does porridge cause you bg spikes?

ickihun raised the question in the context of wanting the good micronutrients from porridge but not the spikes. Like her, most of us old D hands come to the conclusion that it's not possible and either try to get the micronutrients elsewhere or go without them. My answer, like yours, is bacon and eggs, though I sometimes have a cheese omelette or my version of cereal - a handful of nuts in double cream. Sadly, unlike you I love the bland taste of porridge: I used to make it with milk (porridge made with water reminds me of snot) and serve it with double cream, which gave me a smaller spike than if I'd added golden syrup (eek!) but still spiked me.

@ickihun where would you get the equivalent micronutrients from?

Kate

 

But what are these micronutrients? Good for "heart health"? says who, the manufacturers of oats?..I just don't buy it (as in believe the hype) and don't like it so avoid it. I don't want to play russian roulette with my blood sugars by eating pointless carbs. Sorry if sounds a bit harsh but I sometimes find it hard that people persist in eating things that they know aren't helping their condition..

 

Yes sorry

 

I am firmly of the opinion that anything labelled healthy is going to be the death of me.
What is the magic part of oats which is going to be good for me?
I've not eaten it since I reached my maximum weight ever on a cholesterol reducing diet - the jar is covered in dust - all it seems to do is put on weight for me, and I don't add anything sugary to it. I cooked it in water and added cream, found a tiny thick bottomed pan to cook tiny amounts in, weight just piled on.

 

This is totally true for me also, everything healthy dietary wise is the contrary.
The exception to this is of course meat and fresh uncooked veg.
I know I'm weird but how many others would find that cooking destroys nutritional value of foods. I know salad is boring but I love salad, and my body agrees.
My body really hates porridge, so do I eat very small portions to please some dietician because it's healthy for healthy people.
I have asked this question before, where do I get my necessary micronutrients on a ketogenic lifestyle?
I have no idea!
But it works for me without supplements!
Again, what works for me, might not work for you!

You have to find your own personal lifestyle based on what you can tolerate!
Low carb will help with control!

I cringe every time I see breakfast cereals described as heart healthy!
Or a margarine classed as beneficial for heart or cholesterol.

Then you read the small print and it always says as part of a balanced controlled diet, wether it's calorie controlled or not.
When your healthy it is healthy.
When you're not healthy, it's definitely not healthy!

I do always quote the peanut allergy because it can be fatal!
But so can be being wheat intolerant or lactose intolerant.
The fact that blood glucose levels rise so high and stay there is because your body cannot cope with certain foods. Mostly carbs or sugars. Insulin resistance is mostly caused by too much insulin in your blood, that's why low carb works.

A lot of food is like a poison to how my body reacts, it does mimic chronic T2 diabetes but with severe hypos on top! I have a carb allergy, I am practically carb intolerant. The only way to control my body is not to eat 'healthy'!
As the dieticians, doctors, dsns and every body else that is entrenched that you have to eat carbs!

Sorry for the rant!

 

You'll find you always get told anything'healthy' must be bad for you, and the only breakfast you should eat is bacon and eggs fried in butter in any thread sometimes.
If you move past that, and back on topic, I find I like 'bland' porridge nowadays, before I used to hate it without sugar.

You have to re-educate your taste buds I'm afraid.
I did it by simply not eating anything sweet, as a complete change in lifestyle, and switching to very spicy food.
I can't say I'd fancy chili in porridge, but after I while I found I certainly didn't like golden syrup anymore,

Perseverance I'm afraid.

 

Each to there own

 

Indeed it is each to their own. Each and everyone of us has to find the right eating plan that is sustainable, lowers blood sugars to acceptable levels, aids cholesterol and if it is an issue, weight loss. The only way to do this is to test, test, test, and use the scales if that is necessary. There isn't one of us on here that could cope with golden syrup, but there are some that can eat small portions of porridge, just as there are some that can eat potatoes in small portions, or rice, or whatever, but we only know this by a lot of trial and error and time and effort into finding this sustainable regime.

 

I agree with that. If you have a condition that means you can't eat something, denial ("I couldn't possibly give up bread/porridge/Mars bars") isn't going to help. I just gritted my teeth and give up carby food, and after a while the new habit stuck. And as my condition progresses (I have progressive insulinopoenia) I have to grit my teeth again and give up things such as carrots and sweetcorn that used not to spike by BG but now do.

But I do think it's worth finding out if there really is something in those impossible foods, other than the carbohydrate that makes them impossible for me, that could do me good and might be found elsewhere.

 

Oats contain a powerful soluble fibre called Beta Glucan which helps lower cholesterol levels:

https://authoritynutrition.com/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal/

But other foods like mushrooms also contain Beta Glucan.

 

That's fine providing you believe that lower cholesterol levels are a good thing...

 

Before I was diagnosed I used to enjoy the cinnamon flavoured porridge you can buy. Perhaps sprinkling a little on your porridge would make it less bland. It has to be a better option than syrup. Good luck.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/natural-therapies/cinnamon.html

 

Better to stuff ourselves with mushrooms then. Thank goodness I already do this, every day except Sundays.

 

I'm thankful that I can eat and enjoy both

 

If I did eat porridge I would have to forgo the salad and veges that day and probably the next, waiting for my BG levels to fall again. I do not eat porridge sweetened, not even with milk - I cooked it with water, but my weight would not reduce - in fact it went up, due to the insulin response.
I just cannot eat grains and keep my metabolism in balance, likewise fruit in any quantity, even the lower sugar ones, no legumes either, other than a few peas or green beans, but I cannot see any reason to eat such a carb dense food - it does me more harm than good to have my bloodstream awash with both insulin and glucose with nowhere to go.