Breakfast

Andy41

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Can anyone suggest a good breakfast for a diabetic t1. A diabetic who is always rushing in the morning and whose blood sugar goes up to around 18 with a bowl of cereal, even if I do take 6 units Bolus after 18 units of basal. Nothing too fussy, just tasty, filling and suitable. Cheers.
 
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evilclive

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I take 20u of bolus with my large bowl of cereal (145g-odd of carbs, apparently 5-6 of the comically small suggested portions) if I'm going to be sitting around. 12u basal for the 12 hours ahead. So 6u bolus on top of 18u basal doesn't seem terribly extreme to me :)

I wouldn't necessarily go with my approach to breakfast, but just saying don't be too afraid to bump your bolus to match your food. Others will almost certainly be along to recommend more sensible approaches - eg porridge is often recommended (slow release carbs), or of course low-carb options.

I suppose I could also mention dawn phenomenon, which will raise your sugars a bit in the morning anyway, so calculated doses might be a bit low.
 

Antje77

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Plain yoghurt? Boiled eggs with mayonaise? Omelet with tasty filling made the day before and eaten cold or zapped in microwave? Bit of cheese /cold meat/cucumber/tomato? Leftovers from yesterdays dinner?

How long after eating breakfast does it take to get back to reasonable numbers? I found I need way more fast acting in the morning then I need later in the day. I also found I need a substantial amount of fast acting just to counter 'feet on the floor effect' ,even if I don't have breakfast.
 

EllieM

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Pop some frozen berries (raspberries/blackberries not strawberries) in the microwave and after it's warmed up add Greek (ie unsweetened) yoghourt. Delicious and filling and low (but not zero) carbs.

I assume you've got dawn phenomena going on?
 

Brendon.Dean

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Can anyone suggest a good breakfast for a diabetic t1. A diabetic who is always rushing in the morning and whose blood sugar goes up to around 18 with a bowl of cereal, even if I do take 6 units Bolus after 18 units of basal. Nothing too fussy, just tasty, filling and suitable. Cheers.

Scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach all cooked together in coconut oil.
1 egg = 1g carb
30g cheese = 1g carb
85g spinach = 1g carb
coconut oil = 0g carb

Eat as many eggs as you want and I would say no more than 3 servings of cheese as a guide.

Also, are you opposed to fasting? Or you could get up 20 minutes earlier and do some HIIT to deplete your glycogen stores and increase you insulin sensitivity if you need more carbs also.
 
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kitedoc

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Hi @Andy41, my way of reasoning out after breakfast BSLs (I am assuming the 18 mmol/l is at the 2 hour mark after eating breakfast) is that the level is a balance of how many carbs and types of carbs and protein in and when; how much insulin and how determined, what type/brand of insulin used and when; what factors are influencing insulin sensitivity; and other factors not under direct control such as any intercurrent illness, the season, weather etc.
This above and below is from my own personal exploration of things and experimentation. It was not written as professional advice or opinion. A dietitian, DSN/doctor are your advisors and the ones to provide answers.
1) Taking carbs as an example: If you look up mendosa.com - Glycaemic values (and definitions for GI and GL) - Cereals of GI > 55 and GL > 10, tend to raise BSLS more quickly than those with figures below those levels. And looking further, if you add say, milk to the mix, the GI levels are lower. So adding something with fat in it slows passage of food from stomach to small intestine (where absorption takes place). So one way I can influence and reduce myBSL rise after breakfast is to eat low GI/GL cereals in appropriate but not too large amount, with other additions like suggested in other answers like yoghurt, cheese, eggs etc.which may slow and flatten the BSL rise.
2) Also some of us have been advised/taught how to calculate units of short-acting insulin per number of carbs (in grams), so that if the breakfast intake varies, the insulin dose is altered to best "match' the amount of carbs eaten. There are courses run which teach persons this - others on site are more au fait with these UK run courses than me, an Aussie.
3) If you google 'graphs or pictures of insulin profiles', you can see how the amount of particular injected insulin in the blood rises over time. For one brand of short-acting (bolus) insulin this may show a peak at 1 to 2 hours after injection but with another, some 2 to 3 hours after injection. Of course these levels are the drug company's results of testing on people and so represent an average of what these insulins blood levels are. So .. if I have a bowl of high GI cereal in hot water plus a sweetened OJ for breakfast which gives me a peak BSL at say one and one-half hours and inject just before breakfast a particular bolus insulin which typically peaks in its effect at say 2 and one half hours, the BSL peak is not necessarily going to be matched and 'combatted' well by the insulin. And in fact if I, in frustration, keep upping the insulin dose more and more with the same breakfast I can end up with still a high BSL at one and one-half hours AND a hypo later as the insulin peak at 2 and one half hours pushed the blood sugar down. The hypo may cause a rebound of BSL as glucagon and adrenaline are released plus whatever I have eaten to combat the hypo and I go into high bsl range again!! So in the past I would talk with my doctor about this: 3 main options a) change to a quicker-acting insulin b) change to lower GI/GL food plus more fat to bring the BSL peak to nearer the insulin peak c) alter the timing of insulin injection vs intake of food (e.g. in the above example, have bolus injection, wait 45 minutes or so and then have breakfast so that the insulin peak best meets the BSL peak. Again, these are all things to discuss with your health professional team first.
4) There is a thing called the Dawn Phenomenon (DFP) and in the Home section of this site under 'Type 1' you can find some info about it. DP leads to a situation where our bodies may become more resistant to insulin (= lowered insulin sensitivity) in the early morning, from say 4 am approx. onward) and glucose may be released more readily from the liver. Not every T1D has this happen or not all the time according to the info. But a higher than normal BSL first thing in the morning (called fasting BSL) may be a sign of DP (among other causes). So if insulin works less well in the morning more insulin may be needed then for a given amount of carbs than say for lunchtime or evening meal. And if fasting BSL is high, that adds onto the subsequent rise of BSL after breakfast. The idea of some exercise on waking, as suggested above, is to try to improve insulin sensitivity. But if you are keen enough to test BSLs say at 4 am, 6 am and then just before breakfast, a couple of times, you then have some readings to discuss with your dsn/doctor and see what they suggest.
5) because of the BSL rises after food some TID, including on site, actually stick to a low carb diet (see on Home page under 'Food and Recipes'). Lower carb intake = less insulin required (as a general rule). Low carb diets are endorsed by the NHS, but usually I gather for T2Ds. However for some T1Ds low carb appears to work well.
6) the other easy to measure factor is weight. The more we eat the more insulin may be required (particularly if carbs are a major part of one's diet) and the higher one's weight goes. Added weight can affect insulin sensitivity, up goes the weight, up goes the insulin dose(a vicious cycle). Yes, if one exercises a lot you may well be able to keep weight in normal range but again another reason to check with your health team about how appropriate your diet is.
Best Wishes.
 
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Draco16

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Hi @Andy41 I also eat cereal as it is quick and easy. You may well be able to continue your current breakfast if it otherwise works for you and you like it. But you do need to adjust your insulin management to stop the 18 bs.

What cereal is it and how many carbs (don't forget the milk!)?

Is your insulin / carb ratio the same at breakfast as other meals (for some it has to be higher)?

Do you pre-bolus? For some pre-bolus has to be even further ahead at breakfast.

The basal you take before breakfast that you mentioned, that doesn't really have much input on post meal levels, it's your bolus you need to adjust (amount and timing).
 

Bluey1

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I just skip breakfast Mon - Fri. Cereal kills my bgl and that is the boring no sugar cereal, I don't have time for eggs etc.
On the weekend 1 slice of multigrain toast Avocado (with lemon, salt and pepper) and poached eggs.
 
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Tabzmcfc

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I have warm unsweetened soya milk and a sprinkle of ground almond and ground linseed. It’s like a low carb porridge alternative that I got from this site years ago.
 

O_DP_T1

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For me I usally do porriage with natural PB and a couple of eggs on the side
If you want lower carb then that then i'd go for

1-2 slices of wholemeal bread
3-4 egg whites with 1 whole egg
20g of low fat cheese

I had the above earlier and it's awesome
 
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sarah_chadwick

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I thaw frozen berries overnight then just add a greek yogurt into it in the morning, only takes a few seconds and then couple of minutes to eat, you could add some flaked almonds too x
 
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SamJB

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I always go for a small breakfast portion as I suffer from the dawn phenomenon, then snack a few hours later. Omelette, hard boiled eggs, linseed muffins, cheese, cooked meats. Something that won't affect my BGs much.
 

Fairygodmother

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Hi Andy, what are your levels before breakfast? What basal are you taking (some don’t bed in for a couple of hours)? Do you split basal? Do you get a big rise after food at other times of the day? Do you have an insulin:carbohydrate ratio that you’re working with?
The kind of breakfast you eat and the way your blood sugars respond has to be seen as part of a bigger picture.
As for breakfast itself, I vary what I eat according to what I feel like eating and my waking blood sugars. Go to is one or two oatibicks, or yoghurt with berries and walnuts, or whole meal toast and marmite, or occasionally boiled egg and toast. Breakfast in a hurry would be fresh whole meal bread and marmite, with peanut butter on top if I’m hungry.
 
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kev-w

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I've time to pre bolus and take 2.5u for a 60g bowl of porridge, 2 x 9g carbs slices of wholemeal bread & 3 eggs, works ok for me but needs a mid morning snack :)
 

Andy41

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I take 20u of bolus with my large bowl of cereal (145g-odd of carbs, apparently 5-6 of the comically small suggested portions) if I'm going to be sitting around. 12u basal for the 12 hours ahead. So 6u bolus on top of 18u basal doesn't seem terribly extreme to me :)

I wouldn't necessarily go with my approach to breakfast, but just saying don't be too afraid to bump your bolus to match your food. Others will almost certainly be along to recommend more sensible approaches - eg porridge is often recommended (slow release carbs), or of course low-carb options.

I suppose I could also mention dawn phenomenon, which will raise your sugars a bit in the morning anyway, so calculated doses might be a bit low.

Thank you Clive. I might try stepping up the morning insulin. Just worry a bit that I will be driving and then at work. In a way, I want a breakfast that is filling but doesn’t have any carbs, but these breakfasts always seem a bit of a faff!
 

Andy41

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
I’m usually back around 11 by lunch. The yogurt with a few berries sounds appealing. I just don’t want to think about anything that early in the morning and I’m not great at planning the night before.
 

Andy41

Well-Known Member
Messages
50
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Pop some frozen berries (raspberries/blackberries not strawberries) in the microwave and after it's warmed up add Greek (ie unsweetened) yoghourt. Delicious and filling and low (but not zero) carbs.

I assume you've got dawn phenomena going on?

Sounds good. I will try this. I’ve got loads of frozen blackberries!