Spikes

[Amberstelle]

I've spent the last few days reading through many of your posts and have found them very useful. I have now started testing BS before and after meals but I'm a little confused as to what is regarded as a 'spike'. Most mornings I start the day with a BS of between 7 and 8 (prior to tea or breakfast). Surely I should expect this to have gone up an hour after my breakfast but how much does it need to go up to constitute a spike? I don't have time to cook sausage and egg in the mornings before work ( although I note from the forum these are more suitable breakfast options ) so usually go with wee taboo and skimmed milk, but switched to toast to test the theory. please see my readings below for the last two days:-
before breakfast BS was 7.9 then I ate x2 weta is with skimmed milk along with a cup of tea and an hour later BS 14.5
Before breakfast BS was 6.6 then I ate x1 piece white toast with low fat spread and a cuppa and an hour later BS 10.9

Both options sent my level up by the toast by slightly less - but are these 'normal' increases or 'spikes' indicating I should definitely look for an alternative breakfast option?

Any advice or comments gratefully received

Sharon X

 

[DeejayR]

Definitely find alternatives. 14.5 is damaging and 10 is not good either. Not to worry, you should be able to fix that.
Blood sugar ranges recommended for Type 2 by NICE are as follows:
Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
But lower than that is preferable, many of us are convinced.

 

[Amberstelle]

Thank you but I think subconsciously I knew these weren't good.
Guess I'm going to have get up that bit earlier Mon - Fri to fix myself something eggy for breakfast. Or skip breakfast altogether which wouldn't bother me at this moment in time because I'm so fed up thinking about what food I should / shouldn't eat that I'm rapidly losing my appetite

 

[Paul59]

I'd stay well clear of both. Try Burgen linseed & soye bread far less carbs & affordable unlike livlife which is small & pricy. May be try yogurt with a few berries or boiled or scrambled egg, if scrambled could add salmon or ham.

As to what is considered a spike, I would like to know that as well but it never seems to be said.
They say being below 8.5 or less or within 2 of your b4 reading but never what amount of increase would be considered a spike at 1hr post eating, unless I've missed it being said. Basically how much of a rise. Above 4 maybe, I have no idea.

 

[Daffodils1]

Hi, like you I have to be nippy getting out in the mornings and until recently never bothered with a cooked breakfast. I've found boiled egg are the easiest...bought a loud egg timer so I can wonder off and get ready while they cook! All the best. D

 

[Sam72]

I can't eat weetabix or toast either. My quick breakfast is a peanut 9 bar or full fat Greek yoghurt and berries and/ or sugar free jelly. Sometimes I just can't face cooked breakfast although it spikes me the least if all options.

 

[himtoo]

consider boiling the night before and eat a continental style breakfast of hard boiled egg , slices of ham and some cheese plus on the side
combine 100ml of fromage frais along with a few berries( 50 gr ) from a frozen bag of mixed berries in your freezer

whole breakfast less than 10 grams carb

 

[Bluetit1802]

Any rise is a spike, but the initial aim when first learning is to keep the rises between before and 2 hours after under 2mmol/l. After a while, the aim is to keep the rises under 1.5mmol/l at 2 hours. Anything over 2 mmol/l is a spike to be avoided, and whatever was eaten contained too many carbs.

The actual post meal level depends where you are before eating.

 

[Amberstelle]

Thanks everyone - I have received more useful information from this forum in the last few days than I have from my GP Practice in the last 2 years. Just wish Id found it sooner and not wasted the last 2 years thinking I was eating a healthy diet when in fact the opposite was true. Still better late than never

 

[jack412]

Thank you but I think subconsciously I knew these weren't good.
Guess I'm going to have get up that bit earlier Mon - Fri to fix myself something eggy for breakfast. Or skip breakfast altogether which wouldn't bother me at this moment in time because I'm so fed up thinking about what food I should / shouldn't eat that I'm rapidly losing my appetite

have a cook up and freeze off..a vegetable frittata makes a good healthy breakfast you can eat on the run..thaws in the micro..a lot of stuff can be precooked/ leftovers and heated for breakfast.

 

[daddys1]

Thanks everyone - I have received more useful information from this forum in the last few days than I have from my GP Practice in the last 2 years. Just wish Id found it sooner and not wasted the last 2 years thinking I was eating a healthy diet when in fact the opposite was true. Still better late than never

Hi, your not the only one, I would say my diet was super healthy when I was diagnosed PRE, then I improved it even more by adding Fresh Fruit including Dates, cut nearly all my potatoes & bread out but would have a full tin of mushy peas with a large piece of fish. 6 months later diagnosed borderline diabetes. The Fruit, Dates, Mushy Peas, Granola for breakfast all these were making me worse, until I got on here.

So you not alone, it's the carbs they don't tell you about..............

Neil

 

[Brunneria]

Continental ham and cheese is a great instant brekkie.
So is full fat Greek yog, maybe with berries
I sometimes have just coffee and a hefty jolt of double cream.
Scrambled eggs just take seconds
Or you can cook several sausages and then just micro a couple when you need them.
Hard boiled eggs can even be peeled in advance (and even nicer if mashed with mayo and/or grated cheese.
If you want a cereal substitute, there are recipes using nuts and nut flours instead of grains.

And recently, I made a fab low carb cake (virtually no impact on my blood glucose) and could eat cake for breakfast. It rocked my world to eat a guilt free cake for brekkie!
Just shout if you want the recipe!

 

[Daffodils1]

Continental ham and cheese is a great instant brekkie.
So is full fat Greek yog, maybe with berries
I sometimes have just coffee and a hefty jolt of double cream.
Scrambled eggs just take seconds
Or you can cook several sausages and then just micro a couple when you need them.
Hard boiled eggs can even be peeled in advance (and even nicer if mashed with mayo and/or grated cheese.
If you want a cereal substitute, there are recipes using nuts and nut flours instead of grains.

And recently, I made a fab low carb cake (virtually no impact on my blood glucose) and could eat cake for breakfast. It rocked my world to eat a guilt free cake for brekkie!
Just shout if you want the recipe!

Hello,just jumping in here, I'd love the recipe...cake for breakfast sounds irresistible!

 

[Brunneria]

Cake recipe here Along with about 50 other delights
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/vegetarian-vegan-low-carb-recipe-index.61859/
You are looking for the straciatella cake.
Although I heartily recommend the mug cakes too.

 

[Amberstelle]

Continental ham and cheese is a great instant brekkie.
So is full fat Greek yog, maybe with berries
I sometimes have just coffee and a hefty jolt of double cream.
Scrambled eggs just take seconds
Or you can cook several sausages and then just micro a couple when you need them.
Hard boiled eggs can even be peeled in advance (and even nicer if mashed with mayo and/or grated cheese.
If you want a cereal substitute, there are recipes using nuts and nut flours instead of grains.

And recently, I made a fab low carb cake (virtually no impact on my blood glucose) and could eat cake for breakfast. It rocked my world to eat a guilt free cake for brekkie!
Just shout if you want the recipe!

Cake recipe here Along with about 50 other delights
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/vegetarian-vegan-low-carb-recipe-index.61859/
You are looking for the straciatella cake.
Although I heartily recommend the mug cakes too.

ooooh cake for breakfast.......yes please. Thanks for the link - I will give it a go Xx

 

[jack412]

ooooh cake for breakfast.......yes please. Thanks for the link - I will give it a go Xx

[joke] LOL..why do I think this will end in tears

 

[Amberstelle]

[joke] LOL..why do I think this will end in tears

Tears of joy of coursejack412

 

[Amberstelle]

Started putting what I've learned into practice and after starting today at 7.4 I took a 15 min walk for a newspaper then cooked bacon, sausage and poached egg.
1 hour later my BS was 6.6 didn't eat then until tea time when I cooked roast chicken which I ate with lashings of broccoli, curly kale, sprouts, carrots and x2 small roast potatoes and a yorkie - BS was 8.5 an hour after eating which is pretty good ( I think ) - could possibly push this down again if I did without the spuds, yorkie and gravy (Tescos gravy granules) .
Would you regard this as an acceptable spike or should I be ditching the spuds n yorkies?

 

[DeejayR]

I'd say lay off the spuds and yorkies and the gravy granules at least for now. When you know what you CAN eat, you can experiment to find what you can't. Otherwise it gets confusing ... is it the yorkies that do more damage or the spuds?

 

[Bluetit1802]

@Amberstelle Your spike to 8.5 after an hour may be good or bad, depending where you started and what you were at 2 hours and thereafter. A 1hr reading doesn't mean much on its own. You need to know how quickly you returned to base.

I also had a big chicken dinner last night, with 2 small roast spuds, no carrots or yorkies, and only a dribble of gravy. I was 8.3 at an hour but 5.8 just after 2 hours, and 5.2 after that, so I was happy enough because I came down to base quickly.