Normal Fasting but High Post meal readings

[Stay healthy]

Hi,
My wife has recently been diagnosed and we are slightly confused with her readings which we are taking at home using finger prick tests.
History - her Hb1ac was quite high in Nov and since then it has come down in Jan . we are working towards lowering it further.
She had fasting readings of 6.6 to 6.8 but her post meal readings are been 14.5 to 14.7. They used to be higher earlier but are still high for our liking.

Question - She is on no medication and controlling her diet and exercising but her post meal readings are still not improving. Any suggestions / opinions on why that might be a case?

 

[Rachox]

Hi Stay Healthy and welcome to the Forum
Can you give some examples of your daily menu? It sounds like your wife may be eating too many carbohydrates.

EDIT To add a tag for @daisy1 who’ll post loads of info for newbies.

 

[Stay healthy]

many thanks for your reply and interest in our case.

• on one occasion she had tomato soup (without any bread) which we though was good for you.
• On other occasion she has a low calorie Waitrose Wrap which claimed 302 calories.
• The third time she had 1 chapatti and a lentil bowl.
• Then there was a Dosa ( like a pan cake but not sweet) which I presume is quite high on carbs so shouldnt have really tried that but we are still learning and wanted to see how bad it was. BTW the reading before this meal (about 1pm) was 6.6 which encouraged us to take some risks.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hi and welcome,

Post meal blood sugar levels are entirely dependent on how many carbohydrates were eaten during the meal. The more carbs eaten the higher the levels will be. This is because all carbohydrate converts to glucose once in the system, and this includes the wholemeal varieties. The more carbs we eat the more glucose there will be. The simple answer is - eat fewer carbs. The worst ones for most of us are breads, rice, pasta, potatoes, breakfast cereals, and anything containing flour.

How many fewer you may ask. The meter will tell you by testing before you eat and again 2 hours after first bite and looking at the rise. If that rise is more than 2mmol/l (preferably less) there were too many carbs. A detailed food diary including portion sizes will help. Your wife can record her before and after levels alongside the food, and watch for patterns and trends. Then she can tweak her food choices accordingly.

 

[Rachox]

many thanks for your reply and interest in our case.

• on one occasion she had tomato soup (without any bread) which we though was good for you.
• On other occasion she has a low calorie Waitrose Wrap which claimed 302 calories.
• The third time she had 1 chapatti and a lentil bowl.
• Then there was a Dosa ( like a pan cake but not sweet) which I presume is quite high on carbs so shouldnt have really tried that but we are still learning and wanted to see how bad it was. BTW the reading before this meal (about 1pm) was 6.6 which encouraged us to take some risks.

So as Bluetit1802 suggests, study before and after meal readings. From your list I’d straight way identify the wrap, the chapati, lentils and the pancake as high carb. Tomato soup is one of the higher carb soups, a chicken or mushroom one might be better. Some people find that mushing or liquidising food means it’s absorbed faster producing a blood sugar spike, hence a whole tomato might be better tolerated than tomato soup. Hope that helps.

 

[Stay healthy]

So as Bluetit1802 suggests, study before and after meal readings. From your list I’d straight way identify the wrap, the chapati, lentils and the pancake as high carb. Tomato soup is one of the higher carb soups, a chicken or mushroom one might be better. Some people find that mushing or liquidising food means it’s absorbed faster producing a blood sugar spike, hence a whole tomato might be better tolerated than tomato soup. Hope that helps.

many Thanks Rachox. I am also looking for some ready meals with low carbs as she is working during the day and doesn't have time to cook etc. I was looking at M&S "balanced for you range" and will give that a go today. I will keep you posted with our readings after that.
Can I just say how reassuring it is to have people like yourself around so that newly diagnosed like us can find some optimism and work out a plan to deal with this. Thanks again!

 

[Bluetit1802]

many Thanks Rachox. I am also looking for some ready meals with low carbs as she is working during the day and doesn't have time to cook etc. I was looking at M&S "balanced for you range" and will give that a go today. I will keep you posted with our readings after that.
Can I just say how reassuring it is to have people like yourself around so that newly diagnosed like us can find some optimism and work out a plan to deal with this. Thanks again!

A word of warning about ready meals. Before you buy, check the full nutrition label and look for "total carbohydrate". It is law in Europe that this and other nutrients are listed, and shown as amounts per 100g. You then need to judge how many grams of the whole meal she will be eating and calculate the number of grams of carbs. It may say for example 15g carbs per 100g (15%) but if she is going to eat 400g of the meal, that makes 60g of carbs, which is far too much for one meal for most of us. (It is twice what I eat in a whole day). You also need to be aware of the full ingredients in the meal - often ready meals are cooked in vegetable oils that are not healthy choices, but that is something for you to learn later once you have the carbs sorted! Ready meals are OK in an emergency, but are not advised as a regular thing.

 

[Stay healthy]

A word of warning about ready meals. Before you buy, check the full nutrition label and look for "total carbohydrate". It is law in Europe that this and other nutrients are listed, and shown as amounts per 100g. You then need to judge how many grams of the whole meal she will be eating and calculate the number of grams of carbs. It may say for example 15g carbs per 100g (15%) but if she is going to eat 400g of the meal, that makes 60g of carbs, which is far too much for one meal for most of us. (It is twice what I eat in a whole day). You also need to be aware of the full ingredients in the meal - often ready meals are cooked in vegetable oils that are not healthy choices, but that is something for you to learn later once you have the carbs sorted! Ready meals are OK in an emergency, but are not advised as a regular thing.

OK thanks Bluetit1802. I will keep that in mind. We are really trying to make a meal plan and stick to it. If I can come up with a list of meal options which are quick and filling and which don't shoot her BG then she will take this very positively. I don't want her to think about Diabetes all the time and just stick to a healthy diet without having to think "what to eat" and "will it give higher bg readings".

 

[Stay healthy]

BTW what do you think of her BG readings. We get all happy with her fasting readings and think we can stick to a balanced diet and exercise but then the post meal readings come and we get all concerned ! thinking we will be on tablets or insulin.
She is only 35

 

[Rachox]

BTW what do you think of her BG readings. We get all happy with her fasting readings and think we can stick to a balanced diet and exercise but then the post meal readings come and we get all concerned ! thinking we will be on tablets or insulin.
She is only 35

Here are the recommended blood sugar levels for Type 2s:

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

 

[Bluetit1802]

She had fasting readings of 6.6 to 6.8 but her post meal readings are been 14.5 to 14.7. They used to be higher earlier but are still high for our liking.

In my personal opinion, all her levels are too high, including fasting. However, fasting readings are notoriously unpredictable and unreliable as many factors come in play, not just food. (stress, disturbed sleep, amount of insulin resistance, state of hormones etc.) so it is better at the beginning to stop testing fasting and concentrate on the before and after meal levels, keeping these rises down to under 2mmol/l. Once that has been achieved at all meal times on a regular basis, then try testing the fastings again.

Anything over 8.5 is not recommended 2 hours post meal, preferably under 7.8.

 

[Mbaker]

Hi. Forgive me but it looks like your wife may be from an Asian background, due to the food references such as chapatti. If so (and even if not) you might want to perform a search on Youtube for the following Public Health Collaboration (should be the alternative UK health reference body in my opinion) video:

Type 2 diabetes in South Asian’s Achieving control in general practice Dr Kesar Sadhra

This has some tested alternative ways of making chapatti's with minimal spikes. I have tested the flour used and it is superb; another alternative is lo-dough.

 

[Stay healthy]

Hi. Forgive me but it looks like your wife may be from an Asian background, due to the food references such as chapatti. If so (and even if not) you might want to perform a search on Youtube for the following Public Health Collaboration (should be the alternative UK health reference body in my opinion) video:

Type 2 diabetes in South Asian’s Achieving control in general practice Dr Kesar Sadhra

This has some tested alternative ways of making chapatti's with minimal spikes. I have tested the flour used and it is superb; another alternative is lo-dough.

yes she is. Many thanks for this. I will have a look.

 

[ringi]

Also what time after the meal are you doing the post-meal readings? Also, what is she drinking?

Don't underestimate the benefit of 10 minutes walk just after and/or before a meal.

As an experiment try a meal that consists of a large rib-eye steak, with 2 eggs and some green veg (add a little butter if you wish to the veg). This should give you an idea of what is achievable with post-meal readings. But remember you only care about the increase in BG due to the meal, not the absolute number.

I wish I had invested in a freestyle libre when I started to sort out my Type2, it would have made the first few weeks understanding my BG so much easier, therefore see if you get one, if only for a few weeks as a learning tool.

 

[Stay healthy]

Also what time after the meal are you doing the post-meal readings? Also, what is she drinking?

Don't underestimate the benefit of 10 minutes walk just after and/or before a meal.

As an experiment try a meal that consists of a large rib-eye steak, with 2 eggs and some green veg (add a little butter if you wish to the veg). This should give you an idea of what is achievable with post-meal readings. But remember you only care about the increase in BG due to the meal, not the absolute number.

I wish I had invested in a freestyle libre when I started to sort out my Type2, it would have made the first few weeks understanding my BG so much easier, therefore see if you get one, if only for a few weeks as a learning tool.

we are doing 2 hours after meal. she drinks only water!

 

[ringi]

we are doing 2 hours after meal. she drinks only water!

That is what I was hoping, but it is best not to assume. (Tea and coffee with a little milk or cream are also OK.)

 

[Stay healthy]

Tonight was a much better result.
Before meal- 6.7
2 hours after meal - 8.4

We tried a low carb M&S salad which had only 9.7gm carbs. Although the readings have improved , my wife is a little hungry I think. Tommorow is another day and we need to find if we can keep these reading low and yet not feel hungry? I would really appreciate if you could suggest a low or zero carb filling food which she can supplement along with her meal?
Our target is 30-40 gms carbs in a day or lower.

Thanks again

 

[Rachox]

Tonight was a much better result.
Before meal- 6.7
2 hours after meal - 8.4

We tried a low carb M&S salad which had only 9.7gm carbs. Although the readings have improved , my wife is a little hungry I think. Tommorow is another day and we need to find if we can keep these reading low and yet not feel hungry? I would really appreciate if you could suggest a low or zero carb filling food which she can supplement along with her meal?
Our target is 30-40 gms carbs in a day or lower.

Thanks again

Fat in your meals will fill you up a bit, I always have 3 or 4 strawberries with 2 or 3 teaspoons of double cream after my dinner with a square of 85% chocolate, totalling around 5g carbs.

 

[Alexandra100]

I would really appreciate if you could suggest a low or zero carb filling food

I may have just the thing for you! And it's on offer right now. The Eat Water Slim range includes rice, penne, spaghetti, noodles, fettucine. It has zero carbs and is organic. You can keep the packets in the cupboard til wanted and it takes almost no time to prepare. People complain of the strange smell when you open the packet, but this goes away completely on rinsing. You then heat it in saucepan or microwave and in 2-3 minutes it's ready. It tastes of nothing, but then IMO so does white rice. After weeks of no rice or pasta or potatoes with my meals, I am finding it bliss. I like the rice in chicken broth with aubergine, the fettucine with chopped hard boiled eggs, vegan pesto (that is the lowest carb pesto) and courgette, or for a snack penne just with pesto and butter/olive oil. But obviously you would adapt your favourites. You just need something flavourful as accompaniment. NB I first tried a different brand, the Zero noodles, and found them acceptable, but not nearly as nice or as close to normal as the Slim range.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/eat-water-slim-pasta-penne-60007567

I hope people won't think I work for H&B or Eat Water Slim!!!

 

[Stay healthy]

I may have just the thing for you! And it's on offer right now. The Eat Water Slim range includes rice, penne, spaghetti, noodles, fettucine. It has zero carbs and is organic. You can keep the packets in the cupboard til wanted and it takes almost no time to prepare. People complain of the strange smell when you open the packet, but this goes away completely on rinsing. You then heat it in saucepan or microwave and in 2-3 minutes it's ready. It tastes of nothing, but then IMO so does white rice. After weeks of no rice or pasta or potatoes with my meals, I am finding it bliss. I like the rice in chicken broth with aubergine, the fettucine with chopped hard boiled eggs, vegan pesto (that is the lowest carb pesto) and courgette, or for a snack penne just with pesto and butter/olive oil. But obviously you would adapt your favourites. You just need something flavourful as accompaniment. NB I first tried a different brand, the Zero noodles, and found them acceptable, but not nearly as nice or as close to normal as the Slim range.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/eat-water-slim-pasta-penne-60007567

I hope people won't think I work for H&B or Eat Water Slim!!!

Many thanks. Will give this a go for tommorow’s dinner and see what it does to the readings