Carb counting test

[drummingfool]

Check it out here! Integrated Diabetes Services - Links (http://www.integrateddiabetes.com/carbtest.shtml)

Its very interesting to know how good of a grasp you have on counting your carbs.

[lorilei]

good one dustin...i did the best in the true/false section...but i have alot of learning to do! if i don't have a clue about the content i admit...i just don't eat it...so frustrating!

[Subby]

Interesting. Thanks for the link. Huge grain of salt required for some of the results. They listed "10g" as the correct guess for a portion of mixed frozen veges. On calorieking.com.au it's 2.6g for 100g of a similar mix. I could be in trouble if I dosed 10g worth of insulin for 2.6g of food! Yet again this highlights the benefit of gram counting over portions/rounding.

Still, it seems to be inbuilt in the results that there are going to be discrepancies. Not a bad little test and good practise for the real thing when packets and carb guides are not nearby. :)

And I wanted to say, thank you thank you, I've been looking for the basal testing page on this website for a while: Integrated Diabetes Services - Diabetes Management (http://www.integrateddiabetes.com/pump_bt.shtml)
I think it's nice and clear to follow. I havn't been able to find it for some time, but the colour scheme of the carb test told me I was in the right place!

[Subby]

good one dustin...i did the best in the true/false section...but i have alot of learning to do! if i don't have a clue about the content i admit...i just don't eat it...so frustrating!

You don't need to know it if you don't eat it - so it's all ok! :)

I was the same with some of them, never had a pretzel and never eat popcorn, I think I was about 400% out for each of them!

[art]

I couldn't take it
3/4 ths of the foods they question I never eat.

I have no clue

Anybody taken the Diabetes knowledge test on Webmd?



Art

[Is2sew]

I took the test but did not do too well. I am new to diabetes and still have LOTS to learn. Thank you tho for this opportunity to take this test.

[poodlebone]

I suck at carb counting. 3 1/2 years after starting my pump I still completely rely on my digital food scale and Calorie King to figure carbs. I had problems with the first section of this quiz because it was hard to judge portion sizes in the pictures. I especially didn't believe the answer for #10, waffles & real syrup. Only 45g of carb? Those must be some teeny waffles! The T/F were easiest and I got all of those correct. Total score = 70.

[Brian J]

Check it out here! Integrated Diabetes Services - Links (http://www.integrateddiabetes.com/carbtest.shtml)

Its very interesting to know how good of a grasp you have on counting your carbs.

For those of you who might not know, Integrated Diabetes is owned by Gary Scheiner, author of "Think Like a Pancreas".

[cyberus]

Sheesh ... theres nothing pictured that I would eat .. more carbs than I eat in a day in most of them

[hodgsonsurvivor]

Yeah...I suck :o . I scored 47/100 points :eek: . I was especially bad at section 2...I only got one of those right :( .

[fgummett]

Yeah... I scored 47/100 points but - more importantly - did you learn, so that you can improve your BGs from here on..? ;)

[Subby]

but - more importantly - did you learn, so that you can improve your BGs from here on..? ;)

Yep exactly. Don't worry about your score. Don't worry about anything you got wrong that you don't normally eat (this could be as some people point out, a lot of it!). Even ones you do eat, it's more a like a way to brush up your knowledge than be judged.

Learning up about some of the foods you do eat or some of the "big questions" you got wrong would be a really useful thing to do! Google and this place is your friend in improving your knowledge :)

Who knows, if you are carb counting and found your technique might be a little off, it might inspire you to start a little carb list yourself of your favorite foods. In the first instance the packets are the best source for carb information, failing that you can use CalorieKing.com.au - Australian Online Diet and weight loss club. Lose weight for good! (http://www.calorieking.com.au) to look some of them up (or equivalents).

In the past I have made up a little printed list of some of my common foods (printed really small size) and put it in my wallet! Worked a treat to help with carb counting :)

[hodgsonsurvivor]

but - more importantly - did you learn, so that you can improve your BGs from here on..? ;)

I went back and reviewed my answers, but it just confirmed that I suck at it. LOL I don't mean to sound as if I'm taking this lightly, but I've always felt that I've been "guessing" this whole time and it turns out I was right. And I thought I was doing well. I try to buy foods that have the nutrition information on the package (or research online if dining out) because I don't trust that my visual assessment is adequate in guaging how much insulin I need. :cool:

[drummingfool]

Let me make a suggestion for carb counting:

The Calorie King!

His books come out with new versions every year, and will tell you the carbs in ANYTHING. I just bought my 2009 copy a week ago. I keep it in my backpack religiously.

Seriously, if you dont have the book, go get it. Its called the calorie, fat and carbohydrate counter.

[genie86333]

Ok, I knew I'd be off on the ones with fruit & I was right...got all the t/f ones right...but the one that it says that I was wrong on that I don't get is the one about what is best for treating a low blood sugar - crackers not orange juice???

[Subby]

Ok, I knew I'd be off on the ones with fruit & I was right...got all the t/f ones right...but the one that it says that I was wrong on that I don't get is the one about what is best for treating a low blood sugar - crackers not orange juice???

I don't agree with them that the crackers are automatically better at all.

They assumably base this on official Glycaemic Index ratings of some major brands. I personally have found that GI is very useful as a general guide but must be tempered by personal experience which can be very different.

I've used both crackers and juice to try and bring up a hypo over the years. Juice works very quickly for me, almost as fast as pure glucose. Crackers no-where near as fast.

A drink can also also much easier to ingest if low rather than a dry mouth trying to deal with dry biscuits. Delivery should be a major consideration.

I think again, take a few pinches of salt with this test (but don't eat it! :) )

And the thing to do as ever, is be open to ideas and definitely try out differing options, but be happy to use what works for you!