Diabetes clinical tools

Diabetes

Reference tools for carbohydrate counting, insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio estimates, insulin action profiles and glycaemic index education.

Important safety information

These calculations provide estimates only. Insulin-to-carbohydrate ratios, glucose targets and insulin doses must be confirmed with the person's diabetes healthcare team before use. Do not change prescribed insulin treatment based only on this calculator.

Values entered into this page remain in local page state and are not saved to a patient record.

Carbohydrate counting

Carbohydrate coverage bolus estimate

Enter the prescribed insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio first, then enter the carbohydrate amount for the meal or snack. The result estimates the rapid-acting insulin needed to cover carbohydrate only.

1. Prescribed insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio

1 unit insulin :g carbohydrate

Enter the grams of carbohydrate covered by 1 unit of rapid-acting insulin. For example, enter 15 for 1 unit insulin : 15 g carbohydrate.2. Carbohydrate for this meal or snack

Enter the amount of carbohydrate for this meal or snack only, not the total daily carbohydrate intake.Carbohydrate remains in grams in both Metric and US modes.Round estimated bolus to nearest

3. Estimated carbohydrate coverage bolus

Enter prescribed ICR and meal carbohydrate

Calculation: meal/snack carbohydrate divided by prescribed ICR. This estimates carbohydrate coverage only and does not include a correction dose or other individual diabetes plan adjustments.

Insulin reference

Insulin action profiles

Reference table for onset of action, peak effect and duration of commonly used mealtime and basal insulin preparations. This section is based on ISPAD 2024 Chapter 9, Table 1. Product availability, local prescribing guidance and individual response should always be checked.

Insulin	Type	Concentration	Onset	Peak	Duration	Action profile note
Regular human insulin	Mealtime insulin	U100	30–60 min	2–4 h	5–8 h	Human insulin. Slower onset than rapid-acting analogues.
Insulin lispro	Mealtime insulin	U100	15–30 min	1–2 h	≤5 h	Rapid-acting analogue designed to reduce insulin self-association and support faster absorption.
Insulin aspart	Mealtime insulin	U100	15 min	1–3 h	3–5 h	Rapid-acting analogue with an amino acid substitution that reduces self-association and speeds absorption.
Insulin glulisine	Mealtime insulin	U100	12–30 min	1.5 h	~5.3 h	Rapid-acting analogue with substitutions that reduce self-association compared with regular insulin.
Fast-acting insulin aspart	Mealtime insulin	U100	5–20 min	~1.5–2.2 h	~5–7 h	Formulation includes niacinamide and L-arginine to accelerate absorption.
Fast-acting insulin lispro	Mealtime insulin	U100	~15–17 min	~2–3 h	~5–7 h	Formulation includes citrate and treprostinil to accelerate subcutaneous absorption.
Technosphere-inhaled insulin	Mealtime insulin	Inhaled	—	53 min	2.5 h	Inhaled recombinant human insulin powder; absorbed via the alveoli.
NPH insulin	Basal insulin	U100	2–4 h	4–12 h	12–24 h	Protamine and zinc suspension that prolongs release after subcutaneous injection.
Insulin glargine	Basal insulin	U100	2–4 h	8–12 h; no pronounced peak	~22–24 h	Forms a subcutaneous precipitate that slows absorption.
Insulin detemir	Basal insulin	U100	1–2 h	4–7 h; no pronounced peak	20–24 h	Fatty-acid acylation supports reversible albumin binding, slowing absorption and action.
Insulin degludec	Basal insulin	U100 and U200	30–90 min	No pronounced peak	42 h	Forms multihexamer chains and reversibly binds albumin, giving ultra-long action.
Insulin glargine	Basal insulin	U300	2–6 h	No pronounced peak	30–36 h	Higher-concentration glargine formulation further slows absorption compared with U100 glargine.

Clinical safety note: onset, peak and duration are approximate and may vary with dose, injection site, formulation, delivery method, temperature, activity, illness and individual response. This table should support, not replace, diabetes team advice and local prescribing information.

Source: ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2024, Chapter 9: Insulin and Adjunctive Treatments in Children and Adolescents with Diabetes, Table 1. SC means subcutaneous. NPH means neutral protamine Hagedorn / isophane insulin.

Glycaemic index reference

Glycaemic Index of carbohydrate foods

GI is a guide to how quickly carbohydrate foods are digested and absorbed. Use this table as a starting reference and check primary GI databases or product-specific information where exact values are required.

Food	Group	GI category	Range	Notes
Porridge / rolled oats	Cereal / grains	Low GI	<55	Often lower GI when less processed.
Traditional muesli	Breakfast cereal	Low GI	<55	GI varies depending on oats, dried fruit, nuts and added sugars.
All-Bran style cereal	Breakfast cereal	Low GI	<55	Higher fibre cereals are often lower GI.
Lentils	Legumes	Low GI	<55	Useful low-GI carbohydrate source.
Chickpeas	Legumes	Low GI	<55	Often lower GI due to fibre and starch structure.
Kidney beans	Legumes	Low GI	<55	Low GI; carbohydrate absorption is usually slower.
Milk	Dairy	Low GI	<55	Contains lactose; GI varies by product.
Yoghurt	Dairy	Low GI	<55	GI varies with added sugar, fruit and formulation.
Pasta	Cereal / grains	Low GI	<55	GI varies with cooking time and pasta type.
Grainy bread	Bread	Low GI	<55	Usually lower GI than white bread.
Sourdough bread	Bread	Low GI	<55	GI varies by flour type, fermentation and product.
Apple	Fruit	Low GI	<55	Whole fruit is generally preferred over juice.
Pear	Fruit	Low GI	<55	GI varies with ripeness.
Orange	Fruit	Low GI	<55	Whole fruit has fibre and is generally lower GI than juice.
Basmati rice	Rice	Medium GI	55–70	Often lower GI than jasmine or short-grain rice.
Brown rice	Rice	Medium GI	55–70	GI varies by grain type and cooking method.
Wholemeal bread	Bread	Medium GI	55–70	GI varies by brand and grain structure.
Rye bread	Bread	Medium GI	55–70	Can be lower or medium GI depending on grain structure.
Orange juice	Drinks	Medium GI	55–70	Liquid carbohydrate; consider serve size.
Honey	Sweeteners	Medium GI	55–70	Still a concentrated carbohydrate source.
Sweet corn	Starchy vegetables	Medium GI	55–70	GI varies by preparation and serve size.
Couscous	Cereal / grains	Medium GI	55–70	Often medium GI; check product-specific values.
Banana	Fruit	Medium GI	55–70	GI increases with ripeness.
White bread	Bread	High GI	>70	Often rapidly digested.
Short-grain rice	Rice	High GI	>70	Often higher GI than basmati rice.
Jasmine rice	Rice	High GI	>70	Often higher GI than basmati rice.
Potato	Starchy vegetables	High GI	>70	GI varies by variety, cooking and cooling.
Instant mashed potato	Starchy vegetables	High GI	>70	Processing can increase GI.
Rice cakes	Snacks	High GI	>70	Often rapidly digested; consider carbohydrate load.
Watermelon	Fruit	High GI	>70	GI may be high, but carbohydrate load per usual serve may be modest.

GI categories: low GI <55, medium/intermediate GI 55–70, high GI >70. Exact GI can vary by food variety, brand, processing, ripeness, preparation, cooking and meal composition.