AboutCatherine Burns. RN. BS. Expertise I will endevour to answer questions re daily "Self Management of Diabetes Care" for people who are currently under the care of a physician.
My focus would be Diabetes health care education and not diagnosis.
Experience I have 15 years experience as a Diabetes Nurse Educator.
Education/Credentials I am an RN for many years.
I have a BS in Healthcare Management.
I was a Certified Diabetes Educator for many years.
How nice to see someone with compassion & Empathy willing to answer questions about health issues and not charging like on "Justanswer.com. By the way, both my wife and I (she's a Critical Care Nurse, BSN, CCRN with 21 year's experience)think several of the Nurses on that site have got to be kidding about their credentials. Several say "they have worked in all area's of Nursing in a hospital". There are probably 15 different speciality area's no one could work in all of them not in one lifetime.
Anyway, this business with Carbs, the Glycemic index, how many carbs are in a teaspoon of sugar interests me but I'm still learning as a new diabetic at mid life.
Do you mean to tell me a teaspoon of refined white sugar has 4 carbs? Ok, I got that. Now when I look on the back of a can of pop and it shows 24 carbs as "Sugar" does that actually mean there are 6 teaspoons of sugar in the pop? I know I can't drink pop but what would drinking a can with 24 sugar carbs raise my glucose to if the baseline was 100 before drinking the pop?
Appreciate your time,
Mark
Answer Dear Mark,
In one teaspoon of sugar there are 4 grams of carbohydrates.
Regular pop (including Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, etc) contains 100 calories and 27 gram of sugars per 8 fl. oz serving.
A 12 oz can of regular pop contains 150 calories and 40 grams of sugars.
Take the 27 and the 48 grams of sugar and divide by 4 to get the number of teaspoons of sugar, which is 6.75 and 12.
The can of pop you mentioned listed 24 carbohydrates as sugar which equals 6 teaspoons.
Your question: " What would drinking a can with 24 sugar carbs raise my glucose to if the baseline was 100 before drinking the pop?"
It would be nearly impossible to calculate that without the use of a blood glucose monitor.
With Type 2 diabetes the insulin from the pancreas will reduce the blood glucose level more rapidly in some people than in others depending on amount the individual's pancreas can produce and the level of insulin resistance.
Some people do use their blood glucose meter (BGM) to check how a specific food affects their blood glucose levels. They check the fasting blood glucose level before consuming the food or drink, and then check immediately after, and every 15 mins until they see a reduction in the blood glucose excursion level. They then subtract the fasting blood glucose level from the highest level to find the answer.
Some people with Type 1 diabetes use a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System which would measure the changes in blood glucose levels from the injected insulin doses, exercise and meal information entered into the monitor.
Most people use the blood glucose meter. The physician's recommendations for testing will vary from patient to patient.
Being a newly diagnosed diabetic I do hope your personal physician referred you to a certified diabetes nutritionist who can provide you with a personalized medical nutrition plan that fits your lifestyle and includes your food preferences. A referral to a certified diabetes nurse educator to learn how to self manage the diabetes is also in your best interest.
This input is for informational purposes only and not intended to replace the advise of healthcare providers. Please share this with them for review.
As a volunteer with AllExperts.com, it is my pleasure to answer questions on diabetes and hopefully the knowledge I share guides people to make informed decisions regarding their health.
Good health to you, Mark.
