INSULIN-TO-CARBOHYDRATE RATIO FOR INDIAN FOODS

INSULIN-TO-CARBOHYDRATE RATIO FOR INDIAN FOODS

How much Insulin should I take?

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The amount of rapid/short acting insulin required to cover a specific number of grams of carbohydrate is called the insulin-to carbohydrate ratio. This ratio helps you calculate how much insulin you need for the amount of carbohydrate you plan to eat.A brief note on carbohydrates, insulin and their function are given below:

Carbohydrate maintains the functional activity of the cells, apart from supplying the energy needed for the functioning of the human body. It is one of the major constituents of a healthy and balanced diet. Carbohydrate is either dominant nutrient in the food stuffs, or found in minimal quantity. It is vital to know the amount of carbohydrate present in the food, especially when you are following a particular diet plan. Most men however, need about 4-5 carbs (60-75gms) at each meal. Most women generally need about 3-4 CHO choices (45-60gms) at each meal.

Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel. Carbohydrates are found in grains, fruits and vegetables and milk and provide energy, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Carbohydrates raise your blood sugar more than any other nutrient. When you eat any type of carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose and it enters your bloodstream. The hormone insulin helps the cells in your body to take up this glucose and use it for energy. Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods are a part of a healthy diet.

In the past, people with diabetes were told to 'hold the sugar'. Current scientific literature has found little truth in the notion that sugars raise blood glucose any more than other carbohydrates. The most important factor in controlling blood sugar is the amount of carbohydrates eaten in a meal and not the type. What that means is not that you can eat sweets and sugars liberally, but that an occasional sweet treat may be okay as long as you make adjustments in the total amount of carbohydrate eaten in that meal.

CARBOHYDRATES

Some Facts about Carbohydrates (also called carbs or CHO)

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Carbohydrate counting is not a diet; it is a way of planning your carbohydrate intake to manage your blood sugar levels. It places importance in keeping the carbohydrate content of your meals and snacks consistent from day to day. Eating the same amount of carbohydrate for your meals and snacks everyday ensures better blood glucose control. Carbohydrate counting is used to teach patients how to control their blood glucose. Carbohydrate counting ensures that you can have variety and flexibility in your diet and most importantly can follow your traditional diet.

Four hormones are produced by the Langerhans islet cells. Insulin is produced in the B cells, glucagon in the A cells, somatostatin in the D cells, and pancreatic polypeptide in the F cells. Insulin promotes anabolism (building up of tissues) and inhibits catabolism (breaking down of tissues) in muscle, liver, and fat cells. It increases the rate of synthesis (blending) of glycogen, fatty acids, and proteins. Lack of insulin causes diabetes mellitus (a disease characterized by excess sugar in the blood and other body fluids).

Insulin production is stimulated by high levels of glucose and inhibited (limited) by lower levels of glucose. Insulin regulates glucose with glucagon. Glucagon catabolizes (changes into a product of simpler composition) glycogen to glucose and also raises the blood sugar. Glucagon can be given to increase the blood sugar when intravenous (by needle) glucose cannot be given. Glucagon takes about twenty minutes to raise the blood sugar. Intravenous glucose raises it instantaneously, which is why it is preferred in treatment. Together insulin and glucagon ensure that the body stores and maintains the proper level of glucose for its energy needs.

INSULIN PRODUCTION

WHAT INSULIN DOES ?

CARBOHYDRATE COUNTING

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being stored in the liver or the muscles, the total storage capacity of the body for carbohydrate are really quite limited. An average person can store about three hundred to four hundred grams of carbohydrate in your muscles. In the liver, where carbohydrates are accessible for glucose conversion, you can store only about sixty to ninety grams.

nce the glycogen levels are filled Oin both the liver and the muscles, excess carbohydrates have just one fate: to be converted into fat and stored in the adipose, that is, fatty, tissue. In a nutshell, even though carbohydrates themselves are fat-free, excess carbohydrates end up as excess fat. Any meal or snack high in carbohydrates will generate a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rapid rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. Insulin then lowers the levels of blood glucose. The problem is that insulin is essentially a storage hormone, evolved to put aside excess carbohydrate calories in the form of fat in case of future. So the insulin tha t ' s s t imula ted by excess carbohydrates aggressively promotes the accumulation of body fat. In other words, when too much carbohydrate is consumed, there is a hormonal message send, via insulin, to the body (actually, to the adipose cells) to store fat.

ot only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store N

carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible to use our own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you stay fat.

nsulin is released by the pancreas Iafter you eat carbohydrates. This causes a rise in blood sugar. Insulin assures your cells receive some blood sugar necessary for life, and increases g lycogen s torage . However, it also drives the body to use more carbohydrate, and less fat, as fuel. And, insulin converts almost half of the dietary carbohydrate to fat for storage. If you want to use more fats for energy, the insulin response must be moderated. Diets high in refined sugars release more insulin thereby allowing less stored fat to be burned. High insulin levels also suppress two important hormones: glucagon and growth hormone. Glucagon promotes the burning of fat and sugar. Growth hormone is used for muscle development and building new muscle mass.

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On average each serving consists of following: 80 Calories, 15 grams of Carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein and trace fat. The list of Indian foods with the amount of carbohydrates they produce in our body per serve is given below:

** Estimated Facts: The Insulin required is calculated with an IC ratio of 1:10 or 1:15. (The ratio is the number of units of insulin you need to inject for each gram of carbohydrates you consume) an adult with no insulin resistance should be in the 1:10 to 1:15 range.