• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Insulin spiking foods

HSSS

HSSS

Expert
Messages
7,675
Location
South of England
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
ive been reading on a strict Facebook T2 low carb group about foods that spike insulin that may not spike blood glucose. I’m a bit confused. Doesn’t insulin rise in response to glucose? If so how can it spike if there’s no rise in bgl. This is what I read. It’s the third and fourth paragraphs that confuse me.

C5F614A9-AE03-44ED-A121-DCFC87AEB498.jpeg

@Jim Lahey you spring to mind as someone who might be able to explain this in a “dummy’s guide to” style suitable for me :)
 
Personally I have always considered the "eat to your meter" approach as flawed, which is why I've never advocated it.

My policy is and has always been not to eat food containing Carbs (as much as humanly possible)

There will be "science" behind this, but I'll leave it to those who like to read loads of stuff and watch youtube videos to explain it, as I don't properly understand it

The way I look at it is, if a "normal" person ate a slice of bread it may take them 3 squirts of Insulin to control their BG. When I eat the same slice, because I am T2D and insulin resistant it will take 10 squirts of Insulin to do the same thing. So I therefore have 7 extra squirts of insulin sloshing about in my bloodstream, which is highly unlikely to help my insulin resistance, and will probably only make it worse.
 
Last edited:
I can’t speak for individual foods but my understanding is that insulin is secreted every time you eat something, irrespective of what it is. I think I read that there’s an initial response caused by signals from the stomach. I’m fairly ignorant of the finer points and I’m very sure it’s complex. I know that the insulin index takes protein into consideration, for instance. I think sugar alcohols (sweeteners) cause an insulin response.

There is definitely a lot more to diabetes management than blood glucose concentration. As for the “eat to the meter” - I do not believe this an optimal strategy for improving insulin sensitivity, and I started an entire discussion about it some time back :)
 
Mmm, thanks for your thoughts guys. You both seem to have got the bgl under control by your methods. I guess I’m looking to understand the origin of the problem rather than just the symptom - along with far far greater scientific minds than mine. I’m still none the wiser about the source or ethos behind of this info and not getting any info back from the group concerned. I avoid all beige carbs too, mostly because I hate counting, sticking to dairy and veg mostly for carbs.
 
I’m having Tim noakes articles linked by the group now but so far these explain the need for low carb and the role of hyperinsulimia but not how certain foods can spike insulin but not glucose
 
I wouldn’t overthink it. Just do your best to minimise insulin secretion at all times. Even just not snacking has a profound effect on insulin sensitivity. That’s my advice anyway. Others prefer to live meal-to-meal, and that’s fine if it works for them.

I say don’t overthink it, but I’ve now read nineteen books on nutrition science and related subjects. Far better sources of information than random folk from the internet :oops::hilarious:
 
Hi,

In laymans terms, (& at a guess.) it probably could have something to do with the rate that some foods are digested..? (Some slower than others.)
Assuming a pancreas is functioning normaly, it probably "dual waves" it's output as & when needed to utilise whatever sugar is carried in the bloodstream..

A little like a T1 mimicking the action by split bolusing for certain food stuffs like (dare I say it.) pizza. Or the acurssed "buffet" set up.. In order to avoid a drop then a spike (or the other way round.) from the insulin working profile using timing to keep within parameters...

Having said that, I'm just some random low carbing T1 on tinternet who tends not to over complicate things... :)
 
There may even be a Pavlovian response. In Gary Taubes' latest offerings Gary jokes with the audience by asking them (on the first occasion) to imagine warm doughnuts. He then smiles and says "There, you all just had an insulin response".
 
Jim Lahey said:
I wouldn’t overthink it. Just do your best to minimise insulin secretion at all times. Even just not snacking has a profound effect on insulin sensitivity. That’s my advice anyway. Others prefer to live meal-to-meal, and that’s fine if it works for them.

I say don’t overthink it, but I’ve now read nineteen books on nutrition science and related subjects. Far better sources of information than random folk from the internet :oops::hilarious:
Click to expand...
It’s more than I’m genuinely (with vested) interested than overthinking or worrying. For now I’m happy with what I’m doing and progress so far.

I have always wanted to understand the whys and wherefore of everything so this is totally in character for me rather than unhealthy obessession. At uni (unfinished sadly) I was obsessed with anat and phys -Small boast of the highest score of the year I credit to fascination. I’m not trying to use them as sources but as hypotheses and direction to go find sources if that makes sense.
 
I’ve finally got to Bernstein as their source. Not sure they are quoting him directly or adding their own spin but it’s their group so......
 
Back
Top