Time from eating "bad stuff" until it shows up in your blood sugars?

[New2ThisType2]

Hi, I am curious to know on average, how long after eating "bad foods" that it shows up in your daily blood tests?

Reason I am asking:

Type 2 but generally blood reads around the 4.2 mark in the morning, which in my country is considered non diabetic.

1 hour later, I ate one egg sunny side up, 1 slice bacon and 1 piece of white toast and 2 hours later my blood sugar read 9.2.
Find it hard to believe that just one slice of white bread toasted could raise it so high?

Normally my numbers are good.
I have had to change to a low potassium diet for a new kidney issue (unrelated) and am having some difficulties sorting out exactly what it is I am eating, now, that does this.
I am not allowed whole wheat or dark breads. I am only allowed white gush bread.
I usually stay away from all breads but right now as I play around with this new low potassium diet, I have had to resort to 1-2 foods I normally do not eat.

So, is it actually possible that one piece of white wonder bread slice could raise my sugar levels that high?

T.I.A.

 

[archersuz]

Hi @New2ThisType2 and welcome. I'll tag @daisy1 who will be along with some info for you.

You tested then didn't eat for an hour so it's possible that your BG had already risen before you ate the bread. You really need to test immediately before you eat and then 2 hrs later. The only way to see if it was the one slice of bread is to test, eat the bread, wait 2 hours and test again, and see what happens.

 

[Tony 1711]

Hi,
and yes it will show on your very next test after eating, it acts that quick.

 

[miahara]

Try the same meal without toast and I'd lay money on your result being significantly lower.

 

[Antje77]

Depends on the 'bad stuff'. A glass of orange juice shows up within 15 minutes, a large portion of fish and chips might take 45 minutes to show up but will keep showing up for the next 6 hours or more.

 

[Polgara]

Toast has that effect on me - I am fine with lots of other different carbs - but any toast gives me horrible spikes

 

[New2ThisType2]

Thank you for all the answers. I had a feeling it might be the bread but wasn't sure. I will test immediately before and after as suggested by Archersuz.
Short of timing it exactly, I would probably say only 30 mins passed after I tested myself, until I ate that meal.

I have frequent 3 month tests which show my numbers to be either not diabetic at all, or slightly raised, by one point, after having been a bit bad at Xmas but due to Kidney issues, I was taken off all forms of medication. At the same time I had to switch to a low potassium diet. Its very restricted and many of the acceptable foods are not what i would have had before, such as bread.
So, just struggling along trying to incorporate this new "diet" but not aggravate blood sugars at the same time.

Thanks for the answers and no doubt I will have more

 

[daisy1]

@New2ThisType2

Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[New2ThisType2]

Thanks Daisy. I am not really new to this as i was diagnosed 2 years ago but once I was, I cut out breads, pastas and other sugars and for the most part my numbers fell below the line of being diabetic.
Unfortunately I had complications from a "hidden" kidney stone which led to CKD and I lost a kidney, and almost a second further exasperated by any/all medicines that i had been given 2 years earlier and i was abruptly taken off of them.

That was fine, again, my numbers were pretty low except i did cheat a bit over Xmas as i was recovering. But because I had been able to lower my numbers so easily I never really delved into all of this fully.

So, I have another question because it's the time of higher blood sugars showing up that I haven't got a handle on, as discussed by others after my first post in this thread. They seem to suggest that a couple of hours after any bad food intake it should show up.

So, in the mornings, when I test my blood, its usually about 4.5 - 5. This morning it was an unusual whopping 10.4.

If you know anything about low potassium diets, its very restrictive and I was having to consider some foods I earlier would not have chosen and with this, mistakes on my end are being made.

So yesterday and the day before, I had a couple rolls of avocado sushi. Sighs. Love it but turns out Avocados are very high in potassium so I can no longer consume them but I didnt give thought at the time to the rice vinegar that binds the rice together in sushi and have read that for many diabetics, that sends their blood sugars into the stratosphere.

So, is it possible, that 2 days of having avocado sushi for lunch would send my numbers spiralling this morning?
If so, why would they not have gone higher much sooner?

T.I.A.

(sorry for the long explanation)

 

[New2ThisType2]

Should have added, that if I could finally get a definite hold on the timing of bad food consumed, to the higher blood sugar numbers, I think i might find it easier to be sure of what it is I have consumed that did that.

 

[Alison Campbell]

My understanding is that there is two ways of getting glucose into blood sugar. What you eat and what your organs mainly liver provides with feedback from your hormones. Please note that we all react slightly differently.

From eating you should see a peak at 30-45 minutes and be on the way back down at 2 hours but this is dependent on medication, make up of the food eg pure sugar should take effect at 15-20 mins with fat and fibre slowing it down.

Fasting readings are a combination a few days of eating plus liver dumps of glucose for me.

This article although long and US based is really helpful in understanding how it should work and how it goes wrong in type 2

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046621.php

 

[NicoleC1971]

Just to say the rice in the sushi will make your blood glucose go higher. White bread has the equivalent in each slice of 3tsp sugar and as with the rice, it hits your blood stream pretty fast when not slowed down by fibre.
Re vinegar, balsamic is quite sweet but other types not so much!
Golden rules that I remmber are:
Quantity (check blood sugars as suggested to find out what you can tolerate)
Quality (more fibrous the better but this conflicts with your new diet)
Company (eating with fat and protein slows the absorption down somewhat)
Timing (maybe saving the carbs til later in the day)

So sorry to hear you are off avocados. That i s very tragic

 

[ringi]

Have you considered getting yourself a CGM for a few weeks as a learning tool.

 

[New2ThisType2]

Never heard of a CGM until now when I looked it up on Google. An idea but $1400 I dont particularly want to spend if i dont have to though but I will look into it further, now I know of such a device.

Oh yes, that avocado restriction is going to be a hard one to live with I think i was told i could eat 2 a week but that's just a tease. I am better deleting anything that I will crave. Have to remain very focused. The rice I realized was a no no but I was hoping to somehow discover it had miraculously changed into a yes yes as it offers some of the better meals on a restricted low potassium diet and without it, makes it even more restricted. From past experience, which might have changed today, rice didnt shoot my numbers up quite as high but perhaps that plus the rice vinegar did.

Well it is starting to appear that I will have to give up the idea of full meals WHICH I can do when focused properly and just eat 6 small meals per day. Small meaning, one might be a few sticks of celery, another might be a lump of tuna on lettuce, etc. Yes, another tragedy is that i can no longer eat spinach salads which up until this consumed daily........onward and upward....celery sticks here i come :***: