Inpatient carbohydrate counting guide

Introduction

This guide has been written to help people with diabetes estimate the carbohydrate content of the food on the main hospital menu.

You may like to use this guide if you take insulin with your meals and adjust the dose to match your carbohydrate portion. It may also help if you have Type 2 Diabetes and wish to count the carbohydrates in your diet to help regulate your blood glucose levels.

The information given in this guide provides the carbohydrate content of a standard portion size of the hospital food, in grams as well as ‘carbohydrate portions’ (CPs) if you have attended the DAFNE course. Please remember that portions sizes can vary once plated up so the carbohydrate content may also vary. Items that have less than 5g of carbohydrate per standard portion have not been included. If you need further guidance please ask to speak to your ward dietitian.

You may also find other carbohydrate counting tools such as the Carbs and Cals book or phone apps such as Carbs and Cals, MyFitness Pal, or Nutracheck help alongside this guide.

Vegetables, beans and pulses:

The information in this guide lists the total amount of carbohydrate from beans, pulses and vegetables in some of the vegetarian dishes. However, the carbohydrates from these foods are absorbed slowly so not all of the glucose is available for the body to use and so has little, if any, impact on blood glucose levels. Therefore, most people don’t count the carbohydrate in these foods and if this is the case for you then please ignore the carbohydrate content for the dishes marked with an asterisk (*). If you usually count the carbohydrate value from these foods then consider counting only 1/3 to 1/2 of the carbohydrate content stated.

Breakfast (8:00 to 9:00)

At Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) we serve a continental style breakfast daily, which varies slightly between wards. Breakfast items and their estimated carbohydrate content are documented over the page.

The carbohydrate content of breakfast cereals can vary so we have not listed the values for these products. If you choose to have breakfast cereals, please count them as you would at home. If you are unsure how to count carbohydrates in cereals, please choose a different breakfast and ask your ward dietitian for assistance.

Snacks

Additional drinks and snacks are available 24 hours a day from the ward kitchen /dining area on the ward or by asking ward staff. Available snacks include fresh fruit, cereals, bread and toast, yoghurts, cheese and crackers, biscuits and cakes. Snacks should be offered at drinks rounds. Snacks and their estimated carbohydrate values are listed over the page.

Drinks

A range of hot and cold drinks are available 24 hours a day. The majority of wards operate five to seven drink rounds per day (there is slight variation on different wards). Please ask ward staff if you require a drink outside of these times.

Menu cycle for Lunch (12:00 to 13:00) and Supper (17:00 to 18:00)

The hospital menu runs on a two-week cycle. Please ask your ward housekeeper to confirm if we are on week 1 or 2 of the menu cycle. This is helpful particularly when trying to plan ahead for your meals.

At supper time there is one soup option, a choice of sandwiches, two hot dishes with a choice of mashed potato and a vegetable to accompany these.

There is a separate menu booklet available for patients needing a puree diet, extra choices, or those with allergies or intolerances. There are also separate menus for Halal, Kosher and vegan diets. If you need to know the carbohydrate content of those foods please contact your ward dietitian.

The information in this guide supplements the daily lunch and supper picture menu cards. Please refer to those to see which menu choices are coded as being the ‘healthy heart’ or ‘energy dense’ option. Diet codes that include some food allergens can also be found on the back of the daily menu cards.

Key * Consider counting a 1/3 to 1/2 of the carbohydrate content if you usually count vegetables, beans and pulses in vegetarian dishes.

Medication

Bring all of your medicines (including inhalers, injections, creams, eye drops or patches) and a current repeat prescription from your GP.

Please tell the ward staff about all of the medicines you use. During your stay If you wish to take your medication yourself (self-medicate) please speak with your nurse. Pharmacists visit the wards regularly and can help with any medicine queries.

My Chart

We would encourage you to sign up for MyChart. This is the electronic patient portal at Cambridge University Hospitals that enables patients to securely access parts of their health record held within the hospital’s electronic patient record system (Epic). It is available via your home computer or mobile device. More information is available on our website.

Contacts/Further information

The Diabetes Outreach Team (DOT) provide an advisory service for people with diabetes who are admitted to hospital. They assess, and if needed, make recommendations to support you and the doctors and nurses looking after you to manage your blood glucose levels in hospital. You can request a DOT review during your admission by asking the nurses or medical team to contact DOT.

We hope that you find the information in this guide useful. If you continue to have difficulties with the food choices please speak with your ward dietitian, who can be contacted on the telephone extension number 216655.