# Ice Cream?



## TheClockworkDodo (May 26, 2018)

How does ice cream effect you (especially, but not exclusively, if you are on insulin)?

I've not eaten it since becoming diabetic because of my food intolerances, but I've discovered some hand-made all-natural ice cream which I think I could try - woohoo!   I'm wondering how much the fat and the cold will slow down the effect of the sugar though - should I err on the side of caution when injecting (especially in view of the fact that I'm currently having about 2 hypos a day anyway), or inject after eating it rather than before, do you think?  What does everyone else do?

And any advice about guesstimating the amount of carbs in a helping of ice cream (when buying a scoop in a cone or individual tub out, I mean - I could weigh it and look it up if I were eating it at home) would also be welcome ...


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## trophywench (May 27, 2018)

It always is a complete guess frankly - but I'm quite happy to try it for you !

The cone is always a danger of course even if not a massive amount of sugar (in whatever form) in the ice cream,  Plus on holiday one is usually found taking some sort of exercise when one spots the retail outlet  - even walking through the streets of some place or another, and it would probably be hot too - so I over estimate the bolus as often as under.  The thick delicious 'artisanal' looking cones have much more in the way of carbs than the wimpy ones such a lot of places in the UK still use.  Since I have to eat all those carby cones, I try to ensure I squash some ice cream down the cone LOL

It also depends on how generous they are with the scoop, doesn't it?  personally I limit myself to a one scoop serving - after all it isn't a staple!

I'd start off estimating 15g carb for a measly one in a wimpy cone.  If you have a flake in it though - you need to add that as well!  I probably conveniently forget to include that quite often!


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 27, 2018)

Thanks, Jenny 

It's only one brand I think I might be able to eat, and they are local to here, so I won't be getting them on holiday, just whenever I happen to go into Cirencester shopping.  No flakes or anything like that, and I'd probably try a small tub before I risk a cone, because I don't know whether I can tolerate the ingredients in a cone and don't want to confuse the issue - need to work out whether I can tolerate the ice cream itself before I try it with anything else!

They are quite generous with their ice cream portions though (judging by the amount they gave R in his tub last week) so I'm talking large scoop of ice cream and no cone, at least to start with.  I suspect from what you say that that is likely to be one unit of insulin for me, maybe even just half a unit (currently on 1 unit insulin for 22g carbs at lunchtime), so I should probably start with half a unit and see what happens.  If I'm OK with the ice cream I'll then need to remember to inject a bit more if I have it with a cone another time.

The main thing I was wondering, though, is do the cold and fat slow the carbs down enough that I should inject afterwards rather than beforehand?


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## Kaylz (May 27, 2018)

I've not had any since I was diagnosed but I wouldn't imagine the coldness would effect the absorption, cold dessert didn't me at Christmas and new year anyway, as for the fat, do you know what ingredients they use? or can they provide fat content? I only ask as fat content of ice cream can vary widely I've just had a look at tubbed stuff and one is 11.odd g fat per 100g but another is only 5.odd g xx


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## trophywench (May 27, 2018)

Even the clotted cream variety doesn't seem to slow down the 'sweet' for me Juliet - and yes unless the trip to the outlet has just followed a 10 minute brisk walk from wherever you were, half a unit  for you, but with such a walk I'd test it first with Nil I think?


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 28, 2018)

Thank you both, that's useful 

Dietician told me cold or heat would slow down carb absorbtion, @Kaylz - that's why a hot cup of tea with sugar in it isn't a suitable hypo treatment for someone on insulin.  I tested it by freezing grape juice, which is my usual hypo treatment, into ice lollies, and it worked for me - I can eat the ice lollies (with appropriate amount of insulin) without a spike, whereas I couldn't drink grape juice unless I was hypo.

This is the ice cream - http://dolcetti.net/ - I just looked and there's no info. about fat content on their website, but when we went in we asked them about the natural stabilisers listed in their ingredients (their site lists allergens but only the common ones, which is to say none of the ones I have  ) and a very enthusiastic, not to say obsessive, ice cream maker came and told us all about them in great detail, so I'm sure they'd be happy to tell us anything we want to know about fat or carb content!


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## Beck S (May 28, 2018)

Ice cream in general I tend to steer clear of, but there's a couple of brands that seem to do ok with me.  Sainsbury's stock a brand called Oppo, which is the lowest carb content of any brand I've seen and is actually pretty good for a 2 scoop portion.  Tastes pretty nice too.  There's also Halo Top, which Tesco stock, which has a slightly higher carb content but still a lot lower than most brands.  Have a good range of flavours and taste really good.  The only cons they have is that they've got sweeteners in so you can't have a huge amount, same as anything with sweeteners in, and they're also not cheap.  But I find they're great for a treat.


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## Kaylz (May 28, 2018)

Beck S said:


> Ice cream in general I tend to steer clear of, but there's a couple of brands that seem to do ok with me.  Sainsbury's stock a brand called Oppo, which is the lowest carb content of any brand I've seen and is actually pretty good for a 2 scoop portion.  Tastes pretty nice too.  There's also Halo Top, which Tesco stock, which has a slightly higher carb content but still a lot lower than most brands.  Have a good range of flavours and taste really good.  The only cons they have is that they've got sweeteners in so you can't have a huge amount, same as anything with sweeteners in, and they're also not cheap.  But I find they're great for a treat.


As Juliet is insulin dependant she can cover the ice cream, also as she's mentioned she has food intolerances so Halo Top and Oppo may not be suitable xx


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 28, 2018)

Thanks, Kaylz, that's what I was about to say  
Carbs are the least of my problems!
But I don't mind if the thread moves into other general tips about ice cream for anyone else


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## Beck S (May 29, 2018)

Ah, fair point.  Thanks guys


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## Kaylz (May 29, 2018)

Beck S said:


> Ah, fair point.  Thanks guys


I hope you know I wasn't trying to be 'funny' with you or anything! That wasn't my intention at all! Sorry! xx


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## Beck S (May 29, 2018)

No, that's ok.  I knew that


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## Kaylz (May 29, 2018)

Beck S said:


> No, that's ok.  I knew that


PHEW, thank goodness for that!!  xx


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## Sally W (May 31, 2018)

Hi Juliet not sure if you can calculate it but I make raspberry ice cream by putting frozen raspberries with double cream and a little sweetener. I know you aren’t quite so concerned about carbs but it’s easy to do at home, without trapping to the shops (I know this is important). I make it quite a bit in the summer as I don’t like the chemicals in low sugar ice cream and it’s very tasty. Hope those neighbours have nearly finished the building


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## TheClockworkDodo (May 31, 2018)

Thanks for the thought, Sally - I want to try the ice cream from the shop in Cirencester first though, because I don't know if I can tolerate ice cream at all.

Do you have an ice cream maker?  I have looked at them in the Lakeland catalogue in the past and wondered whether it would be worth it, if I am OK with ice cream.  I don't cook (or whatever the equivalent word is for making cold things!) but could see what R thinks.  He doesn't have a lot of spare time, but he does like making things like jam and cakes and crumbles.  I wouldn't risk a sweetener but I have no problems with sugar as an ingredient, I don't need much insulin for it.


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## Sally W (Jun 1, 2018)

The raspberry ice cream is made by a food processor: should have said. I do have a small Lakeland ice cream maker I’ve never used. Raspberry one is so easy I’ve not bothered. If you do want to try it I got it from ‘Step Away From The Carbs’ website. I always reduce the sweetener though as I find raspberries quite sweet so you may want to reduce sugar.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 1, 2018)

Ah, we don't have a food processor or anything like that - I loathe cooking and R doesn't really have the time (not to mention the space in the kitchen!).

Apologies to you and anyone else reading this who can't have sugar, but I like things sweet!  I always sprinkle extra sugar on the fruit when R makes crumble  ... and then I usually hypo, having overestimated the insulin for it (I'm ridiculously insulin-sensitive)


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## Drummer (Jun 1, 2018)

Warning - If you make yourself some real icecream then you might not want to go back to the stuff you buy.
My grandmother used to make 'forget me not' icecream when my dad was young and they ran a shop in Youlgreave, Derbyshire - it was prescribed for children who failed to thrive by the local doctor. It was eggs and cream plus a small spoonful of 'ice cream powder' which was - I believe, vanilla essence absorbed in arrowroot - sugar was added, or not - some people did not like the sugary one. It was made using a freezing mixture of salt and ice, and a lot of muscle power turning the handle on the mixer, as it needs to be mixed to prevent the formation of large crystals. I used to make it with chopped walnuts and a small amount of honey, for the aroma and flavour rather than sweetening. The mixture is made like an egg custard.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 1, 2018)

Sounds lovely, @Drummer 
The shop in Cirencester sounds like your grandparents' shop - all handmade and natural ingredients.


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## Sally W (Jun 1, 2018)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> Sounds lovely, @Drummer
> The shop in Cirencester sounds like your grandparents' shop - all handmade and natural ingredients.


Sounds good. I make take a look Juliet: what was the name of the shop in Cirencester?. I try to avoid foods with things I can’t pronounce and make most things from scratch anyway


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 1, 2018)

It's http://dolcetti.net/ @Sally W  - it's in the middle of the Love Lane industrial estate, a most peculiar place for it, but it mainly does wholesale and just has a little parlour for selling to the public.  There's a short row of similar wholesale food shops with tiny public cafes - the coffee shop about two doors down from the ice cream one is really nice too.


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## Sally W (Jun 1, 2018)

Wow! Thanks Juliet looks like authentic gelato. Will definitely take a trip there sometime. I only know the centre of Ciren so somewhere new for me to try


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 1, 2018)

It is in a horrible noisy industrial estate, Sally, so best to buy the ice cream there and then drive on somewhere else to eat it!  We sat in the car in a cul-de-sac in the nearby residential area (Berkeley Rd, if you want to look on google maps) for R to eat his (and me to eat the brownie I bought in the coffee shop).  There are plenty of quiet places on the outskirts of Cirencester, but I don't know the southern side of it that well either, and we just wanted to find somewhere quickly before the ice cream melted!


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## Sally W (Jun 3, 2018)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> It is in a horrible noisy industrial estate, Sally, so best to buy the ice cream there and then drive on somewhere else to eat it!  We sat in the car in a cul-de-sac in the nearby residential area (Berkeley Rd, if you want to look on google maps) for R to eat his (and me to eat the brownie I bought in the coffee shop).  There are plenty of quiet places on the outskirts of Cirencester, but I don't know the southern side of it that well either, and we just wanted to find somewhere quickly before the ice cream melted!


Thanks for the warning Juliet.....,


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 9, 2018)

I have eaten some ice cream - it was lovely, but now to see how it effects me! 
I tried with half a unit of insulin.  It wasn't very sugary, mostly creamy (I had mint choc chip - some of the other flavours I suspect would be sweeter).

@Sally W - the noisy bits of industrial estate are all closed at the weekend, so it was much quieter today!


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## Sally W (Jun 9, 2018)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> I have eaten some ice cream - it was lovely, but now to see how it effects me!
> I tried with half a unit of insulin.  It wasn't very sugary, mostly creamy (I had mint choc chip - some of the other flavours I suspect would be sweeter).
> 
> @Sally W - the noisy bits of industrial estate are all closed at the weekend, so it was much quieter today!


Thanks Juliet- so good to know! A shame if it spikes that you can’t make your own...maybe an occasional treat then


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## Kaylz (Jun 9, 2018)

TheClockworkDodo said:


> I have eaten some ice cream - it was lovely, but now to see how it effects me!
> I tried with half a unit of insulin.  It wasn't very sugary, mostly creamy (I had mint choc chip - some of the other flavours I suspect would be sweeter).
> 
> @Sally W - the noisy bits of industrial estate are all closed at the weekend, so it was much quieter today!


Glad you took the plunge and I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it!! Hope it treats your bs and intolerances kindly and you have no adverse effects, keep us updated!!  xx


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 10, 2018)

Sally W said:


> Thanks Juliet- so good to know! A shame if it spikes that you can’t make your own...maybe an occasional treat then



No spike for me, thankfully - half a unit of insulin dealt with it nicely 
I was more concerned about the food intolerances - seem to be OK so far though ...


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## KookyCat (Jun 10, 2018)

I was just about to say I don’t have a problem with ice cream at all, there’s a farm near me that makes it fresh and I often have a scoop or two.  It’s not super sweet so it suits me perfectly, I go with 1.5 units for 2 scoops and that works out perfectly for me and I’m 1:20/1:17 depending on which way the wind is blowing.  Glad you enjoyed it


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## TheClockworkDodo (Jun 10, 2018)

Thanks Kooky 

Know what you mean about which way the wind is blowing, over the last month I had a week when I thought my monitor was stuck on 11, put all my doses up, had 18 hypos in 8 days, put all my doses down, woke up every day with readings of 8 or 9, put my basal up, and have now started waking up with hypo hangovers   It was partly being ill (the week I was stuck on 11), but mostly the weather, I imagine.


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## Beck S (Jun 11, 2018)

Sally W said:


> The raspberry ice cream is made by a food processor: should have said. I do have a small Lakeland ice cream maker I’ve never used. Raspberry one is so easy I’ve not bothered. If you do want to try it I got it from ‘Step Away From The Carbs’ website. I always reduce the sweetener though as I find raspberries quite sweet so you may want to reduce sugar.


I am definitely going to try this, we've got one of those smoothie makers which would work.  I miss fruit so I need to get some in somehow.  What sort of ratio of fruit to cream do you use?


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## Sally W (Jun 11, 2018)

https://stepawayfromthecarbs.com/instant-raspberry-ice-cream/ This is the recipe I use. Got to be frozen raspberries though and I would make enough for dessert only as freezing doesn’t work too well.


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## Beck S (Jun 11, 2018)

I tried it, and it wasn't a huge success to start with.  Think my blender is too big for the portion so it didn't blend too well and it stayed runny.  Tasted amazing though.  Will have to experiment and try again with a smaller blender.


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