Sudden High Reading

[coby]

Hi to everyone and I have a question.
I didn't eat until just after 2pm today, and only had a mixed salad with some roast beef slices, followed by my first drink of the day which was coffee with double cream. I was 5.6 before eating and fell asleep so didn't test again for almost three hours but was shocked to get a reading of 9.3. I retook, thinking it was a bad test strip, but got the same. I NEVER get into the nines. Only suspect is cherry tomatoes rather than salad ones in the meal ( I had 5) Could it be those or could it be connected to not having any drinks until 2.30pm? I was quite light headed when I awoke, and even fell asleep again for another half hour after my test. Any thoughts as to why would be appreciated Thanks

 

[HSSS]

Did you wash your hands? How long did it take to come back down? Are you unwell?

 

[Antje77]

The falling asleep and feeling light headed could be a sign you're a bit under the weather. Which can make our BG rise.
Could that be the cause?

 

[Oldvatr]

Hi to everyone and I have a question.
I didn't eat until just after 2pm today, and only had a mixed salad with some roast beef slices, followed by my first drink of the day which was coffee with double cream. I was 5.6 before eating and fell asleep so didn't test again for almost three hours but was shocked to get a reading of 9.3. I retook, thinking it was a bad test strip, but got the same. I NEVER get into the nines. Only suspect is cherry tomatoes rather than salad ones in the meal ( I had 5) Could it be those or could it be connected to not having any drinks until 2.30pm? I was quite light headed when I awoke, and even fell asleep again for another half hour after my test. Any thoughts as to why would be appreciated Thanks

Were the beef slices in gravy? I got a similar reading when I ate Bisto beef slices. Turns out the gravy used in Bisto products contains Maltodextrin which is derived from starch and acts like a sugar. But does not need to be included in the of sugars value, as it is a polysaccharide, not a sugar.

 

[coby]

Were the beef slices in gravy? I got a similar reading when I ate Bisto beef slices. Turns out the gravy used in Bisto products contains Maltodextrin which is derived from starch and acts like a sugar. But does not need to be included in the of sugars value, as it is a polysaccharide, not a sugar.

Hi @Oldvatr No it was a packet of Sainsbury's ready cooked/roasted beef slices and the salad was their Mediterranean one, containing mixed leaves, peppers, cherry tomatoes etc. I had removed all the shredded carrot thinking it not suitable and didn't use the packet of dressing provided but put on my Olive oil instead and a little mayonnaise. I'd been busy in the garden all morning so wanted something quick to eat as I'd had nothing at all until I had that just after 2pm, not even a sip of water! I wanted to get outside jobs done before the rain came you see.

 

[Oldvatr]

No hint of BBQ sauce or similar? My suggestion is to rinse and repeat to see if it really was the meal or something else going on.

Unlikely, but it is not unknown for meat products to be adulterated to make them more palatable for the consumer. It used to be common practice for poultry to be injected with water and sugar to plump them up and taste sweet. Less likely with beef slices. Any pickle? You made your own salad dressing so not that.

But such a rise is out of the ordinary. If the carb content is low as expected then it does point to something interfering with the production and release of insulin. Stress would do that, or lack of simple carbs to trigger amylase release in the saliva. Lack of saliva due to dehydration. But these are all straws not really the usual suspects. Rinse and repeat to eliminate the meal.

 

[coby]

Did you wash your hands? How long did it take to come back down? Are you unwell?

Yes I always wash my hands first, but another thing is that I hadn't changed the lancet for a few days?
I keep trying to find a reason but drawing a blank.
My reading came down to 7.2 but that was almost four hours later! I've not felt ill, apart from after waking from the sudden sleep. I'm absolutely fine now thankfully and my BG numbers have stayed in the 5.2 to 6.8 range all of today. Maybe it will remain a mystery!!!

 

[coby]

The falling asleep and feeling light headed could be a sign you're a bit under the weather. Which can make our BG rise.
Could that be the cause?

I find dehydration affects my readings to be higher but also I found tomatoes also raise my blood sugar so I’ve been limiting them.

I am leaning towards the tomatoes too! I usually have salad tomatoes which are not as sweet, and this salad contained cherry ones, which I did find rather sweet? Perhaps I should try a couple on their own and then test?

 

[Antje77]

but another thing is that I hadn't changed the lancet for a few days?

I don't change mine for months at a time, doesn't make a difference for me.

Maybe it will remain a mystery!!!

cherry ones, which I did find rather sweet? Perhaps I should try a couple on their own and then test?

Always worth a try!
Or just write it off as one of those days if it doesn't happen again.

 

[MrsA2]

I am leaning towards the tomatoes too! I usually have salad tomatoes which are not as sweet, and this salad contained cherry ones, which I did find rather sweet? Perhaps I should try a couple on their own and then test?

A couple of years ago, at a garden show, one of the tomato growers had an exhibit ranking the tomatoes for sweetness. I think there were 15 or so and even the most 'unsweet' was pleasant enough to eat. The sweetest one was just like eating a sugar cube. So I think they can vary a lot, and they are being bred to be sweeter and sweeter.

Likewise, on a cookery programme a chef mentioned she finds most tomatoes too sweet for curries and some other dishes, so she now grows her own sour varieties as she cannot buy them in shops.

An example of big agriculture affecting our diets even through unprocessed foods?

 

[Resurgam]

Hi to everyone and I have a question.
I didn't eat until just after 2pm today, and only had a mixed salad with some roast beef slices, followed by my first drink of the day which was coffee with double cream. I was 5.6 before eating and fell asleep so didn't test again for almost three hours but was shocked to get a reading of 9.3. I retook, thinking it was a bad test strip, but got the same. I NEVER get into the nines. Only suspect is cherry tomatoes rather than salad ones in the meal ( I had 5) Could it be those or could it be connected to not having any drinks until 2.30pm? I was quite light headed when I awoke, and even fell asleep again for another half hour after my test. Any thoughts as to why would be appreciated Thanks

Yes. Cherry tomatoes are so sweet they are outside the spec for tomatoes as set quite some years ago and there has been a push to have them reclassified as a separate subsection. Combined with dehydration it might have been a problem
Personally they make me gag they are so sweet, and the flesh tends to be rather soft so perhaps swiftly digested too.

 

[coby]

A couple of years ago, at a garden show, one of the tomato growers had an exhibit ranking the tomatoes for sweetness. I think there were 15 or so and even the most 'unsweet' was pleasant enough to eat. The sweetest one was just like eating a sugar cube. So I think they can vary a lot, and they are being bred to be sweeter and sweeter.

Likewise, on a cookery programme a chef mentioned she finds most tomatoes too sweet for curries and some other dishes, so she now grows her own sour varieties as she cannot buy them in shops.

An example of big agriculture affecting our diets even through unprocessed foods?

@MrsA2 I have to agree with you there. We have become a far too sweet nation food-wise even since my own childhood years, and of course, getting used to our diabetic diets only amplifies the sweetness in foodstuffs. I took a bite of malt loaf just a few weeks ago, as I used to love it, but I had to leave the rest and that horrible sweetness stayed in my mouth and made me shudder. Haha It shows how well I've adapted to a more savoury taste though

 

[Lupf]

My two cents worth: It is very easy to over-interpret a single blood sugar reading.
There are many reasons why one reading could be high.
If tomorrow's readings are in the expected range, put it down to a fluke and forget it,
If your readings are usually in an acceptable range, then what matters is
if there is a trend, i.e. are the values going down or up from the usual fluctuations.
Best to log the data and make a plot of your readings after waking up versus the date.
You will see that there is variation of about +-0.7 (in my case) around the average value.
you can ignore these fluctuations.
If the there is a trend, i.e readings are creeping up than one needs to start investigating what is going.

I always test in the morning and (I used to) at +2 hours after breakfast or dinner to have repeatable conditions.
Nowadays I don't test everyday, and my measurements usually come out as expected, depending on what I ate,

If you suspect the cherry tomatos, do an experiment,
alternate days with and without eating them for one week at the same meal,
test before and 2h later and you'll find out.