A low GI diet may not help your blood sugar.

[NoCrbs4Me]

consider foods with a glycemic load under 10 as the best choice. Foods that fall between 10 and 30 are not bad, but you should eat them with caution. Foods above 30 should be eaten sparingly. It’s a good idea to replace these foods with protein.

This sounds like what I've been doing already. However, sticking to GI <10 foods results in a low carb diet. Rice, pasta, bread, starchy veg are all above 30. I'm thinking just having a smaller portion of a moderate or high GI food would be an equally successful strategy at avoiding a BG spike. The dose makes the poison, as Paracelsus said.

 

[JTL]

I'e got it dead easy compared to many of you.
Low carb high fat weigh nothing count nothing just eat to my meter and after six months practice I know what sends me over the edge.
I've slowly upped my carbs now to maintain my weight at fifteen stone.

 

[Bluetit1802]

That's told me!!

I am wondering if you will fall off the waggon if you reach your targets?

Maybe I've become intolerant to the thought of having carbs at all?

I know that T1s have to have carbs, I was including T2s in my post.
As we are all different, I was generalising and I have to rely on myself a lot with my condition and I look at posts that have a bearing on my lifestyle which is close to T2 without being actually diabetic.
Because symptoms and treatment, (I'm on a diabetic meds) are very similar, and I low carb(very) because I have to!
I was just looking for answers why!

Sorry Nosher, I wasn't getting at you intentionally. I was just trying to explain why I eat some carbs (under 60g a day).
I know you have a different form of the illness which means you can't have spikes or you hypo straight after, so you have to be much more careful and much more restrictive than some of us.

 

[AnnieC]

you are making it up as you go now, to say the 'low carb' doesn't reduce insulin resistance, something that is well documented that it does
https://www.google.com.au/#q=low carb "insulin resistance"

Jack you always seem to find no end of links and videos every time someone asks a question about something but there is always the good and the bad about ever thing.....the reason I never look at them.. because whatever we do ourselves we will only believe the good about it and ignore the bad .Obviously you think your diet is the right one and it is for you but that does not mean other ways..ie low Gl, low fat etc are wrong because they will always be right for someone The only right diet is the one that works for us personally

 

[zand]

@AnnieC If you don't look at the links how do you know that there isn't an even better diet for you? I tend to only look at the links that are advocating something other than LCHF. How can I know that it's right for me if I don't have an open mind and consider everything? I don't need to look at LCHF links because I knew that was right for me before ever joining any forums.

 

[Lesleywo]

Having been on a successful low carb 'diet'. I cannot for the life of me see why T2s eat carbs to have a 'balanced' meal.
There is enough very low carbs in veg and other food so that you shouldn't have to keep 'trying' carbs.
If you have a condition that demands that you have carbs then fair enough!
But why have something that affects your blood glucose levels and make you feel ill or rotten!
As I said I don't get!
Carbs make you eat more carbs! And that can't be good
Of course it depends on insulin resistance!

I think my biggest food struggle on this journey is that healthy carbohydrates are limited. It somehow doesn't seem right that I can't chuck 2 pieces of fruit into the Vitamix and have a smoothie for breakfast or drink a raw fruit & veggie juice. I am happy to avoid the processed carbs that are devoid of nutrition, couldn't care less about pasta or rice but do enjoy some quality organic, wholegrain bread and the odd potato.

Caring for your health is not just about the numbers on your meter.

To me, if you can tolerate fruits other than berries, why would you deprive your body of the many health benefits? And let's face it, a boiled egg just ain't the same without some buttered, wholegrain soldiers to dip into it!

 

[urbanracer]

Thank you all for your comments but I'm more confused than ever. As I suggested in the original post, I saw an NHS diebetician for the first time last week. I tried to ask her about 2 days immediately prior to the meeting where I'd eaten pretty much the same foods (in terms of carb value) and done similar amounts of activity. On the first day my BG was 5.6 two hours after lunch and on the 2nd day it was 9.6.
Initially I thought it might have something to do with GI but she told me that some people have more problems during the honeymooon period because the pancreas can work intermittently. I'd assumed that it would work at a constant 50% or some other value depending on how much damage had been done. Anyone else heard this before?

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi @urbanracer,

I would ask your question on the Type1 board as it will get lost here.

 

[AnnieC]

@AnnieC If you don't look at the links how do you know that there isn't an even better diet for you? I tend to only look at the links that are advocating something other than LCHF. How can I know that it's right for me if I don't have an open mind and consider everything? I don't need to look at LCHF links because I knew that was right for me before ever joining any forums.

Because I would not know what to believe as for every good there is a bad so which is right Should I try something because one link or study says it is good or not try it because another one says it is bad what can anyone believe The low fat diet is an example some say it is good some say it is bad so what is right The more you read the more confusing it all becomes so better just to do what works for us personally

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Because I would not know what to believe as for every good there is a bad so which is right Should I try something because one link or study says it is good or not try it because another one says it is bad what can anyone believe The low fat diet is an example some say it is good some say it is bad so what is right The more you read the more confusing it all becomes so better just to do what works for us personally

Yes, but of course the problem is they don't suggest a low carb high fat diet as an option and will discourage that approach if asked about it.

 

[Paul59]

This sounds like what I've been doing already. However, sticking to GI <10 foods results in a low carb diet. Rice, pasta, bread, starchy veg are all above 30. I'm thinking just having a smaller portion of a moderate or high GI food would be an equally successful strategy at avoiding a BG spike. The dose makes the poison, as Paracelsus said.

Yes any of the starchy foods as you mentioned are above 30 & should be eaten in moderation but in some cases especially high GL it's not even worth having cause of the portion size, that's what I have found anyway, just makes you want more.

 

[Lesleywo]

You can wade through all the diet guff in the world, but at the end of the day it comes down to those four little words 'EAT TO YOUR METER'. Then you can personalise your diet to suit your own needs and see what works best for you.

I also think it's important to remember that when 'testing' carbs that you will get a higher reading if you've been doing a LCHF diet, so it would be hard to tell what your BG rise would be initially. So whatever the GI/GL is of a food, you won't really know it's effect until you eat it and test after. As someone said earlier (Phoenix I think), watermelon might be High GI but has so little carbs it really doesn't matter ... again more confusion!

On the Diet Doctor website I saw a picture of a 'mid morning snack' served at a conference that he was impressed by - it was a chunk of Brie and some Salami. I mean ... really? Wouldn't half a sliced apple, some carrot and celery sticks and a piece of Brie have been a better choice?

We are more than diabetes .... we should be eating as many healthy, anti-oxidant & phytonutrient dense carbs as our blood sugars will allow. No point having the best blood sugars in the world but dying of bowel cancer cos of a ****, low fibre diet is there -)

 

[Paul59]

You can wade through all the diet guff in the world, but at the end of the day it comes down to those four little words 'EAT TO YOUR METER'. Then you can personalise your diet to suit your own needs and see what works best for you.

I also think it's important to remember that when 'testing' carbs that you will get a higher reading if you've been doing a LCHF diet, so it would be hard to tell what your BG rise would be initially. So whatever the GI/GL is of a food, you won't really know it's effect until you eat it and test after. As someone said earlier (Phoenix I think), watermelon might be High GI but has so little carbs it really doesn't matter ... again more confusion!

On the Diet Doctor website I saw a picture of a 'mid morning snack' served at a conference that he was impressed by - it was a chunk of Brie and some Salami. I mean ... really? Wouldn't half a sliced apple, some carrot and celery sticks and a piece of Brie have been a better choice?

We are more than diabetes .... we should be eating as many healthy, anti-oxidant & phytonutrient dense carbs as our blood sugars will allow. No point having the best blood sugars in the world but dying of bowel cancer cos of a ****, low fibre diet is there -)

Totally agree on that one. ☆

 

[AnnieC]

il

I think my biggest food struggle on this journey is that healthy carbohydrates are limited. It somehow doesn't seem right that I can't chuck 2 pieces of fruit into the Vitamix and have a smoothie for breakfast or drink a raw fruit & veggie juice. I am happy to avoid the processed carbs that are devoid of nutrition, couldn't care less about pasta or rice but do enjoy some quality organic, wholegrain bread and the odd potato.

Caring for your health is not just about the numbers on your meter.

To me, if you can tolerate fruits other than berries, why would you deprive your body of the many health benefits? And let's face it, a boiled egg just ain't the same without some buttered, wholegrain soldiers to dip into it!

For me it has to be a boiled egg with Marmite soldiers and a poached egg I love on Bovril toast. I could not go the rest of my life without eating all the fruit and vegetables I have always eaten during my 75 years and only eat berries and green leafy stuff that would be so boring for me Vegetables are the main part of my meal as I don't eat much meat but I love vegetables. I can easily give up the pasta and rice and all the refined sugar stuff never ate much of those anyway
I have signs of Dry Macular Degeneration in my eyes which there is no treatment for but diet does play a big part in it and I was advised by the eye clinic to eat a good variety of fruit and vegetables especially dark greens red and orange vegetables like beetroot red peppers carrots squash and sweet potatoes because they contain beta- carotene which is important for the eyes but apart from the leafy stuff the other vegetables and fruit recommended are mostly what the LCHF's don't eat but for me I need them
I do agree with you when you say our health is not just about numbers on a meter that is only one part of it

 

[andcol]

For me - I see absolutely no difference the the peak and time of any peak when I eat high GI or low GI or fruit or chocolate or licorice etc. I always show very little response at 1 hour and do not peak until about between 90 and 120 mins. I am pretty sure that this is to do with the amount of nuts and coconut I eat which just delays everything to the same point. It could be, of course, I am just weird and do not digest as fast as the rest of you.

So for me Glycemic Index is irrelevant

 

[Brunneria]

Because I would not know what to believe as for every good there is a bad so which is right Should I try something because one link or study says it is good or not try it because another one says it is bad what can anyone believe The low fat diet is an example some say it is good some say it is bad so what is right The more you read the more confusing it all becomes so better just to do what works for us personally

I see where you are coming from. Kind of.
But... how do you know what works for you if you don't take on board new information?

I follow my nose through all the links, recipes, videos, blogs and books like a child in a sweet shop.
And my goodness, the wonderful new ideas I have discovered, explored and tried.
It's like being in a Treasure Trove.
Of course, I also come across nonsense, muddy thinking and things that don't work for my body.
But that's also good. Because every piece of bad info highlights the good info.

Low GI and low GL didn't really work for me. My BG spikes inconsistently with the predictions of the glycaemic load charts.
How do I know? I tried it.

Green smoothies work amazingly for me.
How do I know? I tried them.

I watch videos and think 'huh. That explains why...' Or 'nope, my body doesn't work like that, or tolerate that...' It's usually true for someone, just not me.

The more info I take in, the more likely I am to find more good stuff that works for me.

 

[urbanracer]

Yes, but of course the problem is they don't suggest a low carb high fat diet as an option and will discourage that approach if asked about it.

Exactly what I was told when I saw the diebetician - NHS will not advocate a LCHF because of the increased risks of weight and heart problems.

 

[Lamont D]

I see where you are coming from. Kind of.
But... how do you know what works for you if you don't take on board new information?

I follow my nose through all the links, recipes, videos, blogs and books like a child in a sweet shop.
And my goodness, the wonderful new ideas I have discovered, explored and tried.
It's like being in a Treasure Trove.
Of course, I also come across nonsense, muddy thinking and things that don't work for my body.
But that's also good. Because every piece of bad info highlights the good info.

Low GI and low GL didn't really work for me. My BG spikes inconsistently with the predictions of the glycaemic load charts.
How do I know? I tried it.

Green smoothies work amazingly for me.
How do I know? I tried them.

I watch videos and think 'huh. That explains why...' Or 'nope, my body doesn't work like that, or tolerate that...' It's usually true for someone, just not me.

The more info I take in, the more likely I am to find more good stuff that works for me.

Ditto!
Anything food that has a glycemic load is an adventure to see how much of it to try.
I too look at a lot of links etc. I don't have a cook book to follow or a RH bible. I have looked at innumerable recipes for low carb trying to eat something that is different to meat and salad.
My health all over has improved greatly since very low carbing.

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Exactly what I was told when I saw the diebetician - NHS will not advocate a LCHF because of the increased risks of weight and heart problems.

That makes sense [sarcasm], since a LCHF diet decreases your weight and risk of heart problems!

 

[AnnieC]

what we will be like

Exactly what I was told when I saw the diebetician - NHS will not advocate a LCHF because of the increased risks of weight and heart problems.

Just another example of good and bad about something but do we know enough or done LCHF long enough to know if that is true or not we do it but we don't really know