OK 65g of apple didn't spike, so what now?

JenniferM55 said:

This question might appear obvious and pretty basic, but when you're scared of undoing what you've been working on, and a little bit scared of trusting yourself...

We've got this young apple tree in the garden, this year it's been allowed to grow 10 or so apples. I love apples, but I've not had one since I got serious with my 'under 20g carbs a day diet' started on 1st June.

I have had a taste of one of the apples (about 35g worth) a few weeks ago which didn't appear to make much difference in BG. This morning I had half an apple 65g (7g carbs). BG pre the apple was 4.7, post it was 5.6 nearly an hour later, and 5.4 two hours after that. All's good as far as I can see. I freaked out a couple of years ago when I ate just 5 cherries, I spiked to 19 and I'm afraid that experience is still with me.

So what would you do now?

Go on and test eating a full apple (so long as total day's carbs are under 20g) and test if there's a spike? If there isn't a spike, would you think apples are fair game so long as they're inside your day's carb quota? Would you stop testing BG after eating an apple because 'it'll be a waste of a test strip'? Or would you continue to abstain because they've got a reputation for spiking BS.

My personality; I can easily go off the 'rails' - though I would like to expand my food choice using the apple as an example.

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I haven't even tried a 'Russet Apple' for the last couple of years at least. Love them. Trouble is couldn't even stick to a slice.

ianf0ster said:

I can eat a half of one of our James Grieve apples, but I daren't risk eating a whole one.

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What is it about the whole apple you can't risk? Surely, even if it sends your glucose stratospheric, at least you would know.

In my world, knowledge is power. We should never fear learning.

JenniferM55 said:

This question might appear obvious and pretty basic, but when you're scared of undoing what you've been working on, and a little bit scared of trusting yourself...

We've got this young apple tree in the garden, this year it's been allowed to grow 10 or so apples. I love apples, but I've not had one since I got serious with my 'under 20g carbs a day diet' started on 1st June.

I have had a taste of one of the apples (about 35g worth) a few weeks ago which didn't appear to make much difference in BG. This morning I had half an apple 65g (7g carbs). BG pre the apple was 4.7, post it was 5.6 nearly an hour later, and 5.4 two hours after that. All's good as far as I can see. I freaked out a couple of years ago when I ate just 5 cherries, I spiked to 19 and I'm afraid that experience is still with me.

So what would you do now?

Go on and test eating a full apple (so long as total day's carbs are under 20g) and test if there's a spike? If there isn't a spike, would you think apples are fair game so long as they're inside your day's carb quota? Would you stop testing BG after eating an apple because 'it'll be a waste of a test strip'? Or would you continue to abstain because they've got a reputation for spiking BS.

My personality; I can easily go off the 'rails' - though I would like to expand my food choice using the apple as an example.

Click to expand...

We have an apple tree and I find there is a huge difference between eating an apple grown on our tree and an apple bought from a store. The apple from the tree has nearly no effect on my blood sugar, whereas a store apple will spike me in minutes (which is why store apples are my treatment for hypos). The taste says it all. The tree apples are delicious and nearly sour; while a store-bought is super sweet.

ianf0ster said:

I'm not sure why, but you post really annoys me.
Why do you suggest I gamble with my BG levels? I have past evidence that a bought apple of different variety spiked my BG when I was first testing my reaction to different fruit. Isn't it my right to continue to avoid those that gave me a bad reaction?

I read too many posts by those who thought their T2D was cured and they could go back to eating to 'Eatwell' instead of to their meter.
What makes you think that anything has substantially changed in the intervening years?
In your quest for knowledge perhaps you do it frequently - but where do you draw the line ? -Every year?

I don't fear learning so much as avoid keeping making the same mistakes.

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Ian, you can do whatever you choose.

You say you had a shock when you first tested your reaction to fruit. Bearing in mind you appear to have kept your numbers in a good place for quite a while now, it is plausible that your insulin sensitivity could have improved, meaning you could be pleasantly surprised. Alternatively, you could have an disproportionately high result and have it confirmed that apple isn't your friend any more.

One thing I have learned over my time living with a T2 diagnosis is that not everything stays the same for ever. Things can change and improvements (or of course decline) can continue for quite some years.

That said, a one-off high number is highly unlikely to shift your A1c or do you any harm.

As I say, your body, your choice. We each set our risk dials to the place we comfortable. If your comfort zone is eating half a James Grieve apple, then crack on that way.

JenniferM55 said:

So what would you do now?

Go on and test eating a full apple (so long as total day's carbs are under 20g) and test if there's a spike? If there isn't a spike, would you think apples are fair game so long as they're inside your day's carb quota? Would you stop testing BG after eating an apple because 'it'll be a waste of a test strip'? Or would you continue to abstain because they've got a reputation for spiking BS.

My personality; I can easily go off the 'rails' - though I would like to expand my food choice using the apple as an example.

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I get it, I love apples too and miss them.

Part of what works for me with keto is that strictly speaking, nothing is off the table. That's a big psychological factor for me because as soon as something is "banned" or "forbidden", even if that's just my own rule (yep, my issue with authority even extends to my own rules ), it means that's all I'll be able to think about. Many a diet of mine has failed previously on this point alone.

The fact keto essentially allows anything, just with tightly controlled macros, means I don't have this mental challenge with temptation. If I wanted dirty, carby, nutrition free white bread, I can have it. Sure, I can only have about an inch square piece, but the option is there. If I want milk chocolate, I can have it, but only if I'm having an amount that fits within my macros for the day. By having to consider how I'd fit any of these things into my macros, combined with that time allowing the realisation of how small a portion I can have, I reject these really bad choices in favour of better choices.

So, providing apples don't affect your BG to an extreme, which seemingly they don't from your testing, I'd say for you personally then you should eat what you can fit into your macros for the day, without it resulting in your starving for the rest of that day. However, to make sure you don't go off the rails, make a very strict deal with yourself that the macros come first and foremost, no exception.

Paul_ said:

That's a big psychological factor for me because as soon as something is "banned" or "forbidden", even if that's just my own rule (yep, my issue with authority even extends to my own rules )

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Very true for me as well.

EllieM said:

Cross posting horribly but russet apples are my favorite fruit in the whole world. So much so that I try to time my UK visits to the Autumn

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Keeping the cross posting up, I've never heard of a russet apple but please tell me they are in season in early october so I can use one to treat a hypo next year!

EllieM said:

Cross posting horribly but russet apples are my favorite fruit in the whole world. So much so that I try to time my UK visits to the Autumn and have planted some russets in my New Zealand garden. This year was the first year we had reasonable quantties As a T1 I have to inject for them and they are fast acting on my blood sugar. (I'll have to hope to have lots of near hypos that need treating next autumn). But yes, when they are in season I use a lot of my day's carb allowance on them, though as a low carbing T1 my carbs are much more flexible than a T2. Luckily (for my blood sugar and will power) russets are only in season for a relatively short period.

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That is fantastic. Very good you can get them and grow them in New Zealand.

Antje77 said:

Keeping the cross posting up, I've never heard of a russet apple but please tell me they are in season in early october so I can use one to treat a hypo next year!

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Yes from about now through to March. Not all supermarkets sell them but Waitrose and sometimes Sainsburys.

Sometimes I think we can overthink things, yes apples have carbs, they also have vitamins, fibre and are a natural unprocessed food. If I just eat an apple to test it's impact, the carbs will show in the results. But if I eat my apple as part of a meal, for desert maybe, those same carbs get lost amongst the protein and fats of my meal and make no noticeable difference to my post meal numbers.

JenniferM55 said:

Possibly another word for 'overthink' could be 'obsessive', I'll hold my hand up for that one.

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I can relate, but when it comes to diabetes the pursuit of knowledge, no matter how obsessive, has to be a good thing.

(GPs could do a lot worse than point their newly diagnosed patients in the direction of this website; I've learned so much from its very knowledgeable posters in the few months I've been lurking and reading, and my BM readings are encouraging...but I'm keeping quiet about that until my first post-diagnosis HbAc1 test in November.)