" and a few other varieties. They are relatively new and both Coles and Woolworths are seeing how they go. The pack I got from d-i-l looked as if it was made of konjar but the Coles pack is a little easier to read and that version is made of "konjac" a root vegetable widely used in Japan for zonks It is supposed to take on the flavours of the sauces/soup.. I would not live on it but as a substitute for pasta it is OK. It is also gluten free. They are packaged here in Australia (Glen Waverley, VIC) but it is a product of China.

www.changs.com

The woman at Coles said they thought it would be aimed at those trying to lose weight...did not know that carb value was an issue for diabetics. Advertised as having low joule, low GI and Suitable for low carb diets,
Helen