Porridge and Low Carbs

[kentishman]

Can anyone advise where porridge comes in on a low carb diet? I believe it is slow release but cannot find any facts.

 

[hanadr]

A lot depends on the kind of porridge. I believe that the cut oats are slower than milled or rolled. I personally can't handle porridge.
the WORST is "Oats so Simple" I think. Try searching GI tables under brand names
Hana

 

[noblehead]

Kentishman,

I can honestly say from experience that the refined oats such as Ready Brek and Oats so Simple can cause spikes in blood glucose, again this all depends on the individual. Should I eat oats for breakfast, I use the original scotch porridge oats, which have a lower gi value. Again, it all boils down to portion control, a small bowl will have less effect on blood sugars than a medium/large bowl.

Regards

Nigel

 

[cugila]

I agree with both Hana AND Nigel.

At one time I couldn't touch Porridge at all....massive spikes up to 12 or more !

Then after drastically reducing carbs and losing over 5 st in weight I find I can now handle a 30g bowl of SPO with no problems at all. Bg numbers all come back at normal levels. As somebody stated elsewhere, you have to give the things you like up first to later on be able to handle them......an odd world ?? But very tasty....

I agree Oats So Simple etc are still totally out of the question. Spikes alarmingly !

 

[wallycorker]

Can anyone advise where porridge comes in on a low carb diet? I believe it is slow release but cannot find any facts.

Hi Kentishman,

I'm not what is generally be classed as a low carber because I still eat quite a lot but most of it as fruit and vegetables - but I have cut back dramatically on the starchy carbohydrates - in particular cereals (including porridge), bread and potatoes but I'm very careful with rice and pasta too.

In the past, I have always had a bad experience blood-glucose wise with porridge of any type. It was guaranteed to take me into double figures. However, I have read so many good things about real porridge that I gave it another chance last week. I bought Tesco Finest Scottish Porridge Oats (100% whole grain) and made a 50g portion with water for breakfast. Here are my results:

3.8 - 'On rising' before eating
Porridge - standard 50g portion with water - 30.2g carbohydrate
9.1 - 1 hour after finishing eating
6.8 - 90 mins after finishing eating

Not quite double figure this time but it's still a negative for me!

Back to the grilled lean bacon and tomatoes for my breakfast most mornings!

Best wishes - John

 

[noblehead]

Hi John,

Maybe next time try a smaller portion of 40g, this may keep your 1 hour spike down to 7 or below.

Regards

Nigel

 

[cugila]

Hi John,

Maybe next time try a smaller portion of 40g, this may keep your 1 hour spike down to 7 or below.

Regards

Nigel

Quite right Nigel. It's all about portions sizes. The normal portion size is usually 30g per person.
My goodness Wally you must have such an appetite ??

I don't have any problem at all now because I am careful.

 

[wallycorker]

...... The normal portion size is usually 30g per person.
My goodness Wally you must have such an appetite ??........

As stated in my post the standard portion size as recommended on the box weighed out as usual.

Not too much of an appetite at all these days, I've lived on a daily calorific intake of around 1,300 to 1,500 calories per day for quite a long time now. Can't say that I ever feel hungry either.

Best wishes - John

 

[wallycorker]

Hi John,

Maybe next time try a smaller portion of 40g, this may keep your 1 hour spike down to 7 or below.

Regards

Nigel

Thanks for the suggestion Nigel!

However, I've weighed most of my foods for quite some time now and I've dine a lot of experimenting with taking less cereal - e.g. 30g instead of the recommended portion of 45g, one Weetabix instead of two etc. Yet, whichever cereal I tested always took me to double figures - i.e. All Bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat , Optivita etc. The only cereal that doesn't do that to me is Lizi's granola - a low-GL nut-based cereal.

I've adjusted nicely to a grilled lean bacon and tomatoes breakfast - occasionally with mushrooms or a fried egg. That does absolutely nothing to my blood glucose levels. I think that I'll stick with that type of breakfast option.

Best wishes - John

 

[noblehead]

My pleasure John,

As you have stated, Lizi's granola is a low-gi breakfast cereal based on the ingredients of oats,nuts and seeds, all the listed ingredients have a low-gi value, thus keeping blood glucose within acceptable range, moreso for people with diabetes.

May I suggest to you John that you try All-bran again, but this time use a 30-40g portion, add some seeds of your prefered choice ( I use linseeds and pumpkin seeds ) and add a small dash of milk with 2-3 tablespoons of low-fat yogurt, and then test accordingly. I find I peak at no more than 7.5 one hour after, and fall to 5-6 on the 2,3 and 4 hour mark. Apart from being a nutritious breakfast, it is also helps keep you regular.

Regards

Nigel

 

[kentishman]

Thanks for all your replies. I normally just have a slice of brown toast for breakfast and once a week a treat of egg,bacon and tomatoes. I am quite surprised how sausages jump up the readings but I suppose there will quite a lot of bread in them, especially the cheaper ones.
As for porridge, when I have it is quite a small portion.

 

[IanD]

My porridge (its porridge, Jim, but not as we know it) comprises:
2 desert spoons ground almonds;
1 dsp dessicated coconut;
1 dsp oat bran (its claimed to help reduce cholesterol);
1 dsp wheat germ;
1 dsp wheat bran;
1 dsp milled mixed seeds;
1 saccharin
mix with soya milk
- all in a glass jug so you can stop if it boils over
microwave 2½ mins
stir, add more soya if necessary;
microwave 1 min
add soya milk if necessary & enjoy
carbs - about 15 g

 

[cugila]

...... The normal portion size is usually 30g per person.
My goodness Wally you must have such an appetite ??........

As stated in my post the standard portion size as recommended on the box weighed out as usual.

Not too much of an appetite at all these days, I've lived on a daily calorific intake of around 1,300 to 1,500 calories per day for quite a long time now. Can't say that I ever feel hungry either.

Best wishes - John

John. Is that Scotts Porage Oats.......or something different. You see that's what they recommend for ONE person, 60g would be for two. Seems a big discrepancy to me....maybe the boxes are different round your way ??

What's a calorie then, I never use them, its always carbs and fats and protein. That's how I lost 5 stone plus. Maybe I should look into them. I can't say I ever have. Didn't seem to have any relevance when I was lowering Bg and dieting at the same time.

 

[wallycorker]

........May I suggest to you John that you try All-bran again, but this time use a 30-40g portion, add some seeds of your prefered choice ( I use linseeds and pumpkin seeds ) and add a small dash of milk with 2-3 tablespoons of low-fat yogurt, and then test accordingly. I find I peak at no more than 7.5 one hour after, and fall to 5-6 on the 2,3 and 4 hour mark. Apart from being a nutritious breakfast, it is also helps keep you regular. .........

Thanks again Nigel,

I might test that out sometime but I think that I've just about worked cereals out of my diet because my testing has shown me that they are my problem food - and bread similar even Burgen. Cereals and bread are the foods that most noticeably take my readings into double figures. I've just about come to the conclusion that I'm better off without them.

Even post-meal spikes of 7.5 are just about off my scale of acceptable results these days unless I'm experimenting. Certainly, these days, I'm very unhappy to be seeing 6s at 2, 3 and 4 hour marks - especially at 3 and 4 hour marks.

Personally, I'm not certain why I ought to be even considering starchy carbohydrate such as cereals, bread and potatoes at all considering the effect that they have on my blood glucose levels. I've been eating carbohydrate all day - loads of it - both for lunch and at the footie spaced-out at regular intervals . Whenever I test, I hardly ever find myself out of the 4s or occasionally into the 5s. What is the carbohydrate that I've been eating? Fruit - raspberries, satsumas, pears, apple - and even a banana! I seem to be very lucky inasmuch that fruit seems to do hardly anything to my blood glucose levels. Quite simply, that means that I can get my carbohydrate intake by using a food type that I like a great deal. More importantly, as far as I'm concerned, at the same timeI can maintain my blood glucose levels at normal non-diabetic levels most of the time.

By the way, I have never had a problem at any time of my life keeping regular! I seem to have a gift for it! :lol:

Best wishes - John

 

[wallycorker]

........John. Is that Scotts Porage Oats.......or something different. You see that's what they recommend for ONE person, 60g would be for two. Seems a big discrepancy to me....maybe the boxes are different round your way ??

What's a calorie then, I never use them, its always carbs and fats and protein. That's how I lost 5 stone plus. Maybe I should look into them. I can't say I ever have. Didn't seem to have any relevance when I was lowering Bg and dieting at the same time.

No - Ken! It wasn't Scott's Porage Oats, I stated in my post that it was "Tesco Finest Scottish Porridge Oats".

As regards calories, they are what I used to lose 30kgs in weight. You seemed to be inferring that I had an appetite problem and maybe I was overeating. I was simply letting you know that these days in general I eat around 1,300 to 1,500 calories per day against the RDA of 2,000 to 2,500 per day for an adult.

Personally, I use carbohydrate management to lower my blood glucose levels. Very similar to yourself I suspect.

Best wishes - John

 

[cugila]

No - Ken! It wasn't Scott's Porage Oats, I stated in my post that it was "Tesco Finest Scottish Porridge Oats".
As regards calories, they are what I used to lose 30kgs in weight. You seemed to be inferring that I had an appetite problem and maybe I was overeating.
Personally, I use carbohydrate management to lower my blood glucose levels. Very similar to yourself I suspect.

Ah, I see ! Tesco's .......Finest.....seems a bit of a misnomer to me. :lol: Maybe Tesco Customer's have bigger appetites then ....... :wink:

Actually John, I was inferring nothing. I have no idea why you would think that ? I would have said so if that was the case. You must have misread my post.

Yes John, you are quite right to suspect me, I do manage my carbohydrate intake, as well as portion sizes which also reduce the carb content to lower levels. A good strategy I think.

 

[magicaldebs]

I am new to this forum and to BG testing.
I have read, with interest, the posts regarding a low carb diet.
I am now BG testing to se which foods spike my BG.
My faithful Original Scotts Porridge Oats, the traditional type with the large oats, which I have always thought of as super healthy gave me a BG of 15.7 yesterday!!!!!
Where as this mornings bacon, eggs, tomatoes and meaty sausage (which i must say I didn't enjoy as much) gave me a BG of 6.1.
I beginning to think that I am super sensitive to carbs.
The worst of it is that Ive only just found out after years of doing what I was told.
Debs

 

[wallycorker]

......The worst of it is that Ive only just found out after years of doing what I was told..........

Yes Debs - you are like most of us who have been led down the garden path by the advice that we have had from our healthcare professionals. It took me eight years to come to understand that it was their advice that was causing my Type 2 condition to worsen - or the inevitable progression of diabetes as they call it.

Best wishes - John

 

[shirleymarye]

I was another porridge eater for years and still feel guilty at eating bacon and egg! I also have been led down the garden path for more than 15 years about my T2 diabetes,my blood sugar readings were slowly getting worse,I piled more weight on and my tablets gradually increased and last year was told I will have to start on insulin. I decided to see what else I could do and in November I found this site which started me low carbing,at the moment I am mainly cutting out bread and flour based products and my weight has gradually dropped like my blood sugar,I lose about a pound a week without doing any real exercise,the weather didn't help of course! I am now 71 and hope to continue losing weight and getting my medication reduced as my blood sugars come down to normal. Before my blood sugar was usually in double figures and now it goes between 5 and 8 most of the time which I am very pleased with.I have lost at least 10 lbs or more in weight so far, Thank the lord I found this web site!

 

[kenv]

I use small espresso cup as measure (18g. = 10.1 carbs). Make with 1 each of Quaker Oats, semi-skimmed milk and water. This makes a good portion.

Type 2 since April 06 and put on 2x500mg Metformin, Simvastatin and Asprin, was already on 2.5mg Ramipril. I went on a reduced carb diet (not low carb) and reduced weight by 1.5 stone. As a consequence my Hba1C results have been so good the doctor has taken me off the Metformin.