Whole grain bread and apple setback - help!
- Thread starter Skinny43
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Resurgam
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jjraak
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I thought I was doing well with my reduced carb diet. However really disappointed earlier when my 2 hour reading was 9.7 after just 1 slice of whole grain bread and one apple! I thought whole grain was supposed to be better then white bread. Do I have cut wheat from my diet entirely? Or was it the apple that was the culprit? I did get a reading of 9.5 last week with just 2 slices of whole bread no apple. Looks like I just replaced the 1 bread with apple. Maybe I’ll just have 1 slice next time without the apple. If apple is bad, I’m going to seriously struggle as I like my apple a day.
Any idea of what bread I could have? I bring in a sandwich to work for lunch. No idea what to bring if have to eliminate bread altogether!
Sorry for the rant ladies and guys.
.Good replies as usual,
so i've got little to add, except.
for me i love a crunchy fruit, so going LCHF that's disappeared as i usually partake of strawberries , blueberries and such
i did however persevere with apples for a while.
It did boost my BG a good bit, but most notable was the sugar rush, had me babbling away, 19 to the dozen.
i know i do it, i just can't help myself with n apple or anything sugary that rushes my system like that.
So while many can enjoy an apple.... for me, it's gone on the verboten list..well almost
it is still a rare treat, if i can massage it into a low carb day.
Not sure if you have noticed that yourself, but for others it might well be an early warning that some foods are interacting negatively (perhaps)
I took an apple on its own and globose before and after was only 0.5 up. And I have taken a slice of bread with other non carb stuff and my BG was only raised slightly by a similar amount.
It’s interesting you mentioned food interacting negatively. It’s either the interaction (to me it doesn’t make much sense really), or once my carb intake was above a certain level, my body just give up and BG increase dramatically. So it could be nonlinear function of BG vs carb.
jjraak
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Hi @Skinny43
not too sure i understand that 'It doesn't make sense really'
however it does serve to show just how different we all are and that one size doesn't fit all
apples for me, rocket me, for you not so much.
viva la difference.
I said it didn’t make sense because I can’t be sure to myself ‘how’ things interact. I can believe that they do, just not sure of the details makes me less than 100% committed to the theory. Nothing - it’s just my scientific head playing with me ( an engineer).
Yes definitely to the point that we’re all very different.
To me it just seems it’s the total amount of carbs in a meal that matters. As soon as I go above a certain threshold (~25g) BG goes high quickly, below that it’s very mild
Last edited:
jjraak
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I said it didn’t make sense because I can be sure to myself ‘how’ things interact. I can believe that they do, just not sure of the details makes me less than 100% commutes to the theory. Nothing - it’s just my scientific head playing with me ( an engineer).
Yes definitely to the point that we’re all very different.
To me it just seems it’s the total amount of carbs in a meal that matters. As soon as I go above a certain threshold (~25g) BG goes high quickly, below that it’s very mild
Got ya...
and agree on the carbs, too.
JenniferW
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I stopped eating apples when I first switched to low carb but have now brought them back in, but not together with the grain / cereal sorts of foods like bread. I count my carbs for every meal (using an app), and a regular lunch is nuts or cheese plus an apple, and that seems to work for me.
Me too I also found the combination of bread and apple was the worst. Apple on its own was fine! Weird how our body works!
JenniferW
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It's using a carb-counting app which has really helped me sort out much more clearly what I can eat and in what sort of amount. I'd rather have a reasonable size apple and no bread than a small apple and half a slice of bread! For me, it's not the combination, it's just the sheer total of carbs, and I've had surprises with all and everything in fruit and veg despite thinking that from years of calorie-counting-diets I knew quite a bit about food!
Can I recommend you avoid carb counting. This generally means spending time trying to eat what you shouldn't be eating and hoping to get away with it by counting the carb content. Carbs behave differently in different foods and types of sugar. Sugar in apples is mainly fructose. This doesn't directly impact on insulin. Fructose is metabolised by the liver and turns it into fat which is stored in the liver. Too much or too much in the wrong part of the liver can make it go bonkers causing it to send signals asking for more insulin then it otherwise would. Bread is has a high load GI, including added sugar. Sugar contains 50% glucose (spiking insulin) and 50% fructose (which plays havoc with your liver).
Rather than count carbs or calories just disregard food you shouldn't be eating completely.
Rather than count carbs or calories just disregard food you shouldn't be eating completely.
Misc info...
Berries per 100g berries.
BERRY kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
Raspberries 32 4.6(2.5) 1.5(0.3)
Blackberries 32 5.1(3.1) 1(0.2)
Strawberries 30 6.0(1.1) 1(0.1)
Cloudberries 51 8.6 2
Lingonberries55 9.6(2.4) 1
Blueberries 68 14.5(2.4) 1(0.3)
Showing that:
raspberries have 4.6g carb, 2.5g fibre, 1.5g protein and 0.3g fat. It also shows that blueberries have 14.5g carbs (high for keto-diets).
Apples per average apple (133g)
PRODUCT kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
Apples 71 16(2.4) 0.5(13)
breads per slice
BREAD kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
White 100 18-20(1) 4-5(0.5)
Brown 100 18(2) 4-6(0.6)
HiLo* 86 5(3.4) 8.1(2.8)
HiLo* in Sainsburys: Hi-Lo Seeded Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread 400g
There are also lower-carb breads in the other supermarkets, but have not tried any of these.
Berries per 100g berries.
BERRY kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
Raspberries 32 4.6(2.5) 1.5(0.3)
Blackberries 32 5.1(3.1) 1(0.2)
Strawberries 30 6.0(1.1) 1(0.1)
Cloudberries 51 8.6 2
Lingonberries55 9.6(2.4) 1
Blueberries 68 14.5(2.4) 1(0.3)
Showing that:
raspberries have 4.6g carb, 2.5g fibre, 1.5g protein and 0.3g fat. It also shows that blueberries have 14.5g carbs (high for keto-diets).
Apples per average apple (133g)
PRODUCT kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
Apples 71 16(2.4) 0.5(13)
breads per slice
BREAD kcal carb(fibre) Protein(fat)
White 100 18-20(1) 4-5(0.5)
Brown 100 18(2) 4-6(0.6)
HiLo* 86 5(3.4) 8.1(2.8)
HiLo* in Sainsburys: Hi-Lo Seeded Medium Sliced Wholemeal Bread 400g
There are also lower-carb breads in the other supermarkets, but have not tried any of these.
Please note that I live in the US, so my carbs are figured differently. What I mean by "carbs" is just short for "grams of carbohydrates. I am half Canadian, so purchase my insulin in Winnipeg... so much less expensive ...and can deal with changing units - generally, multiply the Cdn blood glucose count times 18, and you will get the US amount. Your 6 = my 106 for fasting blood sugar. Oh, and I "carb" totals are both in grams, so no problem there.
It can be really hard to figure what really works. Each person is different. My endocrinologist told me I should totally quit eating "good" bread, such as really tasty whole grain breads. They have way too much sugar! I tried for a while to use home baked Keto bread, which is okay for some sandwiches, but isn't a good substitute imo. The way I generally cope is to look for the bread with lowest amount of carbs per slice, and ignore taking anything off for fiber counts. I have found some bread that has only about 12 carbs per slice, so I can usually get away with a slice with my eggs. Another good substitute is English muffins, which have only about 15 carbs per half, so 30 per total muffin. Just eat half at a sitting. This is lower than many breads because they have so many air bubbles baked in them which makes them less dense. Bagels, on the other hand, may have 60 to 90 carbs per bagel, as they are very dense. A third option is to purchase un-sliced bread, and slice it as thinly as possible. So many sliced breads have really thick slices, thus, more carbs.
As for apples: Try using smaller apples, or try one-half apple in the am, and perhaps the other half later in the day. Or slice it up and eat just one or two slices at a time, then check your blood glucose level to see how your body is dealing with the carbs. I also am a fruit lover, and one of the hardest things for me to give up were apples, bananas, oranges, etc. I loved to follow the "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" formula... I sometimes still have those "forbidden fruits" - hey, there's good nutrition in them, and nobody's perfect, Those are the days I end up taking more insulin, though.
And, dare I say it, if I eat my sandwich filling without the bread, maybe I can sneak in an ice cream bar later for dessert (Ice cream bar = 22 carbs, 2 slices of bread = 30 carbs.) Or, a flourless chocolate cake substituting Swerve Confectioner's sugar for the granulated sugar- works pretty good. only carbs are from the bittersweet chocolate chips, and the whole bag has about 152 carbs, so cut in 12 slices, only about 12 carbs per slice, and wouldn't you rather have that then that stupid slice of bread anyway?
Good luck. I'm sending good vibes your way.
It can be really hard to figure what really works. Each person is different. My endocrinologist told me I should totally quit eating "good" bread, such as really tasty whole grain breads. They have way too much sugar! I tried for a while to use home baked Keto bread, which is okay for some sandwiches, but isn't a good substitute imo. The way I generally cope is to look for the bread with lowest amount of carbs per slice, and ignore taking anything off for fiber counts. I have found some bread that has only about 12 carbs per slice, so I can usually get away with a slice with my eggs. Another good substitute is English muffins, which have only about 15 carbs per half, so 30 per total muffin. Just eat half at a sitting. This is lower than many breads because they have so many air bubbles baked in them which makes them less dense. Bagels, on the other hand, may have 60 to 90 carbs per bagel, as they are very dense. A third option is to purchase un-sliced bread, and slice it as thinly as possible. So many sliced breads have really thick slices, thus, more carbs.
As for apples: Try using smaller apples, or try one-half apple in the am, and perhaps the other half later in the day. Or slice it up and eat just one or two slices at a time, then check your blood glucose level to see how your body is dealing with the carbs. I also am a fruit lover, and one of the hardest things for me to give up were apples, bananas, oranges, etc. I loved to follow the "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" formula... I sometimes still have those "forbidden fruits" - hey, there's good nutrition in them, and nobody's perfect, Those are the days I end up taking more insulin, though.
And, dare I say it, if I eat my sandwich filling without the bread, maybe I can sneak in an ice cream bar later for dessert (Ice cream bar = 22 carbs, 2 slices of bread = 30 carbs.) Or, a flourless chocolate cake substituting Swerve Confectioner's sugar for the granulated sugar- works pretty good. only carbs are from the bittersweet chocolate chips, and the whole bag has about 152 carbs, so cut in 12 slices, only about 12 carbs per slice, and wouldn't you rather have that then that stupid slice of bread anyway?
Good luck. I'm sending good vibes your way.
I copied this from a trustworthy, but I can't remember which one, sorry.
very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet: 20 to 50 g/day or <10% of total kcal;
• low-carbohydrate diet: <130 g/day or <26% of total kcal;
• moderate-carbohydrate diet: >130 g/day (based on a 2,000-kcal diet) or 26% to 45% of total kcal; and
• high-carbohydrate diet: >225 g/day (based on a 2,000-kcal diet) or >45% of total kcal.
very low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet: 20 to 50 g/day or <10% of total kcal;
• low-carbohydrate diet: <130 g/day or <26% of total kcal;
• moderate-carbohydrate diet: >130 g/day (based on a 2,000-kcal diet) or 26% to 45% of total kcal; and
• high-carbohydrate diet: >225 g/day (based on a 2,000-kcal diet) or >45% of total kcal.
