I don't understand the rise in BG here

Gezzabelle

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I have been monitoring my BG before and after meals and have noticed a couple of rises that I don't understand as I think the food was okay. I will give the meal description and see if anyone can see what I dont seem able to. The rise isn't huge but it's a lot more than I would have expected

Chicken breast with cauliflower, broccoli , Kale and gravy
Few Raspberries with fromage frais ground flaxseed and cinnamon..............(I have this every day and it has no effect on BG so know it isn't the afters causing it ) BG went from 5.1 to 8.3 2 hours after eating***

Pork loin chops, Broccoli, Caulflower, Spinach and gravy
Few Raspberries with fromage frais , gorund flaxseed and cinnamon................BG went from 4.1 to 8.0 2 hours after eating ****

Quorn quarter pounder, few fried onions,2 small Ooopsies....with side salad of spinach, tomato and a teaspoon of mayo
few raspberries with fromage frais ground flaxseed and cinnamon.............BG went from 5.1 to 8.1 2 hours after eating****

Any help or advice would be appreciated as I am managing to keep levels low generally with only small rises but these meals have come in with a much bigger rise than I would have expected

Are you meant to come back down to the figure you were before you eat after 2 hours?....I'm confused :(
 

BooJewels

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It might be protein that's doing it.

Protein acts like a slow acting carb - 100g protein acts like 50g carbs, but slower acting. Quorn is high protein and you had it with eggs (in the Oopsie) and Flaxseed are high protein too. Quite a protein heavy meal. You'd have to weigh it and work it out, but about 30g-ish per meal would be about right I think - at least that's what my nutritional guideline is for me as an overweight old lady.

Gravy might be carb heavier than you realise and onions is one of those weird foods that can boost BG - I have one diabetic friend that can't touch them.
 
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Gezzabelle

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It might be protein that's doing it.

Protein acts like a slow acting carb - 100g protein acts like 50g carbs, but slower acting. Quorn is high protein and you had it with eggs (in the Oopsie) and Flaxseed are high protein too. Quite a protein heavy meal. You'd have to weigh it and work it out, but about 30g-ish per meal would be about right I think - at least that's what my nutritional guideline is for me as an overweight old lady.

Gravy might be carb heavier than you realise and onions is one of those weird foods that can boost BG - I have one diabetic friend that can't touch them.
Wow...shows how little I know...I had no idea that protein acted that way or that I should limit my amounts....thank you so much...I will look into that aspect more and try and get my head round it
 
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tim2000s

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Given what you've presented there I'd be 100% certain that protein will be having a part to play in raising your bg level.

It's worth sitting down and calculating what you've eaten though. By my reckoning, the following meal:
Chicken breast with cauliflower, broccoli , Kale and gravy
Few Raspberries with fromage frais ground flaxseed and cinnamon..............(I have this every day and it has no effect on BG so know it isn't the afters causing it ) BG went from 5.1 to 8.3 2 hours after eating***
Could have around 15g of carbs in it, depending on amounts eaten. Standard gravy is typically 5-10g of carbs per 100ml. One chicken breast generates rampant bg rises in me (although type 1), so I'd suggest it's the combination of the two causing you the issues.
 
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BooJewels

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Put your details into this calculator and it will give you an idea of what your nutritional ratios/balance should be for you and your required weight loss etc. A search here too will surely show up more information on protein balance, it's not something I understood was relevant until recently, so it's new to me too.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/DietMakeupCalc.php
 
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noblehead

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@Gezzabelle, I'm going to tag @Heathenlass as she mentioned a cooking app last week that calculates the carb, fat & protein content of your meals as you cook them.
 
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Wow...shows how little I know...I had no idea that protein acted that way or that I should limit my amounts....thank you so much...I will look into that aspect more and try and get my head round it

Hi, I'm type 1, if I eat proteins, eggs and bacon for example, I have to have a couple of units of Insulin, so no carbs as such, it's the cooking that does it :mad: :wideyed:
 
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Gezzabelle

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Put your details into this calculator and it will give you an idea of what your nutritional ratios/balance should be for you and your required weight loss etc. A search here too will surely show up more information on protein balance, it's not something I understood was relevant until recently, so it's new to me too.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/DietMakeupCalc.php
That is a huge wake up call thank you...I guess it's easy to turn a blind eye to hidden carbs or just not see them through ignorance. There is so much to understand and this has shaken the little confidence I had gained knowing how many stupid mistakes I am making. Thank you so much for the information and links...I will study them at length and try to apply it all to my meals :).....total confusion reigns at the moment :(
 

Gezzabelle

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Hi, I'm type 1, if I eat proteins, eggs and bacon for example, I have to have a couple of units of Insulin, so no carbs as such, it's the cooking that does it :mad: :wideyed:
:( I can feel a post in the STRESS thread coming on....sooo confusing :(
 
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Gezzabelle

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Given what you've presented there I'd be 100% certain that protein will be having a part to play in raising your bg level.

It's worth sitting down and calculating what you've eaten though. By my reckoning, the following meal:

Could have around 15g of carbs in it, depending on amounts eaten. Standard gravy is typically 5-10g of carbs per 100ml. One chicken breast generates rampant bg rises in me (although type 1), so I'd suggest it's the combination of the two causing you the issues.
Thanks so much Tim..I think the gravy could be a culprit....and I had no idea that chicken could be a ''bad '' food...assumed (wrongly) that protein was okay in any amount and that it had no effect on BG...I seriously have a lot to learn :(
 
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Thanks so much Tim..I think the gravy could be a culprit....and I had no idea that chicken could be a ''bad '' food...assumed (wrongly) that protein was okay in any amount and that it had no effect on BG...I seriously have a lot to learn :(

Don't worry, even us ole' timers are always learning something to do with diabetes :rolleyes:
 
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Totto

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Thanks so much Tim..I think the gravy could be a culprit....and I had no idea that chicken could be a ''bad '' food...assumed (wrongly) that protein was okay in any amount and that it had no effect on BG...I seriously have a lot to learn :(
That is why I like LCHF soo much. You eat normal portions of protein so no real BG problem there, very little carbs so no BG problem there either and fill up with fat, no BG problem with that either and voila, you end up with very good BG control indeed while enjoying nice and filling food.
 
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Gezzabelle

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That is why I like LCHF soo much. You eat normal portions of protein so no real BG problem there, very little carbs so no BG problem there either and fill up with fat, no BG problem with that either and voila, you end up with very good BG control indeed while enjoying nice and filling food.
That could be where I am going wrong too...I am not eating much fat at all....despite being told I can eat it on low carb eating I can't quite get my head to accept that after a lifetime of being told not to eat it. I have higher cholesterol than the doctor likes too so that has to come down. I don't know the breakdown figures of it but I was told it was 5.8 and too high
 

Totto

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Ignore the total cholesterol. You need the breakdown numbers. And those are very often much improved when on LCHF. OK,, it may be a leap of faith after a life time of fat scared but give it a try, you may be surprised.
 
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BooJewels

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That could be where I am going wrong too...I am not eating much fat at all....despite being told I can eat it on low carb eating I can't quite get my head to accept that after a lifetime of being told not to eat it.
I know exactly what you mean. I've spent all my life battling with weight and can't quite succumb to the idea of eating fat with impunity, so I know I limit mine compared with some, but I also eat more carbs than some too.

Maybe some modest tweaks to your meals would reduce the protein a little and up the fat - it probably wouldn't take much. For example, this is a dish I make myself that has similar ingredients to your top one - I actually got the idea from an M&S ready meal I had one day in a pinch as it was pretty low carb. I make a quick cheesy sauce with creme fraiche (I do actually use the reduced fat one), a little milk, seasoning, a pinch of mustard and cheese - a recipe I picked up from someone on here - I just had it with cauliflower for my lunch. Reduce your chicken breast portion down to a smaller one - I've started buying the little strip fillets instead, so I can pop it in the freezer bagged in portions. Cut the chicken into small pieces, season and fry them, then stir them into the sauce. Keep a little of the cheese back to pop over the top and give it a few minutes under the grill. You could still have it with your broccoli and kale and it should have a better balance of carb/protein/fat and would be more filling too.
 
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Gezzabelle

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I know exactly what you mean. I've spent all my life battling with weight and can't quite succumb to the idea of eating fat with impunity, so I know I limit mine compared with some, but I also eat more carbs than some too.

Maybe some modest tweaks to your meals would reduce the protein a little and up the fat - it probably wouldn't take much. For example, this is a similar dish I make myself that has similar ingredients to your top one - I actually got the idea from an M&S ready meal I had one day in a pinch as it was pretty low carb. I make a quick cheesy sauce with creme fraiche (I do actually use the reduced fat one), a little milk, seasoning, a pinch of mustard and cheese - a recipe I picked up from someone on here - I just had it with cauliflower for my lunch. Reduce your chicken breast portion down to a smaller one - I've started buying the little strip fillets instead, so I can pop it in the freezer bagged in portions. Cut the chicken into small pieces, season and fry them, then stir them into the sauce. Keep a little of the cheese back to pop over the top and give it a few minutes under the grill. You could still have it with your broccoli and kale and it should have a better balance of carb/protein/fat and would be more filling too.
Ingenious....thank you :D....you obviously have developed the ability to think about what will help and what can make differences....I am still at the omg what can i eat stage.....hopefully in time that will improve. I will definately try that meal idea out....it sounds delicious :)
 

Heathenlass

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@Gezzabelle, I'm going to tag @Heathenlass as she mentioned a cooking app last week that calculates the carb, fat & protein content of your meals as you cook them.


Thanks, @ Noblehead :)

The app is Cook & Count, does exactly what Noblehead said above, plus saves your recipes / meals so you don't have to re do it every time. It also lets you see how much carbs etc per serving , or by weight, if you prefer. You can also add foods that are not already in the large database too, from the carbs per 100g on the label .

It's not a free app, but doesn't cost very much and is well worth it :)

Signy
 
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