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How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digested?

P

Paulwbm

Active Member
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Stupid question, I'm sure, but I've noticed (but only since I was diagnosed as a type 2 :lol: ) that within a few minutes of eating a piece of wholemeal toast (or just about any other carb-laden food), I experience a slight light-headedness/unusual feeling in my head. If I eat more, say two slices, I can experience a form or ringing in the ears that last about 20 mins. Is this a symptom of diabetes? Does the carb convert to glucose and enter the blood stream that quickly?

Any thoughts?
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

I suspect not but eating causes a lot of changes earlier than the eventual digestion.
The body expects things to happen and prepares for it. One is when food reaches the intestine and the bulk causes changes.
I suspect just the taste of food will start things off too.

Have you reduced the carb intake dramatically? I suspect the body might be preparing to make the most of what is coming - I stopped carbs completely for a short while and noticed a fairly dramatic effect when I had a potato.

Could also be that you are worried about what it is going to do.

Cause and effect are not very simple.


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Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Hi Charon

Thank you for your helpful reply. I thought that this was unlikely.

I have cut down dramatically on sugar / carbs. On the sugar side, I have totally stopped eating or drinking anything that has sugar (sucrose, glucose syrup, fructose syrup etc)amongst its ingredients. I have also reduced carbohydrates to a comparatively low level (most days not more than 100 gm total). Now eating lots of salads, vegetables, some fruit (berries, pears)fish, very lean meat, nuts. bread - but not more than 2 slices per day (always rye bread or very course wholegrain).

Exercising daily (brisk walking and some cycling). Need to up this (but still a bit lazy).

I've been on this regime since shortly after diagnosis (end of April 13) but do now find that I feel hungry most of the time. I think this is because I am also trying to keep fats intake down. My BG levels are not particularly high (within NICE guidelines for T2s most of the time) but I want to do better than NICE if I can.
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Depending on what you eat and how often and how much insulin can affect the way you feel. Sometimes after eating and I know I have to but don't feel hungry I feel really clammy and dizzy. Also if it's been a while between meals I feel a bit light-headed and blurry in vision. It doesn't help that we are short-staffed right now and time can fly by. I generally have good control. Sometimes and I really hate this, as I have vertigo, I can get a really irration fear of escalators and can't face them. Very embarassing but it is a rare occurance. Eating habits and control play a massive part in how you feel. Good luck, Paul!

Mart.
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Mart, *insulin release* can make you feel dizzy upon eating something?

6 months ago I noticed feeling very strange in the middle of/immediately after eating and later on suffered from what I now know to be reactive hypos; was that my pancreas going nuts in reaction to eating and thus the reason my first phase response is apparently gone?

But the OP is already fully T2 right? Does that mean first phase is still working but makes them feel unwell?
Could be as aforementioned that your body got used to less onboard insulin released whilst you were eating all that low carb then the release after bread was a bit of a shock?

OP you said you'd been feeling tired lately- maybe slowly reintroduce some carbs? x


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Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

The processing of breaking down carbs into glucose starts in the mouth as saliva is mixed with the food while you chew it and this process continues down into the stomach were stomach acid works to break down the food further, in the case of carbs it is processed into glucose but its not until it passes into your intestines that the glucose is absorbed into your blood so it would be highly unlikely that you would feel any effect straight away after eating although it generally doesnt take long especially with high GI foods like wholemeal bread. It will generally reach its peak after around the 1 hour mark and will then slowly start to return to its base level.

I personally have never felt anything when eating or when my bg levels rise apart from feeling a little tired and sleepy when they are especially high but you may be more in touch with your body than me although ringing in your ears for 20 minutes seems a bit odd. That said without knowing your current base bg level its hard to comment as if you are running very high already then any amount of carbs might have quite a big effect.

Its worth saying that wholemeal bread is no better than white bread as far as blood glucose levels are concerned it merely has a little extra fibre. WholeGRAIN breads are generally better and will have a lower glycemic Index (GI) as the whole grains will take longer to be broken down so digestion will be slower, simply put the glucose will enter the blood stream little by little rather than as one big hit that will happen with higher GI foods.
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Paulwbm said:
Stupid question, I'm sure, but I've noticed (but only since I was diagnosed as a type 2 :lol: ) that within a few minutes of eating a piece of wholemeal toast (or just about any other carb-laden food), I experience a slight light-headedness/unusual feeling in my head. If I eat more, say two slices, I can experience a form or ringing in the ears that last about 20 mins. Is this a symptom of diabetes? Does the carb convert to glucose and enter the blood stream that quickly?

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Not a stupid question at all :)

The few and rare times I have been out for a meal .
Celebrate family event or special occasion etc.
I feel rough within an hour of eating as have probably eaten
more than I would do at home!

I am a lite bite snack person at home ...
My stomach and blood sugars are 'used' and familiar to this .

So if I eat more when out - I feel rough and tire a lot easier too .

I 'prefer' to avoid eating out at a celebratory event unless I absolutely have to ...

Good question - actually :thumbup:

Anna .
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Several times in the past when I used to get what I called 'a hypo', the need to get some sugar inside me quickly, I would eat bread. It was the fastest acting thing I found. I even went to the front of the queue at the RHS gardens restaurant to ask for bread, I appologised to the people I went in front of and told them why. They and the man who served me were very understanding.

If I needed a big boost then I would have beans on toast.
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

Hey Sid! Cephalic insulin response occurs just on the sight, taste or thought of food. I could be really 'into' a chocolate bar and felt like I was going to pass out 30 seconds into it


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Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

lrw60 said:
Several times in the past when I used to get what I called 'a hypo', the need to get some sugar inside me quickly, I would eat bread. It was the fastest acting thing I found. I even went to the front of the queue at the RHS gardens restaurant to ask for bread, I appologised to the people I went in front of and told them why. They and the man who served me were very understanding.

If I needed a big boost then I would have beans on toast.
Click to expand...


What you call a "hypo". Hey that's a catchy phrase. I think we should adopt this new quirky word to describe when our blood glucose levels are low. I can see this catching on throughout the diabetes community, 'Hypo', yeah definitely got a ring to it. :lol: :thumbup: :***:
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

martwolves said:
What you call a "hypo". Hey that's a catchy phrase. I think we should adopt this new quirky word to describe when our blood glucose levels are low. I can see this catching on throughout the diabetes community, 'Hypo', yeah definitely got a ring to it. :lol: :thumbup: :***:
Click to expand...

Hi Mart,
I had heard of hypoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic and I knew that one meant not enough sugar and the other meant too much. I used to get the shakes anyway. I used to get this condition years before being diagnosed as diabetic. Hard work and not enough food. I use the word hypo to describe my condition, but I have read on other threads that the term hypo only applies to type 1s, not type 2s. Do type 1s have hypos and type 2s the shakes? I await educatin' :angel:
Lee.
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

lrw60 said:
martwolves said:
What you call a "hypo". Hey that's a catchy phrase. I think we should adopt this new quirky word to describe when our blood glucose levels are low. I can see this catching on throughout the diabetes community, 'Hypo', yeah definitely got a ring to it. :lol: :thumbup: :***:
Click to expand...

Hi Mart,
I had heard of hypoglycaemic and hyperglycaemic and I knew that one meant not enough sugar and the other meant too much. I used to get the shakes anyway. I used to get this condition years before being diagnosed as diabetic. Hard work and not enough food. I use the word hypo to describe my condition, but I have read on other threads that the term hypo only applies to type 1s, not type 2s. Do type 1s have hypos and type 2s the shakes? I await educatin' :angel:
Lee.
Click to expand...


I've never heard or known a type 2 diabetic have a hypoglycaemic attack. It would be unlikely (IN MY OWN OPINION).

Type 1 diabetics can be Hypo or Hyperglycaemic. Hypo = low blood glucose, complete crash and passing out, feeling drunk. Hyper or high blood glucose FOR ME makes me feel knackered and drowsy and sluggish. I'd rather be too high than too low and I think the majority of type 1 sufferers would agree. Hell, that's a lie, i'd like to be normal and eat what I like!
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

I would think a piece of toast would be completely digested by half an hour if not sooner. Would be slowed if it has a lot of butter. A whole meal will show your highest BG after 75 minutes from starting to eat. However. when I've played with meters and non-diabetics, I've only ever ONCE seen a reading of over 8 and that was after eating a pasta bake lunch. Other people who had eaten the same stayed in the 6s. I had eaten a salad and was in the 5s.
Hana
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

LittleWolf said:
Hey Sid! Cephalic insulin response occurs just on the sight, taste or thought of food. I could be really 'into' a chocolate bar and felt like I was going to pass out 30 seconds into it
Click to expand...


As I said LittleWolf "The processing of breaking down carbs into glucose starts in the mouth as saliva is mixed with the food while you chew it"

Whether this is "Cephalic insulin response" or a cephalic phase of gastric secretion I dont know as Ive never experienced it. Where eating is concerned I only ever feel OK, hungry or full up :D
 
Re: How long does it take for a piece of toast to be digeste

This has turned into a really interesting thread. Thanks everyone, for the responses to my original question and for the developing discussion.


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