Pancakes and bloodsugar

I have a problem with pancakes. It seems that whenever I eat them my blood sugar ends up high, even if I use sugar free syrup or fresh fruit as a topping. Does anyone else have this type of problem, and if so have you been able to fix it

Yes! Pancakes and pizza always skyrocked my blood sugar.

You can track how high you go after eating pancakes and then take that much extra insulin the next time you eat them. I’m usually a little too scared to take that much extra insulin, so I’ll take a couple extra units, then take a correction a couple hours later.

Yes, pancakes, waffles, and cereal ALWAYS make my blood sugars go extremely high. Those are all pretty carb-heavy foods, so that might be the problem you’re having.

Are they homemade pancakes? Or the packaged frozen kind? If you really love pancakes, you could look for a low-carb recipe that you can make yourself. (Sometimes those recipes use harder-to-find ingredients, but if you eat pancakes a lot, then it’s probably worth it.)

I just try to avoid pancakes, waffles, and cereal as much as possible. Sometimes I do get a craving for cereal that I just can’t get over, and in those cases I’ll give a ridiculously high amount of insulin. That can be scary, though, especially since a lot of times it can be guesswork. If you give a bigger dose, just keep testing your blood sugars to make sure you’re not dropping too fast.

@gatormguy567,

Are you on a pump? You could try using a dual or square wave bolus.

If on MDI you can try taking your shot 15 minutes before you were going to have pancakes. Of course you would need to know you were having them ahead of time. Sometimes proper planning is all you need!

Argh, posted twice. Sorry!

Hi @MariaKhristine,

I will take care of the double post! No problem!

I have the same problem. No matter how much I bolus my blood sugar always ends up super high!

Cereal is the worst for me!

Have you considered making your own whole grain pancakes? I too have a problem with refined carbohydrates due to the lack of fiber and the addition of (too) easily digestible sugars. I would suggest trying buckwheat, oat flour or spelt pancakes with fresh fruit. There is more fiber and protein in those grains so they will be lower on the glycemic index, allowing for slower absorption and a more gradual rise in BG. Keep portion size in mind though - no matter how healthy something is, too much is too much and can send BGs up!

Almond flour and flax meal are also nice additions to pancakes for even more protein and healthy fats that will slow spikes as well. Experiment with some recipes and see what you like that works for your BG. Good luck!

Ever since being diagnosed with Diabetes, it has became extremely difficult to eat pancakes, with or without syrup!

Hello Gina, I’m on a pump. I just wanted suggestions on what’s the best way to Dual Bolus. I’ve done a 50-50 bolus (for 2 hours) with 52.4 g (27.8g for 2 pancakes and 24.6g for maple syrup). The only problem is that I end up going high. I know the normal response is trial and error, but what do you recommend for the split, rather than a 50-50 bolus?

Hello @miggytennis. The post you are replying to is 6 years old and the PO hasn’t been on since 2010. I am afraid the people in the thread may not reply.

I use dual wave for very high fat foods. Pizza, ice cream, etc. I wouldn’t think there is high fat in a flour based pancake.

Anyway. What happens if you bolus 100% up front? I don’t think about using a dual wave unless I go low by blousing 100% up front.

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@miggytennis No worries. What I do is bolus for all the carbs. If I go low inside of 4 hours, the bolus is too high. If I’m high and still high at 4 hours, then the bolus was too low

For pizza, for example, if I bolus for all the carbs I’ll go low in an hour and a half, then I’ll be high for the next 4-5 hours (6.5 hours total). This suggests a multi wave or whatever your pump calls it. I tend to know how long the high lasts (6.5) so I start with50-50 with the square part delivered over 3-4 hours… because it’s pizza and it makes me high for 6.5. Don’t forget insulin works for 3-5 hours in most people.

Whatever works is the right answer. Yes it’s totally trial and error.

Durham wheat in pasta is an example of a carb that can take 3 hours to absorb. The fat in hot dogs (with no carbs) is enough for me to have to bolus for 30g carbs over 3 hours. This is a game where you learn the rules over decades. Cheers good luck :four_leaf_clover: