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Type 1 How many pieces of wheat bread is too much ? Isn’t it something healthy I CAN eat ?

T

Tee_Rockz

Member
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey , recently diagnosed T1D. At only 20 years of age .. I’m so afraid to eat anything due to my sugar levels being too high already (over 200’s) I usually snack on pieces of wheat bread ( i was told that was good for us diabetics) but how much wheat bread is TOO MUCH ? And any ideas on what foods I can eat that won’t spike my sugars so much ?
Goal: Trying to keep my sugars below 200

I’d appreciate any feedback and any response would help thanks family !
 
Tee_Rockz said:
Hey , recently diagnosed T1D. At only 20 years of age .. I’m so afraid to eat anything due to my sugar levels being too high already (over 200’s) I usually snack on pieces of wheat bread ( i was told that was good for us diabetics) but how much wheat bread is TOO MUCH ? And any ideas on what foods I can eat that won’t spike my sugars so much ?
Goal: Trying to keep my sugars below 200

I’d appreciate any feedback and any response would help thanks family !
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Wheat bread turns straight into glucose in your blood especially the white kind so I think it is a difficult snack for a type 1!
Snacking in general will make it harder to get good sugars but if you did feel genuinely hungery, or as a newbie need to put back on lost weight, I'd go with nuts, cheese or eggs.
FYI I am listening to a real helpful book written by a type 1 (Adam Brown) which I will link here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Spots-Landmines-Diabetes-Someone/dp/0692875174
It is also available as a free download from the Diatribe site for which he writes.
He describes it as the guide he wishes he'd had when first diagnosed. He is based in SF so all the numbers are in US so hopefully this would be useful to you! It is entirely practical and down to earth and I am being reminded of stuff even though I've had this for 38 years!
 
Tee_Rockz said:
Hey , recently diagnosed T1D. At only 20 years of age .. I’m so afraid to eat anything due to my sugar levels being too high already (over 200’s) I usually snack on pieces of wheat bread ( i was told that was good for us diabetics) but how much wheat bread is TOO MUCH ? And any ideas on what foods I can eat that won’t spike my sugars so much ?
Click to expand...
T1's can eat most stuff - if (and that is a big if) you know how much insulin you need to take for the relevant amount that you are eating and when you should take the insulin for it (as some foods will raise your blood sugar faster than others).
Learning how much you need is definitely a case of trial and error as everyone is different.

As new T1 have they taught you about carb counting yet, or are you waiting to go on a carb counting and insulin dosing course?
 
I know I take 8 units of Novolog (fast acting). and 20 units of Levemir(long acting) (not really sure about carb counting) how can I further educate myself on this ?
 
Think like a pancreas by Gary Scheiner. He’s an American T1 and doctor
 
Ouch - I just cringe when I read those words 'good for diabetics' as it usually means something not at all good - slices of bread are slabs of starch, made soft and fluffy - and they have no nutritional value - though things are added to try to make it a better idea, something else would be better - anything else would be better, something with more nutrition by its nature.
Sure, as a type one you can keep adding insulin to counteract it - but a better food choice would be something with protein and fat - something beneficial to body and brain.
Me being a type two I just avoid standard white bread, though I am working on making a low carb substitute for occasional consumption.
 
Tee_Rockz said:
I know I take 8 units of Novolog (fast acting). and 20 units of Levemir(long acting) (not really sure about carb counting) how can I further educate myself on this ?
Click to expand...

Hi Tee, my advice would be to take it slowly at first. You have just been diagnosed and I imagine your diabetes team are still monitoring your insulin and 'normal' food intake so they can see how you react and adjust your insulin accordingly. They tend to put a person on fixed amounts of insulin at first to drop their levels slowly and to gauge their responses to their normal food. The instinct is to immediately change your diet if you see your glucose levels shooting up but before long you will be able to make those insulin adjustments yourself and have flexibility over what you do choose to eat.

Once you have begun to understand how it all works you could then start testing how different foods affect you and how much insulin you may need for them, that takes a lot of trial and error and practice of course. Those saying go low carb have a point but I personally would not do that immediately as your team have probably assumed you are eating a certain amount of carbs and have put you on fixed amounts of insulin, if you suddenly low carb without taking that into account you could start having hypo's as well as hypers.

The bread?, well in hospital they put me on an insulin drip and I plummeted to the 2s so they gave me a slice of wholemeal toast and I whipped up into the teens. Up went the insulin and straight down into the 2s again....so more toast! I do have a slice now and then but that's because I now know how much insulin to take for it (2 units for me). Could I make a 'better choice' as some have said?, maybe but I like a slice of wholemeal toast and I have the benefit of being able to use and utilise insulin.

When you have settled into it of course you can make a decision to go lower/low carb or not, it all depends. I would say personally that I find it easier to manage my condition on around 80 to 100 carbs a day but that is a choice I made about a year after diagnosis. It took me almost that long to have confidence in my carb/insulin ratios and take account of a million other factors that also come into it such as exercise. I also get the 'have protein and fat' instead approach but the protein may also require insulin and if you are having your '8 units of fast acting' and eating 'protein & fat' with it and no carbs then that is dangerous advice (at this stage) and could make you ill. Once you know how it all works you will find that the insulin is taken for what you choose to eat rather than your food trying to match your insulin. At your stage however, they have given you a fixed dose which clearly is not enough to lower your glucose levels so please contact your team and tell them, they will guide you through any required adjustments.

Continue with your research by all means but take it slow and steady at first. x
 
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Hi @Tee_Rockz You can eat all the slices of wheat bread you want, you just have to be able to dose properly for it and start out with lower numbers. That's the trick right now, as a newly diagnosed T1 you are probably still making some insulin. Plus they start you out at lower set doses because they don't want to send you too low. So in all probability you will be on the too high side.

They give you set doses until they can try to figure out baseline doses for you, never mind the fact that everything will also change as time goes on. The trick is learning to properly dose for carbs as soon as possible, keeping in mind the doses can really vary when you pancreas decides to behave itself for a few days.

But if I was always at 200's I'd be asking for adjustments of my insulin. 200 is really too high to be eating more carbs that raises it even more.

So for now until you learn to dose for carbs, you probably should be a little careful of what you eat. Once you learn dosing you can eat what you want, when you want as long as you properly dose for it. I eat completely what I want, although I am a strict vegan.
 
KK123 said:
Hi Tee, my advice would be to take it slowly at first. You have just been diagnosed and I imagine your diabetes team are still monitoring your insulin and 'normal' food intake so they can see how you react and adjust your insulin accordingly. They tend to put a person on fixed amounts of insulin at first to drop their levels slowly and to gauge their responses to their normal food. The instinct is to immediately change your diet if you see your glucose levels shooting up but before long you will be able to make those insulin adjustments yourself and have flexibility over what you do choose to eat.

Once you have begun to understand how it all works you could then start testing how different foods affect you and how much insulin you may need for them, that takes a lot of trial and error and practice of course. Those saying go low carb have a point but I personally would not do that immediately as your team have probably assumed you are eating a certain amount of carbs and have put you on fixed amounts of insulin, if you suddenly low carb without taking that into account you could start having hypo's as well as hypers.

The bread?, well in hospital they put me on an insulin drip and I plummeted to the 2s so they gave me a slice of wholemeal toast and I whipped up into the teens. Up went the insulin and straight down into the 2s again....so more toast! I do have a slice now and then but that's because I now know how much insulin to take for it (2 units for me). Could I make a 'better choice' as some have said?, maybe but I like a slice of wholemeal toast and I have the benefit of being able to use and utilise insulin.

When you have settled into it of course you can make a decision to go lower/low carb or not, it all depends. I would say personally that I find it easier to manage my condition on around 80 to 100 carbs a day but that is a choice I made about a year after diagnosis. It took me almost that long to have confidence in my carb/insulin ratios and take account of a million other factors that also come into it such as exercise. I also get the 'have protein and fat' instead approach but the protein may also require insulin and if you are having your '8 units of fast acting' and eating 'protein & fat' with it and no carbs then that is dangerous advice (at this stage) and could make you ill. Once you know how it all works you will find that the insulin is taken for what you choose to eat rather than your food trying to match your insulin. At your stage however, they have given you a fixed dose which clearly is not enough to lower your glucose levels so please contact your team and tell them, they will guide you through any required adjustments.

Continue with your research by all means but take it slow and steady at first. x
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I just wanted to say, lovely post, sensible and informative.
( I sometimes think the "info" emoji can seem a bit dismissive.. not my intention.... Liked.:) )
T2 here, so offer nothing to the tale, just nice to know a little bit more, cheers.

@Tee_Rockz ...looks like your in good hands here.
Best of luck on the journey, and finding a way that works for you.
 
jjraak said:
I just wanted to say, lovely post, sensible and informative.
( I sometimes think the "info" emoji can seem a bit dismissive.. not my intention.... Liked.:) )
T2 here, so offer nothing to the tale, just nice to know a little bit more, cheers.
Click to expand...

Aw, thank you jjraak! x
 
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