# Beer + Carbs, oh dear!



## rossi_mac

Beer, some of us love it! Some of us avoid it for a variety of reasons, the amount of carbs in beer is a factor and how the alcohol affects the medication we are on, be it for diabetes or not directly related.

Just wanted to start a thread where people can discuss share thoughts on beers, larger, bitter, shandy (maybe!) ale, stout, mild, dark, and all the ones inbetween.

I don't know any carb values of beer at all, is there a good resource of such information anywhere?

All I do is drink test and munch on crisps in a pub, chips sometimes on way home, or toast and biscuits at home. I accept my levels will rise well into the double figures, but I keep a keen eye on them, if I can operate

I don't drink any particular variety due to carb values or diabetes, normally it's due to taste or price! Although at home I do tend to drink more wine now to avoid high readings from carbalicious beer.

I hope we can get some helpful information out here for everyone, I am being serious, honest!

Cheers

Rossi


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## Adrienne

Great idea Rossi.    I have been worried about alcohol since Jessica was little !!  I know what I was like as a teen and 20 something and I only hope that Jessica won't be like that.   I question anyone with diabetes that I come across.

I had a carpet fitter (when Jessica was 2) fit a carpet in my house.   Found out he was diabetic and so I asked him about alcohol.    Everything had told me before that diabetics should stick to spirits and slimline drinks and eat crisps all evening !!

The carpet fitter found that he could drink Pils and be ok.  Whether that be a bottle of Pils or a pint I have no idea.   He said no other lager was ok for him.  Perhaps a different way Pils is made perhaps, I have no idea.


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## rachelha

The DAFNE course (and other similar courses) give good advice on how different types of alcohol affect blood sugars and how you should treat for them.  I dont think I can link to it, as it is part of the DAFNE graduates only bits of the site, but I will try and stick it up here later on this evening.


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## rossi_mac

Just posted a thread about a low carb drinks book (in books forum) it is American but looks like it could be of interest, I may purchase it!


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## falcon123

This is a very important piece of research Professor Rossi. In the 70's I was given a xerox copy of the carbohydrate content of various drinks. The only figure I remember in detail was bitter at 10gm CHO per 1/2 pint. Dry cider was about 7 and sweet 20+. I soon found this to be nonsense and that there was no need to carb count beer when taken in moderation - it all seems to balance itself up. I have also noticed that "wheat beers" lower my BG even more - aybe it should be on prescription? The only beers that have put up my BGs have been some of the stranger real ales and a super strength (and very sweet) lager.

This US web site is interesting but dones anything like this exist in the UK?

http://www.beer100.com/beercalories.htm


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## IcH

I was always told that pils would have little effect on BG levels, so I tried drinking Holsten Pils and found that it still sent the BG levels on the climb just like all other Lager. Alcohol and Diabetes in general is a tough subject though because it seems to affect different people in different ways.


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## rawtalent

Before i was diagnosed, i drank beers but found afterward that they played havoc with my levels, so i gave up quickly.
Holsten Pils is sugar free- completely, but it is high in alcohol - about 9% i think. I find that i can only drink one can of this because of the strength. But it tastes good!
There are other lagers on the market calling themselves pils which are not the same and are full of sugar! The one i mean is the one in a yellow can.
I suppose you may just be forced into some market research!


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## Red Pumper

I agree with the replies to far. The beer and carbs question is a difficult one.
Not only does the amount of carbs vary from one style of beer to another but it also varies a lot between brands. Also, there appears to be very little information available from the individual brewers, especially for bitter and stout.
Add to that, the fact that alcohol appears to affect us all in different ways, and it becomes very difficult to offer any hard and fast advice.
I find that even modest amounts of alcohol (two or three pints, or a  couple of glasses of wine) lower my blood glucose levels well into the following day.
When I used to inject insulin, I didn't count the carbs in the beer as it seemed to balance the effect of the alcohol although I would run high for a couple of hours.
I've recently moved to using a pump and have been advised to bolus for the carb content of beer and then also eat some carbs before going to bed while also possibly making basal adjustments later for the effect of the alcohol, I not had chance to give this a go yet as I've only been on the pump for a couple of weeks so have been abstaining while I get used to it.
I think the best policy is to do as Rossi does and play it by ear, testing as you go.


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## Andy HB

You can get some info about the carb content of different bears (bears!?) beers by having a browse of bottled beer in the supermarket. Maybe the cans also have dietry info too (I haven't checked).

Unfortunately, I'm off the alcohol for the moment (I hope!) whilst my liver sorts itself out (non-alcohol induced fatty liver).


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## diadeb

*Beer and Carbs*



rossi_mac said:


> Beer, some of us love it! Some of us avoid it for a variety of reasons, the amount of carbs in beer is a factor and how the alcohol affects the medication we are on, be it for diabetes or not directly related.
> 
> Just wanted to start a thread where people can discuss share thoughts on beers, larger, bitter, shandy (maybe!) ale, stout, mild, dark, and all the ones inbetween.
> 
> I don't know any carb values of beer at all, is there a good resource of such information anywhere?
> 
> All I do is drink test and munch on crisps in a pub, chips sometimes on way home, or toast and biscuits at home. I accept my levels will rise well into the double figures, but I keep a keen eye on them, if I can operate
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't drink any particular variety due to carb values or diabetes, normally it's due to taste or price! Although at home I do tend to drink more wine now to avoid high readings from carbalicious beer.
> 
> I hope we can get some helpful information out here for everyone, I am being serious, honest!
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Rossi




Hi Rossi, like lots of people I also enjoy a drink of alcohol. My favourite is Holsten Pils and here is the nutritional information for total of 1 can of 440mls;
Calories 167
Carbs 8-8 (which I believe is quite alot lower carbs than most other beers)

Cheers, diadeb


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## rossi_mac

Morning all, hmm thinking about a friday beer already! Is that bad??

Anyway just a foot note that I intend to do something along the lines of the big nights in, although I'm not suggesting we all get drunk together on wednesdays.

What I am thinking of doing, and I will do it it just may take me a while to get around to it. To get the nutritional info of some beer and have a night in and drink say 6 cans/bottles and monitor levels note what I eat etc etc, basically document it fully to help understand, obviously it's not as easy as that as there are so many variables but I think it would help me at least to know what's occuring.

I do not want to be irresponsible and am not promoting binge drinking AT ALL.

However it will help me to see what happens and I thought I could share the info with you all.

Happy dayz

Rossi


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## Red Pumper

It's extremely kind of you to offer to put yourself out for the benefit of us all 

If you feel that you need some support, someone to go through the pain with you, just give me a shout


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## Freddie99

Hi Rossi,

I work on the rule of thumb of ten grammes of carbs per pint if that's any help. None in wine as I understand it so all is well!

Oh, it's also a good excuse to binge on chips at the end of a night to stop any booze related hypos. 

Tom


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## Vicsetter

You need to get the Calorie and Carb Fat Bible 2008 
: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Calorie-Car...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1273232025&sr=8-6

I don't know if there is a more recent one than that but it lists a number of beers and Lagers.
Guinness extra stout is 0 carb., there is a low cal,low carb Cobra. Beer ranges from 0 to 5.3g/100
The Lagers are all pretty low carb ranging from 0 to 5.9g/100 carb.
All sounds pretty low but adds up I supposed (who drinks 100ml of beer?)


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## rossi_mac

Cheers all, 

Red Pumper, I may well call in some help

Tom thanks for the rule of thumb, but I thought it would be good to document proceedings to see any patterns, and maybe help some others out there be brave to have a beer or two, or wine or whatever.

Vic, book looks interesting I have something but it's very american, yes indeed that did make me laugh who does drink 100ml of beer?? Interesting to hear about guiness extra stout a very nice tipple indeed! I wonder if my "experiments" will conclude your findings from books!!

Maybe I should have a lager night, real ale night, wine night, and crazy night first off!?


Rossi


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## Freddie99

Just drink! That's always a good idea!


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