Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1675 Bolus 4 – Onions

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Jenny Smith
Date: November 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This installment of the Bolus 4 miniseries focuses on onions—one of America’s most consumed vegetables—and how to consider them when planning and dosing insulin for meals. Host Scott Benner and certified diabetes educator Jenny Smith keep their tone light, conversational, and practical, walking listeners through their carb-counting thought processes using "Meal Bolt," an easy-to-remember bolusing strategy. They also share candid, humorous banter about “onion goo” and the marketing oddities of pre-pureed onions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why Talk About Onions?

• Popularity: Onions rank #3 in the U.S.’s most-consumed vegetables, with Americans eating around 9.5 pounds per person annually. (00:57)
• Common Use: Most people use onions as a flavoring, not a main dish. Both hosts admit to rarely eating a whole cup of onions at a time. (02:01, 05:44)
• Carb Surprise: Scott admits, “...onions, which, by the way, have more carbs in them than I thought.” (02:16)

The Onion Goo Incident

• Scott's Grocery Encounter: Scott describes finding a large squeeze bottle labeled “Easy Onion: Ready to Use,” essentially pureed onion, at his grocery store. (03:07)
• Jenny’s Reaction: Jenny finds the concept (and texture) off-putting—“If you’re a texture person...it made me horrified.” (03:19)
• Packaging Oddities: The hosts joke about a label boasting “Now with more chopped onion”—“As opposed to what? Slime in a bottle? Because this is what it looks like. It looks like snot in a bottle. It really does. It’s terrifying.” (03:54 – Scott)

How Many Carbs Are in Onions?

• Typical Measure: Scott references 11–16 grams of carbs per medium onion, then pivots to measuring by cups (one cup ≈ 10–16g carbs). (05:06, 05:27)
• Jenny’s Habit: “Medium onion. I usually say it’s about 10 grams...I don’t eat a cup of onions at one time, so that’s one that I definitely use the old rule of, ‘It’s a vegetable, you don’t have to count it,’ because I use it as a seasoning...I don’t really consider the carb content.” (05:30, 05:44)

Practical Bolusing Advice

• Occasional Tracking: Scott and Jenny reassure listeners that if they’re adding onions as a topping or flavor, it’s fine to add a small carb estimate (e.g., 3–4 grams):
  • “...there’s nothing wrong with adding three or four carbs for the onion, as you’re going through and counting it. I just don’t want people to...skip a lot more than they usually do or than they should.” (06:02)
• Why Rounding Up is Okay:
  • Scott: “Most of the times when it goes wrong, it goes wrong on the side of I didn’t use enough...you usually miss stuff when you’re counting carbs, so why not, like...assume you’re not getting the carbs right...” (07:01)
• Practical Device Tips: Scott recalls using an insulin pump (Omnipod PDM) and rounding up carbs when the device would overshoot the intended number, settling for “good enough” (06:49–07:01).

Don't Overthink Minor Ingredients—but Don't Skip Them

• Message: Small amounts of onion in a meal probably don't require special attention, but regular higher intakes—especially in dishes where onion is more central—should be factored in.
• Scott’s Caution: “I just don’t want people to miss the onions.” (07:24)
• Jenny’s Affirmation: “...they were on the top list, so we had to include them.” (07:26)

Fresh vs. Prepared Products

• Food Philosophy:
  • Scott jokes: “Please use real onions...Every time you buy Easy Onion, Jenny cries a little bit inside.” (07:42)
  • Jenny agrees, laughing, and neither intends offense to the producers of prepared onion products. (07:55)
• Garlic Sidebar: The riff briefly extends to garlic: “...if you’re using garlic, just take a second and chop up the garlic and squash it.” (08:08 – Scott & Jenny)

The "Meal Bolt" Formula (08:09 & 00:40)

Scott and Jenny frame their approach to every Bolus 4 episode using this acronym, emphasizing practical, adaptable thinking:

• M – Measure the meal (carbs, protein, fat, glycemic index/load)
• E – Evaluate yourself (current BG, insulin on board, activity, stress/illness)
• A – Add the base units (carb amount ÷ insulin:carb ratio)
• L – Layer a correction (adjust for high/low BG, trends)
• B – Build the bolus shape (standard, combo, square wave)
• O – Offset the timing (pre-bolus, meal timing, absorption)
• L – Look at the CGM (watch for spikes or delayed effects)
• T – Tweak for next time (review and adjust based on results)

Quote:
“...it’s not going to be that confusing and we’re not going to ask you to remember all of that stuff. But that’s the pathway that Jenny and I are going to use to speak about each bolus.” (08:48 – Scott)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On “Easy Onion”:
  • Scott: “It looks like snot in a bottle. It really does. It’s terrifying.” (03:54)
• On real vs. prepared foods:
  • Scott: “Every time you buy Easy Onion, Jenny cries a little bit inside.” (07:42)
• Humor and Practicality:
  • Jenny: “If you’re a texture person, this would...like, it made me horrified.” (03:19)
  • Scott: “Most of the times when it goes wrong, it goes wrong on the side of I didn’t use enough.” (07:01)

Important Timestamps

• 00:57 – Onions as a top-consumed U.S. vegetable, basic stats
• 03:07–04:09 – “Easy Onion” goo discussion and laughter
• 05:22–05:44 – Carb content in onions and practical use cases
• 06:02–07:24 – Should you count onions? Rounding up carbs and missing “hidden” ingredients
• 08:09–09:05 – Full breakdown of the Meal Bolt formula

Takeaway for Listeners

• Counting onions usually isn’t necessary if they’re a minor ingredient, but don’t ignore repeated or larger amounts.
• When in doubt, it’s better to slightly overestimate carbs than consistently underestimate—small additions like onion do add up.
• Use fresh onions (and garlic) when possible; pre-prepped options may be convenient but don’t offer any carb advantage, and may be less satisfying or appetizing.
• The Meal Bolt method offers a simple, comprehensive structure for making confident bolusing decisions—even for ingredients as humble as onions.

For further resources, meal bolusing guides, and more about the Meal Bolt strategy, visit juiceboxpodcast.com/mealbolt.