Some useful tips

  1. Start by identifying where the carbohydrate is in the meal.
  2. 'Guestimate' or use pictorial food guides such as the Carbs and Cals book or App to estimate the carbohydrate content of the meal.
  3. Identify whether the meal is high in fat and therefore more slowly absorbed.
  4. To do this think of the cooking method (fried, baked grilled). Is the food naturally high in fat, for example steak, skin on chicken, avocado, cheese?

  5. Identify whether the food could be slowly absorbed because it has a low glycaemic index. For example dhal is made from lentils and they would be low GI and so slowly absorbed. You may want take your insulin at the end of the meal or consider splitting your dose. You may get away with slightly less insulin if the meal is all very low GI.
  6. Consider the duration of the meal and how long you might have to wait between courses. For example, you may need to take your insulin before the second course or split your dose.
  7. Consider the portion size of the meal and the carbohydrate within it. If it has a lot of carbohydrate (over 100g) then you might want to take your insulin midway or at the end of the meal.
UHI logo
NHS logo

All efforts have been made to ensure materials created by the EDU comply with current accessibility guidelines (JISC: Support for learners with disabilities).

If further assistance is required with accessibility matters please contact the student support section in your academic partner UHI: Accessing learner support.

We welcome any comments on how to improve this unit. Please feel free to pass these on at any time.

If you have any difficulty viewing this resource please contact EDU (edu@uhi.ac.uk) with:

  • the name of the resource;
  • a description of the problem (please give as much detail as possible);
  • the section of the resource where the problem occurred;
  • your internet browser (you can check your browser version at: http://detectmybrowser.com/).

UHI provides links to external sources of information and may refer to specific Web sites, products, processes or services within this resource. Such references are examples and are not endorsements and whilst every effort is taken to ensure the accuracy of information provided UHI is not responsible for any of the content or guidance. You are advised to exercise caution.

Download a copy of this resource in PDF format.

You can also print individual pages by printing directly from the browser.

×