[ggbaird]

I'm really confused about bread. I understand that i should stay away from WHITE bread, yet using the CalorieKing website, white bread has less carbs than whole wheat bread. Am i missing something?

Large 1.1oz Slice White Bread = 15.2g carbs:
CalorieKing - Calorie Counter - Calories in Breads: White Bread

Slice Whole Wheat Bread = 20g carbs:
CalorieKing - Calorie Counter - Calories in Pepperidge Farm, Breads: 100% Natural, 100% Whole Wheat

 

[Jen]

Greg - Is the white bread serving lighter than the whole wheat serving? In any event, no matter what bread it is, it's nearly all starchy carbs - that's the sad fact. I love bread but it doesn't love me, so I generally stick with a couple of Ryvita crackers when I want a bready thing. Lots of fiber and flavor and a serving of two crackers is about 8 net carbs.

Jen

 

[RobertIA]

I would also urge you to read the labels very carefully and compare. Then read the ingredients very carfully and compare. You may have true whole wheat, but my guess that what you may find is that they have just enough whole wheat to label it that under USDA law, but the balance in refined flours.

Sorry for my jaded view, but in reading labels on breads locally, this is what I am finding. If I want true whole wheat or even whole grain bread, I find that I must make it myself. Generally I am able to have a slice of bread when planned for in the meal.

Ketchup and salad dressings are other problem areas. These foods normally have high fructose corn syrup (now soon to be corn sugar) (HFCS) which will raise BG levels into the stratosphere for most of us.
Normally if we make our own, sugar is not added, by HFCS is added to more foods and in greater quantities that sugar ever was.

So you are wise to read not only the labels, but the ingredient list on every food. Then you can compare and by using your meter and testing one or two hours after eating, have a good idea about how the foods you just ate do affect you.

 

[ggbaird]

There wasn't a size listed for the whole wheat slice, but i took the carb readings from the largest slice of white available. Probably best to just avoid bread i think.

This is turning into major culture shock. Almost everything i was eating prior to getting diagnosed was killing me. Nice! Reality is a smack in the face.

 

[onaughmae]

There wasn't a size listed for the whole wheat slice, but i took the carb readings from the largest slice of white available. Probably best to just avoid bread i think.

This is turning into major culture shock. Almost everything i was eating prior to getting diagnosed was killing me. Nice! Reality is a smack in the face.

A lot of the thing about bread is the serving size. Sometimes whole wheat will have the approximate amount of carbs as white but the difference is in how fast it turns to sugar. White bread turns into glucose very quickly in the body giving you a fast spike in your blood sugar. Whole grains are digested more slowly, giving you a more gradual increase in blood sugar. This can be very beneficical especially to the diabetic that still produces insulin because most of the time the increase is gradual enough that their body handles it much better.

Thats the really tricky part of diabetes...figuring out not only how many carbs you are eating...but also how those carbs are being digested. Also to consider, when you add fat to the mix it will slow the digestion of the carb even more. Sometimes that works to your advantage...sometimes not. Thats why the best rule of thumb is to test around meals and see how *you* in particular manage different kinds of carbs.

Hang in there....it really does get easier

 

[ggbaird]

Thanks for that explanation Pam. Very helpful indeed. I hope there's not going to be a test on this stuff any time soon?!

 

[Jen]

The difference in metabolism of white bread and any other kind of bread, at least for me, seems negligible. I'm envious of anyone who can enjoy bread without a little insulin chaser!

Jen

 

[onaughmae]

The difference in metabolism of white bread and any other kind of bread, at least for me, seems negligible. I'm envious of anyone who can enjoy bread without a little insulin chaser!

Jen

Oh yeah...I know the feeling. I need to take insulin whether I eat or not...so sometimes I actually do a little better with the quicker digesting carbs because they are easier for me to predict when its going to spike me. I do try to at least stick with whole wheat at least rather than the "real" nuttier whole grains (if that makes sense)