Alcohol, carb counting and insulin doses

Hi

I have just completed the DAFNE course and am just going over calculations for QA insulin to counteract the carbs in beer, etc...

I am not a regular or big drinker but will occasionally have a few beers when out.

DAFNE state that a pint of lager counts for 1CP. With this in mind I went to look online at carbs in bottles of beer (in particular Budweiser and Corona). Budweiser came back with each bottle is 30g of carbs/ 3CPs. This seems quite high in comparison to rating for a pint of lager.

If I was to half my QA insulin ratio and go with these higher figures and they are not correct I am likely to increase chance of delayed hypo, especially if I had a few beers.

Does anyone have any advice or experience of carb counting for bottles of beers?

Thanks

Hi GR8,

I wasn't carb counting at this point, but in general, I've found bottles of beer raise BG a lot initially then they drop a little later, assuming no QA taken. 3CP sounds about right for Corona.

Possibly worth thinking about what you're doing when out too though. How practical taking QA is, if you're likely to be dancing for long periods, that kinda thing?

I drink very little now, but when I was a student and in the drinking quite a lot phase, I found spirits a lot easier to manage in social situations since they drop BGs a lot more than they raise them.

Hi dunkers7

Thanks for the tips. Not much of a drinker or dancer so usually just chatting and drinking.

Can manage spirits no problem just trying to figure out the beer

Thanks

The best thing to do is experiment with it, and record the results........

I can have 2 - 3 pints with accompanying insulin and have no hypo later, where as a good drink the night before consisting of wine, beer, spirits can require a dramatic drop in insulin doses to prevent hypo that night and the next day....

Bit vexing isn't it, that a beer bottle label doesn't have to tell you the carbohydrate content. May tell you alsorts of other useless stuff...but not the CHO value. I've moaned about this in the past.
When I first became type 1....a few years ago...the only beer on the market at that time that made any claims to be low carbohydrate was Holsten Diet Pils and that was low, with as much sugar brewed out as the specialised yeast was capable of acheiving. Can't remember the value now though as it is over 30 years ago. But even then they gave you the CHO value on the label.
I have discovered Marston's Resolution at 0.6g/100ml or 1.65g per 275 bottle. 6 bottles for 1 CP is good isn't it.
My only problem is that I have to drive a 46 mile round trip to get it, as no one sells it in my area. I last bought 2 cases some months ago...did not last very long however
I'll try and cull some info from the net and post it on this thread if anyone has an interest.
Regards
Garry

Cheers mate much appreciated

Cheers mate much appreciated

I find i have to take 1 unit for every two pints or four bottles to maintain my bg level correctly. Recently started to drink bottles of peroni and have found i need to take a unit for every two bottles. On the other hand if i drink wine i find i can run low the following morning. I would take no units either when drinking wine.