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High fibre diet...

Have often wondered about this... I presume that the rougher grains though they are still carbs are less complex and so will not push up your BG levels so much as well as aiding as the report says.
Any recommendations of commercial products?
All Bran is out for me because of the salt content... for ex.
Cereal bars look off limits too... 8)
 
Cowboyjim said:
Have often wondered about this... I presume that the rougher grains though they are still carbs are less complex and so will not push up your BG levels so much as well as aiding as the report says.
Any recommendations of commercial products?
All Bran is out for me because of the salt content... for ex.
Cereal bars look off limits too... 8)
Click to expand...

Jim,

I use Asda's High Bran for my choice of breakfast cereal as it has a very low gi rating of 30 on the glycemic index, and doesn't cause post meal spikes unlike some I have tried. The packaging states that a 40g serving with 125ml of semi-skimmed milk has 0.20g of Sodium, which is the equivalent of 0.5g of salt.

I was reading a article about breakfast cereals a little while back where they were using the traffic light system to establish the most healthiest breakfast cereal on the market, and the one that came top was Nestle Shredded Wheat, as this contains only 100% whole grain wheat, so no salt added whatsoever. I haven't a clue about what it does to post meal bg's as I have yet to try it, but again it all boils down to portion control and appetite, obviously one shredded wheat will have a lesser impact than two.

Nigel
 
Breakfast cereals are a minefield, ingredients can only be an indication as can any published gi list
(hence you need to test yourself and portion size is crucial, 30g is the usual tested serving size)

There are 2 tests of shredded wheat on the GI index data base, neither is very low GI, one at 67 and the other at 87 (which is about where most refined cereals are)
There are several tests of All bran, none very high but they vary between 30 and 50s.

The reason for the variation is that the manyfacturers use different recipes according to country .
Special K has a tested gi of 54 in Australia, Special k in France was tested with a gi of 84
(if you look at the ingredients list they differ : sugar is 3rd on the list in France, it also contains milk powder, sugar is 4th in Australia. and seemingly no milk powder.. I assume this may account for the difference)

I haven't tried it and can't find any official tests but found a lot of people on the internet suggesting that oatibix is lower gi, it contains a fair amount of soluble and insoluble fibre and seems to be a bit lower in salt and sugar than many cereals. Tescos healthy living oat flakes have a tested gi of 50 but maybe too high in salt for you.
 
Thanks for those... it is indeed a minefield. Just give me the whole grains without the salt and sugar and I might give them a try. Looks like most of these items are off limits for one reason or another or maybe even two.
I was warned off shredded wheat a while back even tho I like em. Maybe try just one and measure.
Maybe better to stick to baked beans and homemade wholegrain bread with some veg... mind you the baked beans can be replete with salt and sugar... argh!
Be nice to have something like a cereal bar to nibble on all day long so the portion stayed low... or I could just keep eating the nuts.
The Collins Gem is useful to narrow it down but it tends to simply reveal how few genuine options there are.
Cheers!
8)
 
An addendum to that notional breakfast - I sort of like Sainsbury's meatfree burgers... the taste is a bit weird IMHO... palatable tho. So you could do I what I just did and have half of one, some bacon, mushrooms etc and of course baked beans... not a lot of carbs there....
The meatfree burger packet says for every 100g it has 4.2g carbs, 6g fat, 1g salt, but 3.4g of fibre and 20g of protein... not measured the effect on BG yet but it's a start.
Mind you it says it is 60% soya protein and 20% wheat protein...
No go on and poo poo this and make my day! :roll:
8)
 
Jim - you aren't doing yourself any favours with those baked means, mate. Loaded with sugar...
 
There is a distinction between soluble & insoluble fibre, though its hard to visualise fibre after its dissolved. I think the point is that soluble fibres like oat bran swell without fully dissolving, & there ease the passage through the gut, whereas coarse insoluble fibres (husks, wheat bran & whole grain) are more likely to irritate.

I wonder how many understand the difference & significance? Is there confusion guaranteed by the terminology?
 
My Heinz Beanz tin says 5% sugar so.... plus I only have a few spoonfuls... 4% fibre and about the same protein... chuff hall salt...
Moderation is the key and lordy you have to get something nice down you once a day. 8)
 
Cowboyjim said:
My Heinz Beanz tin says 5% sugar so.... plus I only have a few spoonfuls... 4% fibre and about the same protein... chuff hall salt...
Moderation is the key and lordy you have to get something nice down you once a day. 8)
Click to expand...


Jim.
Patch is right about Beans.....although they are loaded with carbs which include sugars. They all convert to glucose in the blood.

An average can of Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce contains 15.9g carbs per 100g portion. That includes the sugars. Carbs are what affects your Bg levels, you should read the advice about carbs and labels that we post to newbies. It explains it there.

Therefore if you have a half can, say 210g.....that means you are consuming 33.39g carbs.......a meal for many of us in itself before you even add a slice of bread into the equation. :shock: As regards salt, they do vary but Branston Beans contain 1.7g salt......almost a third of the recommended maximum salt intake.

(Source: Calorie Carb and Fat Bible 2010)
Ken
 
Thanks for that but I am not a newbie tho I am still aware of how little I know about DM let alone understand.
My tin of beans says 13g of carbs incl 5g sugars... per 100g. I have not weighed out what I have but you are right it is over 50g per tin so better to err on side of caution.
Crafty the way they put it per 100g so a quick glance might make you think it is OK...
That said I vaguely recall someone on this forum mentioning beanz are OK... apparently not in the amounts I used to eat. A big shame.
Not much else left to enjoy any more. What a curse this DM is in a world that appears not to care about offering us genuine alternatives. :( 8)
 
Beans contain what is referred to as Resistant Starch. It is the sauce contained in a tin of baked beans that is more of a problem for me.
I eat a variety of beans, usually the dried variety, and after soaking and cooking them I often use them as the carbohydrate part of my meal.
Resistant starch means that this type of starch resists digestion in the small intestine and does not provide short term energy. They are digested at a much slower rate than things like bread and potatoes.

Here are some links explaining about the types of foods that contain these starches,

http://www.resistantstarch.com/Resistan ... /About+RS/

http://www.healthcastle.com/resistant_starch.shtml
 
Excellent links Catherine, and very informative! :)

Nigel
 
Hi Jim,
You can buy them in supermarkets. I usually go for the mixed ones but you can buy them separate, kidney bean, butter beans etc.
Add them to casseroles, salads, soups and stews. They are filling and you obviously have to use portion control. I usually opt for a couple of tablespoons, about a quarter of my meal. I then add protein for the other quarter and fill up the other half with loads of veggies and/or salad.

Last night I had a small chicken breast cooked in lemon and ginger with spinach, broccoli, carrots and mixed beans. I was 4.9 before and 4.9 2hrs. afterwards. I have done checks at 3.4. and 5hrs and my sugars don't rise. When I used to test after 1hr. they didn't go above high 5's or low 6's.
Your response may be different than mine and so it is important that you test.
 
Jim,

You can buy them from most major supermarkets or health food chains. I buy my kidney, haricot, cannellini and butter beans from Lidl, they are the tinned variety in water and there is no need to soak overnight and are ready to eat.

I use mine in vegetable stir-fry's or in curries. They are a acquired taste, and best eaten with seasoning or with other veggies, but all are low-gi and as with Catherine, they don't cause me to have post-meal spikes.

Nigel
 
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