Nuts and blood sugar?

LucySW

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Wondering about nuts. In the last few days, I've eaten a lot of nuts by accident (a nut binge) - but my BS has suddenly, finally begun to drop again. (These were macadamias and almonds: between 30g and, er, 150g one day.) Surprised that I hadn't shot myself in the foot, I googled nuts and blood sugar and found this on an unlikely site ( http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=20), but reporting some quite respectable-sounding studies.

Has anyone else found that almonds correlate with reducing blood sugar?

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Almonds Provide Double-Barreled Protection against Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Lessening after-meal surges in blood sugar helps protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease, most likely by lessening the increase in cholesterol-damaging free radicals that accompanies large elevations in blood sugar. This is one reason why low- glycemic index diets result in lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Almonds appear to not only decrease after-meal rises in blood sugar, but also provide antioxidants to mop up the smaller amounts of free radicals that still result. (Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Journal of Nutrition)

Researchers fed 15 healthy subjects 5 meals providing a comparable amount of carbohydrate, fat and protein: 3 test meals (almonds and bread, parboiled rice, and instant mashed potatoes) and 2 bread control meals. Blood samples, taken before each meal and 4 hours afterwards, showed levels of protective antioxidants increased after the almond meal, but decreased after the other meals. And not only did the almond meal increase antioxidant levels, but unlike the other foods, almonds also lowered the rise in blood sugar and insulin seen after eating.

Further research shows that eating almonds along with a high glycemic index food significantly lowers the glycemic index of the meal and lessens the rise in blood sugar after eating. (Jones AR, Kendall CW, Metabolism)

In this study, after an overnight 10-12 hour fast, 9 healthy volunteers were randomly fed 3 test meals and 2 white bread (high glycemic) control meals on separate days. Each meal contained 50 grams of carbohydrate from white bread eaten either alone or in combination with 1, 2, or 3 ounces of almonds. To check subjects' rise in blood sugar, blood samples were taken for glucose analysis immediately after eating, and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 minutes.

Eating almonds reduced the glycemic index (GI) of the meal and subjects' rise in blood sugar in a dose-dependent manner—the more almonds consumed, the lower the meal's GI and the less the rise in subjects' blood sugar after eating.

When one-ounce of almonds was eaten along with white bread, the GI of the meal (105.8) was comparable to eating white bread alone, but when two ounces of almonds were consumed with the white bread, the GI dropped to 63, and when 3 ounces of almonds were eaten, the GI was only 45.2—less than half the GI of the white bread only meal.

Subjects' blood sugar rose 2.8 mmol/L after eating only white bread. When one ounce of almonds was eaten with the bread, blood sugar rose 2.2 mmol/L. Eating two ounces of almonds with the bread resulted in a rise in blood sugar of 2.0 mmol/L, and eating three ounces of almonds caused blood sugar to rise only 1.6 mmol/L—less than half the rise seen after eating white bread alone.

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From the Whole Foods site given above.

Lucy
LADA, 55, BMI 23, on LCHF and ex only, no meds
 

bobrobert

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Walnuts as well as Almonds are very good. Almonds I think are the best for protein levels.
 

IanD

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Nuts are wonderful for diabetics - I start the day with a nut porridge - 50-60 g of ground almonds, coconut flour & milled flaxseeds - it's a sustaining low carb b'fast.
 
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LucySW

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Nuts are wonderful for diabetics - I start the day with a nut porridge - 50-60 g of ground almonds, coconut flour & milled flaxseeds - it's a sustaining low carb b'fast.

Um, how do you eat that, Ian? With cream/yogurt?

Is that the pre-breakfast, or the real thing?

Lucy
 
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Ian DP

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I am not eating so many nuts (almonds) as I used to (before I was on the dr Bernstein diet). My BG levels are now lower, but likely more to do with cutting out fruit and cutting back on tomatoes etc.

My feeling is, nuts are ok if you are on low protein levels, if you are already on high protein levels (I am) then not so sure about nuts..... Maybe I will try a few more again now I have stabilised my BG levels, and see what happens....
 

Ian DP

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Should have added.... Dr Bernstein says be careful with nuts, a few ok, but not too many!.....
 
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LucySW

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Should have added.... Dr Bernstein says be careful with nuts, a few ok, but not too many!.....
Yes, I noted that, but wondered why .. I thought it was probably just bec of calorie value. But we need to keep our calories up.

He doesn't say why be careful with nuts. .
 
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Robbity

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I eat a lot of nuts, mainly ground as "flour" for bread substitutes, muffins and cakes. I've noticed that very often my glucose levels have one down (occasionally quite considerably!) after a meal, but hadn't related this to my nut consumption. But maybe that has been the cause...

I can also eat a whole pack of mixed roasted nuts, which is quite a high carb binge for me, but I don't see the rise I tend to expect.

Robbity
 

lizdeluz

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As an aside, I like the fact that Pret does packets of 'naked' nuts which you can chomp with your coffee while others are doing the pain au chocolat thing. :D
 

LucySW

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I've noticed that very often my glucose levels have one down (occasionally quite considerably!) after a meal, but hadn't related this to my nut consumption. But maybe that has been the cause...

I can also eat a whole pack of mixed roasted nuts, which is quite a high carb binge for me, but I don't see the rise I tend to expect

Robbity

Yes, that's the same with me.

I'm trying not to overdo it, but have a couple of almonds first thing (2g worth), then currently having a few more with yogurt as a mid-afternoon snack (because I get very hungry). I th that's fine. The trouble is, sometimes my hand slips and I find myself opening the macadamias I stockpiled and there's 60g gone down the hatch (tho that's only 3g available carb, because of all the fibre). !!
 

Loobles

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I eat a lot of nuts now that I can't eat crisps ...have to be careful not to overdo it though cos they're very calorific!
 

eddie1968

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I've gone nuts for nuts (bad pun lol....anyway I am a nutter lol)..never felt high on them and are better than carb-fuelled naughty things like crisps etc:wacky:
 

Bev18

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honey roasted peanuts are mine second addiction. those Blue Diamond roasted almonds are very nice as well.
 

LucySW

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Macadamia nuts are best .. Have you tried them? Ooh .. And they break the bank too.
 

IanD

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I did an experiment with my nut porridge, fruit & fibre & oat porridge. See this thread.

There is no indication of any health problems from nuts in my experience.

Nowadays I mix 2 dsp ground almonds, coconut flour & milled flax with boiling water, mwave for 1 minute to thicken it, & add double cream.
 
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LucySW

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It sounds delicious. Almonds and cream - How could anything be nicer?
 
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