A local farmer sells delicious sweet corn from the back of her truck from August till the September frost. (We grew some but I think it’s squirrel corn again. ) I love to eat fresh corn—reminds me of childhood, when mom would stop at a farm stand on her way home from work and we’d all binge on
. But I really hate trying to estimate the carbs, bolus timing and dosage, and the glycemic response for just one ear. I even weigh the ear before and after! I haven’t nailed it yet: either go high or high then low or sometimes just lowish before my BG climbs up to a more typical post-prandial number. So…how do you deal with this pesky, tasty carb?
Corn is my wife’s favorite and I like to partake also, just as you! But I also suffer the same consequences as you. I’ve asked the wife to only fix half an ear which she’s glad to do as long as she gets hers and the other half of mine! I’ve concluded the solution is to just deal with it as a variability of the product and enjoy or not based on the carb load until experience teaches better.
Overdose and then just enjoy whatever treats you can have after. Also, have it early enough in the day or evening so that you can fix the problem before it’s time for bed.
Love corn on the cob, too! Reminds me of my childhood, too, on our farm.
I had 1/2 cob last weekend with dinner. Delicious! I did take extra bolus, but not much. Then I corrected after corrections. And had juice ready for the over correction. Not ideal but it worked. Probably just stick to a bite or two next time.
Love any and all corn even though it has zero nutritional value. Mexican street corn is my favorite.
I use the same technique as Eric. I take a big prebolus overbolus, then eat the corn, then watch the CGM and eat additional tasty carbs as the BG starts trending down. Modest spike and no hypo, but that’s because I’m actively steering the BG the whole time.
I am also a huge fan of late summer sweet corn and also use the over-bolus technique. Reminds me of my midwest roots – I have the best memories of going to the state fair and having corn, dipped in a VAT of melted butter (ahhhh!) and doused using a shaker of salt. But, I cannot believe I am first to post THIS, “it’s corn”:
@JessicaD That is sooo cute!
I’m not a fan of overbolusing, because I’m at an age where eating sugary things to head off a low only turn into weight. I multiply the weight of an uncooked cob by 0.12 and start an extended bolus (which I always have for dinner) 45 minutes to an hour before I eat the main course. Just a bump, no spike.
Of course this is no help if I’m eating corn I didn’t cook at home, or if I’m eating it at a meal where I’m not doing an extended bolus.
I will try this the next time and let you know how it works! Thanks!
@Beacher what is the significance of 0.12? Kernel to cob ratio?
I do this for most meals with some bolus immediate, some extended. Easier to stop the extended, or eat more based on CGM trend, if trending too low.
Sugar Surfing by Stephen Ponder is a good book for this.
That’s just a way of saying that if you eat corn on the cob, 12% of the weight will digest into glucose. I presume this number was found by trial and error, and it might turn out to be a different number for a different body but it’s a good starting point.
It’s also because in my house, dinner lasts about 3 hours (not constant eating of course, but cocktail and snack, then finish cooking dinner and eat it, then sit around for a while before dessert), and I prefer not to do three separate injections mostly because I forget.
What @bkh said. Same as 0.5 for bread – multiply that by the weight to get the carb value. Can’t remember where I got that carb factor. Note that it can vary a bit for corn depending on the variety and how long ago the cobs were picked.
Thanks @Beacher and oh, to be a dinner guest in your home… I like the way you roll!
I understand you totally and also love sweet fresh corn
Enjoyed an ear of corn tonight and the 0.12 carb factor worked out pretty well. Thanks!
You guys are making me remember the best garden we every had. Tomatoes from April until mid December on the same plants, snow peas and Swiss chard, okra, lettuce and sweet corn. The pot would be on the boil when I picked the corn. Most was blanched, bagged and frozen, but there was always some eaten right then, peak flavor and freshness.
When I was a child, I loved to eat canned cream style corn. I would cover it with black pepper, ymmmm!
My farmer heritage has taught me that 8 minutes is the magic number for how long to boil corn on the cob. Not 7, not 9, 8.
As to dosing…well, I’m guessing y’all have much tighter control than I do bc corn on the cob is the least of my spike problems.
I wag and walk. And then walk some more.