Juicebox Podcast: Episode #1716 “Bolus 4 – Christmas Snacks”

Host: Scott Benner
Guest: Jenny Smith
Air Date: December 22, 2025

Episode Overview

Scott Benner and recurring cohost Jenny Smith tackle the chaos of Christmas snacking with type 1 diabetes, focusing on practical, real-world strategies for bolusing (dosing insulin) for a variety of classic holiday treats. This approachable and unscripted episode uses the “Meal BOLT” method (Measure, Evaluate, Add, Layer, Build, Offset, Look, Tweak) as a mental roadmap—even if not every step is explicitly discussed for each food. The conversation blends humor, nostalgia, and deep insight, helping listeners confidently handle festive foods without unnecessary stress or guilt.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Meal BOLT" Framework (00:41, Recap at 41:00)

• Scott and Jenny keep the Meal BOLT acronym in mind as their loose way to think about each food:
  • Measure: Figure out carb, fat, protein, glycemic impact.
  • Evaluate: Assess your blood sugar, insulin on board, upcoming activity, sickness, stress, etc.
  • Add: Base insulin calculation (carbs ÷ carb ratio).
  • Layer: Correction for current glucose or anticipated rise.
  • Build: Decide on bolus shape—pre-bolus, extended, combo bolus.
  • Offset: Time your insulin intentionally.
  • Look and Tweak: Watch CGM data, adjust for next time.
• Scott (41:07): “I probably don’t need Scott and Jenny to talk about every food on the planet. I could probably figure this out on my own.”

2. Christmas Snacks: Deep Dive by Food

A. Puppy Chow / Muddy Buddies (03:17)

• What is Puppy Chow?
  • Midwest staple: Crispix or Rice Chex cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, covered in powdered sugar.
  • “It’s all sugar. … Start with Crispix, peanut butter and chocolate, then roll in powdered sugar.” – Jenny (03:28)
• Nutritional Breakdown:
  • For full batch: 21g fiber, 302g carbs, 115g fat, 56g protein.
  • Cut in 16 bars: ~31g carbs per piece (but served loose, not in bars).
• Bolusing Challenge:
  • Estimating portions is tough; best guess is a “woman’s palm-sized scoop” ≈ one bar (07:05).
  • Jenny: “Each coated cereal square is about 1.4 to 1.9 carbs.” (09:10)
  • Strategy: Pre-bolus hard! Immediate sugar spike, with delayed “fat tail” from peanut butter and fat.
  • Scott (09:33): "You hear three beeps, your Dexcom is screaming in pain—have some Puppy Chow! Everything will be fine.”
  • Plan for a fast initial spike, then lingering high due to delayed digestion of fat.

B. Chocolate Fudge (10:29)

• Ingredients: Mainly sugar, cocoa, butter; sometimes includes marshmallow fluff.
• 1-inch square: 70-100 cals, 14g sugar, 2-4g fat, ~13g protein (likely an error; real fudge is mostly carbs).
• Jenny: “It’s packed. …My favorite was always her peanut butter fudge.” (11:02)
• Bolusing: Hits fast due to sugar, small fat delay. Pre-bolus, but watch for prolonged elevated sugars if eaten after heavy/fatty meals.

C. Divinity (11:48)

• An old-fashioned, marshmallowy, nougat-like candy, made mostly from sugar and corn syrup.
• One piece (out of 24): 26.5g carbs, 137 cals, ~no protein, little fat (14:27).
• Jenny (14:37): “You’re bolusing like you’re bolusing for the sugar bowl, really. 100% all up front, real like…”
• Use: Great for fixing a low—dangerous at other times!

D. Gingerbread Cookies (20:28)

• One medium (uniced): 160 cals, 27g carbs, 6g fat.
• Jenny notes general cookie principle: “A cookie is a cookie is a cookie… usually about 25 to 30 grams of carb (per palm-sized serving).” (21:21)
• Bolus up front for quick hit; portion control important due to tendency to ignore snacking quantities.

E. Eggnog (24:04)

• Homemade: 250 cals/cup, 20g carbs, 19g sugar, 15g fat, 9g protein.
• Jenny: “It’s liquid…it’s going to hit pretty fast. Liquids usually hit a little faster in terms of the carbs. I would say you still need a pre-bolus, but then in the aftermath, really need to pay attention for the fat and protein hit.” (25:32)
• Alcohol content (if any) does not significantly change carb/fat burden.

F. Fruitcake (26:26)

• Heavy hitter: 325 cals/slice, 56g carbs, 32g sugar, high fat.
• Scott: “That’s gonna hit you like a truck. You might wanna bolus yesterday for that.” (26:46)
• Loaded with candied fruit and molasses for double whammy.

G. Potato Latkes (27:44)

• Made with russet potatoes, matzo meal, onions, fried in oil.
• Raw mixture per serving: ~12g carbs, adds about 3-8g fat during frying (if properly cooked at high temp).
• Jenny: “A tablespoon of oil is around 10 grams of fat.” (28:17)
• Insight: If fried at lower temps, absorbs more oil—so watch fat estimates.

H. Chocolate Babka (30:38)

• “Seinfeld” reference! (31:09)
• 1 slice: 250-280 cals, 35g carbs, 12g fat.
• Scott: “All this stuff is really the same, isn’t it? The way you’re going to bolus for it…get ahead, stay ahead. Once you lose the high ground, you’re in trouble…Look for lows at the end of the day.” (32:04)

I. Candy Canes (33:14)

• Pure sugar: 14g carbs, 50-60 cals per standard cane, zero fat/protein.
• Commercial ones use additives like titanium dioxide for that bright white color (explained in detail at 36:37).
• Jenny: “Please let me have a low blood sugar…” (35:47)
• Fun Fact: Jenny worked in a traditional candy shop making candy canes and ribbon candy—shares nostalgia of the handmade process and why industrial candy canes taste chewier (38:11).

3. General Strategies & Holiday Advice

• All featured treats (puppy chow, fudge, divinity, cookies, eggnog, fruitcake, babka, latkes, candy canes) share:
  • High sugar, moderate to high fat profiles → risk for rapid spikes, then delayed “fat tails.”
  • Portion estimation is tough, especially with snack mixes.
  • Pre-bolus is crucial: Get insulin working BEFORE the rapid carbs hit. Anticipate need for follow-up action as fat/protein slows digestion.
  • Jenny: “With the ease of … looking up information … I use this strategy, which has really improved teaching people because the resources are right at your fingertips.” (32:21)
• Jenny recommends using AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini) to break down recipe nutrition and get realistic carb counts (41:07).
• Don’t let carb-counting fear kill the joy: You can “figure it out,” and each time you try, you’ll get better.
• Family & nostalgia matter—enjoy the food, adjust your insulin boldly, but knowledgeably.
• Holiday curveballs: Most people under-estimate carbs, leading to mismatch and persistent highs (18:36).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Portioning Puppy Chow:
  Jenny (07:05): “If you’re trying to envision a scoop or a handful out of a bowl, you could say probably whatever fits in the palm of a woman size adult hand would be approximate to what you’d get in one of these bars.”

• On Snack Food Realities:
  Scott (09:33): “You hear three beeps, your Dexcom is screaming in pain—have some Puppy Chow! Everything will be fine.”

• Holiday Foods & Memory:
  Jenny (21:58): “You eat the way you were taught… to some degree. I mean, I have definitely adjusted things, especially with the education I have and the information I have at hand. But I learned to eat a balanced plate to begin with.”

• The Pot Roast Story:
  Scott (22:42): “…and the old lady, she thinks and thinks and thinks. She goes, oh, I know—I had a very short pan. And I just think that a lot of things happen for those reasons.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:41 – Intro to Meal BOLT strategy
• 03:17 – Discussion of Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies and midwestern snacks
• 10:29 – Chocolate fudge & Divinity: recipe review, bolus implications, nostalgia
• 20:28 – Gingerbread and Christmas cookies: general cookie bolusing
• 24:04 – Eggnog and bolusing for high-fat, high-carb holiday drinks
• 26:26 – Fruitcake and other heavy desserts
• 27:44 – Potato latkes & the science of fried holiday foods
• 30:38 – Chocolate Babka, Seinfeld, and bolus patterns for rich, bready desserts
• 33:14 – Candy canes: pure sugar, food additives, and a behind-the-scenes look at traditional candy making
• 41:00 – Recap of using technology (AI chatbots, nutrition trackers) to assess foods on the fly

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is friendly, encouraging, genuinely funny, and grounded in lived experience. Scott and Jenny blend practical know-how with family stories and pop culture, helping demystify the process of eating—and enjoying—Christmas treats as someone living with type 1 diabetes.

Key Message:
Don’t let the fear of food rob you of joy this season. With some pre-bolus planning, realistic carb estimation (use tech!), and a willingness to “tweak for next time,” enjoying holiday snacks isn’t just possible—it’s part of living boldly with insulin.

For detailed “Meal BOLT” steps, visit juiceboxpodcast.com/meal-bolt.
For the Thanksgiving bolus episode (turkey, potatoes, stuffing), check out episode #1692.