Broccoli and Cauliflower blood sugar rocket

[resander]

Have done keto diet for 3-4 weeks now. Getting better at it and from it.

Before keto my blood sugars after dinner were 6.7 to 7.7 with most readings above 7. After keto the blood sugars have been 6.0 to 7.2 with most in range 6.0-6.8.

Four days ago I started having 100g broccoli and 100g cauliflower with lunch and dinner (chicken a la king, chicken chausseur, chicken kebab). Then the blood sugars were 7.1, 7.0 and 7.1 after dinner. I have had these dinner dishes before (after keto) with 40-60g broccoli/cauliflower and then the readings were less than 6.5. Yesterday I left out the broccoli and cauliflower and the blood sugar went down to 6.6. So, it seems the 100g of broccoli and cauliflower caused the increase.

100g broccoli and 100g cauliflower only have 3g carbs and are very healthy and recommended foods for diabetics. I did not expect an increase in blood sugar values like this.

The carb increase from 0 to 3g by broccoli and cauliflower is not much. Could the volume increase be causing it by taking up too much space disturbing digestion and the blood sugar process in some way?

Or any other cause?

How much broccoli and/or cauliflower is reasonable in keto meals?

 

[Brunneria]

Hi,

You may find this link interesting - particularly the section talking about what Bernstein calls The Chinese Restaurant Effect.

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/foods-strange-tricks/

 

[bulkbiker]

Are you sure its the broccoli and cauliflower and not the sauces in your meals? They are more likely to contains the carbs.. just a thought. Also the variations you are seeing could quite easily be down to meter inaccuracies rather than the food the diff between 6.7 and 7.1 could well be just variation in the meter.

 

[jpscloud]

Hi,

You may find this link interesting - particularly the section talking about what Bernstein calls The Chinese Restaurant Effect.

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/foods-strange-tricks/

Thanks for that link, it explains a few things about my past (and occasionally present) large meal habit.

 

[resander]

Many thanks for letting me know about the Chinese Restaurant Effect. I did not know about this.

Normally I eat 50g cauliflower and 50g broccoli + chicken/meat/fish with blood sugar value around 6.2-6.7. For 100g of each veg I would not have expected 7.1.

Yesterday 10 May dinner: 120g celeriac mash, 2 boiled eggs and 120g malyasian-style sate: blood sugar 6.5
Today dinner: 120g celeriac mash, 50g broccoli and 130g beef stew: blood sugar 6.3
NOTE: trying to move away from new potatoes carb=15g/100g to celeriac carb=6g/100g. Recipes celeriac mash and potato mash about the same: boil, add butter&salt, mash. Even I can do that!

Other links (see below) explain that the unexpected increase in blood sugar is proportional to the amount of 'stretching' caused by larger portions. Larger amounts of anything, even sawdust, water and keto-diet meals would result in increased blood sugar values like this. Would never have guessed that.

These two links give additional information:

https://www.diabetesforum.com/diabetes/27657-chinese-restaurant-effect.html
https://kickincarbclutter.blogspot.com/2007/09/chinese-restaurant-effect.html

I have read that the Chinese Restaurant Effect can be explained by the incretin effect. Any links to this?

@bulkbiker: Good point about sauces that are trouble makers if they contain onions (8g carb) or white flour thickener. I have learned to avoid these.

 

[woollygal]

Hi,

You may find this link interesting - particularly the section talking about what Bernstein calls The Chinese Restaurant Effect.

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/foods-strange-tricks/

That is very very helpful and explains a lot!

 

[LooperCat]

If it’s any help, I have to insulinate for every gram of carb contained in cauliflower and broccoli as a type one doing keto. They have an impact!

 

[HB361]

I wonder if boiling has an effect. Cauliflower will raise my blood sugar significantly when eaten raw or roasted/broiled. Today, I made cauliflower mash for the first time. Boiled an entire head of cauliflower for about 10 minutes, then pureed it with some butter. OMG.. it tasted so good I ate the WHOLE THING. I was dreading what number was going to pop up on my meter. To my dismay, it didn't raised it but 10 mg/dl (0.6 mmol/l)... for a WHOLE head of cauliflower. What's the deal with that?

 

[catinahat]

Welcome to the forum @HB361
It was probably the butter you added to the cauliflower. Fat slows the absorption of carbs, that's what makes pizza so difficult to deal with. If you had done a couple of tests later you may have caught the true peak

 

[Bheki81]

Alot of useful tips. Sauces instead have potential to increase carbs

Sometimes i wonder that a simple two meals a day of the same meal consistent over time is better like the late Bob Krause(Joslin Meadal for 85 years with diabetes)