Making soup

[Rosiegough_]

I've always made soup before i found out I have type 2 using fresh veg, dried soup mix pulses, stock cube (sometimes stock from chicken carcasses) . Are dried lentils,pearl barley, split peas etc a no no?

 

[Goonergal]

Hi @Rosiegough_

Everyone has different reactions to food and what spikes one person may have little impact on another. For example, I see a few people here posting that they are eating carrots and other root vegetables without impacting their blood sugars, but for me they cause a spike, so I avoid them.

My advice would be to try out the ingredients you mention in a soup and find out whether/how much of them you can tolerate by testing your blood glucose levels immediately before and then again 2 hours after the first bite. You should be aiming for a spike of no more than 2mmols.

Based on the results you can either avoid something altogether, reduce the portion or eat it safe in the knowledge that it will not negatively impact on your blood sugar levels.

Testing really is the only way to gather this knowledge about which foods work for you.

 

[RosieLKH]

As with a lot of ingredients it does depend on the individual. They will be higher in carbs than leafy greens, but lower in carbs than potatoes or pasta. It also depends on how much you use. Personally, I still use them. I've cut out all potatoes, rice, bread and pasta, but find I can use dried beans, split peas, pearl barley etc without too much of an effect on my BS. I don't use too many, and they are with lots of other veggies. If you have a meter, I suggest you make your lovely, healthy soups and then test to see what they do to your BS.

 

[Rosiegough_]

Thankyou x I will try then. I adore soup and would hate to have to go without, at the moment I'm scared what to eat and I'm learning....

 

[Ann1982]

I don't use any dried soup pulse mixes mainly because I don't like them. I use either fresh stock or a cube and use butter beans instead of pasta in minestrone. I also make broccoli and Stilton and hot pepper soup although that does have one potato in a large pot of it but as it's the only potatoes I eat now it's not too bad.

 

[Kristin251]

Creamy soups could be lower carb. Or I sauté mushrooms and onions and blend them with stock for a base. Then I throw a variety of veggies and herbs such as oregano and Sage, garlic and some protein etc in. Comfort food ...

 

[Deleted member 371625]

Adding some fat to the soup may well reduce any spike in BG. Ham hock is great with the split peas, or pancetta, bacon, chorizo (or any sausages really). Pigs trotters or other cheap fatty cuts are great for flavour too. Butchers will often give you a bag of bones for next to nothing too, these can help with flavour and the gelatin means that you don't need to add flour or spud to thicken the soup.

 

[RosieLKH]

On the subject of gelatin - oxtail makes a super soup base and is perfect, Spanish style, with butter beans and chorizo. Which reminds me, I have 4kg of Greek 'gigantos' - giant butter beans - about to be delivered!

Also, in Venice recently, we had a fabulous ragu made from beef cheek, which was also thick and gelatinous, and would make a great soup base.

 

[Resurgam]

I can't take any grains, legumes are mostly bad news, so I take out a tall beaker of soup and blend it - I have one of those Bamix devices, and add it back to make a thick base for the rest of the ingredients. Mushrooms and cauliflower make a good 'gloopy' base mix.