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Don't get it? Pearl Barley

P

PickledPepper

Well-Known Member
Messages
238
All of the websites I've read about GI talk about pearl barley having the lowest GI index of all grains.

So naturally I went and got some. I soaked them overnight and made a porridge from them this morning using a mixture of normal and low fat milk and a teaspoon or so of cinnamon. I washed the grains a few times before boiling in milk I added a spoon of Splenda afterwards as well.

Now my fasting level was the lowest it has ever been at 5.3 and I was in the fives almost all of yesterday. I tested my reactions to the porridge at 1, 2 & 3 hours and got:

1 hour: 11 .1!
2 hours: 9.1
3 hours 7.5

Now I am a bit worried, firstly because I've been low carbing hardcore lately and I think it has the effect of making me what I can only describe as 'dumbass' or dopey as well as light headed. Secondly, because I'm a bit apprehensive of the long term effects of these self tests we do in order to find out our personal nuances with our condition in relation to food? Maybe I should just see it as a necessary evil I have to go through to establish what I can and can't eat?

Plus I am quite shocked at the readings above with this so called super low GI grain?
 
It is low on the GI scale but not everyone can tolerate it. What weight was your portion size ?

You may be able to tolerate it in a smaller portion size but the only way to find that out is by experimenting.

Pearl Barley is 28.2 gm of carbs per 100gm when boiled.
It is 77.7 gm of carbs per 100gm when raw.
 

Okay maybe it was a bit biggish. I never measured it (note to self - buy scales). Even then, I'm not getting ANY good reading from carbs. It's like the GI thing is irrelevant in my case.
 
The GI index is for dieters, not specifically for diabetics.

Carbohydrate is what is important in diabetes and this is what you need to take note of and test to find what foods are ok and which ones to avoid like the plague !!

However, once you get the hang of foods and what they are doing to your blood sugar levels then you can start experimenting with GI/GL and portion control so that you can add variety to your menu but still keep control of your blood glucose levels.
 
PP,

All depends on your portion size as Sue says, try reducing your portion size and test on the 1 hour mark, and then test again at the 2 and 4 hour mark.

I find the average serving sizes are to much, and by reducing it I can prevent the post-meal highs and keep within my personal range. Should you find your portion size is too small, try adding some seeds and berries to bulk it up, there are loads of low-carb options available.

Nigel
 
SS and Noblehead,

Thanks for the feedback.

I still have some porridge left (put it in a plastic container in the fridge), so I may do another test with it as suggested in the next few days. I just hate the way you end up with loads of stuff you can't really eat after testing...and doing well with your levels only to have them rocket on some 'test'. But I guess you've all been through that phase?

I have to REALLY get used to measuring my carbs in tablespoons, not that you could make a decent porridge with two tablespoons of grains...... or have a decent curry with two spoons of rice....sorry guys, I'm wingeing.

Out of curiosity why test at 1,2 & 4 hours over 1,2 & 3 Noblehead?
 
 
All of the websites I've read about GI talk about pearl barley having the lowest GI index of all grains.
Click to expand...

It mostly is, but I found a note of caution in one GI news stating that not all varieties are equally low.
Most websites give it a GI of 25. Tests in Canada with type 2s found a GI of 22 , tests in the UK found a GI of 35 but Montignac (France) suggests a GI of 60!.
I agree that the portion size is most likely to be the problem, I also wonder about the effect of presoaking, this might have the effect of making the starch more available.
 
As Sue says, you need good scales measuring in grams. You find what the carb content of a product is in 100 grams weight, then if you measure out the portion you are going to use you use a simple calculation to find out the exact number of carbs you will be consuming, once you know that you can adjust the portion size to suit.

Example:
Product contains 48g carbs per 100 grams weight.
Your portion size weighs 54 grams.

So, 48 ÷ 100 x 54 = 25.92g carbs. That is part of the skills you need to ascertain how many carbs you actually consume at each meal.

Ken
 
Scales AND a Carb Counter book too!
Click to expand...

Hiya Synonym

Could I not use this in place of buying a carb counter book? Feels like I'm forking out on food and testing strips left, right and centre right now.

http://www.carblife.com/carbcount.asp?id=2


Plus what is it that I should aim for? Trying to establish the weight of the max carbs I can eat without going high? Do we end up having like a set allowance for a day?

If so, what is you guys allowance? If you don't mind me asking. I've figure I'm highly sensitive to carbs compared to many others.
 
Collins Gem Carb or Calorie counter is about £3.95 and pocket sized. On-line is fine but difficult to take shopping with you ! . Well worth the money in terms of your health.

Here's a suggestion. Weigh a portion that you usually eat then work out the carbs in that portion then, cut that portion in half and see how that affects you. Keep a food diary and note down everything you eat and the readings you get.

The whole point is to find foods that you can eat and, more importantly you like to eat because this is not a diet, this is a life style change and you have to be happy with it otherwise you will not stick with it.
 
What Sue says is absolutely spot on !

My meals usually don't go over 25 - 30g carbs in total, sometimes a lot less. That works fine for me though not everybody is happy with that lower level, then there are others who go even lower, such as Sue.

I do sometimes have more than that, but I also can go higher when I feel like it because (a) I have lost over 5 stone doing this, (b) I strictly control my portion sizes which means lower carb intake. Depends entirely on how tight you want your control to be.

I want my daily Bg levels to go no higher than around 7 mmol/l. They usually start at around 4'ish and then after meals I prefer to see 6 - 7 mmol/l. I stay above 4 because I get hypo symptoms around 4.5 mmol/l, I feel terrible.

You may think this is all a lot of hard work, but it pays dividends in the end. Cuts the risks of any complications later on and you will feel fitter, livelier and definitely have a better quality of life !
That has to be the motivation for anybody and well worth the effort. No pain. no gain.......

Many of us are sensitive to the carbs, that's why we all have to work at it. Reduce them down to safe levels. Keep those Bg numbers down. It does get easier after a little while.

Ken
 
Hhhmmm.......okay,

One thing I notice the other day when I had my best control of levels yet (all day in the 5s) was that I was light headed and dopey.

I mean this is like the ideal level to be (or close) and it seemed to have bad effects for me. I'm wondering if I could be exhibiting hypo symptoms at that level?
 
If your body has been used to running on higher blood sugar levels then you will feel strange until it gets used to the new lower levels. This does feel like a hypo but will go away, stick with it !

This is known as a 'false' hypo.
 
Hi PP!

Ken and Sue have said it all so .... what they said!

You have to look on it as an investment for making sure that you have a future and as healthy a future as you can manage! There are no shortcuts but it is all worth it in the end. 8)
 
Same here.
It seems like there are different types of barley, and different types of barley and the GI ranges from 22 to 55. pearled tough says goes only up to 29.
http://www.gilisting.com/2004/05/glycem ... rains.html

I have a theory though: precooked cereals have higher GI.
I haven't find anything about it online yet, but thats what I learned by myself. Grains which are precooked with steam have more effect on my sugar. Sometimes it does;n say on the package whether barley is precooked or not, but if the cooking time is short, it means it is. Same for all other grains.
 
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