Juicebox Podcast: Type 1 Diabetes

Episode #1681 Bolus 4 – Cinnabon (November 14, 2025)

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Jenny Smith

Episode Overview

This Bolus 4 mini-series episode explores how to approach bolusing for a Cinnabon Classic Roll—a popular, high-carb, and high-fat treat. Scott and Jenny use the "Meal Bolt" roadmap to break down the process: measuring the meal, evaluating yourself, calculating insulin, and building a practical bolus strategy. The conversation aims to demystify bolusing for challenging, sugary foods while providing listeners with relatable, real-world diabetes management advice.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Anecdotes & Setting the Scene

• Scott and Jenny set an informal, conversational tone.
• They reminisce about encountering the Cinnabon smell at malls, particularly during holiday shopping.
  • [01:57] Jenny: “That was the first smell, always was Cinnabon.”
• Scott shares his baking history, revealing a fondness for raw dough.

2. Nutritional Breakdown of a Classic Cinnabon

• They reference nutrition facts directly from the Cinnabon website for a single Classic Roll (241g):
  • Calories: 880
  • Fat: 37g (16g saturated)
  • Cholesterol: 55mg
  • Sodium: 1150mg
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 12g
  • Added sugar: 59g
  • Total sugar: 61g
  • Total carbs: 129g

[03:28] Scott: “Let’s look at our list. First thing we wanna do, right, is list the carbs, the fat, the protein, understand the glycemic impact and the load of this food. ... A serving size is one roll, which is 241 grams. That’s pretty big.”

• Discussion on daily recommended values:
  • Jenny clarifies cholesterol limits (≤300mg/day) and sodium (≤2,300mg/day; ideally 1,500mg/day).
  • They note that a single Cinnabon accounts for roughly half the daily carb or calorie recommendation for many people.

[07:25] Jenny: “Again, it has to then be broken down by what's your age, what's your exercise component… The general is about 150 to 300 [grams carb/day].”

3. Glycemic Impact and Bolus Considerations

• The hosts outline the double challenge: rapid sugar spike due to the high simple sugar content AND extended glucose rise due to fat slowing digestion.
• Comparison to pouring four tablespoons of oil over food (visualizing the 37g fat content).

[11:03] Jenny: “We expect, because of the high carb and the 50% sugar... a quick hit. But after that quick hit, what are you going to get stuck with? I mean, this has almost 40 grams of fat... that's four tablespoons of oil.”

• Jenny suggests that both the sheer size/bulk of the Cinnabon and the fat/protein content will slow digestion.

4. Bolus Dosing Math and Psychological Barriers

• Using a 1:10 insulin-to-carb ratio as an example:
  • 13 units for the entire Cinnabon
  • 1:5 ratio could mean 26 units

[13:07] Scott: “Well, that's 13 units, right, for this. But imagine if you're one to five—now that’s 26 units of insulin to have this Cinnabon...most people are not going to be like, ‘I'm having a Cinnabon. Here's 26 units of insulin.’ That's going to freak them out.”

• Discusses potential anxiety and caution—suggesting that some may under-dose to avoid hypoglycemia, accepting higher blood sugar temporarily.

5. Bolus Strategy & Timing

• Extended bolusing (combo/square wave) is recommended to cover the initial sugar spike and delayed fat/protein impact.
• Suggests err on the side of caution:
  • Consider splitting the bolus: immediate vs. extended/delayed portion.
  • Watch for effects of prior activity (e.g., mall walking).
  • Use CGM trends to make real-time adjustments and think stepwise (bolus for a smaller, familiar quantity first, then add more if needed).

[17:34] Jenny: “…Even when sitting down at a restaurant, bolus for the amount of food that you would normally eat at a meal time. When the plate comes to you, go ahead and adjust that and bolus more or follow your CGM trend and bolus then when you see shifts and changes for the rest.”

• The importance of pre-bolusing:
  • A significant pre-bolus can help “get ahead” of the glucose spike (“momentum on your side”).
  • Consider individual factors: recent activity level, current blood sugar, insulin on board, and how familiar you are with this food.

6. Evaluating Results and Tweaking for Next Time

• Emphasizes carefully watching CGM data post-meal (1 hr/3 hr/5 hr) to adjust for next time.
• Encouragement not to beat yourself up over imperfect results; rare treats like this require flexible strategies and may not yield perfect control.
• Social and emotional aspects:
  • Recognizes that most people do not eat Cinnabons regularly.
  • For rare treats, “good enough” bolusing is reasonable.
  • Real-life discussion of changing strategies based on outcomes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:01] Scott: “This should be what the price is, right, is 880 calories.”
• [11:49] Scott: “Would I take four tablespoons... a quarter cup of oil and just knock it back right now? I would not. Would I eat a Cinnabon? Yes, I would.”
• [14:52] Jenny: “You might choose an extended, because then in that extension you could potentially cancel the extended part of it if you see things dropping or changing in a way that you’re not comfortable with.”
• [17:23] Scott: “I want a Bolus that's showing me like a diagonal down arrow. That's a thing you bolus for. And when I see 90 diagonal down, I start thinking like, all right, let's work this Cinnabon out of the bag now.”
• [20:03] Jenny: “If this is your every six month kind of treat that you really have nothing to base something on—absolutely, pay a lot more attention. See, is it dipping? Is it going up? Is the rate of change really, really extreme now compared to just a slow rise?”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:20: Introduction, personal stories of mall and Cinnabon experiences
• 03:24–07:22: Nutritional analysis, discussion of recommended daily values
• 09:10–10:46: Frequency of eating treats, Cinnabon's marketing of “mini” options & frosting
• 10:48–13:30: Bolus math, insulin-to-carb ratios, psychological hesitancy
• 14:52–18:47: Bolusing strategies (extended/combo), real-life adaptation, stepwise approach
• 19:23–20:29: Slowing digestion via bulk/fat, impact of drinks, importance of CGM
• 20:03–End: Monitoring results, emotional side, flexibility, wrap-up

Practical Takeaways

• For difficult treats like a Cinnabon, bolus isn’t one-size-fits-all.

• Step-by-step approach:

  • Measure: Check nutritional elements—carbs, fat, protein
  • Evaluate: Consider your current BG, activity, IOB, comfort
  • Add base units: Calculate using your personal carb ratio
  • Layer correction: Adjust for current BG as needed
  • Build the shape: Plan split (immediate + extended) boluses
  • Offset timing: Pre-bolus for fast sugars; extend for fat/protein
  • Look at CGM & Tweak: Check postprandial trends to refine strategy

• Bolus for what you’re familiar with, then adjust up as results dictate.

• Non-judgmental, real-world advice: Reduction in fear, focus on learning and adaptation for next time.

• Rare treats are okay—just monitor and learn.

Episode Tone

Warm, conversational, practical, and supportive—Scott and Jenny demystify bolusing for high-carb foods through real anecdotes, gentle humor, and relatable examples.

For more details about the Meal Bolt method, visit:
juiceboxpodcast.com/meal-bolt