[Scarlet Phantom]

Hi!

I'm so confused! Could someone help me please?

How much do carbs really spike blood glucose? Is there an online guide somewhere?

I heard that if you have 20g carbs for lunch, you must expect your blood glucose to go up to 20 mmol/L. Is that true? :Cry:

 

[Chesney]

Hi!

I'm so confused! Could someone help me please?

How much do carbs really spike blood glucose? Is there an online guide somewhere?

I heard that if you have 20g carbs for lunch, you must expect your blood glucose to go up to 20 mmol/L. Is that true? :Cry:

There is no set amount it could go up... Might go up just a little or a whole lot...

 

[Shalynne]

We each respond differently to the stuff we ingest. I test my glucose a lot; especially when trying "new" foods where I can't predict the effect.

Bread/rice/potatoes/pasta spike almost all of us. Some mildly carby foods spike me, while a very few others don't. Another diabetic will have a completely different list of Good and Bad foods.

So I'm afraid I can't tell you how many carbs in a meal will spike you. Nor can I tell you how high any spike will be. All I can advise is to read labels where they're available and to test often -- 1 hour after first bite plus 1 hour after that.

To find carb counts for label-less foods, I check them out on CalorieKing.com. To find out which foods will tend to spike faster, you might want to check out the Glycemic Index (several sites and books).

Hope this helps some!

 

[smorgan]

Glucose in your blood comes from both carbohydrates and protein you eat either real-time (right after you eat it) or delayed in both cases.

Fat adds no glucose on its own. Additionally, it can delay the real-time glucose which comes from other foods, so you can't assume you're seeing actual results just checking at 1 hour or at 2 hours. Different mixes of foods can move the time of the peak reading in either direction. Also, fat tends to make you eat less and less often which can be helpful.

It's really not as mysterious as it sounds, but use your meter to see for yourself. You can't really test for individual foods - unless you only eat one food at a time and from the exact same starting point or condition - which is virtually impossible.

A shorter and more effective way to learn is to monitor what you consume in terms of all three macro-nutrients: carbs, protein and fat. You can use either grams of each or percent of total calories for each. With this, you will find a much more reliable correlation with your meter readings and learn more quickly what you need to adjust for success.

 

[jwags]

This is definitely a YMMV situation. Sometimes I eat and spike 2-3 points for every carb I eat. So I have to limit carbs to 10 or so per meal. The amount of your spike will depend on how well your pancreas functions and what meds or insulins your are on. I try to limit my spikes to no more than 20 points because I am very slow to return to normal after a meal if I go above that.

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to post an answer!

I'll have to test and test and test again then. I already know that pizza is a huge no-no. Just looking at a pizza spikes my glucose big time

I'll check the glycemic index and Calorieking.com

Big thank you

 

[HardBackStrider]

I cant live with out pizza - I dropped the thicker crust for thin shell.. Used to eat a whole one myself now its like a couple of slices and that even being replace by .....

 

[Gizmo]

Some people use a low carb tortilla for pizza crust, but I like the recipe I posted here. It uses either ground beef or sausage as the crust, and is yummy. You might want to give it a try.

 

[beefy]

Some people use a low carb tortilla for pizza crust, but I like the recipe I posted here. It uses either ground beef or sausage as the crust, and is yummy. You might want to give it a try.

I use the low-carb tortillas only because my wife likes it best that way. Otherwise I'd go all-meaty too =)

... and Scarlet - how much carb spikes you depends on so many factors, as has been mentioned, including:

• Amount of carbohydrate
• Fiber content (if the bulk of the carb is fiber, it's not likely to spike you. Plus fiber slows the digestion/absorption)
• Glycemic-Load of the carbs
• How the particular carb(s) affects YOU, personally
• Fat and Protein eaten with it (those also slow it's digestion/absorption, Fat moreso than protein...)
• Endurance exercise PRIOR to eating (depleting glycogen stores means much of the carbohydrate goes to replenish glycogen stores instead of increasing blood glucose)
• Exercise AFTER eating (I often eat a larger-carb meal approximately 45-60 minutes before a bike ride. Then a 2+ hr bike ride means no spike as it's all burned as it's digested.)

There's other things that factor into it, but that gives you some idea how many things can affect it.

 

[Gizmo]

I use the low-carb tortillas only because my wife likes it best that way. Otherwise I'd go all-meaty too =)

... and Scarlet - how much carb spikes you depends on so many factors, as has been mentioned, including:

• Amount of carbohydrate
• Fiber content (if the bulk of the carb is fiber, it's not likely to spike you. Plus fiber slows the digestion/absorption)
• Glycemic-Load of the carbs
• How the particular carb(s) affects YOU, personally
• Fat and Protein eaten with it (those also slow it's digestion/absorption, Fat moreso than protein...)
• Endurance exercise PRIOR to eating (depleting glycogen stores means much of the carbohydrate goes to replenish glycogen stores instead of increasing blood glucose)
• Exercise AFTER eating (I often eat a larger-carb meal approximately 45-60 minutes before a bike ride. Then a 2+ hr bike ride means no spike as it's all burned as it's digested.)

There's other things that factor into it, but that gives you some idea how many things can affect it.

Worry, stress and illness can affect it, too.

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

Again, thank you everyone for all your help and advice!

I'm currently experimenting with almond and cashew flour to make scones and cashew bread. I don't mind alternatives. I like to cook! I will certainly try that pizza crust recipe

I fell off the wagon because I wasn't testing (I should know better!) and now I'm back to what I'm supposed to do. It just frustrates me so much... because like you mentioned there are other factors that will affect blood glucose. There are times when I am really hungry, especially after a shift, and it just discourages me to eat. I know my blood glucose will go up the curtains. I think that's why I fell off the wagon in the first place! Stupid blood glucose goes yo-yo on me, whatever I do. I go low when I shouldn't, and I go high when I'm as good as gold. I wish I could kick my pancreas.

Thanks!

 

[Gizmo]

Stupid blood glucose goes yo-yo on me, whatever I do. I go low when I shouldn't, and I go high when I'm as good as gold. I wish I could kick my pancreas.

And from a previous post:

My doctor wants me on a new medication called Onglyza. I don't know about you guys but I hate trying new medication. My A1C is usually good but lately the numbers have been creeping up.

Sounds to me like your problem with the yo-yo bg is probably caused by the meds. Maybe keeping your doc posted on what is happening with your bg will let him know how to adjust your meds to level out your bg.

 

[moon]

I'm currently experimenting with almond and cashew flour to make scones and cashew bread. I don't mind alternatives. I like to cook!

I made pancakes once before that were good, but the ones yesterday were like an evil carb-out w/out the carbs: Pancake Recipe from Scratch

I was amazed! I'll definitely make these and keep in the frig as a snack - at .6 gr carb each they'll make a great snack loaded w/ whatever. Didn't even taste like a substitute - but admit to being =really= in the mood for something bready, esp pancakes

 

[Patdart]

Moon, I'm allergic to whey powder and have to use egg white powder. I wonder if I can substitute it for the whey?

I've asked before if I can substitute it and no one answered. Maybe I have to try it to see if none know?

 

[Scarlet Phantom]

And from a previous post:



Sounds to me like your problem with the yo-yo bg is probably caused by the meds. Maybe keeping your doc posted on what is happening with your bg will let him know how to adjust your meds to level out your bg.

My doctor doesn't want to refer me to an endo... and I was on Glumetza (and doing just great) when I started with him and he changed my meds to Metformin x 3 times a day. Now he added Onglyza. I've asked to go back on Glumetza and he said NO. I did bring (on many diff appointments) my BG results but he didn't even glance at them. All he says (maybe it's a recording?) is : keep away from bread, potatoes, and pasta. I spend perhaps 5 minutes in his office at the most. A few times I chased him down the corridor because I wasn't finished... but he was. I'm looking for another doctor but none seem to take new patients at the moment. Needless to say, when I need to see my doc... I can wait for a long while because I just can't stand the guy.

I'm still charting my BG but he won't even look at it. But I find it interesting and I do look at it. I see a decrease in my numbers already

Moon, I'll try your pancake recipe. Thank you!!! What do you put on your pancake? I like to roll a banana in a pancake.

Thanks Gizmo and Moon!

 

[HardBackStrider]

Hey SP I would watch rolling a Banana in anything. I used to love banana hotdogs - banana in hotdog bun smothered in peanut butter. You may want to start looking at giving up the banana as they tend not to be the best. I have pretty much gone all berries. Wife has banana bread on the counter. I just salavitate (SP) when I look at it but I have this Mt Everest image of my BG. I say go for the rolled banana in a pancake then one hour later go for a 10 km run. You will definitely benefit from it

 

[beefy]

... I'm looking for another doctor but none seem to take new patients at the moment. Needless to say, when I need to see my doc... I can wait for a long while because I just can't stand the guy.

One of the problems with the Canadian Health-Care system is the shortage of Doctors. Especially General Practitioners / Family Physicians.

There are a few Endo's that take appointments WITHOUT a referral, at least in Alberta. You may want to phone a few in your area to see if that's also the case. Check some sites like ratemd(dot com) or others to get an idea if they're worth seeing.

Moon, I'll try your pancake recipe. Thank you!!! What do you put on your pancake? I like to roll a banana in a pancake.

I like the old standby of butter and maple syrup - I used the Walden Farms Zero Carb maple syrup. It's not bad.

Sometimes I go crazy and have strawberries and whipped cream on them. (Strawberries are reasonably high in fiber and low glycemic load - In fact 1c of sliced strawberries is under 13g of carb, just over 3 of which is dietary fiber. )

There's also a pancake recipe on this forum that I like - it does call for 1/8c of whey powder per serving, but you could substitute another type of powder or soy flour, etc. for it since whey is an issue for you.

 

[moon]

Moon, I'm allergic to whey powder and have to use egg white powder. I wonder if I can substitute it for the whey?

I've asked before if I can substitute it and no one answered. Maybe I have to try it to see if none know?

No idea - I'd give it a try. What I particularly like about the recipe is the ricotta and no artificial sweetener. The ones I made before were also ricotta w/out the whey, so it methinks that could work for you.

Let us know.

 

[moon]

Moon, I'll try your pancake recipe. Thank you!!! What do you put on your pancake?

I broke down and got some of the Walden Farms jams. 'Broke down' because mostlly I hate splenda, though since diabetes I'm trying to get over it.

Well - the apricot was great! Didn't have that awful aftertaste. Walden Farms Fruit Spread It was a little disconcerting when I opened it - very muddy grey/brown color, gelatinous and wiggly, and I nearly tossed it w/out even tasting. Took a small bite and ... tasted like apricot jam! Zero carbs, zero calories - mostly gelatin, flavorings, splenda. Honestly, I was amazed. A friend who's not even low carb was here and ate half the batch - loved them. Slathered the pancakes in butter and used the jam - had some fresh sliced strawberries on the side.

Heaven I tell you - pure heaven.

 

[Chesney]

We have made our own jams, butters and marmalade... I need to have hubby post the recipes.