Quick lunch under 30 g of carbohydrates in type 1 diabetes

The quickest lunch is a simply cooked source of protein plus vegetables [1]. A pan-fried chicken breast with a salad of tomatoes, cucumber and fresh herbs has under 10 g of carbohydrates. Canned tuna, drained and mixed with tomatoes, cucumber and olives, also stays under 8 g of carbohydrates. Both are made from what you already have in the refrigerator, without cooking for a long time.

An omelet made from two eggs, with mushrooms and a little hard cheese, has under 6 g of carbohydrates. You can easily cook pieces of chicken in a pan with a little oil, together with 200 g of frozen vegetables. A mix of broccoli and cauliflower adds 5–6 g of carbohydrates, but one with peas and corn reaches 20 g of carbohydrates [2]. All these options are ready in the time it takes the pan to heat up, with no recipe and no complicated weighing.

You start from a base that is not counted, 150 g of chicken breast, which contains no carbohydrates [3]. You add 300 g of non-starchy vegetables, that is, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli or green beans, which means 10–12 g of carbohydrates. Adding olive oil, salt and spices does not change the carbohydrate total. You put the meat on the plate first, then fill the rest with the vegetables.

That gives you a fairly full plate with under 15 g of carbohydrates. There is even room left for a 30 g slice of bread, which adds 15 g of carbohydrates. The alternative is a 75 g portion of boiled potatoes, with about 15 g of carbohydrates. In both cases the meal stays under 30 g. Weigh the side dish, because the portion usually looks smaller than it really is [4].

Yes, and the main reason is simple: tuna, sardines and mackerel in oil or in water contain practically no carbohydrates. What remains is protein and fat, so the meal relies on vegetables for its carbohydrates. Sardines in tomato sauce are the exception, with 2–3 g of carbohydrates per can. A plain can goes onto the plate without any calculation.

Drain the can and weigh the fish, not the contents together with the liquid. Check the label on the versions with sauce, where added sugar sometimes appears. Even a meal with almost no carbohydrates but rich in protein and fat can call for an insulin dose, sometimes later on [5]. You work this out together with your doctor, using the data from your glucose sensor.

You replace the side dish with cooked vegetables, which fill the plate without adding many grams of carbohydrates [6]. Pan-sautéed cauliflower or broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, sautéed cabbage and green beans go with any kind of meat. Cauliflower purée looks like mashed potatoes, but a portion has only 5–7 g of carbohydrates. It still tastes like a hot meal, not like a diet.

Vegetables are weighed in the form in which they are eaten. Cooking shrinks the volume of some vegetables a great deal, especially the leafy ones [7]. A generous portion of sautéed vegetables means 5–12 g of carbohydrates, depending on the vegetable and the amount. Breaded vegetables and sauces thickened with flour, however, change the count. Onion and carrot push the carbohydrate total up a little, especially in a stew.

A small portion, 60 g of cooked pasta, means about 15 g of carbohydrates. For 100 g of cooked pasta you reach about 25 g of carbohydrates. Weigh the pasta after cooking, because it roughly triples its weight [8]. Dry pasta has far more carbohydrates for the same weight on the scale.

Whole-grain pasta has slightly fewer carbohydrates than white pasta, because fiber takes the place of part of the starch. The difference remains small, however, a few grams of carbohydrates per portion. In practice you count them the same way. After eating pasta, whole-grain or white, blood glucose rises more gently than after white rice [9].

Usually, yes. An ordinary side of pasta, rice or potatoes goes past 30 g on its own. Half of it comes to 15–20 g of carbohydrates. The space left on the plate is filled with vegetables and a source of protein, so that you leave the table full [10]. The method also works in the cafeteria, where you ask for half a portion of pasta or potatoes.

Watch the dose. If you cut the carbohydrates in half but take the same insulin dose as usual, you will have a higher risk of hypoglycemia [11]. The dose follows the meal, through the insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio set by your doctor, so the dose drops along with the meal [12]. For very small meals, however, the usual ratio may give too little insulin [13]. Any long-term change in the amount of carbohydrates should be discussed with your doctor [14].

The most convenient are cold meals, built around a source of protein [3]:

• two hard-boiled eggs, with roasted pepper and a few olives — no more than 7 g of carbohydrates;
• cottage cheese with raw vegetables — 8–9 g of carbohydrates;
• tuna salad, in a container — if you keep it cold until lunchtime.

If you want something more substantial, you add a small chickpea salad: 100 g of canned chickpeas, drained, means about 16 g of carbohydrates [15]. With vegetables and a little oil, the meal comes to around 20 g of carbohydrates. In winter, a thermos of unsweetened tea can round off this meal very well.

The pattern is always the same: you choose a source of protein, two vegetables and a source of fat [10]. You can choose, for example:

• chicken with green beans and garlic;
• oven-baked fish with zucchini;
• fried eggs with sautéed spinach;
• mushroom and turkey stew.

The total for a plate like this usually stays at 5–15 g of carbohydrates. Change the source of protein from one day to the next, so that the meal does not become boring. What pushes the carbohydrate total up quickly are ready-made sauces, flour for thickening and starchy vegetables, such as peas or corn [2]. A very large portion of meat can raise blood glucose later on, so the trend is worth following on the sensor and discussing at your appointment [16].

You choose something ready-made, but with a predictable structure [17]. These work well in this case:

• a chicken or tuna salad from the store;
• a rotisserie chicken without a side dish;
• a tub of cheese with vegetables.

A clear vegetable soup adds 8–12 g of carbohydrates per 250 ml. You can find all of them in nearby stores, almost wherever you are. On the label you look for the "Carbohydrate" line, which shows the carbohydrates in the product. Check whether the value is given per 100 g or per serving, because the package sometimes contains two servings [18]. In the European Union, fiber is not included in this line, so you do not subtract it [19]. On labels in the US and Canada, the carbohydrate line also includes the fiber. Sauces, dressings and croutons in ready-made salads quietly push the carbohydrate total up, so watch out for them.

Rarely. Afternoon tiredness comes more often from high blood glucose, from rapid drops in blood glucose after too large an insulin dose, or from a night with too little sleep [20] [21]. A very large meal, whatever its carbohydrate count, can also make you somewhat drowsy [22]. The brain receives glucose from the liver as well, between meals [23]. A small, balanced lunch usually gives you the most energy.

The sensor shows you what happened in the hours after the meal. If you see a sharp drop in blood glucose toward low values, it usually means the insulin dose was too large for what you ate. If you see high glucose values that stay that way for several hours, the cause is different. Discuss adjusting your insulin doses with your doctor. Without a sensor, checking blood glucose two hours after the meal for 2–3 days can give you a starting point for the discussion about adjusting the doses [24].